Rating the top five beaches in Hawaii is no easy task. Obviously, the most popular beaches enjoy the highest visitation and use by residents and tourists alike. Popularity is judged more by things like counting the bodies on the beach, how many cars are in the parking, local business sales of sunscreen, and mostly by reputation. The best beaches also have fine, soft sand that is clean and free of rocks, and good for building sand castles.
The water varies from light blue to light green on most beaches, and on the good ones, it is clear with plenty of fish for snorkeling. The best waves are about three feet high, breaking 25-40 yards off the beach and active enough for surfing and boogie boarding.
The best beaches have consistent surf conditions year-around, unaffected by the trade winds. The weather is consistent too, without too much rain or wind.
All beaches in Hawaii are public, well maintained, and offer access to visitors. The best ones, however, have the least walking distance from the parking lot to the beach and are less crowded. A fifteen minute walk down basalt lined gravel trails that get slippery during rains, especially carrying beach gear and kids, sometimes become very challenging. The best beaches have easy access and plenty of room to walk and play. Bigger beaches offer more possibilities for activities and are less crowded and more desirable.
The best beaches have great surroundings such as natural tropical jungle, magnificent resorts, mountains, hills, natural rock outcroppings, native vegetation, or beautiful homes and neighborhoods. Busy roads are not located directly adjacent to the beach, nor are there industrial buildings, camp grounds, litter, or un-kept facilities such as BBQ areas.
Number One on the list is Hanalei Bay, Kauai. This beach is over two miles long and is like no other in Hawaii, with picturesque mountains in the background. When the waves are just right, this beach turns into an amusement park for surfers and water enthusiasts. On the right side of the bay, skilled surfers are attracted to large and steady waves breaking at a reef. As the waves lose energy and approach the beach at the pier, they are perfect for beginners. At the middle sections, the waves vary in size and speed and are ideal for boogie boarders and intermediate level surfers. This long beach is never crowded and offers lots of room for play or privacy.
Number Two on the list is Lanikai Beach, Oahu. This is one of the most picturesque beaches in Hawaii with beautiful white sand and excellent swimming. The beach is protected offshore by a reef that keeps the water calm year-around. The beach is ideal for families with small children and those who don't like strong wave action. Two small islands are located less than a mile offshore and are designated bird sanctuaries that visitors can access with kayaks. Lanikai Beach is surrounded by hills and luxury homes built around the ocean in an area that has become an exclusive residential neighborhood of the town of Kailua. As the word got out, the quiet and peaceful half mile long beach became an increasingly more popular excursion for visitors from elsewhere on Oahu. In recent years, erosion has reduced the precious sand on the beach to half its original size, but even so, it still offers guests a beautiful place to relax and have fun.
Number Three on the list is Kailua Beach, Oahu. There are those who consider this beach Hawaii's very best, for obvious reasons. A large portion of the beach is composed of soft light colored sand and it is nearly three miles long. It offers more activities than any other beach, including kayaking, boogie boarding, some surfing, kite-boarding, windsurfing, kiting and of course swimming and lots of sunbathing. It is set against the Kooloau mountain range as a backdrop, in a residential area with no condos or hotels nearby. It is easily accessible and seldom gets very crowded on weekdays, even though it is quite popular. Weekends are a different story.
Number Four on the list is Hapuna Beach, Kona. The Big Island hosts a beach that vacationers absolutely love. It is long and wide and the fine soft sand stretches for several hundred yards, offering plenty of play room to tourists. Snorkeling is also very popular in the clear water toward the rocky south point, when the ocean is calm. Skilled swimmers can snorkel down the coast for almost a mile until they reach the beautiful Wailea Bay. Boogie boarders find the waves very excellent at Hapuna when the surf picks up.
Number Five on the list is Kaanapali Beach, Maui. This beach is one of the most active, energetic, and charismatic beaches in Hawaii. The surrounding Kaanapali Resort, and the many other hotels that line the shore, create an exciting vibe that many visitors enjoy. The beach is one and a half miles long and can handle the large masses with ease, especially during the busy times such as Christmas vacation. There are many activities available including surfing lessons, swimming, sailing, parasailing, and volleyball. There is plenty to keep the guests happy and busy. There is great snorkeling available too at the north end of the beach near Black Rock.
So here are the best of the best beaches in Hawaii, the top five. Hawaiian beaches are some of the most scenic in the world and offer visitors a wonderful place to enjoy the ocean and tropical vegetation and topography. There are well over one hundred such great beaches located on the islands, and these five are continuously cited as the very best of them all.
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