Forget about finding Hawaii's "best" beach: With 750 miles of coastline rimming what Mark Twain once called "the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean," the superlatives just pile up. Different moods inspire different favorites, but it's never hard to find just the right spot to surf, swim, snorkel, or simply watch the bathing suits go by.
Big Island
Beaches are almost an afterthought given the island's entrancing black lava moonscape and continuously erupting volcano (proudly spewing magma for two decades and counting), although locals do drive from all over to bodysurf the waves at Hapuna Beach, on the rugged Kona side. Calmer types prefer the sandy bottom and night-swimming manta rays at nearby Kaunaoa Beach. Snorkelers, meanwhile, find their paradise farther south, where swarming tropical fish beckon off the salt-and-pepper sands of Kahalu‘u Beach. Giant green sea turtles congregate on Punalu‘u Beach Park's gritty black sands, a welcome by-product of all that black lava. But only truly hearty souls—very, very few people, in other words—will even attempt the two-and-a-half-mile trek to Papakolea Beach, an isolated and potentially hazardous glossy green swath of crushed olivine near the island's windswept southern tip.
Kauai
With its man-made kiddie lagoon and excellent snorkeling, Poipu Beach, on Kauai's sunny southern side, is a favorite of visitors—and Hawaiian monk seals, which often rest on the warm white sands. Kee Beach, a crescent near the trailhead for the famous Na Pali Coast, offers a cool dip after a sweaty trek. The wide sands and end-of-the-unmarked-road location make the North Shore's Secret Beach a favorite of honeymooners and other crowd-dodgers—but only in summer, when the water is calm. The 17-mile beach at West Kauai's Polihale State Park has rolling dunes and magnificent sunsets, but stay out of the hazardous currents.
Maui
Locals like to say Maui no ka oi! ("Maui is the best!"), and the gold sand beaches and lapis waters are no small reason.
Ultra-posh visitors choose Wailea, a resort area with luxury hotels, star chefs (say, dinner at eight at Spago?), and beaches worthy of the clientele. Black lava arms cradle a swath of golden sand at the eponymous beach, making it a favorite of sunbathers—as well as Dr. Beach (Stephen P. Leatherman), who named it "America's Best Beach" in 1999. Swimmers enjoy the sandy bottom at nearby Ulua Beach, which boasts good snorkeling along its rocky southern point. Shoppers like Wailea's swank boardwalk, which offers easy access to civilized lunches and Louis Vuitton.
But every Everyman will appreciate the stunning views of sister islands Lanai, Kaho‘olawe, and Molokai that start in Wailea and continue up the western coast to Ka‘anapali, a more diverse resort complex with excellent hotels from mid-range to elegant that spill onto lively "come party with me" beaches. Farther north, colorful wrasses and paint-faced humuhumunukunukuapua‘a (the state fish) ply the underwater canyons of the marine preserve at Honolua Bay, where Molokai's deeply riven lines look almost close enough to touch.
If you yearn to go native, head south to Makena State Park, which is two beaches in one. A cinder cone separates the crowd on the wide and sometimes wild-watered half, known to locals as Big Beach, from the smaller, self-selected group at the cove called Little Beach, popular with those who prefer to swim au naturel. (P.S.: Nude bathing is illegal in Hawaii.)
Oahu
First, of course, Waikiki. The world's most famous beach is actually a string of small jewels strewn along Oahu's southern shore. Winter brings excellent novice surfing to tourist-packed Kuhio Beach, but summer swells turn the place pro. At The Wall, a break that straddles a gazebo-topped jetty, testosterone-juiced teenage boys do 360s on slick bodyboards. Kaimana Beach, a spit of sand beneath the hulking Diamond Head volcano, is the hands-down favorite for laid-back locals. At sunset, watch the pau hana—"after work"—crowd trickle in for their evening swim to the offshore flag (rumored to be a quarter-mile workout) or to practice their downward dog. For a more urban experience, join the boom boxes, family luaus, and teen posses that plant themselves at Ala Moana Beach Park, across the street from Honolulu's giant open-air shopping mall.
Michelle Pfeiffer sightings lend cachet to the long beige sands of Kailua Beach on Oahu's Windward side, but regular folk still claim the place for Frisbee games and exhilarating kayaking to the nearby Mokuluas Islands. Paddle out early and have the beach to yourself.
Oahu claims more surf spots than any of its sister islands—nearly 600 in all—but the best known are on the North Shore, where 20-foot winter waves draw world-champion surfers and a lot of impressed spectators. In summer, dolphins ply the glassy waters of Waimea Bay and snorkelers fill Sharks Cove, where you're more likely to swim with honu—giant green sea turtles—than with hammerheads.
Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
Big Island
Beaches are almost an afterthought given the island's entrancing black lava moonscape and continuously erupting volcano (proudly spewing magma for two decades and counting), although locals do drive from all over to bodysurf the waves at Hapuna Beach, on the rugged Kona side. Calmer types prefer the sandy bottom and night-swimming manta rays at nearby Kaunaoa Beach. Snorkelers, meanwhile, find their paradise farther south, where swarming tropical fish beckon off the salt-and-pepper sands of Kahalu‘u Beach. Giant green sea turtles congregate on Punalu‘u Beach Park's gritty black sands, a welcome by-product of all that black lava. But only truly hearty souls—very, very few people, in other words—will even attempt the two-and-a-half-mile trek to Papakolea Beach, an isolated and potentially hazardous glossy green swath of crushed olivine near the island's windswept southern tip.
Kauai
With its man-made kiddie lagoon and excellent snorkeling, Poipu Beach, on Kauai's sunny southern side, is a favorite of visitors—and Hawaiian monk seals, which often rest on the warm white sands. Kee Beach, a crescent near the trailhead for the famous Na Pali Coast, offers a cool dip after a sweaty trek. The wide sands and end-of-the-unmarked-road location make the North Shore's Secret Beach a favorite of honeymooners and other crowd-dodgers—but only in summer, when the water is calm. The 17-mile beach at West Kauai's Polihale State Park has rolling dunes and magnificent sunsets, but stay out of the hazardous currents.
Maui
Locals like to say Maui no ka oi! ("Maui is the best!"), and the gold sand beaches and lapis waters are no small reason.
Ultra-posh visitors choose Wailea, a resort area with luxury hotels, star chefs (say, dinner at eight at Spago?), and beaches worthy of the clientele. Black lava arms cradle a swath of golden sand at the eponymous beach, making it a favorite of sunbathers—as well as Dr. Beach (Stephen P. Leatherman), who named it "America's Best Beach" in 1999. Swimmers enjoy the sandy bottom at nearby Ulua Beach, which boasts good snorkeling along its rocky southern point. Shoppers like Wailea's swank boardwalk, which offers easy access to civilized lunches and Louis Vuitton.
But every Everyman will appreciate the stunning views of sister islands Lanai, Kaho‘olawe, and Molokai that start in Wailea and continue up the western coast to Ka‘anapali, a more diverse resort complex with excellent hotels from mid-range to elegant that spill onto lively "come party with me" beaches. Farther north, colorful wrasses and paint-faced humuhumunukunukuapua‘a (the state fish) ply the underwater canyons of the marine preserve at Honolua Bay, where Molokai's deeply riven lines look almost close enough to touch.
If you yearn to go native, head south to Makena State Park, which is two beaches in one. A cinder cone separates the crowd on the wide and sometimes wild-watered half, known to locals as Big Beach, from the smaller, self-selected group at the cove called Little Beach, popular with those who prefer to swim au naturel. (P.S.: Nude bathing is illegal in Hawaii.)
Oahu
First, of course, Waikiki. The world's most famous beach is actually a string of small jewels strewn along Oahu's southern shore. Winter brings excellent novice surfing to tourist-packed Kuhio Beach, but summer swells turn the place pro. At The Wall, a break that straddles a gazebo-topped jetty, testosterone-juiced teenage boys do 360s on slick bodyboards. Kaimana Beach, a spit of sand beneath the hulking Diamond Head volcano, is the hands-down favorite for laid-back locals. At sunset, watch the pau hana—"after work"—crowd trickle in for their evening swim to the offshore flag (rumored to be a quarter-mile workout) or to practice their downward dog. For a more urban experience, join the boom boxes, family luaus, and teen posses that plant themselves at Ala Moana Beach Park, across the street from Honolulu's giant open-air shopping mall.
Michelle Pfeiffer sightings lend cachet to the long beige sands of Kailua Beach on Oahu's Windward side, but regular folk still claim the place for Frisbee games and exhilarating kayaking to the nearby Mokuluas Islands. Paddle out early and have the beach to yourself.
Oahu claims more surf spots than any of its sister islands—nearly 600 in all—but the best known are on the North Shore, where 20-foot winter waves draw world-champion surfers and a lot of impressed spectators. In summer, dolphins ply the glassy waters of Waimea Bay and snorkelers fill Sharks Cove, where you're more likely to swim with honu—giant green sea turtles—than with hammerheads.
Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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