When you hear “Hawaii” you likely picture a beautiful beach. With so many gorgeous stretches of shoreline, choosing a beach destination in Hawaii can be difficult. Here is Tripping.com’s list of Hawaii’s top beaches:
10 Tremendous Beaches in Hawaii
1. Waikiki Beach, Oahu
Waikiki Beach is one of the most popular beaches as it’s right near Hawaii’s capital of Honolulu. Waikiki Beach is also one of the most crowded beaches for this reason, but it’s a lot of fun with beautiful scenic views and great swimming and surfing. There are plenty of resorts and hotels surrounding the beach making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Hawaii and there’s unlimited things to keep you entertained including restaurants, great shopping and more.
Stay near Waikiki Beach!
2. Lanikai Beach, Oahu
You can’t keep Lanikai Beach off of this list. Also located in Oahu, it’s one of the best beaches for swimming, kayaking and canoeing as a magnificent offshore reef protects it. There’s extremely soft sandy beaches and sparkling turquoise ocean that Hawaii is known for. There’s a reason this beach is called Lanikai (translated to Heavenly Ocean). Five minutes from the beach is downtown with fun restaurants and shops for visitors as well.
Stay near Lanikai Beach!
3. Kaanapali Beach, Maui
Kaanapali Beach is a similar set up to Waikiki Beach, about three miles of beach with the Kaanapali Resort and other hotels located on the beach including the Maui Sheraton and Hyatt Regency. It’s one of the most popular spots in Maui for vacationers with great swimming, snorkeling, parasailing and surfing. It’s a very popular spot for visitors but never too overcrowded except for busy vacation times like Christmas.
Stay near Kaanapali Beach!
4. Hapuna Beach, Big Island
On the big island’s west side is another beautiful beach in Hapuna Beach that offers fine, soft white sand and crystal clear waters for swimming and snorkeling. It’s a half-mile long and very wide making it popular for beach goers and sunbathers. The popular Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel is located on the beach.
Stay near Hapuna Beach!
5. Hanalei Bay Beach, Kauai
Hanalei Bay located on Kauai’s north side is one of the most pristine beaches in Hawaii with some of the best scenery. It stretches over two miles in a semi circle with beautiful sand and breathtaking views of mountains to its west. There’s great swimming, surfing and boogie boarding for the water types as well. Many world-class surfers call this area home, so you can watch some pretty cool surfing from the beach as well.
Stay near Hanalei Bay!
6. Kailua Beach, Oahu
Kailua Beach on Oahu is another beautiful option with its soft white sand and crystal clear turquoise waters. Kailua Beach is known for its watersports with plenty of windsurfing, kayaking, body boarding and parasailing offered. There are plenty of kayak rental spots near the beach and you can do some exploring with some small islands not far from the beach. If you’re an adventurist, Kailua Beach is a great option.
Stay near Kailua Beach!
7. Poipu Beach, Kauai
Poipu Beach is located on the southern part of the island of Kauai and is one of Hawaii’s most popular beaches. It’s very family friendly with same spots for young children and other spots for more experienced swimming and snorkeling. The beach is about a 1,000-foot semi circle of white sand that offers plenty of space for sunbathers and beach activities. The beach is known to be home to endangered monk seals that sometimes come on shore to nap.
Stay near Poipu Beach!
8. Wailea Beach, Maui
Wailea Beach is another great beach located in a resort area. It’s known as the best beach out of the five beaches that can be visited when vacationing at Maui’s Wailea Resort. It offers great swimming and snorkeling conditions as well as spectacular views of the islands Kahoolawe, Lanai and Molokini in the distance.
Stay near Wailea Beach!
9. Punaluu Black Sand Beach, The Big Island
If you’re looking for a really cool and different experience and you find yourself on the Big Island, venture over to Punaluu, the best of all the black sand beaches offered by Hawaii. It’s located 30 miles south of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The shores of the beach have jet-black sand as volcanic activity has changed the colors of the sand near the beach over the years.
Stay near Punaluu Beach!
10. Hanauma Bay Beach, Oahu
Hanauma Bay in Oahu was formed after the flooding of a volcanic crater took place thousands of years ago. It’s one of the most unique beaches that Hawaii has to offer with its beautiful semi circle formation around Hanauma Bay that offers great swimming and snorkeling to visitors and locals with plenty of beautiful fish and other marine life.
Hanauma Bay Beach, Oahu
This article was written by Cameron Lafontaine.