10 Best Beaches In Honolulu [for 2023]
Considered one of the world’s great beach destinations, Honolulu offers its own scenic vistas spanning several miles both east and west from the downtown area surrounding the island of Oahu.
It is located within about 30 minutes drive from the city and has a huge wide variety of beach resorts to choose from.
From highly developed beaches fronted by hotels and condos like Waikiki Beach or Ala Moana Beach to relatively raw and unspoiled beaches like Kailua Beach or the beach below Diamond Head, it’s fair to say that there’s a variety to suit every type of traveler.
The beaches of the U.S. attract a variety of tourists. Honolulu’s spectacular beaches are home to many children and families to enjoy, such as Waikiki or Magic Island Beaches.
Many activities here include roped-off swimming and wading areas protected by the reef. Visitors looking for waves to surf, boogie board, or bodyboard can do even better at surfing beaches like Sandy Beach.
Here we have put together a list of the best beaches in Honolulu for you to visit and indulge in a host of activities.
1. Kailua Beach
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Kailua Beach, located inside a spectacular park about a 30-minute drive from Honolulu on Hope, offers a spectacular experience of panoramic views of the natural landscape. It’s nearly 3 miles wide with warm, aqua-blue waters and beautiful soft-white beaches.
There is an attractive sandy beach with gentle surf and a good option for swimming and wading.
The beach area is an integral part of a 35-acre park that houses a variety of recreational activities, such as volleyball, basketball courts, hiking trails, and more.
Kailua Beach Other amenities include lifeguards that are staffed on duty by the hour, restrooms, and outdoor showers. Marine life viewable at this beach includes crabs and SUPs, and a great spot to stand up paddleboard.
Food and drink can be found in the small town of Kailua at some of the cool and local shops.
2. Magic Island
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Magic Island is a man-made peninsula located near Waikiki between Ala Moana Beach Park and Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. Originally built as a resort, the peninsula as a whole is now a park.
Magic Island is a well-shaped, gently curving beach at the end of the peninsula, It sits in the form of a small bay protected by man-made reefs. The rate here is smooth and flat, and the reefs keep the waves very calm.
There is also an unsecured beach on the opposite side of the ferry port, But the waves are usually very slow and gentle.
The interior of the Magic Island peninsula is a wonderful and great large park, with a long walk, a few sets of clean restrooms, and plenty of barbecues to enjoy. This beach is very famous among the locals and tourists for excellent kayaking.
3. Waialae Beach
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Waialae Beach, located about 30 minutes from downtown Honolulu, is a compact pristine beach park in the Kahala area. The beach’s sand is quite coarse, and a rocky shoreline is present, which may require a different type of footwear to enjoy in its waters.
The beach is surrounded by a tree line that accentuates the natural scenery, and a strip of white sand that doubles up its beauty.
This windy area is quite popular, and the beach is bordered by a cliff. It is protected that’s why the water here is calm, the water is warm and bright blue in color which adds beauty to the beauty.
You can also enjoy fishing at Waialae Beach. This beach is also considered a popular place for weddings among the local people of the area.
The beach has many picnic areas filled with sand and lush green landscaped areas. To stay on this beach, you can arrange Hotel & Resort at a distance of 6 minutes. There is also an arrangement for Dolphin Balloon in the luxurious resort.
4. Sandy Beach
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Sandy Beach, located in a residential neighborhood about 40 minutes from downtown Honolulu, is a wide, curving beach. Besides the sand being soft and fluffy, Sandy Beach is famous for parking food trucks.
Sandy Beach The beach is very popular with tourists for surfing, but the large waves and strong riptides that attract surfers make it risky for swimming.
This beach is also considered a great option for body surfing and bodyboarding. Other facilities include lifeguards making periodic rounds of the beach, bathrooms, and outdoor showers, along with a picnic area with picnic tables outside on the beach.
Where you can take full advantage of these arrangements.
5. Kahanamoku Beach
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Kahanamoku Beach is located next to Waikiki Beach and was named after Duke Kahanamoku, the father of surfing.
The beautiful shoreline of Kahanamoku Beach is wide with white sand, and on the other side is a man-made lagoon of about 5 acres. The beach has gentle waves that are not at all in the lagoon, making it ideal for swimming and stand-up paddleboarding.
The area is surrounded by tall palm trees. This beach tends to be crowded, But it’s always easy to find your own spot.
Kahanamoku Beach is right across the street from the sprawling Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, a multi-family property with its 10,000-square-foot “Super Pool” and the extravagant Paradise Pool, beautiful waterfalls, and giant waterslides.
Famous among tourists for its level water playground. The resort offers a pool and recreational activities for kids, beach equipment, and yoga and fitness classes to make your family holiday a wholesome affair.
6. Hanauma Bay
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Hanauma Bay is a natural bay carved into an ancient volcanic cone. The attraction here is more of a bay than a beach, as it is one of the popular snorkeling-friendly spots.
Hanauma Bay Gentle, clear water and abundance of marine life make it a vast Feel like swimming in an aquarium. It has a protected marine life conservation area as well as an underwater park.
The beach is wide and flat and has several toilet areas. Here you can rent a snack stand and snorkeling gear.
Hanauma Bay is charged an entrance fee and a parking area is also charged, and to stay here, Hanauma Bay is located about 30 minutes from Waikiki, here you have many hotel resorts where you can comfortably take your family and Can spend a wonderful day.
7. Sans Souci Beach
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Sans Souci Beach, also known as Camana Beach, is very popular with the locals. This beach is located at the end of Waikiki, it is usually not as crowded, but still, There is a great spot down the beach to avoid the crowds.
Sans Souci, at the end of Waikiki Beach, across from Kapiolani Park, is the Waikiki Aquarium and the spectacular and exciting Zoo. The beach is flat with a soft sandbank with a giant tower of life.
There is no protective reef. The surf here is gentle, however. Sans Souci Beach has restrooms and outdoor showers, and a grassy park area behind the beach.
On the beach is the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, this hotel completely satisfies the tourists with the unique luxury of the Japanese brand. And this hotel provides bike rentals for roaming around the beach.
8. Ko Olina
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Ko Olina Beach, located only 30 minutes from Honolulu, is a beautiful well-maintained beach with man-made luxury oceanfront resort development.
The area is mainly populated with a few large resorts, and the well-maintained beach is publicly accessible with lifeguards, restrooms, and outdoor showers.
You have plenty of food and drink options as all the resorts have several restaurants. The smooth sand on the beach is white, and the water is dazzling light blue. The main beach lagoon is quite wide with a gentle curve.
This beach is too calm to surf and is considered a popular beach for children and families. Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club is located in the heart of a curving lagoon.
The large resort features three outdoor pools that are adults-only, along with a variety of delicious dining options and an on-site spa.
There is a kids club, and plenty of family-friendly recreational activities, including a barbecue area, snack bar by the pool, and access to beach equipment.
9. Ala Moana Beach Park
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Ala Moana Beach Park, very popular with locals and tourists, is located between the beach in Waikiki and downtown.
The area is known for the huge shopping mall right across from the beach, and the beautiful yet uncrowded 100 Acres of the beach is a beautiful park.
Here the protective reef is built about 1000 feet long due to which the surf becomes super smooth. This shoreline turns the area between the reefs into a giant wading bridge, which is perfect for children.
Turns out to be a great option. The sand of this beach is quite coarse and is spread over a long flat beach. Here lifeguards are present on the beach according to the time and toilet facilities are present here.
Delicious food is served with concessions at each end for food and drink. The beach has tennis and basketball courts for recreational activities, along with a walking trail that is full of natural scenery.
10. Diamond Head Beach Park
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Diamond Head Beach Park This area is very popular for hiking and its natural scenery, but the beach in front of Diamond Head is quite quiet and secluded.
Diamond Head resembles a mountain in the form of an ancient volcano, located above and at the end of Waikiki Beach. And this beach area is behind the Kapiolani Park area and at the end of Waikiki.
This beach is also known for its natural scenery. The main attractions are the Waves which is very popular with all the doers, and the Tidepool; And the Diamond Head Lighthouse are also very popular.
There are no lifeguards and the lack of shallow reefs can make swimming risky. The hotel at Diamond Head has located a short distance from the beach at the base of Honolulu Mountain. Here you can stay with your family and enjoy the panoramic views of the beach.