Hawaii has some of the most beautiful and swimmable beaches in the world, so the top ten really are top! Visit each one of these and you’ll be in bliss!
Eternity Beach
This is where the couple in “From Here to Eternity” rolled around on the shore and kissed!
It’s a climb down to Eternity Beach which makes it exclusive. The colors of the water are glorious to behold as you walk the trail down, and you can’t wait to jump in the swirling water. Photographers love this beach for its colors: dark inky blue beyond the cove, and pale aquamarine within. Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kissed passionately on the shore with the water surrounding them in the 1953 movie “From Here to Eternity.”
Royal Hawaiian Beach, Waikiki
Swim in front of a pink palace!
On a busy stretch of Waikiki Beach, you can swim in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, like a pink palace built on the sand! The gentle curve of Diamond Head makes for gorgeous views in the distance. Soft, bouncy waves makes this swim memorable.
Three Tables Beach, North Shore
Calm waters at Three Tables Beach on the North Shore.
The North Shore is where the wild winter surf happens on Oahu, but in summer Three Tables Beach is calm and perfect. The black squares of rock contrast strikingly with the azure water. You can snorkel by the three flat table rocks. And there’s plenty of shade under wide trees.
Waimea Bay, North Shore
Waves swish up the sloped shore at Waimea Bay.
In summer, Waimea Bay offers a blast of a swim! The waves swish up the sloped shore, pulling you back and forth. Kids adore this, and grown ups do too! The sand at this beach is golden like in Australia. And the headland with church bell tower and coconut trees adds to the atmosphere. Watch out because even in summer, freak waves can take you by surprise.
Lanikai Beach
You couldn’t get a cuter view than this!
Lanikai Beach is about as perfect as a beach can be: white sand, turquoise water, and two little pointed islands off shore! What a cute view! You can kayak out to the islands (battling sharks and exhaustion!) or you can laze on the beach taking a dip when the urge comes. This is the windward side of the island so the weather is not as guaranteed as it is in Waikiki, but Lanikai Beach is more sheltered than its neighbor, Kailua Beach.
Hilton Hawaiian Beach, Waikiki
View of Hilton Hawaiian Beach from hotel room!
The great thing about resorts in Waikiki is that you don’t have to stay there to stroll around the resort or use the beach. The beach is for everyone! And what could be more wonderful than Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach in Waikiki? Calm, clear water for a swim, and plenty to do nearby, especially with kids. There is a playground, penguins and little birds to see, a walkway lined with hibiscus flowers, and the snack bar at the Hale Koa Hotel. I love to come here on a Saturday morning, buy a coconut popsicle, enjoy it on the beach, and then jump in for a swim! Waikiki is the place to be if you visit Oahu because it’s full of beauty, great energy, and things to do.
Kahalu’u Beach, Big Island
Snorkeling is easy at Kahalu’u Beach on the Big Island.
People of all ages can snorkel in the calm, sheltered waters of Kahalu’u Beach. In old Hawaii days, King Kamehameha built a seawall to provide a safe place for his family to swim, and now Kahalu’u Beach has exceptionally warm water teeming with colorful and unusual fish! What a joy to leisurely swim around observing the magical world below the sea! This beach can get crowded because it’s near the city, so come early.
Poipu Beach, Kauai
Poipu Beach is idyllic for kids. Photo by Juliet Fry.
Poipu Beach on Kauai is an idyllic spot for kids to swim, delighting in its little waves. While many of the beaches on Kauai have wild surf, Poipu Beach is shielded by offshore rocks. Kids can play in the clear, shallow water to their hearts content. There is shade from the many coconut trees.
Ke’e Beach, Kauai
Ke’e Beach, on the Na Pali Coast. Photo by Juliet Fry.
The most stunning area in the Hawaiian islands is the Na Pali Coast, where you can take a boat ride for views of the coastline flanked with dramatic ridged cliffs. You pass sea caves of deep blue-green. Another way to experience this coastline is to hike the Kalalau Trail. Two miles in you come to expansive Ke’e Beach. You feel lucky to have made it and fear the way back, on the slippery narrow trail at cliff’s edge.
Maluaka Beach, Maui
Maluaka Beach with its views of the islands. Photo by Juliet Fry.
Maui, with its hills cleared for farmland, is the least tropical of the islands, yet it has an intensity to its light that is beautiful in the early morning. It is also blessed with many great beaches for swimming, often with great views of the offshore islands of Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokini. Maluaka Beach has wonderful snorkeling at the point, with crystal clear water, coral, turtles, eels, and fish of myriad colors, plus shade and soft grass beside the beach.