CC BY-SA 3.0, Cristo Vlahos, Wikimedia CommonsBeach· Oahu· Hawaii
Lanikai Beach
21° 23.5′ N · 157° 42.9′ W
A half-mile strip of powder-white sand and glassy turquoise water facing the Mokulua islets, regularly ranked among the best beaches in the world, and lovely for a moonrise or a sunrise between the islands.
Practical
Access only through public beach-access paths in a residential neighborhood; no public parking lot, restrooms, showers or lifeguards, and parking rules are strictly enforced ($200 fines since 2014), so most visitors park in Kailua town or arrive by water. Reef patches near shore make for calm-day snorkeling; jellyfish can appear 9-12 days after a full moon. Water 75-80F. By boat, the area is reachable only by dinghy or kayak inside the reef; the Coast Pilot notes a small-boat passage between the reef and shore inside the Mokulua.
Best for
The postcard windward beach and Mokulua view
Season
Year-round
Nearby
- Lanikai Pillbox Hike (Kaiwa Ridge)0.3 NM away
- Popoia (Flat Island) Seabird Sanctuary0.5 NM away
- Buzz's Original Steakhouse (Kailua)0.7 NM away
- Kailua Beach Park0.7 NM away
- Kailua Beach Windsurfing and Kitesurfing0.9 NM away
- Kalapawai Market (Kailua Beach)0.9 NM away
- Na Mokulua (Mokulua Islands)0.9 NM away
- Kailua Town Provisioning (Whole Foods / Target Kailua)1.6 NM away