*This story was originally published on Feb. 4, 2021, and updated in January 2026. Romance and Hawaiʻi seem to go hand-in-hand. If you happen to be in the Islands for Valentine’s Day—lucky you!—here are some of the most romantic beaches, lookouts and places in Hawaiʻi. 1. Watch the Sunrise at Lanikai Beach Imagine watching the […]
Hawaiʻi is a top travel destination thanks to its beautiful beaches, which are among the best in the world. Stretches of golden coastlines and crystal-clear waters help define the Islands as paradise. It’s nearly impossible to create a list of the best beaches in the Islands, so we ask our readers every year. The results
When you think of Hawaiʻi, you think of beaches—and Oʻahu has some of the world’s best. From Waikīkī to Waimea Bay, here are your picks for the best beaches on Oʻahu, according to our 2024 Readers’ Choices Awards. 1. Waikīkī Beach Waikīkī Beach is one of the most recognizable shorelines in the world, stretching along
You’re on vacation. So you probably want to sleep in, right? Don’t. Get up early—at least one day—and hit one of these spots on Oʻahu to catch the sunrise. Sip Kona coffee in your Hydroflask, marvel at the glorious start to the day—then grab breakfast somewhere close by. (We provide recommendations below.) Trust us, you
It’s the middle of December—and I bet you’re dreaming about a sunny beach. Us, too. (Except we don’t have to dream; we can get in our car and drive 15 minutes to one. Sorry, not sorry.) Emily Smith, our digital media specialist, and I talk about all things beach, from what we pack in our
Everywhere you look on Oʻahu, there’s beautiful scenery, from the windswept beaches in Kailua to the majestic pali (cliffs) of the Koʻolau Mountains. These images are all over social media—and we figure you probably want to know where these spots are. While some places—like the top of Haʻikū Stairs—are off-limits and others—like the entrance of
Hawaiʻi has some of the world’s best beaches, from the magical shores of Hanalei Bay on Kauaʻi to the aquamarine waters off Lanikai on Oʻahu. Putting together a list of the best beaches is nearly impossible—so we asked our readers. The results are in, and here are the best beaches from around the Islands that
Oʻahu is the most popular island with visitors of all the Hawaiian Islands—and there’s a reason why. OK, there are tons of reasons why. Known as the Gathering Place, Oʻahu is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and home to about 1 million people—that’s over two-thirds of Hawaiʻi’s total population. In pre-COVID 2019, 60% of
Maybe you’ve tried to visit the famed Lanikai Beach on Oʻahu on a three-day weekend only to be met with no parking signs along Mokulua and ʻAʻalapapa drives in the residential neighborhood. Or maybe you’ve spent hours circling the Windward Oʻahu neighborhood, driving up and down the narrow side streets looking for parking near one
Agents at List Sotheby’s International Realty use two words to describe Kailua: beach town. “Kailua is a location with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” says Heather Selvitelle, a multi-award-winning agent at List Sotheby’s International Realty. “There’s this feeling of being in a small beach community, but with growing opportunities. It feels
Creating a list of Oʻahu’s Top 5 beaches when there are so many out there just as blue and beautiful as the next is a difficult task—to say the least. Fortunately, nominations for the best Oʻahu beaches for our 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards poured in from our readers around the world. So, while every beach
Trying to select top beaches in Hawaiʻi, which is known for its almost unending list of postcard-perfect coastlines and seashores, is an impossible task. There are just too many dazzling shorelines for us to choose from. Fortunately, our readers have given us their opinions on the pressing matter and we’ve compiled a list of the
