If you're looking for sugary sand or beautiful beaches you're going to have to head North out of the Keys to almost any one of Florida's other 800 plus miles of beaches unless you're on a curated or private resort beach where they've brought in lots of sand and routinely scrape off the sea grass. You'd be better off at Sombrero, Smathers, Higgs, or Fort Zachary beaches for something like that sort of experience but still need water shoes and consider smelly sea grass is just a thing down here. You do get used to it, but it's an acquired Conch thing. Coco Plum's quiet and worth exploring. Sunrise is Great here (as almost anywhere in the Keys) and there's a trail amongst the canopy and brush worth checking out. People do like to bring and unleash their dogs here, so you might want to sort of expect that. Over the years, it's been really nice here after it's been scraped and new sand's been brough in. It's a bit rough for the weary after the last few storms now. read more

Coco Plum Beach - Beaches Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Secluded beach area. There was only one car in the parking area when we pulled in. I was excited about the prospect of having the beach mostly to ourselves, and was hoping to snorkel a little. The beach was covered in sea grass, which is fine because nature and whatever. I didn't care about the smell of said decaying sea grass. But we waded out about 10 ft and were stuck in mud because the sand had run out. All we were doing was kicking up silt and mud. Almost lost my water shoes in the sticky mud. We left after 5 minutes in the water. This is a great option for someone who just wants to take their dog for a walk or stroll along a beach. But not at all good for swimming or snorkeling, and not even basking on the sand because of all the sea grass and the smell. The restroom and shower were nice, but we didn't use the restroom for anything but changing and the shower for anything but washing off the mud. There are so many beaches in the keys, this one was super disappointing. read more

Coco Plum Beach - Beaches Near Me - Marathon, Florida

5 stars. Not sure why so many low ratings. It's a beach and it's free! There is a small parking lot, restrooms, and a covered pavilion. That's all for amenities. I guess the biggest complaint is the smell. Yes, there is a lot of seagrass, but the city cleans it up every morning. I saw a few people kiteboarding - seems like a great spot for it. I do not think it is good for swimming, but it is a nice beach to chill and sunbathe. There is also some sort of a walking trail. Overall, a good quiet secluded beach. read more

Coco Plum Beach - Beaches Near Me - Marathon, Florida

Date of visit: Sept 27, 2022 Lots of washed up brown seaweed which smelled very bad. Quite a bit of washed up trash debris. It is designed for those who really want to stroll along the beach on a walk in fairly good privacy. There were lots of shells and washed up coral pieces. Small parking area that can accommodate maybe 20 vehicles. As always in this area they all close at dusk. I prefer the beautiful white sand of the gulf beaches up in Ft Walton, or Destin. read more

This is a dog friendly beach. It smells. When we got there a woman was sitting in the parking lot. She said the ants were biting so bad on the beach that she had to come up here. Neat. Skip this beach and go to Sombrero Beach. read more

Coco Plum Beach - Stinky!!!! - Beaches Near Me - Marathon, Florida

See all

Stayed for 5 minutes to scope it out and left. I think it has potential...it's private, convenient location and parking, has restrooms, and had white sand in areas. The smell and sea grass were horrific. It was like waking through sewage trying to get into the water so we left. I accustomed to the clean beaches in North Carolina and Maryland with miles and miles of coastline. read more

I like this beach! It's very small but nice. There is a lot of Coral and pretty shells around and the water is really clean. I really like that there is free parking which I wasn't expecting. You can also bring your dog which is really cool! You are not allowed to do that anywhere in ct. The only downsides to this beach is that since it's just a small private type of place there is nowhere to like get drinks or food or anything like that. There is one bathroom there but it has no lights, only a sunroof to let sun light in and no mirror to look at yourself in. If you are looking for a more commercial beach I would suggest sombrero beach which is a little farther down the keys. read more

Out of all the beaches we visited in the Marathon area this was my least favorite. Pros: -- Secluded and quiet location -- No fee to visit -- Provides a parking lot as well as restrooms Cons: -- Beach seemed dirty to me -- We went at low tide and found lots of glass and trash near the water line so be careful if wading or walking barefoot on this beach. I do not know if it is from the storm last year or not but be wary. I tried to pick up some of the glass I saw and throw it in the trash. -- Dogs are allowed. I like dogs, own one and have had a few throughout the years. However, I'm not a fan of a pet friendly beach. Unfortunately, not all pet owners are diligent about cleaning up their pet's waste and that was the case here as well. I saw several piles around the area and that obviously does not lend itself to the most sanitary of beach conditions. read more

Has to be the best beach on marathon key. Quiet. Beautiful. Perfect. Not a far walk for those who would still like to enjoy the beach. read more

Coco Plum Beach - Beaches Near Me - Marathon, Florida

So so beach. Narrow and full of seaweeds. Good bathroom stop and stretch break. Go to end of street for access.

It is my hope that this review saves other travelers from taking time out of their vacation to go to the public portion of Coco Plum Beach. Aside from the brown water, the smell was so bad that it became literally nauseating. The Coco Beach that appeared beautiful was all within private property with no trespassing and surveillance video signs posted throughout. read more

A gem for dog people but as John mentioned in another review- pick up after your dog! There are so few places in FL to go with your dog, being Uber responsible is key. I would also advise it only for those dog owners who have excellent voice control on their dogs. If not, keep them on leash and never let un-leashed dogs go up to leashed dogs. If you don't like dogs or wish to not be on a beach without them, I suggest you go to one of the thousand other beaches where they aren't allowed. read more

Not a lot of spaces to park but there is a covered patio with restrooms and an outdoor shower. Tide was high when we were there but plenty of beach to relax on. Pretty clean except for grass that had been washed on shore from manatees that eat the grass leaving their clippings . No there were no manatees at the beach. Nice beach though for the keys which doesn't have a lot of beaches. read more

A small beach strip, very private with barely anyone else around. There was a little swing made out of a tree branch between two trees, which was quite whimsical and lovely. They water had a ton of seaweed and the scent of dead fish, but we chalked it up to remnants of Irma a year ago. We still enjoyed waddling through the seaweed into the sand bar and basking in the sun. read more

I want to caveat this short review with the disclaimer that we went at low tide which can produce the effects for which my criticism is targeted. However, it is no exaggeration to state that we were on this beach for less than 5 minutes before we almost gagged up our lunch. The smell was a mix of expired eggs and rotten fish. We parked in the smallish public parking lot about the same time as another family who was leaving as we were just walking in. To their credit, they said the beach 'wasn't for them' when I asked why they were leaving so soon. I believe this translates to 'this place smells like a garbage dump' in polite southern. The public bathrooms were nice and there were plenty of families obviously immune to the noxious fumes so might just be personal preference but I prefer my beaches to be odor free and will likely pass on this one the next t time through. read more

I'm a bit confused by all the positive reviews. We found this place on yelp but were definitely disappointed when we arrived with our kids. Water was muddy and unattractive for wading let alone swimming or splashing. We immediately left. I wouldn't waste your time here. read more

Perhaps this should not have 'beach' in the name and folks would have a better impression. For the Keys, this is a really nice strip of sand along the water and with a nice view and less people than the nearest 'real' beach, Sombrero Beach. Not a lot of parking, but not too crowded so it is fine. This is a place for relaxing and enjoying nature. For that, it is excellent. Note:Picnic tables and pavilion are In the parking area with no view of water. read more

Beach? Not really what I would call it. Other than the seaweed it was very dirty and had trash everywhere so it wasnt that great. Check out Sombrero beach, Veterans Memorial, or Bahia Honda for other "beaches" read more

Despite some sea glass laying around (from the hurricane) this is a very nice "beach" or strip of sand and gorgeous water. It is a very secluded place and very relaxed and chilled back. read more