Need suggestions for a beach day

[ghoterman]

We need suggestions for a beach day in Maui and possibly Kauai, Kona and Hilo.Looking for a place to swim, relax and enjoy the beach.

[whale-watcher]

We enjoyed Poipu beach on Kauai...nice combination of sheltered cove with good snorkeling and lots of turtles...next time we will try walking over the Marriott on our second morning in Kauai.

[ghoterman]

Did you have your own snorkle equipment or are there rentals available?

[drifting_away]

If you go to Poipu you definetly need snorkle equipment, but it depends on what time of year you are going. There are beautiful beaches with great snorkling on the north shore during the summer. Poipu is probably the best well rounded beach during the winter early spring months. You can get lunch and shaved ice at Brennecke's. Poipu also has a great shopping center just down the road a bit.

 

Maui has many great beaches. What kind of beach are you looking for?

[karatemom2]

We love Kaanapali Beach on Maui. Everything you need is right there including wonderful snorkeling at Black Rock. It's very easy to get there from Lahaina on the bus that runs every half hour for only $1 per person each way.

[ghoterman]

Do you catch the shuttle at the pier for Kaanapali? Do they rent snorkle equipment? We have our own but can't decide if we want to pack it since we would probably only use it once or twice.

[Sally Forth]

We found a new beach that was just great. A woman at a gas station told us about it. It's called Ho'okena, about 20 miles south of Kona on the highway toward the volcanos. (It's a steep narrow road going down and you will be sure you are on the wrong road, but when you get there it's worth it) It's a small beach in a state park, but has clean bathrooms and a nice little snack bar that rents snorkel equipment.

 

I tried to paste a picture in but it didn't work. Here's a link to the site:

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/beaches/hookena_beach_park.html

 

Viv

[karatemom2]

Do you catch the shuttle at the pier for Kaanapali? Do they rent snorkle equipment? We have our own but can't decide if we want to pack it since we would probably only use it once or twice.

 

You can catch the bus to Whaler's Village/Kaanapali by walking through to the back of the shopping area that is right at the pier where you tender into Lahaina. There are places where you can rent snorkeling equipment at Whaler's village and on the beach. We rented chairs and an umbrella at the kiosk on the beach in front of the Kaanapail Beach Hotel and they also rented snorkeling equipment.

[karatemom2]

Another beach we found and loved was Punaluu Beach on the Big Island. It is a black sand beach that looks like something off of a postcard. We rented a car in Hilo and drove there. It took about an hour, it is just about twenty miles past the entrance to Volcanoes National Park. I could have stayed all day, but we just stayed for a bit before heading back to the Volcano. There are turtles basking right on the beach. Here is a photo:

 

[whale-watcher]

cool pictures, Karatemom2! Looks like we have a plan for Hilo if we go back next year...

[beachchick]

Do you catch the shuttle at the pier for Kaanapali? Do they rent snorkle equipment? We have our own but can't decide if we want to pack it since we would probably only use it once or twice.

 

What ship and which port on Maui? If you're tendered at Lahaina, then the information above about Wharf Cinema Center (Lahaina) to Whaler's Village (middle of Ka'anapali) is correct.

 

If you're docked at Kahului, then no. It's about an hour from Kahului to Ka'anapali. You can take the bus to Lahaina and then take the shuttle or transfer to the Ka'anapali Islander bus route (at Wharf Cinema Center, I think). If you're on NCL, you can buy the "Lahaina On Your Own" excursion and then take the shuttle from there to Ka'anapali. I've heard that there are some special taxis at the pier which will do cross-island round-trip for $25 per person for up to six people, but I don't know if they're still there or what the hours are or how it works. A regular taxi would be, IMO, prohibitively expensive (about $150 r/t). Best bet, IMO, is to rent a car. It's not terribly expensive, you'll be on your own schedule (and not waiting around for a bus or shuttle), and can go to more than one beach if you choose.

 

There are places where you can rent on Ka'anapali. For us, it's never a bother to schlep our own high-quality, perfectly fitted gear in the snorkel duffel. We simply don't trust the rental companies, even the good ones, when it comes to cleaning between customers. If you're only going to snorkel a few times, you might want to bring just your masks and snorkels and rent fins. Or you could rent at Snorkel Bob's for the duration of your time in the islands. They do week-long rentals (good gear) where you can rent on any island and return to any other location on another island. So, if you start in Honolulu (and have time pre-cruise to rent), you could get it there, use it all week, and then return it the afternoon of your last day no matter what port it is.

 

Some beach suggestions:

 

Kauai: Poipu, Lydgate, Ke'e (in summer)

 

Maui north-west: Ka'anapali, Kapalua (a fave overall, but not the best of the snorkeling), Napili (good swimming; not snorkeling), Airport Beach (properly called Kahekili; beach park with good facilities, no rental that I know of)

 

Maui south-west: Wailea, the beach fronting the Kea Lani (Palauea?), Maluaka (fronting the Maui Prince), Big Beach (Oneloa)

 

Kona: Go north to Hapuna, Mauna Kea, or Anaeho'omalu Bay (just say A-Bay, pretty much everyone knows the reference); go south to Kahalu'u at the end of Ali'i Dr. There's a shuttle, I think, but a taxi would be inexpensive; it's about 5 miles from the tender pier, so don't try to walk it--you'd waste far too much of your day in the tropical heat. It's not a beach-beach, but is very rocky. However, it's easy snorkeling and you're almost sure to see the turtles there.

 

Hilo: We don't go to beaches on the Hilo side.

 

If you do an advanced search for "X beach" (X = Name of island) and go back only about 3 months to start, you'll probably get several threads with suggestions for each island. As you can imagine, the subject comes up all the time, so there is some good info to help you.

 

Enjoy!

 

beachchick

[cruisin'sz]

Wailea Beach is one way to go -- there is a beach access parking lot between the Wailea Grand and the Four Seasons Hotels ... Several upscale hotels front the beach - we were able to find and use some empty chairs from one of the hotels (without being questioned), used the restrooms at the hotels and had nachos and drinks at a beach bar at the Wailea Grand. Saw whales and an outrageous sunset. Note, we did arrive later in the afternoon (3 p.m.) and had no trouble finding a spot in the parking lot.

 

Wailea is like the Beverly Hills of Maui.