Our oceanfront two bedroom suite faced Anaehoomalu Bay aka A-Bay. We woke up each morning to a…read moreserene view of A-Bay. Wind surfing, canoeing, swimming, snorkeling, turtle spotting, sunbathing, etc. A-Bay has it all including sunset watching on its salt and pepper sand. Surrounded by ancient Hawaiian ponds that you can walk along. We spent a good portion of our time glazing out each morning, afternoon, and especially the evening watching the sun go down. This by far was one of our favorite activities while staying in Waikoloa. The only thing I can't speak to is parking although Hawaii law states every beach must have public access.

This is a very calm harbor bay. A couple of sailboats anchored , a lot of shade , restrooms and…read moreshowers. White sand beach with palm trees. marked parking in lave field. A long walk with gear to the Water. No surf, done Snorklers in the Water. .

Came by here since we were in the area and at first, we thought we were in the wrong spot. not…read morerealizing this beach was private but public access!!! Meaning, when you see the gated area, you can still go in when they give you one of the tags to hang on your dashboard. You drive through a very nice neighborhood and follow the sign to the public beach parking lot. It's very small so that's probably why they only let in a certain amount of cars at a time. It was super hot so definitely avoid walking barefoot on the dark "black" (more like pepper) sand because it won't feel cooling to the touch. It was pretty pleasant and nice because of the small vicinity of the beach but it was feeling a bit crowded to where you can only swim in a small section because of other people in the waters. I did like how smooth the sand was along the coast, and there's several thicker and larger rocks that haven't turned to fine sand yet like the others. Pro Tip: If you want to take pics or videos of the sand and emphasize the "black sand" portion of the beach, just adjust your exposure and lower it so it appears darker.

Great place to snorkel! Bring a scuba mask and prepare to be amazed. There's so many fish of…read morevarious sizes and colors, some with unique patterns. There's also an abundance of coral, which is equally as impressive. 10/10 beach!?

Are you wanting a relaxing day with minimal crowds? Go to Molokai then...just kidding. This beach…read morehas a basic bathroom and limited parking. Shade is plentiful at Beach 69 with all the trees. Bring a hammock and enjoy the day. Fishing is okay on the shoreline but there is competition with swimmers. Snorkeling is okay, you see fish small to medium size. Bottom is mostly rock so not great for walking and wading in the ocean. Depth is about 2-6' for about 40' then gets deeper.

This is one of my favorite beaches in Hawaii, but I was sad when we showed up and the parking meter…read morewas broken, so instead of paying a little hourly rate they were making everyone buy the day pass for $30. We paid it none the less, and we enjoyed our day snorkeling, swimming, tanning, picnicking and interacting with the local chickens. It's a very family friendly beach with lots of little kids laughing and families playing in the sand. This beach is unique because of how close the trees come to the water creating little amphitheaters of seating under the shade. While it makes for minimal spots for people, it is so relaxing and paradise-making to get one of the spots.

This was our favorite beach while visiting the Waikōloa area on the Big Island. The sand is like…read morepowder, the water is warm and shallow (check tide conditions), it's clean, and the kids loved it. Besides the beach area, there is a large grassy area with canopies, picnic tables, and a large lawn area. The lawn area gave us shelter from the sun, and was a great place to take breaks and have snacks. There were a few chickens wandering around the grassy area, so watch your food. The bathrooms are decent, and there are several water spray areas to wash off. The kiddos just loved wading in the water and letting the waves wash over their legs. It's a great place for the whole family.

Love Hapuna. Our fav while visiting the Big Island. Although it is a bit expensive at $10/car…read moreplus $5/pp. Get there early especially during summer. Soft white sand and crystal blue waters! Plus they have several shaded picnic areas and restrooms.

Wow, how lucky we are! We got a spot! Usually, they only allow 10 parking spots open but in the…read moretemporary lot, there's many more guest beach parking The security guard at the entrance will let you know if you are able to come through and he will give you a parking pass here. They will give you a parking pass if there are spots open. Currently there is construction to build a larger parking lot to allow more than 10 parking spots so you will be sent to another parking area that allows a lot more spots. Everyone is excited for the new parking lot. This beach is really fun for boogie boarding, building sand castles, and (if you like small waves )surfing . The walk from the temporary parking lot to the beach was really nice included a lot of trees, flowers, and a garden. Tucked away behind the garden a gift shop. The gift shop also sells boogie boards, but you can bring your own

In my humble opinion, this is the most lively beach on The Big Island. It's not black sand, it's…read morenot great for boogie boarding, it's also not packed with tourists. It's a gorgeous beach adjacent to Mauna Kea Resort, a pretty exclusive hotel and part of the autograph collection of Marriott. This is a great beach to walk end to end, in the water or on the beach. You can snorkel or swim out your one of the platforms or just lay and work on your tan. It's my solo go to beach while on the island. Afterwards there is a great beach restaurant to meander over to and imbibe and nibble. Not always an easy beach to gain access to but well worth the effort.

Fabulous snorkeling! Parking is $10 and it's $5 per visitor, but worth every penny. The shore is…read moresmall and rocky in some parts, sandy in others and there's shade among some trees. There are bathrooms and outdoor showers. The same parking permit allows you access to Hapuna Beach as well. Highly recommended! Bonus: Lava Lava Beach Club is right down the road for a perfect lunch!

This is a beautiful beach with clear blue water where you can spend the whole day sheltered from…read morethe sun in the shade of the trees. The beach is equipped with a shower and toilet. While swimming on this beach we met a turtle. Parking on the beach is paid. Also, non-residents of Hawaii must pay $ 5 each. But the beach is worth it!

We were staying at the Hilton Waikoloa. A friend recommended fishing at Holoholokai Beach Park…read morewhich is a short drive from the Hilton. First, we headed to the Walmart in Kona to pick up fishing gear. We found telescopic poles (perfect for traveling), a net and other fishing supplies. Then we headed to Safeway for shrimp for bait. When we arrived at Holoholokai Beach Park, there were only 2 other cars parked in the parking lot. We walked to the left side (facing the ocean) of beach but found it a bit too rocky. There was a turtle stranded on the reef, about 20 feet from the water. We called DLNR, but they said that the turtle will be find and that they won't be sending anyone out to help it. I hope that the poor guy made it back to the water. We headed to the opposite side of the beach (right side) and found a couple areas which allowed us to walk out on the reef (at low tide) and fish in shallow pools or close to where the waves were breaking on the reef. My son caught a fish on his first cast. He caught another fish (mostly Kupipi), then another and another. We almost always smash the barb on our hooks with a plier so that it is easy to remove a release the fish, so not to cause much harm to the fish. My friend said that Kupipi is good eating, just throw it on a grill. But why eat an ugly reef fish when you can order pizza and pasta from the resort that you're staying at, right? Ha ha! Anyway, it was a beautiful day for fishing. We even came back a second day and the results were the same, we caught (and released) a lot of fish. We saw less than 10 other people there (all tourists), but no other fishermen. If you go, make sure to bring sunscreen, a hat and bottled water. It's quite hot and there aren't any trees to provide shade (at least not near the fishing area). We will look for other fishing spots the next time we visit Kona, but this is definitely a convenient fishing location while staying in the Waikoloa area. There is also a public restroom near the parking lot. Happy fishing! : )

The worst bathroom I've seen in my life, no divider between the urinals AND NO DOOR TO THE…read moreTOILETS!!! When you walk in the door you have a clear view of the toilets. And if you need to drop the kids off?? No privacy AT ALL

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.

Hands down 5 stars for everything! Best Beach on the big…read moreIsland in my opinion. Perfect spot if you have a person in your group that is not a strong swimmer. Bathrooms are so clean & plenty of them. This place is one of my happiest places on earth, for real! Snorkeling is great here too. Enjoy!

Best private beach in the Kona area! It was so nice to have nice shady spots to relax and enjoy the…read moreday. The bay was amazing and the water crystal clear! We were able to get some very tasty beverages and some yummy food at the Napua, as well. Definitely recommend going here if you have the access!

We went on an almost 100% full (flower) moon. It was special to see the terminator line on the…read moreCelestron telescope - it had such great definition! The color of Mauna Kea with the moon shining on it was so magical all around us. There were some clouds that cleared pretty well by the end of our star gazing. We were the last ones up there so it got dark enough to see more than you'd expect with the moon. Jeff, our awesome tour guide, used a laser pointer to help us see the constellations we usually can't back at home. The images on the digital telescope like nebulas, the moon & star clusters were an amazing addition to have as keepsakes. My husband and I felt he made the tour a great balance of learning and fun. He had the group feeling like family before we even left from the pickup lot. Things to consider: I do recommend following the moons cycles booking this tour/your trip if this is especially important for you to see as many stars as possible. The sunset and views of the observatory's make it awesome anyways :) I struggled with altitude sickness around 12,000 ft. Jeff had made sure to let us know beforehand if we experienced any issues to speak up. I was hesitant as I know it would mean turning the whole tour around, but some tingling turned to dizziness and then a brief fainting. He immediately stopped the bus and helped ground me and make sure I was completely okay & coherent before letting me know our options for the tour. We made it up to the top with 2 more (included in tour) stops and I felt better with each one having more time to acclimate :) Thank you Jeff!! You handled this so professionally and I appreciate your check-ins for the rest of the trip. It's cold even with parka and gloves. It's so worth packing warm shoes and layers. The bus had ac and heat so that was great! Do it if you can! Awe-inspiring! Such an unreal environment that makes you wonder about so many things. Just take the precautions seriously, move slow and breathe deep.

Mauna Kea summit trip was amazing. Definitely worth it. Our guide, Aaron was very humbly…read moreknowledgeable and you can tell he really enjoyed the star gazing. He made our group time together feel like ohana. The equipment was top notch.