Celebration of Life at the beach on the Windward side of O'ahu, Hawai'i…read more.. My high school classmate's Memorial Service was posted on Facebook. I had been working with her son, so I wanted to see him in person and drop off a sympathy card. I asked a bunch of classmates to join me, but Kahana Bay is about a 45-minute drive from Honolulu without traffic. Most people had to work or had other plans. Two gals were able to attend! Towards the end of the journey to Kahana Bay Beach, the road narrows down to one lane. Along the way, the scenery is breathtaking because some of the road is right next to the ocean. Using GPS, I entered the first parking lot, but I didn't see any signs. I parked at the next parking lot - which was for Kahana Bay Camping Site - and I walked on the sand to the Beach Park. I found the large tent with many white picnic tables and benches. I signed in at the reception table and presented my envelope. My friend's son was there - so I had a chance to chat with him before the service. The parking was all free. Some parts of the lot weren't paved. The sand was white and almost powdery-fine in texture. The foliage grew wildly. The shade from the trees was much appreciated. This was a peaceful area with no cell phone service. It was a place where my friend had spent her childhood... and now she has been laid to rest here... Aloha 'oe, Lyanne... until we meet again...

Beautiful place to stop and admire the scenery. The cove is a secluded place to parasail, surf,…read moreswim, or play in the sand. Parking and restrooms are available. The restrooms are a little strange since the stalls are half the height of typical stalls. If someone is already in there you may just want to wait until they are finished. We saw some dogs here that seemed homeless. Hopefully we were wrong and their owners were close by. We did not stay too long since it was raining and chilly. Overall, it was a nice place to stop and rest before continuing our drive.

Waimanalo Beach is a stunning beach on the eastern shoreline of the island of Oahu…read more It is not too far from Waikiki and the drive here is absolutely beautiful. It is also far enough that there aren't many tourists, and there's plenty of parking and even a small playground for kids. However the bathrooms at this beach seem to be under renovation and are not the best, so just beware. I highly recommend coming prepared with chairs and snacks, since there's not much around this area. Also, the waves here can get very rough which is not ideal for small children so beware of that. However, we had an amazing time building sand castles and just playing with the sand. I recommend coming here just for a few hours and then moving to another beach.

This beach has been on our Oahu "to try" list, but we somehow always ended up in Lanikai and Kailua…read morewhen on the eastern side. Waimanolo is a bit further south from Lanikai and is every bit as gorgeous and even more secluded!! Same dreamy waters, blue skies, low hanging clouds, and soft sands.... Without the chaotic parking and with less crowds. It was pretty easy for us to find street parking here and it really felt like the entire beach was ours.

The beauty of the beach cove is five stars, but safety was not good, so I take one star out. Yes,…read moreadults should be fine with carefully mind but kids and people with conditions should have someone to consult with them. No safeguard down here, wave is very strong. The area that has lots of rock is very dangerous, even it looks safe and gorgeous it is very slippery and sharp. The wave will suck you out easily then you have to crew back to save your life on that type of rock so YOU MUST BE CAREFUL with your jewelry! The water can suck out all of your belonging on you body if you wear to the water! I know it is sound stupid if anyone will wear jewelry to the beach but believe it or not my husband lost his wedding ring and his pinky ring at the cove. Another girl that walked down with us also lost her rings and bracelet too. I talk to a group of local who was there, one of them lost their necklace in the past at this place. My husband tried to go back but I stopped him. It isn't worth at all to risk of your life for it. It is just the object even his value for our story, but I won't trade anything for his life. It was sad and disappointed, and my husband blame himself to made that such a wrong decision, but I take it as an exchange you lost something but safe the most valuable. From the pictures you will see the area that most people are enjoy, it is the area on the right of the beach that next to the cove and the surface at the bottom is flat and only sand. The area is safer to enjoy this beach but as I mentioned about the wave, you must be mindful of your own safety. This beach is like a beautiful flower that draw the insect but also very dangerous.

Beauty right before your eyes! The name of this cove is very deceiving. How can anyone name…read moresomething so beautiful after something so... yucky?! Beats me, but I didn't see not one cockroach on this beach. In fact, what I saw was a gorgeous aqua beach cove which the cleanest water waves. Luckily, this place goes by two other names which sound way more appealing (Halona Beach Cove and Eternity Beach). Cockroach cove is a small beach cove that's located between the Halona Blowhole and Hanauma Bay. Although it's small, it's super popular with both locals and tourists alike. Since the blowhole is so close to the cove, people like to come here to take pictures. It's also a great spot to snorkel as the water is super clear and shallow. It's a popular spot for swimming too (of course). Getting down to the cove requires a super short but steepish decent down jagged rocks. There's a parking lot (the Halona Blowhole parking lot) that fills up pretty quickly. However, since most people just comes to see the views of the blowhole, many people come and leave throughout the day making it easy to find a parking spot at times. Although there was a small crowd of people when I was here, it's waaay less crowded than nearby Hanauma Bay. The water here is just as stunning too. If you have time to trek down to this cove, do it. It's breathtaking and it surely deserves a visit.

We weren't even looking for Sunset Beach…read more We were doing our North Shore food pilgrimage: garlic shrimp shave ice meandering with no particular plan, when this absolutely gorgeous stretch of beach caught our eye. So of course we stopped. And WOW. Wide golden sand, ridiculously blue water, and that very Hawaii moment where you wonder how something this beautiful was just sitting there on the side of your drive. Then I learned this is Sunset Beach, one of the legendary North Shore surf spots and part of one of the longest stretches of rideable surf in the world. In winter the waves here can get up to around 30 feet and the serious surfers take over. We were here in the calmer season, and looking at that peaceful water, it was almost impossible to imagine. We didn't plan it, didn't research it, didn't even come for the sunset. We just saw a beautiful beach and stopped. Sometimes those are the best travel moments

North Shore. Not crowded. Clear skies. Away from the tourism and hustle and bustle just relax on a…read morelong sandy beach and the sun facing the sunset. It's beautiful.

Resurrected from swamps and marshland, this 119-acre beach park is a popular spot for both local…read moreand tourists alike. Set against the backdrop of the bustling Hawaii metropolis on one side, and the majestic blue Pacific Ocean on the other. This mile-long stretch of man-made beach consists of golden sand and protective coral reefs. Allowing for very safe and calm waters, great for many water-based activities for kids and adults alike. The facilities here consists of restrooms, BBQ grills on the grass areas, picnic tables, as well as outdoor showers. There are also lifeguards stationed at various intervals for additional safety. Located just west of Waikiki, this beach is easily accessible by car for tourists staying nearby. And parking here is both free and plentiful in the very large, open lots.

Happy President's Day fun day for son son and me at the beach…read more Today's review comes from the eyes of my son. As soon as we get to the beach he meets a new friend. Asks if she wants to dig in the sand, be his friend, and the rest is history. The two knock it out of the park. Digging, playing, talking, laughing, and having a grand ole time. We've been here two hours and it feels like we just got here. Now they're eating sandwiches and oranges I made for lunch. He shared one half of the sandwich and his oranges with her. It's such a wonderful and delightful sight to see my child and another play so well and connect so quick. We usually choose the same spot and he has made a handful of friends here. It's a great place to bring your kids to have fun.

One of my pledges this year is to complete reviews of more dive sites and shops. Three Tables…read moreBeach is the first beach north of Waimea Bay, and it is marked by 3 reefs that have relatively flat formations ("tables) that pop out of the water. Parking nearby is limited, so come early on a summer weekend! There isn't a comfort station, nearest one is about 50 yards north facing the Firehouse area. No shower either, we've taken solar shower bags or portable shower pumps to clean off. It's got one of the biggest beach areas around Pupukea with very soft sand that your feet will sink into around the tidal area. Once in the water, there is a relatively steep drop and you will quickly get into water up to your shoulders. The diving is superb! Lots of topography, with all sorts of interesting rock & reef formations that fish and other critters hang out. In the past we've had all sorts of rays (especially manta) swiftly come out and photo bomb us before leaving. This year in the aftermath of the two Kona Low storms a lot of sea life was taken out in the mud, fresh water, & general pollution run off in the water. Although the water has mostly cleaned itself out, the sea life hasn't returned in the numbers that you would expect in the summer North Shore diving season. It is still very tranquil and theraputic to dive, even we don't see our favorite critters! Our favorite route is to surface swim due west, dive and follow the topography as it bares toward Waimea Bay, until you hit the sea wall and go north back to the beach. There's a number of caverns and other underwater structures leading back to Three Tables Beach up to about 5-7 feet from shore. We've found some cool nudibranches such as Spanish Dancers in the caverns- it was a great end to the dive! Will repeat and highly recommend, let's go diving!

Reading random reviews of this North Shore spot, I added this as a stop on our final full day on…read morethe island. Due to our schedule, we didn't get here until a little after 1 pm on a Thursday. The parking lot was full but we were fortunate that a car was pulling out as we searched for a space. It was a convenient stop as my friend and I felt nature's calling so the public restroom here came in handy. As the winds kicked up and the skies darkened, I looked in both directions in looking for the calmer beach area which turned out to be to the right, eastward. I could see a cove area with a number of people wading in the shallows. Other posted photos show a variety of marine life easily seen there. On our next visit, we'll need to decide whether to come in the morning before hitting those eating spots. With the lines at that popular east side beach, this may be the best alternative if you're like me and not fond of crowds.

Just beautiful. I think this was the highlight of our trip. We actually didn't even know what this…read morewas but just happened to drive past it and found it. Loved swimming in it and there is a small cave thing as well. Tip: Don't swim too far or you will get sucked in and could die... The waves are strong and you could hit a rock. Pro Tip: Bring a towel! There is no place to take a shower after. Follow me on Instagram @willeatfood

Located on the east side of Oahu slightly past the Halona Blowhole Lookout!…read more Such a gem, more private beaches and open spaces. Great for a quieter, serene view and outing.

Big, strong waves, but beautiful blue water on the base. So…read moreyou do need a military id to get in. It wasn't too crowded and had bathrooms and food nearby. The nearby eateries also offer free WiFi if you need to get some schoolwork or work done while on vacation.

Went to Bellows on 23 March for the first time in a long time. It's odd to see people give…read morenegative reviews about a beach based on jellyfish being in the water. It's the ocean. The jellyfish don't know that Bellows is a semi private beach that requires military ID access to get onto. They are just there like they are there at Kailua, Kalama, Lanikai, and Waimanalo beaches. Going on a Sunday, the beach was not very crowded. We got there around 1100 and there was still parking available in the main parking lot. Not sure why another reviewer complained about no public shower as there is one right at the point where the parking lot ends and the beach begins, right next to the public restroom building. We brought our two dogs and kept them leashed the entire time. I brought our own dog water bowl but recognized it was too small and our dogs kept knocking them over so I walked to the shoppette and was able to purchase a much larger silicone dog dish for their water. Afterwards, we stopped at the reservation building where we sat on the covered deck and had some chicken and french fries as well as some cold drinks. These are all amenities you won't find at Kailua, Lanikai, or Kalama Beach Parks. Nothing but pros and no cons. The best part is, it is o ly about 20 minutes from where we live in Kaneohe. Will go again.