Big Island - Beaches

Since we spend so much time at the beach here on Kauai, we weren't too concerned with seeing a ton of beaches while on the Big Island. But still, we wouldn't be true beach people if we didn't at least check out one or two. So our first full day in Kohala, we had breakfast and stopped by a couple of nearby beaches.

The first was Makalawena Beach. Although this beach was only about 15 miles south on the highway, getting there was like driving to hell and back. There are two options - you can park somewhere reasonable and hike 2 miles to the beach. Or you can take what the tour book describes as a 'nasty 4-wheel drive road' to get there, sans the walking. We were walked out and had paid for a Jeep, so we figured we'd take our chances in the car.

'Nasty' doesn't quite do this road justice. There were areas where the rocks were at least 3 feet high in parts. It was pretty intense, but the trusty Jeep made it there with little effort. Living in SUV-saturated Northern Virginia, who knew that these vehicles were actually designed to be driven off roads? Not me. The beach itself was quite beautiful, with multiple calm inlets for swimming and many sea turtles.


Hapuna Beach is only a couple miles away from our resort. This beach was much more user friendly, as you can just drive right up to the large parking lot and facilities. They had a lifeguard, showers, and picnic tables. So it was pretty packed with people, and a much more active beach. This beach has supposedly been rated the best beach in America, so we were curious to check it out. It was pretty nice, with soft golden sand and clear blue water. It was great for swimming and body surfing.


Panoramic view of Hapuna Beach: