The Best Beach Towels

This post contains affiliate links. The Salt Sirens earns from qualifying purchases.

Don’t just grab any old towel on your next beach getaway. Beach towels tend to be larger and more absorbent than your everyday bath towel. Many modern ones are super packable and sand repellent!

A beach towel doesn’t just keep you dry after you get out of the water. It’s also a place to lounge on the sand, a makeshift change room, chair cushion, shade shelter. With so many uses, beach towels have become a popular gift item. So if you’re planning to give someone (or yourself) a gift, scroll down and choose from our list of the best beach towels for beach bums.

Table of Contents

THE BEST BEACH TOWELS: QUICK PICKS

THE BEST BEACH TOWELS: REVIEWED

Sun Cube Microfiber Beach Towel

Material: Microfiber polyester

Made from microfiber polyester, the Sun Cube Beach Towel absorbs three times more water than cotton-made towels. While highly absorbent, it is also quick drying, especially if you hang it on its provided loop. It also come with its own travel pouch, making this beach towel the perfect travel buddy. Choose from eight color options.

Check price: Amazon

Utopia Jumbo Bath Sheet (2-pack)

Material: Ring spun cotton

While it looks like your ordinary bath towel, the Utopia Jumbo Bath Sheet is a bestselling beach towel. On top of being highly absorbent, its extra large cut (35x70in) provides ample blanket space when lying in the sand. The fabric is organic, soft and skin-friendly. This is offered in 2-pack and weighs over 4 pounds. Choose from 14 solid colors.

Check price: Amazon

Amazon Basics Cabana Stripe Beach Towel (2-pack)

Material: Cotton

The Amazon Basics Cabana Stripe Beach Towel looks like it was nicked from a luxury resort and is perfect for couples. This 2-pack beach towel is made from 100% absorbent cotton. It is extra soft that you can feel its fluffiness. Although not really effective against sand, this beach towel is ideal for pool and boat use. Choose from 11 different stripe patterns.

Check price: Amazon

Eccosophy Microfiber Beach Towel

Material: Microfiber

If wanting a beach towel that’s absorbent, quick drying and stylush, check out the Eccosophy Microfiber Beach Towel. Functional wise, it keeps you dry by absorbing water from your skin three times faster than regular towels. Fashion wise, these beach towel stands out courtesy from its two-sided tropical inspired prints. This lightweight beach towel (only 14 ounces) comes with its own travel pouch. Choose from over 20 different stripe patterns.

Check price: Amazon

Henbay Fluffy Oversized Beach Towel

Material: Cotton

Measuring 70 x 35in, the Henbay is another oversized beach towel. Made with US-combed cotton, this beach towel is super soft, fluffy on the skin and dries quickly under the sun. This beach towel is noted for its durability. It does not fade nor cotton fabrics falling off over time. Choose from five pastel-inspired colors.

Check price: Amazon

Kaufman Striped Beach Towel (4-pack)

Material: Ring spun cotton

If you are a family of beach goers and sun lovers, then you must have the Kaufman Striped Beach Towel. This 4-pack of beach towels is highly absorbent and quick drying. You can assign one color per family member as each towel in the pack comes in different colors (orange, turquoise, pink and lime). In case you are a one big happy family and a 4-pack is not enough, then don’t worry about towel sharing as it also comes with a 24-pack option.

Check price: Amazon

Clowood Plush Oversized Beach Towel

Material: 94% cotton, 6% bamboo

Fine, elegant, organic and oversized. Those are the best descriptions of the Clowood Plush Beach Towel. Made from a combination of cotton and bamboo, this beach towel is environmentally friendly and only use locally available organic materials. With its close knit fabric, this beach towel is also a good blanket in a sandy beach. With a few shake offs, sand will easily repel from the fabric. Choose from 4 different stripe patterns.

Check price: Amazon

Bay Laurel Turkish Beach Towel

Material: 100% Turkish Cotton

With frequent travel in mind, the Bay Laurel Turkish Beach Towel is lightweight and comes with its own travel bag. Aside from being absorbent and quick drying, it has a unique “peshtemal” style. This is also one of the few beach towels with a ton of color choices. Choose from over 40 different color patterns.

Check price: Amazon

Seaview 180 Sand Free Beach Towel

Material: Microfiber

Absorbent, quick drying and sand free. These are the qualities of a regular beach towel. With the Seaview, you don’t just enjoy those qualities, but you also become an environment-conscious beachgoer. Its microfiber fabric is made from 75% recycled material. With its own travel bag, this beach towel is a great gift item. Choose from 4 different colors.

Check price: Amazon

Franco Kids Hooded Beach Towel

Material: Cotton

Made from soft cotton fabric with a baby shark design, your kids will surely love the Franco Kids Beach Towel. And don’t worry about having a hard time setting the towels on them as this is also a hooded towel. Just place the hood on their head and wrapping them dry will double as playtime.

Check price: Amazon

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A BEACH TOWEL

Absorbent Material

The primary purpose of having a beach towel is to keep you dry. Cotton fabrics are the most common material used in beach towels. Aside from being absorbent, you will love the fluffiness of cotton as they are generally soft and gentle to the skin, but it can get heavy if it’s wet and take a while to dry. Microfiber is another material commonly used in beach towel. This is a synthetic fabric that is three times more absorbent than cotton and is known to repel sand.

Quick Drying

Since it will absorb water from your skin, expect that beach towel will be wet in every use. Having a quick-drying towel guarantees you that you will have a dry towel on your next use. If left unwashed for too long, wet towels can take on quite an odor.

Lightweight and Packable

Having a lightweight beach towel is great for travel and for cutting down trips between the car and the beach. Many resorts only offer room towels, not beach towels, so having your own will save you energy while carrying your suitcase or save on the much needed weight allowance if your travelling via plane. A good beach towel should also be packed easily. Some beach towels have their own pouch. This is important especially for those of us who hate mixing our clean clothes with a used dirty towel.