it depends on where you are from and what you want to spend. I just spent an entire year renting in the different towns in Daytona shores, Ormond, and new smyrna to check out where I wanted to buy. I'm from a LA, used to high end homes and high prices and tourists. Daytona Beach shores and below to Ponce Inlet is on that track for higher end beach homes lower tourist congestion. I really enjoyed the quieter no drive beaches of ormond. I lived there a few months this summer across from the beach. The only problem further up Ormond most of the condos you have to cross the busy road to get to the beach and the drive seems to take forever to get to the bridge if you don't want to pay Publix grocery prices. I think New Smryna is a great beach town. It has lots of great food and a fun street full of bars and shops to walk around and it does not feel like you are in a tourist trap, its a lot like small west coast beach towns. However, I picked a place right on the line of Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach. You get the ease of being steps to both towns. The bridges and grocery stores are close, but more of the tourist things are further downtown. You are close to the outlets and 95. and bonus by living on the drive part of the beach, I get watch people get stuck all day long in sand in their non 4 wheel drive cars. It's comedy gold and you can spend a nice day just drinking and watching the tourist try to dig out their cars.