Don't let the drive in stop you unless you have a super low riding car. The road in is both paved…read morein spots and incredibly rough in others. Take your time and it will be worth it. We didn't stay at the beach at the parking lot, choosing to park and hike into the trees and the gorgeous beach at the end of the trail. We arrived early morning and were one of only 2-3 cars already here. By the time we left at 1:00 the parking lot was much fuller. Take snorkel gear, water, and anything that will allow you to stay and relax both the water and on the beach. There are some trees for shade but don't expect them to be unoccupied. Plan ahead. We spent lots of time snorkeling with turtles, which we left a,one as much as possible. One of them seemed interested in us and we had to repeatedly trying to to avoid him for his own safety. Our swim was really enjoyable and families can bring young children as this bay area seems safely out of strong water tides and pull. There are rough rocks in areas so watch where you enter, swim and exit.

Snorkeling here was so wonderful, lots of underwater beauty to gaze at, every color of the rainbow…read more Both days saw turtles and gave them their respective wide berth while looking lovingly at them.

Incredible blue, clear water that looks like pool water. Waves were fun but not scary. Great white…read moresand space for laying out too. Best swimming beach we found in Kona! If you don't have a local ID, it does cost $20 to enter with your car. (If you park at the top it's a 1.5 mile walk down to the beach so I don't recommend that). But the beach is well worth it!

Small beautiful bay. waters can be rough with lots of shore breaking waves. Beach is rocky and…read morechallenging to get to... Parking and park fees are expensive... Hawaii is gouging tourists with fees and taxes nowadays... but if you are on the Kona side this is worth the trek if you are a beach lover .

Best local beach ever. Great for small kids and snorkeling. I would bring water shoes. It has…read moreshaded area close to the water.

I don't know how a beach can be a hidden gem, but this one is it! Located inside the Kona Village…read moreResort is a public bay that is accessible through the private entrance at the Kona Village Resort. Simply drive straight to the guard station and ask for a pass to the beach. They will issue a free parking and admission pass for the day. You reach the shoreline about 1/2 mile from the entrance. It is surrounded by beautiful landscape, trees and grassy areas for picnicking. The Kona Village really takes pride in the property, it is very clean and maintained in pristine condition. We enjoyed a leisurely day in the sun and brought a long a few snacks, we did not notice any food for sale nearby. The areas is preserved very well to ensure the natural land is not disturbed. Bookmark this location if you want to avoid crowded beaches. Don't forget to tell 'em that Rosemary sent ya!

This is a public park in the Lokahi Makai neighborhood. There is a large grassy field with a giant…read moretree towards the end that provides lots of shade. The amenities include a pavilion with a few picnic tables, clean restrooms, a kitchen area with a sink, outlets, water fountains and two bbq pits. You can reserve the pavilion for parties theough the city and county. This park is usually pretty quiet during the day so I like bringing my toddler to walk around and explore. This is technically not a dog park but you will see people in the neighborhood bringing their dogs to play, many off leash just fyi. There is also a little loop path behind the pavilion that goes around the rocks and trees with two benches. Overall, a cute neighborhood park to hang out. I hope one day they consider building a small playground for all the little ones in the neighborhood!

Great beach to boogie board or snorkel with fine white sand. When I was here there were a few sea…read moreturtles swimming around, which was very cool to see. YOU NOW HAVE TO PAY TO ENTER!!! Many reviews I see from late 2025 say it's free, but you now have to pay through credit card or Apple Cash. It's ~20 dollars for 2 people.

Almost every beach we went to on the Big Island was so rocky but we found this one on our last day…read more White sands, clear water. It was just picture perfect. It was crowded but we found a slightly isolated patch of sand to play in. Free parking, showers and restrooms.

Great beach for wave watching, turtle watching, the queen's bath lava tube and an energizing hike…read moreif you choose to walk across the lava field. Do not enter the Queen's bath or Lava Tube, it is forbidden.

Only 8 campsites and they are really really close together so if you have families it can be really…read morenoisy and annoying for those with no children. Camp/park rangers nice and check on your permits and you can ask them anything. Rocky beach with a small sandy area. Depending on the season it can be super wavy. You can snorkel here.

This little gem of a beach is located on NELHA property, which is right next to the airport. When…read morethe tide is high enough you'll see people hanging out in the tide pools. Its not a large beach but you'll find a lot of locals coming here to gather and bbq, or hang out to watch the gorgeous sunsets. Wawaloli is right next to the Kona airport so you'll see quite a few airplanes taking off and landing right over your head. Its pretty cool to watch but if you don't want to be bothered by the noise then this might not be the best beach park for you. There is plenty of free parking and public restrooms as well.

As visitors, we usually spend our final hours on island here. Its a lovely rustic beach area; a…read moresmall restroom with shower. There is a small salt-water pool here with some sand. The black lava shore is fun to explore peeking in tidepools. Not much shade here, if you're lucky you'll get to park under one of the few trees. Our last visit here the surf was up and punching some spectacular waves skyward. Ample parking, has never been very busy when we've been here. Aloha, Hawaii!

This was a nice clean beach to settle into for the day. The water was clear and had a lot of see…read morelife to see snorkeling. I hung out for a long time following a squid watching it change to its surroundings.

As some travel experts have pointed out, Makalawena Beach is arguably the best beach on the Big…read moreIsland that cannot be reached by road. That's right, there are two ways to reach this beautiful white sand beach and gem by hiking, and the path I took was via the Kekaha Kai State Park's main parking lot, and first that is a rough 20-minute drive with 4x4 vehicles like Jeeps from Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to that trailhead. Then it's about another 30-minute hike in each direction and you go on lots of loose lava rocks and it can get hot, so make sure you have sunscreen, a good bucket hat, and plenty of water. I don't know about the second way in, so I could not speak to that method. But in any case, it is so worth the time and effort when it was all said and done. There were a few crowds when getting to Makalawena Beach but not super busy at all. You'll find other tide pools, palm trees, and other native plants. Waves are rather rough at times, but it is still swimmable for the most part.

This is a beautiful, smaller beach, great for little kids. It's more like a bay since there's a big…read morereef protecting it from waves. For the adventurous you can snorkel out beyond the reef. The parking lot does get full quickly, so getting there early as ideal.

Kikaua Beach is a great location to relax at when visiting the Big Island of Hawai'i. However, you…read moreneed to obtain a parking pass to access the lot, and parking passes are very limited. Best to come first thing in the morning if you can. As for the beach, there are restroom facilities and showers, and there is a protected cove so it is great for families and their young kids. It is not super big, but the sand is clean and well-kept by the grounds crew.