Pro-tip: My family woke up at 4 am one day of our vacation to do a driving tour of O'ahu. Lanikai Beach was our first stop. No parking issues, and we had this stunning beach completely to ourselves for about 15-20 minutes as we waited for sunrise. When we left around 6:30 am, we also saw our first rainbow of the day! The early bird gets the worm. :) read more

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It's always busy here any time of the day, doesn't matter if it's weekends or weekdays. Parking is difficult to find in this area. Do yourself a favor and park at Kailua Beach and walk over (please note that there are multiple access points). You have to maneuver around the hordes of visitors, but you won't regret it! The sand is powdery soft and the views of "The Mokes" are stunning! read more

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I've been spoiled by living walking distance from this beach for more than a year, but it's also given me a good idea of what to expect from this beach. DO expect: -Great snorkeling! The best snorkeling is where the beach comes out to a point. There are so many turtles that I can't remember a time that I've snorkeled at Lanikai and NOT seen turtles. I'm always sad to see people snorkeling at the edges of Lanikai where there's less coral/less life and imagine their disappointment in Lanikai's snorkeling. -Smooth glassy water that's perfect for paddleboarding or snorkeling if you go early in the day and if you get lucky in the afternoons. -No waves at Lanikai Beach which is great for toddlers and little kids. -Surfing if you're willing to paddle 20-30 minutes one way to Flat Island or the Mokes. -Hiking with great views just a few minutes away up to the Lanikai pillboxes. DON'T expect: -Bathrooms. The closest public bathroom is about a mile away at Kailua Beach. Unfortunately, this means that I've found toilet paper and poop on Lanikai beach. :( -Food concessions or watersports rentals. You won't find a place to buy food or water, or to rent a board. Bring your own! -Parking! It's parallel parking on the street and it's very hard to find. I personally recommend parking at Kailua Beach and just walking 20 minutes to Lanikai because hunting for parking in Lanikai with its one way streets can kind of ruin the experience. read more

Lanikai Beach is located in the town of Kailua and is known for its soft sand, blue water, snorkeling, and sea turtles. It's on the northern side of Oahu so it's a bit of a drive from Waikiki. You can take the bus but it'll take a couple transfers and a total of 1.5 hours. You can park in the nearby residential neighborhood and walk through the narrow alley to the beach. This beach was peaceful, relaxing, and had beautiful ocean views. It's definitely one of the nicer beaches on the island and has fewer people than other places. It's a place I could see myself spending a couple hours relaxing and enjoying the sand, water, and views. read more

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Yeah yeah I know... 2 ** ONLY?! Lanikai Beach (Kaʻōhao Beach) is consistently rated as one of the best beaches in all of da Hawaiian Islands and the entire world as well. Personally, I'm don't agree with that statement. Located on Oahu's windward side; Lanikai is famous for its pillow like soft white sand and clear turquoise waters, not to mention the splendid views of Mokulua islets. The beach IS lovely and so is the water, but not much else. The water is crystal clear, but there is not a whole lot of marine life to see. So, snorkeling or diving is not something I would recommend. Forget about surfing or other water sports...not happening. Access to Lanikai is through narrow public walkways from the beachfront residential area of Kailua. Parking... hahaha... GOOD LUCK! a pain in the backside, if there is any! There is NO dedicated parking available, you gotta scour through neighborhood for a spot, creating extra traffic understandably upsetting the locals. This is more of a spot for relaxing and getting a tan, not much else. A picnic would be possible, definitely not a BBQ or a big gathering. It's mostly packed with tourists, locals don't come here, unless as tour guides...lol. TRUST. Yup! I stand by my ratings... For me, Lanikai doesn't even crack my top 10 beaches... IMHO if you think otherwise, I reckon you should travel and explore the world a bit more, and visit some very "underrated" places... read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Lanikai Beach is absolutely stunning, with breathtaking views of the Mokulua Islands. The sand is soft and the water is crystal clear, perfect for swimming. It's a peaceful spot that would ideal for kayaking or paddleboarding. Do note that parking is very limited in the area, so you may need to walk a bit to reach the beach. The short trek is well worth it for such a beautiful, tranquil beach. Most beautiful beach we visited while on Oahu! read more

Lanikai Beach - Mokulua Islands - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

We beach hopped quite a bit and Lanikai ended up being one of our favorite beaches. It's on the east side of Oahu and situated right alongside a neighborhood. Really you don't see the beach when you first pull up. We (luckily) found parking pretty quickly but did circle around a few times. There's no parking lot so you need to get lucky with street parking. We then walked over to the beach through a small pathway. The beach itself was absolutely beautiful, with the clearest waters I've seen and sand as soft as can be. It was fairly quiet on the beach, a relaxing atmosphere with people scattered throughout. We swam for a while, then sunbathed. Perfect beach for that. Beautiful views and calm bathwater waves, it was a beautiful day at Lanikai. read more

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Lanikai beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Oahu HI. I wish we were there when the sun was out, but we arrived later during the day so the sun was hidden :( Parking can usually be bad -- we found street parking 7ish minutes away (walking distance). There's also no bathrooms here which kinda sucked. The water is so calm here -- current waves are not strong at all and I felt safe to go into the water bc I can't swim lol :-) I will be back soon :) read more

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Beautiful, peaceful, relaxing spot. The water is calm, the sand is soft, and the views are absolutely beautiful. Parking can be a bit of a challenge since it's in a residential area, but once you're there, it's totally worth it. Definitely one of the more quiet and scenic beaches we visited on Oahu. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

If you can find parking this beach is marvelous. It has super fine sand that is so soft: the water is turquoise - the views are stringing. Great beach to spend the day at ! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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No parking lot, no bathrooms, and no food trucks nearby. Why do I give it 5 stars? It's the most beautiful beach on Oahu. The water is clear blue and warm. The sand is fine and soft. Make sure you go early to find street parking. It took us 20 min of driving around the residential area to find a spot. Bring your beach chair and food from Foodland to picnic here. We spent so many hours at this beach enjoying the sound of the beautiful waves. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Lanikai Beach is rated one of the best beaches which I concur. Navigating to this destination can be quite challenging as parking is hard to locate within the neighborhood. Worth the wait because this beach is postcard perfect with white soft sand and calm crystal blue water. Truly a tropical paradise. Took my kids for a quick visit to see what the hype is all about. It definitely didn't disappoint me. We had a small picnic on the beach and later kids took a dip in the ocean. We will definitely be going back! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

jhene aiko was right... lanikai was nice... turquoise seas and ocean breezes... xD we got lucky and found parking right across the pathway to the beach. so so blue and the sand was freaking soft it felt fake hahaha read more

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I remember attending here as a child. My parents and family relatives, we spend the day here to enjoy the beautiful view and the white white sand beach. I went here again as an adult and the memories of what was obvious did not come up by memory like you have to park in the neighborhood and cross your fingers that you didn't park at a fire zone or to not make an illegal parking. To enter the beach, you look for an alleyway to walk past the residences and make your way through to the beach area. The view is beautiful. The thing that stood out like a sore eye is seeing how there's tourists that make it enjoyable. The tourists are great but seeing them just made it disappointing. Sorry to say so. The sand so white because it has to be restocked with sand because there's just so much erosion and loss of sand. Compare old photos of Lanikai to today. You can tell the sand had to be restocked. Maybe I know too much. Sometimes knowing this type of stuff wishes you were blissfully dumb to not remember. read more

My absolute favorite beach in Hawaii, crowded always but great place to snorkel and check out the fishies. Favorite spot for Keiki because of how shallow it is. Remember to pack in/pack out to preserve the beaches beauty! read more

Extremely beautiful beach with lovely sound of waves. Very clean beach and the birds chirping was soooo relaxing. 10/10

Finally, finally, I got a chance to come here coz we got lucky with parking on a weekday! I gotta say, now that I've been here, I understand why it's such a beloved beach. The sand is powder soft. Might be the softest sand that I can remember. It's so fine that if there's slight wind, everything will be covered in silt. It's not a sandy beach, it's a silty beach. Also, everything in your house would have a light coat of grittiness for a few days after the beach lol. The water was calm and slightly warm with gentle waves on a weekday in October when waimanalo was getting waves that could beat you up. There were also enough trees for a shady spot. Most of all , because of the limited neighborhood parking, you don't get a lot of people at the beach, unlike the crowded neighbor Kailua beach next door. The only downside is really the parking and lack of facilities since it's a neighborhood beach, not a beach park. Other than that, it's amazing. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Lanikai in my opinion is one of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu. You really do feel like you are in a tropical oasis. The water was perfectly warm and calm, the fine white sand is perfect in between your toes and the view of two little islands sitting out in the short distance in the pristine blue and turquoise colored waters was absolutely picture perfect. The one con is looking for parking. We circled around the neighborhood three times before we found an open spot. If you are lucky enough to find a spot this is definitely a hidden gem on the island. There isn't a parking lot for the beach. The only parking available is along the streets in a residential neighborhood. Once you do find a spot you feel like you hit the jackpot ! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Great beach - turquoise water, white sand. There are some reefs, but water visibility is around 7-10ft. We weren't able to find parking on street, so ended up renting kayak to get there. It was definitely worth it! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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You are still my favorite beach, Lanikai. Just as gorgeous since the first time I set foot on the white sands and laid eyes on the Mokes. Until next time... read more

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No restrooms!!! No parking. We drove to Kailua Beach Park to use those bathrooms to change. Then, we drove around the residential area until we found a place to park. The beach is beautiful. It's the best beach I've been to on O'ahu. The sand is soft and the water was warm. The waves weren't rough. There was no shade. It's very beautiful. read more

Lanikai Beach - Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Tip: if renting a car, rent a compact or intermediate size so you have better chances finding parking. Located at the east side of the island, about 40 min from Waikiki. There is no parking so you need to park on the street. Be mindful of the neighbors. This is a beautiful beach with turquoise water and white sand. Water is so calm. The beach is so peaceful and relaxing. One of the best beaches in Oahu The scenery itself is beautiful with the view of the Mokulua islands. Right next door you can also enjoy Kailua beach also beautiful, but much more crowded, but there is parking and services read more

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Lanikai is still the family favorite beach when we visit Oahu. Blue water and soft sand plus less crowds. This time we drove over to Lanikai, arrived around 8:30am on a weekday and easily found parking. Our parking spot was next to one of the access paths leading to the beach. There were maybe half dozen people nearby when we dropped our stuff on our plot of beach that AM. Even though it was a small beach it was nice feeling like we didn't have to share it with many others! The waves were a little stronger that morning so we just splashed around. We tried to use our snorkeling gear but the water was too cloudy unfortunately. The beach was also good for paddle boarders who we watched get smaller and smaller as they headed towards the Mokulua Islands. The beach also had many outrigger canoes stored here and a couple of them sped by on runs with their crews. Overall quite relaxing for the couple hours we got in before the UVindex jumped. read more

Lanikai Beach - Panorama view from our spot on Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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Simply stunning and jaw dropping. This beach was so beautiful and quiet we felt like we had the beach to ourselves. The sand was extra soft and the water so clear it was definitely Mother Nature at her best. Oh how we miss Lanikai beach so much and it is what dreams are made of. Definitely screen saver worthy photos taken here. Thank you for the core memories. read more

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I will admit.... I used to be a Lanikai beach hater but after my last couple of visits - I get it! For me, it's the sand. It's way too fine, there is absolutely no grit to it. It gets everywhere and it's almost impossible to get into your car without massive amounts of sand after coming here. Parking is also only neighborhood street parking, plus you have to also beat out folks doing the lanikai pillbox hike for parking as well. But yes, it's absolutely stunning here. The water is this amazing shade of blue and with views of the Mokulua islands- it really makes you feel like to be in Hawaii. It's also very shallow here with no reef, making it very easy to stand / walk in the water. The shallowness also makes the water a nice temperature, especially in the morning when the sun is hitting. There are pros and cons to this beach, especially since it's so picturesque and popular with tourist. But overall, it really is one of the most beautiful beaches. Full stop, period. read more

Lanikai Beach, or Kaʻōhao Beach, is a globally renowned beach on Oahu's windward coast, famous for its soft white sand, clear turquoise waters, and stunning views of the offshore Mokulua Islands. While this is certainly true, located in a residential area of ​​Kailua, access is via narrow public walkways, and parking is very limited and challenging, especially on weekends. The sheer number of people flocking to this beach also makes it less appealing. The beach has a library with beach toys; you can borrow and return them. It's very nice. The beach is suitable for swimming with children; the entry into the water is shallow. We arrived at the beach at 4 p.m. and were lucky to find parking on our second try. The day before, we found an uncrowded beach near Lanikai Beach, but that day we decided to see if Lanikai Beach was really that great. After spending an hour on Lanikai Beach, we returned to our secluded beach, which is just as beautiful as Lanikai Beach. My advice: if you don't arrive early in the morning, look for a beach near Lanikai Beach. You might be lucky and find your beach like we did. read more

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Top beach on Oahu island! The water is warm, clear and calm, and there are lots of fishes and coral reef for snorkeling. Absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend spending a few hours to a whole day here. Keep in mind that there are no bathrooms, no food nearby, and no parking lot. It's in a residential area so parking is on the side of the road where you can find it and it's very hard to find parking here so going early as possible is highly recommended! Remember to take your own snacks, food and drinks as well! read more

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If you're looking for a special one of a kind beach, look no further than beautiful Lanikai Beach. Ranked as one of the best beaches in the world. Clear blue water and powdery white sand. Special Note: parking violations are strictly enforced and include no parking within four feet of a driveway, and within 30 feet of a stop sign. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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They were not kidding when they said that Lanikai Beach is the most beautiful beach on Oahu. The view is breathtaking. The sand was sooo soft and powdery. The water was so calm and clear. It wasn't even crowded and felt like everyone was on top of everyone. Does not compare the beaches on the Jersey Shore at all!! I had brought a float and sat in it for hours without floating too far away. When I say the water is calm...it's calm! I recommend everyone to visit Lanikai. If you want a peaceful day at the beach this is it! You will not be disappointed. With all those pros, there are cons. As everyone else has mentioned, there are not too many parking options. Parking rules are heavily enforced. I will not lie, we did get a parking ticket. But that beach was worth the ticket. I mean we didn't pay any admission to get in so I guess it kinda evened out. It is suggested to park at Kailua Beach and to walk about 10-15 minutes to Lanikai. There are also no bathrooms and the closest is at Kailua Beach. I will definitely come back to Lanikai! It was absolutely gorgeous! read more

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Came to Lanikai Beach as I wanted to try a different beach from the other beaches I've previously been to. Unfortunately, the day we came here, it was pretty cloudy so there was nothing we could really do about that. I can tell this is definitely more of a local beach. It's literally right behind a bunch of houses. The sand is great and the water is really calm. Not too many people here at all. Perfect if you want to chill out and relax! Because it is literally just a beach, there are no amenities at all. If you want to use the bathroom or take a shower, you'll have to head over to nearby Kailua Beach Park. Also, there's zero parking. You'll have to find a spot in the nearby residential neighborhood. I'm sure everyone who lives here is totally thrilled about that. Not my favorite beach that I've been to on Oahu, but still worth coming to! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Beautiful and narrow white sand beach was lovely! Less people, probably due to lack of convenient parking options. We couldn't stay long since there are no public restrooms nearby but the sand is white and soft, the waters are the turquoise blue of my dreams and the views are spectacular! We went on a clear and sunny day and the waters were calm enough for the paddle boarders. read more

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It's a beautiful beach but sometimes it can get busy so definitely go on a weekday water is calm and relaxing lanikai beach however might need to walk as there is no parking in the neighborhoods but the scenery is worth it read more

Best beach we visited! The only cons were that it was difficult to find parking, no bathrooms or showers. But worth it if you're going on a weekday. read more

Really a gem of a beach, but it's packed, packed, packed and parking is hell on weekends. For some reason, directions didn't show up on Google maps, so I had to pin it manually. Like I said, parking is hell. There is a lot there but it's small, so most will park in the adjacent residential area. Good luck with that. Just don't block driveways and be aware of the traffic signs. As for the beach itself, the waves are calmer on this side than say, Waimanalo down the road. So you can snorkel and there's some reef really close to the shore. Good spot to kayak and canoe as well. No bathrooms or showers though. If you want that, you have to go down the road to Kailua Beach. Very popular spot for good reason, just a real hassle to get to. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Gorgeous long white sandy beach. I would give it 5 stars if it wasn't for the lack of parking and very little shade. The beach is located along a residential area that has a number of openings for beach access. Problem lies in the parking. Which is in front of homes, some block off the area. Tough beach if you have to unload items. Also very little shade, bring an umbrella. The positives...it's a gorgeous beach with beautiful views, soft white sand, very little wave action. Great for kids, paddle boarding, swimming. read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

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My oldest daughter's favorite beach. Waves were gentle when we went. The sand was super fine not rocky at all. Picture perfect beach but the parking is not ideal read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

We went to Lanikai Beach today. No parking along the streets between 10am to 3pm for the 3 days holiday weekend. Parking police patrolling every hour and giving out parking tickets at $85 per parking violation. $35 for parking violation and $50 for tow away zone. The beach was great, ocean water was so warm and soothing. Views were gorgeous and not very crowded at the beach either. Neighborhood is wealthy and I'm glad my family came to visit this time. My 2nd time here and just as turquoise as i remembered it 20 years ago. read more

When I came to Hawaii, I wanted to hit up the quietest and non-touristy beaches as much as possible, so I chose to check out Lanikai and wow, it really was nice and private feeling. I came here to watch the sunrise and there were groups of folks going out to canoe, dogs playing fetch, and someone was also meditating. Picturesque, much? The fact that I came here so early in the morning allowed me to easily find parking in a neighborhood right across the street. Otherwise, you can park in the lot right by Kailua Beach and do a semi long walk over to Lanikai. read more

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Such a beautiful and calm beach on Oahu. I'm so glad I got the chance to check this place out. It isn't crowded like Waikiki, and for someone like me that's not very good at swimming, this place is perfect! They have reefs where you can snorkel too if that's your thing. Parking is a bit tricky here (hence the four stars instead of the five), but the walk to get to Lanikai is definitely worth it. My brother dropped us off at an entrance and he parked 30-minutes away. Add this to your spot of beaches to check out in Oahu! read more

Lanikai Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kailua, Hawaii

Even under the most dismal weather conditions, there is no argument that this pristine beach deep in Kailua is a stunner. It's been identified as one of the most beautiful in the world. Jamie W. and I were tooling around Oahu in a rental car on a less than ideal Monday. Hanauma Bay was supposed to be our first stop, but it was closed. Our next stop was here, an eye-catching strand surrounded by aquamarine waters (photo: https://bit.ly/3Zy77lf). We were able to find parking at nearby Kailua Beach Park after navigating ourselves from Kalaniana'ole Highway. It was necessary to make our stay a brief one because of the inclement weather, but there is no doubt that we will return. RELATED - Exploring Hawaii? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3Kz5ksc read more

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