CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — TripAdvisor has released its picks for the country's best beaches, and Clearwater Beach has been picked as No. 1. 

  • Clearwater Beach No. 1 on TripAdvisor Top 25 US Beaches
  • 2nd year in a row Clearwater voted as No. 1 
  • Honor comes despite last year's red tide outbreak

It is the second straight year the Bay area's most popular beach also was TripAdvisor's favorite. 

Clearwater Beach comes out at the top ahead of some of the best beach spots in the U.S. and seven picks from the state of Florida.

According to the TripAdvisor website, Clearwater Beach's "sugar fine white sand is a trademark of this fabulous beach. Perfect for a day in the sun. You might even spot a dolphin or two playing on the horizon."

The site selected beaches based on a 12-month survey time between December 2017 and December 2018. TripAdvisor selected Clearwater despite recent troubles with the red tide algae blooms from last year. 

TripAdvisor officials said that despite the red tide, travelers still consistently consider the Clearwater area the best beach in the country to visit. 

St. Pete Beach logged in at fourth place on the survey, while Siesta Beach came in sixth. 

TripAdvisor saod the beaches are chosen based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews.