We enjoyed checking out this side of the island this time. It was kind of tricky to find parking…read morebut just be patient and you'll find some. We ended up finding a spot on the street and walked down an alley to the beach. Didn't need an umbrella here as there are plenty of shade trees right on the beach. So beautiful and relaxing. It is very popular and busy, but you only really notice that in the water because of everyone wanting to snorkel. The snorkeling was really cool here! Some of the best I've seen! I spent a lot of time in the water, but tried not to go too far out as the tide can be a little tricky here in some parts as well. A must-see when on Kauai!

One of the secret, beautiful beaches in Kauai. This is the…read moreplace that is depicted in the musical " South Pacific" or the famous fictional place "Bali Hai". Use Makua Beach /hAena state beach park to park is the access you can use to get to tunnels beach! Once you get there it's super gorgeous! Definitely worth the 1 hour drive from lihue for a sunrise/sunset in Kauai!

We were looking for the end of the road and found it at Ke'e beach. There was a lot of one lane…read morebridges and curves in the road. The distance versus time it took was interesting because it didn't look far but it took a while. We are residents of Hawaii so we didn't need reservations, but if you are visiting it is a must. The walk to the beach was about 0.3 miles of boardwalk over the lo'i or taro patches. Then through the woods on sandy/rock/soil. There are restrooms at the beach along with water fountains but no showers. The beach was pretty but it wasn't recommended that you snorkel due to the rip currents. There is a life guard stand there if something happened. We didn't spend a lot of time at the beach, just wanted to check it out. Make sure you take everything you need because there isn't much out there past hanalei.

They will tell you that you can snorkel here. But there is only sand and big waves away from the…read moreshore.

Located on the north shore of Kauai, Hanalei Bay Beach consistently appears on top 10 beaches…read morelists, with a pinnacle of #1 beach in U.S. in 2009's list from Dr. Beach, and #4 in the U.S. by Trip Advisor. After my first visit, I understand why. It is an awesome beach. The entire bay is about 2 miles long, and consists of many smaller named parks, each with its own parking, green space, and facilities. To the far east is Black Pot Beach Park where the pier is located. Going west, there is Hanalei Pavilion Beach Park, centrally located with a large grassy area with a pavilion. Next is Wai'oli Beach Park, the largest of the parks with a big parking lot, sand volleyball courts, and ironwood trees. This beach will take you to the mouth of the Waioli Stream. There are more sandy areas beyond (Ines's secret beach and Waikoko) which are still on the bay, but would require walking on roads to get to. There is so much space that finding a spot to yourself is extremely easy, even on a busier day. The bay itself is protected and shallow, and has a very gently sloping ocean bottom. Depending on the tide, one can see people just hanging out far into the ocean, but still being able to stand up. And the frequent sand bars allow one to stand up as well. When we visited on a Saturday morning, the local surfing school was having a competition, using the large parking lot at Wai'oli Beach Park for gathering, and the nearby surf for the competition. One thing to note is that the main road to get to this area from the east is the Kuhio Hwy. On it, the Hanalei bridge crosses the Hanalei river and is only one lane with no traffic light. It wasn't so bad when when we came earlier in the morning, but it was pretty backed up trying to get to Hanalei Beach when we crossed back later that morning. I read later that the proper etiquette is to cross in a convoy of 5 - 7 cars at a time, giving a friendly wave to acknowledge that the other side is patiently waiting their turn.

Easy access beach. Not a whole lot of parking but there is also street parking…read more There is a pier you can jump off and lots of beautiful views. The bathrooms are clean.

This beach is tucked away down a mini steep hike by 1 Hanalei Bay Resort. It's right outside the…read moreproperty and the trail head is at the back of their valet parking, before the gate guard. There are rope handles to help guide you as you go down. The beach itself is gorgeous and has ample shade under a massive spread out tree. It's perfect for snorkeling with honu (sea turtles) and plenty of fish. The water is calm and great for kids if they make the trek down. It takes about 5-10 minutes depending on your speed. The only downfall is the parking. There are 10 spots in the public lot. You cannot park anywhere else in the surrounding lots, nor can you valet at the hotel for this particular beach. Your other option is the golf course lot about a mile down the road.

Thank gawd for the ropes or I definitely would have wiped out going down and coming back up. The…read moremini hike was well worth the view and the snorkeling experience I got (including with sea turtles!). The beach area isn't crazy big, but you are still able to choose between being in the shade under the trees or in the sun. It's a very quiet area as well.

What a lovely park. We only went to Ke'e beach due to slick trails. And a flash flood warning…read more Super easy to reserve a shuttle. Park visitor number ls are limited. Reservations open 30 days in advance.

If I had a chance to avoid visiting this place, I absolutely would have. Unfortunately, this park…read moreis home to the legendary Kalalau Trail, so there's really no way around it. Even if you're only hiking to the waterfall, you're still required to pay $40 per person just to enter the park. And I have a lot of questions about that. 1. We booked the earliest possible shuttle and paid for it, but we ended up leaving 15 minutes late because we were waiting for other people -- which meant we completely missed sunrise. 2. The park itself is dirty. The restrooms are in terrible condition, and there wasn't even toilet paper. You're charging $40 for entry and can't provide the absolute basics? Don't even get me started on the lack of water stations or hand sanitizer near the bathrooms. All of this is standard in California state and national parks, and they don't charge anywhere near this much. 3. On the way in, we were told about drop-off and pick-up locations along the route. In reality, the shuttles basically never stop there. We got off at one of those spots to grab coffee and then couldn't get back on -bus after bus just drove past us. After waiting for an hour, one shuttle finally stopped to drop off a passenger, but there wasn't enough space for the two of us. So yes, when leaving the park, they don't even plan to leave room to pick people up. Be prepared to walk 5 miles. Of course, the views are incredible, and even with this level of service, the park is still worth seeing. That said, I'd strongly recommend getting as close as possible to town or the beach before the park opens and then walking in on your own. Bring water, wet wipes, and refillable bottles. If you're worried about drinking the water, bring purification tablets -despite park staff insisting the water is absolutely not safe to drink. We drank it and were totally fine. Just go prepared and manage your expectations.

Great secluded beach near Haena state park. The wet caves are amazing structures created by natureread more

It is permanently closed. We asked the coconut sellers at the dry cave how much further it was…read moredown the road and they said it was closed and is inaccessible.

While staying in Princeville, we decided to check out Queen's Bath, and it was absolutely worth the…read moreeffort. Parking in front of the entrance is extremely limited, and the surrounding residential area doesn't allow non-permitted parking. I ended up dropping off my wife and her friend so they could start the trek while I parked at the nearby golf course, which added about a half-mile walk to the entrance. From the entrance, the hike down to Queen's Bath is about half a mile. It's not too long, but there are a few tricky spots that require some careful footing. It's definitely manageable for most people, including kids, as long as you take your time. Once you arrive, you're rewarded with a beautiful natural tide pool filled with seawater and fish. Some people were even jumping from the surrounding rocks into the water below. The spot was lively, with plenty of tourists and families making the hike down to enjoy the view and the experience. A little extra work to get there, but the payoff is huge. Queen's Bath is a must-see if you're in Princeville.

PSA: If the gate is closed, do not go in! This hike is not bad when dry, but quickly gets dangerous…read morethe wetter/muddier it gets. The gate is there for your protection. If you do get the chance to go in, you will be amazed by how beautiful the area is! The baths were soo pleasant to swim, snorkel, and relax in. Walking along the rocks between the baths was easy as long as you watch your footing as the rocks are not flat. I highly, highly recommend coming here if the weather holds up for you!

Secluded beach you turn off the road to find, it has a small parking area, you can't park along the…read moremain road. Locals posted signs saying locals only. They don't want tourists. Definitely unfriendly vibes. No facilities and no lifeguards. The river flowing into the ocean is colder compared to the ocean water. The river is nice and calm. The ocean is not, waves are large and strong. Do not turn your back to the ocean ever, especially here. Only okay for expert swimmers.

There are some pros and cons with this beach. There is so much sand that there is room to spread…read moreout from other people. The way it is situated, there is a river on the left side where most people were hanging out, and the ocean is over a little crest so you don't really see the shoreline until you go over the crest. Then the actual space for you to set up on the ocean side is pretty narrow depending on the tide. The beach was very rough when we were there, and no one was swimming on that side of the beach. There were a few boogie boarders, but I would think some experience would be necessary as the current was strong. The river on the other hand is calm, albeit quite cold! There are some rocks where you can explore or a few people jumped from the rocks to the water. There is a pretty good amount of parking. Handmade signs indicate locals only, but I believe all beaches in Hawaii are public, so this is likely to cut down on tourist traffic. It seems like the day we were there it was primarily local people enjoying the beach. There are no facilities, so be aware of that. And as with any beach use caution when the surf is high. It may be best to stick to the frigid river at this beach.

Absolutely beautiful beach to relax near or to go in the water. The views were to die for and the…read morebeach was incredibly clean! The chairs for the hotels are really comfortable to lay on. There wasn't many people around, so it was nice and quiet. It's a really perfect location to immerse yourself in the beauty of a Hawaiian beach, via the scents and sounds, etc, without being disturbed. Be careful though! It can be tricky in the water from all the rocks and dips, so keep your eyes open. My friends and I walked on the rocks to see lots of different fish swimming about. It was a very fun time for all of us! My guy is such a hero for saving my clumsy butt and getting scratched up for me.

Quiet beach by 2 resorts. Tiny parking lot just before 1 Hotel and a steep stair path down which…read morewasn't terrible, but definitely a lot harder getting back up! The beach itself was quiet and very beautiful. There are a couple spots in the water that are very sandy and calm for play, and also quite a bit of rocky areas to explore the marine life! 10/10 recommend!

As a long secluded shoreline on the north shore of Kauai, Anini Beach Park is accessible by car via…read morea paved and winding road from the Kuhio Hwy. Another beautiful, worth-visiting beach park on the north shore of Kauai. The central point is the park, that provides plenty of paved parking (parking is also available on the side of the road that hugs the coastline). This park has dedicated camping sites, and we saw many backpack tents set-up further in from the shoreline, usually underneath shade provided by the false kamani trees. The park contains a lot of green space and facilities. My wife and I ate our deli lunch at a nearby picnic table. Turtles often come on shore here, though there were none today (probably because we came in the afternoon). One thing we noticed were all the multi-million dollar homes right on the other side of Anini Road once you pass by Anini Beach Park traveling to the west (it's a dead end, so would need to circle back to get out). They are rentable via the typical companies, and would be great for beach loving families who want to spend some secluded time near the ocean. Also in the area are small pockets where one can park their car and go out into shoreline. From there, one can see and explore the large coral reef that rings this area.

We had a good time there today. The place is nice, although there were a lot of people it's still…read moreprovided for everybody, and had the best day at the beach there!!!