Latest / Hawaii Travel Podcast by Hawaii’s Best: Plan a Better Hawaii Vacation / Exploring Hawaii's Top 5 Beaches: Uncovering Hidden Gems, Sustainability, and Essential Travel Tips

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Exploring Hawaii's Top 5 Beaches: Uncovering Hidden Gems, Sustainability, and Essential Travel Tips · Hawaii Travel Podcast by Hawaii’s Best: Plan a Better Hawaii Vacation

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hawaii has some of the most incredible beaches in all the world, so it was really hard to narrow down a list of just five to give you guys.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: But today, on Hawaii's Best, we're going to give you the top five beaches in Hawaii.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Aloha.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Welcome to Hawaii's Best.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Here you'll learn what to know before traveling, as we discover Hawaiian culture, local businesses and the experiences that make Hawaii one of the most incredible places in the world.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: And now your host, brian Murphy.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: You know, here on Hawaii's Best, we explore Hawaii's Best experiences, businesses and we get to hear the story from the people behind them.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: To stay up to date on future episodes, I want to encourage you to hit that subscribe button and drop a review in a rating below.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: That helps other people who love Hawaii, just like you, be able to find this conversation Well.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Like I mentioned, today we are talking about Hawaii's top five beaches, and this was super hard to try to narrow down, but I think we did a pretty good job.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: I want to share with you, just right at the top, what those five beaches are.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Some of you probably heard of, maybe some of you haven't.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: In no particular order, we place them as Kanapali Beach and Maui, the North Shore, o'ahu.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Number two, lanakai on O'ahu.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Number three, poonaluhu Beach on the Big Island as number four and, of course, number five, waikiki, o'ahu, as number five, number one.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: So number one Kanapali Beach, maui.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Basically, kanapali Beach has everything.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: It's kind of like Waikiki.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: So if you've been to Waikiki and you kind of know what it's about, you can learn how to surf, you can sign up for sailing, snorkeling, boat excursions, kayaking, luau, surf lessons, all that stuff, right?
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: What's really cool about Kanapali is that you can do all that there, but it doesn't have the huge crowds as Waikiki does.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Now, kanapali is kind of a stretch where there's a lot of hotels and and spas, resorts and whatnot, but it's not as crowded as Waikiki.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: You still have the tourist vibe and all that stuff and those amenities, but you can also do some of those things that Hawaii is known for Obviously amazing surf water and the amazing beach When we're hanging out the West End.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Really cool about Kanapali is that right across the walkway from the resorts is the beach.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: As compared to like Waikiki, you got to cross a street in order to get over to the beach.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Right on the beach are the resorts, so that's kind of a cool thing.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: So if you're on Maui, you're definitely going to want to check out Kanapali Beach.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: It's on the West Side, tons of places to stay there, definitely a tourist kind of resort location.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: It also gives you great views of Maui.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: When you think about Maui, you think about you got Molokai and you have Lanahi staring out from Kanapali Beach And this is also an epic place to do some whale watching.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: So if you're on Maui, definitely check out Kanapali Beach on the West Side.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Number two.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Number two North Shore Oahu.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: If you're looking for like world class waves, north Shore Oahu is a place to go.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: So it's a seven mile beach that hosts some amazing wave competitions during the winter time.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: So to really see the North Shore and all its glory, huge waves and the surf competitions really it's going to happen between the months of November and February are the best times to catch some of the big wave surfing.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Now these waves can be massive, like up to 30 feet or more, and it's even dangerous for experienced surfers.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: So it kind of goes without saying if it looks crazy, if it looks gnarly, don't go out.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: And just kind of a rule of thumb I'll reference this later on in the episode just kind of some tips when going to the beaches in Hawaii, because they are definitely different than probably some of the beaches that you may be used to Always go to a beach that has a lifeguard posted.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: And another tip is to never turn your back on the ocean.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: The ocean and the waves in Hawaii are a bit unpredictable and a wave could just sneak up on you and just kind of face plant you into the sand.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: So just be always cautious and have fun, but just be safe as well.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: What's really cool about the North Shore is that from like May to September, the waves have subsided and What was an incredible surf paradise of these huge waves turns into this tranquil atmosphere of you can still surf, but it's also a bit more safer to go out and swim.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: So North Shore and Oahu it's about an hour drive from Waikiki.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: It's a beautiful drive.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: You go up the windward side, the east side of the island or through the middle of the island, especially if you're going up H3, that drive is incredible.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: There are a couple of ways to get up to North Shore from Waikiki And along the way you're going to find some really cool spots to stop and local spots to get a bite.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: What I really love about the vibe of the North Shore on Oahu is the vibe and the pace of it all.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Especially when you're coming out of Waikiki, honolulu, It feels like LA in paradise And it's kind of this juxtaposition which is pretty interesting.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: But when you get to the North Shore it feels like, oh, this is Hawaii, this is what people talk about.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: So you got to experience it.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Especially if you're staying on Oahu, make sure you check out the North Shore for its beaches, but also just for its incredible atmosphere and vibe up there.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Number three So maybe if you're going up the east side of Oahu, you're going to want to stop at Lanakai And Lanakai.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: You've probably seen, if you follow Hawaii's best on Instagram Hawaii's best you probably see us posting a lot of shots of these two islands, these two little islands of this beach, and the beach is Lanakai.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: It is probably one of the most pristine beaches turquoise water, pristine sands, calm waves, tropical plants and coconut trees The whole thing, like when you think about Hawaii in a beach.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: Lanakai is pretty much the poster card version of a Hawaiian beach.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: It's no coincidence that it's called Lanakai, because Lanakai translates to heavenly ocean.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: It's such a fitting name for such a beautiful place.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Those islands that are off the shore, those two islands they're called the Mokalua Islands And you can actually go on a kayak tour to those islands And that's epic.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: I haven't done it, but I know my wife has And it's such an awesome journey to get out there and to get back, but it's totally doable And it's super fun.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Number four So, traveling over to the big island of Hawaii, this is the probably most famous black sand beach.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: It's called Punaluu Beach And it also is home for endangered green sea turtles.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: This beach is one of the few areas that the turtles choose to lay their eggs, So if you happen to come across a turtle, you have to keep your distance and let them be.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: But to take in the beauty of this nature and this incredible creature it's something that is pretty rare because sea turtles almost never hang out on the beach And there's only several species of green sea turtles that do this, and this happens to be one of the few locations that really on the entire globe, and like I mentioned, you come across a sea turtle.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: Just a few tips never touch a turtle, that probably goes without saying.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Never feed the turtles, but, most importantly, enjoy these beautiful creatures, because seeing these incredible sea turtles out on the beach is probably like a once in a lifetime opportunity.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: So enjoy that moment if you happen to come across it.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: So kind of back to the beach.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Punaluu is a black sand beach And it's an expansive and easily accessible beach.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: It's a great place to go for a swim, a snorkel or a hike camping.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: You have to have a permit, though, if you're going to camp there or just stop for a picnic.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Now, one thing to keep in mind.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: If you do go for a swim, you're going to want to be careful because there can be strong currents at times.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: So always bring water shoes, especially on a black sand beach, because it can get hot pretty quickly.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: I mean because it is small fragments of lava, so it can get hot.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: It can also be painful to walk on.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Having some water shoes is definitely a good way to still enjoy the beach but also to not hurt yourself at the same time.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: So win-win.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: And finally, number five.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Now back over to Oahu, number five, to wrap up this list.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: And you can also go to the show notes, and I've also linked a blog post where you can see even more of Hawaii's best beaches, because, again, there's just so many and it was hard to choose five.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: But number five is going to be Waikiki Beach, and that's on the island of Oahu.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: It's Honolulu's most popular beach.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: You've probably heard of Waikiki.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: It was once kind of a playground for Hawaiian royalty And when you step on Waikiki you can see why.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: I mean it's the Waisan Beach.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: You have Diamondhead crater in the background.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: It's that iconic Hawaii picture, like you've seen it on the postcards.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: I'm looking at it right now.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: I have this Hawaii poster in my office and that's that happens to be the picture.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: So back, let's see a little history lesson here.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Back in the 1880s a few small hotels opened up there And one of the first beach resorts there was called San Suchi I think I'm pronouncing that correctly, it's French for without worries.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Really, since the beginning of hotels and homes coming to Waikiki back in the 1800s, those homes and those hotels, they were built way too close to the natural shoreline.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: Since then if you're on Waikiki you probably see, you know there's sea walls, there's some erosion, you know even some of the sand gets brought in from other islands, like Molokai, where some sand actually gets shipped over to fill in some of the sand there on Waikiki.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: But Waikiki is one of those places.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: You got to do it.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: I mean, you have to experience it at least at least once, right?
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: Just to like, just to say I went to Waikiki and I got to experience the beach that everybody talks about.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: But personally I can only take Waikiki so much.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: I mean it is crowded, a lot of tourists there And that's totally fine.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Like when I talk to people and they only stayed around Waikiki, honolulu area, their only impression of Hawaii was that Hawaii is so much more than Waikiki, honolulu, diamondhead, i mean.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Those are all incredible places and you got to experience it at least once.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: But to really explore the islands you're going to need to get out there and you're going to need to get lost a little bit, because Hawaii is meant to be discovered.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Hawaii is meant to be enjoyed and treasured.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: There's something special about getting out into nature and there's something special about hiking somewhere and experiencing a view that was earned because of the hike.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: You can't get that in Waikiki, but you got to experience it at least once, right?
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: So I hope this list has helped you.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: I do want to leave you guys with a few just reminders and tips when it comes to ocean safety, because this stuff is super important.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: When it comes to swimming in the beaches of Hawaii, like I mentioned, always go to a beach that is staffed by lifeguards.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: If you're from Southern California, the waves and the way the water acts is completely different than in Hawaii.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: It can get pretty scary pretty quickly if you're not paying attention.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Like I mentioned, never turn your back to the ocean and always look for posted beach hazard rating signs Growing up here in Southern California.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Go into a beach like Huntington.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: You see some of the hazard rating signs like black ball or whatever, and you kind of roll your eyes a little bit like, okay, yeah, don't go out, whatever, but the surf and the beaches in Hawaii you have to heed those warnings and those closures.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: They're there for a reason.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: It's unfortunate hearing some of the stories about how people get in trouble and get stuck.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: During the wintertime there's always lifeguard rescues, especially on the North Shore, of professional, experienced surfers.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: So that should tell you something to enjoy it, but always cautiously enjoy and be on your toes when you step into the water.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: And also I got to say as a reminder to always pick up your trash.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: So whatever you bring with you.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: I know it sounds pretty elementary, but you'd be surprised at how many beach pickups there are and how much trash there is at some of these beaches.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: I mean, it takes an effort and it takes organizations to come in and clean up the beaches And to do our part.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: To do your part, simply just throw your trash away.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: If you enjoy Hawaii and you enjoy vacationing there and you enjoy your experience there, to do your part and just simply pick up your trash.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: And on top of that, if you listen to the episode, episode 021, with Garrett from Maui Brewing Company.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: We talked a lot about plastic water bottles, and that's another thing to be mindful of.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: I know it's tempting to, as soon as you land, to go ahead and go to a big box store, get a big pallet of water bottles and use that for your vacation.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: But maybe next time bring a reusable water bottle, maybe just get a large jug of water, use that to refill your water bottles Instead of just using a bunch of little plastic water bottles that all needs to go somewhere.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: It is an island, so just to keep that in mind.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: So I hope that this list of top five beaches really has helped give you an idea of what to expect on your next stay on the island.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: So if you found any value in this episode, i would just ask you to let us know in the ratings below, leave a review and go in and hit subscribe.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: That helps other people be able to find this conversation all about Hawaii And again, thank you so much for joining us today on Hawaii's Best And until next time, be well Aloha.