Top Things to do in Hawaii
Things to do in Hawaii, United States: The Best Beaches
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Restaurants in Hawaii
1. Mauna Kea Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 427 reviews
Located behind the Mauna Kea Hotel.
Reviewed By MTS--1000 - Everett, United States
Very nice beach. Clean. Even the public restrooms are reasonably clean. As others have said very limited parking which is good if you’re one of the lucky ones. Went with the family and the young grandkids had a great time in the water and playing in the sand. The parking is uphill from the beach with a paved walkway. The grade was manageable for this old guy. We all had fun!
2. Ho'okipa Beach Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,529 reviews
Ideal for surfers and windsurfers.
Reviewed By ZoeyLambeauReggie - Plymouth, United States
Great place to hang out for several hours just watching the huge waves and great surfers! We went here before heading to the airport for our flight home. Nice place to relax and fairly close to the airport. This beach gets crowded so parking can get tricky....head down to lower lot if needed, plenty of spots there (usually).
3. Wai'anapanapa State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,966 reviews
Waianapanapa State Park is on the road to Hana, Maui.
Reviewed By rhealey007 - Charlotte, United States
Absolutely incredible!! It's a can't miss stop. The drive in from Hana Highway is bumpy but well worth it. Go check out the massive waves at the unique black sand beach... WARNING... the waves will occasionally cover the entire sand part of the beach, so be careful where you store your towels, bags, and shoes. Go up top and see the impressive blow hole... be careful of where you choose to stand or you will get drenched. Then continue passed the blow hole and hike, yes hike, a gorgeous short trail that embodies what you think of when you think about Hawaii... lush greens and bright flowers against lava rock and ocean waves. Upon returning to the beach, don't miss the sea arch and the walk-in cave off to the right, directly on the beach.
4. Waimanalo Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 715 reviews
A large beach in Oahu.
Reviewed By gbmir3 - Houston, United States
Incredibly beautiful beach, with soft sand, great waves and beautiful clear blue water. Plenty of room, very uncrowned even on State holiday.
5. Makena Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 982 reviews
Reviewed By LisaO1555 - San Diego, United States
Makena beach, also known as Big Beach, is hands down the best beach in Maui. Long, wide, and sandy beach that offers a break from the crowds in Kaanapali and Kihei. Big parking lot with portable toilets. The beach is perfect for both couples and families.
6. Kailua Beach Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,987 reviews
Reviewed By Vladimiramirela - Mississauga, Canada
For less experienced and brave swimmers, this is a perfect setting. Close to washroom facilities, with lots of parking within convenient distance and many shaded spots under the trees, this beach offers enough room for everybody to sit or walk around, without feeling crowded, even during the weekend days. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, with nearby rock formations, and amazingly turquois water. As the slope into the waves is not too steep, even when the ocean is pretty rough, swimming is quite safe. The villages of Kailua and nearby Lanikai also offer many places to eat, have a good coffee or browse for souvenirs. Excellent location!
7. Hanalei Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,829 reviews
Reviewed By puaka1 - Lee's Summit, United States
Breathtaking beach with nearby mountains making it a heavenly experience. A little ways from Lihue but the drive is beautiful itself. When it rains you can make out countless waterfalls on the nearby mountain range. Friendly shore break for body surfing, body boarding, surfing, or paddle boarding. You can even make out local canoe clubs practicing in the bay. Would live here if I could afford it lol but since I can't I will be back, frequently.
8. Poipu Beach Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,745 reviews
Reviewed By elsalita
We love this beach, we swim and snorkel here every couple of days when we visit Kauai. It is safe, there are 2 life guard stations. We typically swim and snorkel in front of the Marriott. We see beached monk seals almost every time we are there. There's plenty of fish to see and variety of fish is really good, humu's, wrasse's, moorish idol's, puffer fish, trigger fish, tang's trumpet fish and more, we have occasionally seen turtles and eels. The waves are sometimes a little large but it's usually pretty easy to get in the water. There's also covered table area's if your spending the day and bathrooms and showers as well. There's lots of free parking.
9. Tunnels Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 909 reviews
A beach in the northern part of Kauai.
Reviewed By cherylgiraffe
This is a local beach, accessible by parking nearby and walking down to it. It's not crowded - there are no services - but to me, it say real Hawaii, a place you go if you live in the neighborhood. Gorgeous water, magnificent view and the little neighborhood you drive through to get to it - across a couple of one-lane bridges is REAL Hawaii.
10. Anini Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 872 reviews
Reviewed By 910rachelh - Napier, New Zealand
This was an absolutely fantastic spot on the north shore of Kauai when the weather permits! We have a 2 year old who loved the shallow, warm protected waters and we had a good spot half under the trees. The sand is that wonderful coarser coral sand that doesn’t stick to everything too! Saw octopus, green turtle (saw 3) and loads of fish species and there is some coral trying to get a hold here - but expect a lot of degraded reef like everywhere else. You will need to be a reasonably confident swimmer to get out to the outer reef to see more interesting stuff - at least 60-100m off the shore.
