The perfect beach towel tops the list for summertime essentials, together with the perfect swimsuit, sun hat, beach bag, sunscreen, and your favorite cocktail or mocktail. 

Although it’s possible to carry your old bath towel to the beach, these are not meant to withstand the sun and sand you’ll be enjoying all summer long.

A good beach towel is a great companion with many desirable qualities, such as quick-drying capabilities, UV treatment to avoid fading after days in the sun, and sand resistance. 

You can also enjoy multi-functionality when you have the right beach towel. It can be a warm blanket when the sun goes down, a cover-up, a plush seat, or a pillow as you soak up the sultry summer sun. Plus, you can choose one to match with your favorite tankini swimsuit.

Not all beach towels are created the same. The best beach towel for you depends on your preferred size, fabric, pattern, color, shape, and portability.

We’ll take you through five of our top beach towel picks, highlighting the benefits of each fabric and design to make it easier for you to pick the best option for you and your family.

Best Turkish Beach Towels

Turkish beach towels are the true definition of luxury, comfort, and style. Turkish cotton features long and durable fibers that make ultra-soft, absorbent, and fast-drying towels for the beach.

Our favorite Turkish beach towel is from Wetcat, which is a winner for its 100% soft cotton, affordability, and quick dry features. 

They feature chic designs and vibrant colors that make any bright summer day even brighter. 

A stunning feature of these handmade towels is that they maintain their color, even after several washes. Turkish cotton towels also improve with wear; they get softer, fluffier, and more absorbent the more you use and wash them. 

You’ll love the compact size, which allows you to pack several towels for the entire family without creating a heavy or bulky beach carry-on post-swim. 

A Turkish beach towel is incredibly versatile and can be used as a beach or travel bath towel, a throw, blanket, tapestry, or tablecloth. 

It also pairs perfectly with our solid-colored swimsuits and tankinis when you throw it on as a scarf or cover-up.

After all is said and done, leave the beach at the beach by easily shaking the sand off your luxe Turkish towels.

Best Oversized Beach Towels

Regular beach towels are about 30 by 60 inches, which is significantly larger than the standard bath towel. Oversized beach towels are even bigger measuring about 40 by 60 inches or slightly more. 

Our favorite oversized beach towels are from Parachute, which combines the softness of a Turkish beach towel and the practicality of a beach blanket.

These towels are just the right size for lounging, bundling up, and drying off quickly. You can expect them to elevate your daytime lounging experience by:

• Being long enough to cover a lounge chair completely
• Providing enough room to cuddle up with the little ones
• Allowing you enough room to stretch from head to toe without worrying about having your feet in the hot sand. 

You can also use them as picnic blankets at the beach that can fit an adult and two little sunbathers. 

This oversized beach towel is also ideal for wrapping around the body as it sits at a comfortable height.

The feel, absorbency, and sand resistance of oversized towels depend on the fabric you choose. Go for something between 400-600 GSM (grams per square meter) as it’s a sufficiently absorbent towel that dries fast.

Ensure you get a machine washable towel to spare yourself the torture of handwashing the heavy oversized beach towel.

Best Luxury Beach Towel & Best Personalized Beach Towel

What makes a beach towel luxurious? The feeling it gives you when you lie down on it. It should be soft, thick and made with the best quality cotton. It has to feel decadent and just perfect. And what’s even better is making it your own when you add a personal touch to your towel.

In our opinion, Kassatex’s beach towels are just that. Their cabana stripe beach towels are plush, soft, and super absorbent, but also brings an extra pop of color that encourages you to make the most out of your time at the beach.

The towels are made using high-quality thread to ensure faster drying and are oversized, so you get to enjoy maximum comfort and coverage.

Kassatex produces a number of color variations of the cabana stripe towel, including Aqua, Lime Green, Coral, Navy, Orange, and more. With so many summer colors to choose from, you’ll be able to find the perfect one to take to the beach.

Best of all, Kassatex offers the option to personalize your luxury towel. For a small additional fee, you can monogram your favorite Kassatex cabana towel and make it your own. Once you go cabana you’ll never go back!

Best Microfiber Beach Towel & Best Sand Free Beach Towel

Microfiber is a strong and silky fabric that’s made of tiny synthetic materials. More often than not, the fabric is a combination of several synthetic materials that can include polyester, nylon, or polyamide.The result is a smooth, thin, and lightweight fabric designed to keep you dry during your beach trip.

Our favorite microfiber beach towel is also our favorite sand free beach towel. This bohemian beauty from Tesalate will win you over with its outstanding features. You’ll love that this microfiber and sand free towel is:

• Super absorbent
• Dries 3 times faster than standard beach towels
• Sand free and sand resistant
• Colorful design
• Oversized and can be great for families
• Stain and dirt resistant, so you don't need to worry about the kids messing them up with mud or spills
• Because they’re quick-drying, they don’t harbor odor, mold, and bacteria
• Are lightweight and compact design making it easy to fold up into a tiny pouch and carry around as your reliable travel towel
• Can also be used while you’re exercising, practicing yoga, or camping. Don’t forget that their weight makes them ideal cover-ups or shawls when the seashore gets chilly.

You can choose from two microfiber towel options: sand-free or quick dry. Sand-free options feature a loose weave that ensures sand doesn’t get caught in the fabric. Quick-dry microfiber towels, on the other hand, don’t hold onto any dampness during your beach vacation.

Best Round Beach Towel

Round beach towels are creating a lot of Instagram buzz. It could be due to their unique shape, California beach style, or their versatile design which allows you to get away with almost any print you’d like.

Round towels are fun, charming, and roomy fitting up to two people sitting picnic-style on them.

Millennial brands are doing the most with the art and design of the round beach towel, producing a wide range of food-related designs that your teens or grandkids will adore. These designs include watermelons, sushi, pizza, doughnuts, and grapefruit.

Laguna Beach Textile has a variety of jacquard woven round towels made using 600 GSM cotton. The fabric and the weight ensure they are heavier than standard towels for the beach.

They are available in subtle and fresh prints that are toned-down, unlike millennial prints. You can also enjoy draping these soft and plush towels over your shoulders as you take a relaxing walk around the beach at any time of the day.

Best Terry Cloth Beach Towel

Terry cloth cotton is a plush and absorbent cotton material that’s a classic choice for the manufacture of beach towels. Our favorite terry cloth cotton beach towel from Brooklinen can absorb 20 to 30 times more water than its weight, meaning it can soak water from your hair, skin, and one-piece swimsuit even after several swims. 

As a matter of fact, this material gets stronger when wet and can withstand great amounts of rubbing, twisting, pulling, and squeezing.

These towels also dry off quickly, making them easy to shake out before carrying them into your car or home.

Caring for your terry cloth cotton towel is as easy as throwing it into your washing machine for a quick spin, and it will be as good as new. Compared to other beach towel fabrics, this one retains its beauty for years without any visible signs of fraying.

Not All Towels Are For The Beach

Beach towels are created differently, but the best have common grounds that allowed them to be featured on this list. 

In our opinion, the best beach towel needs to be practical, super absorbent, fast-drying, sand resistant, and have the right feel against your skin.

Remember to browse through our wide variety of chic one-pieces, tankinis, swim dresses, and cover-ups to go with your favorite new beach towel.

Citations

https://www.amazon.com/WETCAT-Original-Turkish-Beach-Towel/dp/B07M67HRKS

https://globaltexusa.com/what-special-about-turkish-cotton/

https://www.parachutehome.com/products/oversized-beach-towel?opt-color=white-and-clay

https://kassatex.com/products/cabana-stripe-beach-towels

https://www.tesalate.com/collections/beach-towels/products/bohemian-towel-for-two

https://lagunabeachtextileco.com/products/teal-and-tan-round-beach-towel

https://www.brooklinen.com/products/beach-towel?variant=39312165011546