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Review of oahu beaches including sand, snorkeling, swimming and waikiki beach resorts.
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Oahu holidays are focused around Waikiki Beach on the southern coast outskirts of Honolulu City on the south coast. In other parts of Oahu, accommodations are scarce. The East Coast of Oahu has several lovely beaches and a number of vacation homes and bed and breakfast guesthouses in the sprawling suburb of Kailua but not much else in accommodation. The North Coast, famous for its excellent surf in winter (Oct-Mar), has a quite a few condominium blocks, vacation homes and backpacker hostels aimed at the surfing crowd. The South West Coast is Oahu's secluded dry region, dominated by small Polynesian communities. Here there are several lovely surfing beaches and golf courses along the leeward west coast but only a few guesthouses and small hotels. In the south west corner is a the new KoOlina mega resort complex. Central Oahu is dominated by pineapple plantations and the US Army bases where there are several military hotels for visiting families.
Waikiki Beach accommodation stretches for almost four miles from the extinct volcano of Diamond Head to the beautiful harbour setting of Ala Wai in the west. Most hotels are high rise, typically 20 stories and offer fantastic views. Beach views are generally more expensive, although mountain views are equally compelling, and the higher up the building you go, the more you'll pay. The larger resorts usually have their own restaurants and bars, although this is not really necessary as there are so many independent restaurants and bars around Waikiki and even the beach front hotels allow non-guests to eat and drink at their restaurants.
Few hotels actually front the beach, but no hotel is very far from it - Waikiki is locked in by the Ala Wai canal, just five blocks inland so your walk to the beach will never be more than 5 minutes. The only exception is those hotels just outside Waikiki - notably those at Diamond Head, Ala Moana and Ala Wai Harbour which may take from 10 to 20 minutes by foot (the Waikiki Trolley offers free rides throughout the day).
Our guide is full of stunning pictures of Oahu Beaches as well as a colourful Beach Map of Oahu to give you a clear impression where the best beaches can be found. We also provide useful links throughout our text so you can find out more about tours and accommodation and make direct reservations.
Waikiki is the most famous of all the Hawaii beaches. It is almost perfect in every way - long days of endless sun, fine golden sand, excellent surfing and body surfing, a long stretch of shallow sandy bottom lagoon ideal for swimmers, both inexperienced and experienced, protected areas with no waves and exposed areas with frolicking waves, lots of water activities from catamaran cruises, hobby cat sailing, paddle boats and snorkelling trips and most of all, lots of people, lots of high rise hotels with fantastic views, lots of restaurants and good nightlife.
detailed guide to Waikiki
There are many other glorious beaches around Oahu offering some of the best scenery and certainly the best surfing and body surfing in Hawaii. However, outside of Waikiki, accommodation is pretty scarce. For more information about beaches on Oahu, read our detailed reviews about the following regions:
Kailua - fine beaches, spectacular scenery and wind surfing
North Shore - premier surf destination
Makaha - sweeping beaches and surf
The East Coast of Oahu has several lovely beaches and a number of vacation homes and bed and breakfast guesthouses in the sprawling suburb of Kailua but not much else in accommodation. The area inland from Kailua has some spectacular mountain cliffs and picturesque golf courses.
... more about South East Coast Scenic Drive
The North Coast, world-famous for its excellent surf in winter (Oct-Mar), has a few large condominium blocks and lots of vacation homes and backpacker hostels aimed at the surfing crowd. Waimea Adventure Park is a lovely rainforest valley once the home of an ancient Hawaiian settlement and rich in archaeological sites. One of the most popular tourist attractions is nearby - the vast commercial Polynesian Cultural Centre which hosts numerous large group bus tours every day.
...more about Waimea Park
The South West Coast is Oahu's secluded dry region, dominated by small Polynesian communities. Here there are several lovely surfing beaches and golf courses along the leeward west coast but only a few guesthouses and small hotels. In the south west corner is a the new Ko Olina mega resort complex. Central Oahu is dominated by pineapple plantations and the US Army bases where there are several military hotels for visiting families.
Waikiki Beach Resorts Listings
Hawaii Tour Companies
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