Discover Kailua Beach Park - a local gem

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Kailua Beach Park ranks as the second most beautiful out of all the Oahu Beaches.  Okay…it’s a little unfair to rank Kailua Beach as second best, only because it is literally right next to THE most beautiful beach on the island, Lanikai Beach.

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Kailua Beach Park - Background

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Kailua Beach Park is located on the easterly shoreline, where the ocean waters are as turquoise blue as it gets, and equally matched with amazingly soft, white powder sand.

Many beach goers on the island, rate Kailua Beach Park number one over Lanikai Beach, simply because it is a longer stretch of gorgeous white sand and turquoise blue waters -- two and half miles long to be exact!

There are actually 3 separate parking lots.  The first lot is hidden behind the Kalapawai Market, and is considered the launch area for kite and wind surfing sports.

The second lot is located right after the water Kawainui Canal and is considered the main beach spot.  Finally there is a 3rd parking lot right before heading off to Lanikai.  It's a nice quiet spot and also features a boat ramp.

Kailua Beach Park has actually grown a little larger over the past couple of decades, thanks to many Lanikai real estate beach homes that built sea walls to protect their properties from land erosion.

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The irony of these efforts was losing their beautiful beachfront sand in the process, which naturally shifted over to Kailua Beach Park.

This Oahu Beach, unlike Lanikai Beach, has bathroom facilities, beach showers, and picnic tables located on the park grounds.  It’s something worth considering when bringing the whole family out for the day.

There are also a couple life guard stands on the premises.  They are helpful to answer questions about the area and ocean safety.

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Water activities at Kailua Beach Park

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Although Kailua Beach Park offers beautiful calm waters to swim in, there are usually some small waves to play around in also.  Kite Surfers love to take advantage of the winds that blow in this area.

You will find a natural rock sea wall called Flat Island (Popoiʻa Island), which stretches a good hundred yards into the ocean.  This natural rock formation forms the rolling waves that characterize this shoreline. 

You will usually find a group of local kids playing around in these waves with their boogie boards.  You might want to bring along a boogie board too if you’re up to riding the waves yourself.  If not, these waves are perfect for bodysurfing as well.

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Kayak around Kailua & Lanikai

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Kailua Beach is also very popular for kayaking.  Most kayakers venture out to the Mokulua Islands, which is approximately 2 miles away!

They are the two postcard perfect islands that define the waters off Lanikai Beach. They actually serve as bird sanctuaries.

There is also Flat Island that is much closer and can be fun to paddle around on calm days.

Experience the beauty of the Mokulua Islands, and the Windward Coastline from a distance, on a fun guided kayak ride!

This is a special 2 hour adventure that you must plan ahead and sign up before arriving at the beach.  It includes transportation, lunch, snorkel gear, life jacket, dry bag, and caters to beginners to more advanced kayakers. 

Book a Kayak Ride Now

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Watch a Sunrise

The sun rises on the Windward side.  Add a beautiful beach to it and you have magical sunrises.

It really is a special time of the day… I love grabbing a coffee in town to enjoy while taking a long walk on the beach, greeting other beach goers, dog walkers, and watching the kayakers and swimmers get an early start to the day.

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Food tips:  

I highly recommend bringing a cooler with you so you can keep food and drinks cool and readily on hand.  There are some nice picnic tables where you can set and enjoy lunch.  

You might also want to consider stopping in the downtown area of Kailua, located only 5 minutes away, before continuing onto the beach.

Kailua offers some good grocery stores to load up on food, drinks, and ice.  If you don't want to bother with grocery shopping, there are great restaurants serving to-go Hawaiian plate lunches in downtown Kailua.

It's a great spot to walk to when you want to get out of the sun for a bit and grab some drinks & pupus (appetizers).

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Getting to Kailua Beach Park

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You really should consider renting a car, when visiting Kailua Beach.  Riding the bus can take up to 90 minutes with three different Oahu Bus transfers, starting from Waikiki.  Driving your own rental car should only take 30 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic.

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Kailua Beach Park Oahu Map

Driving Directions from Waikiki: 

Starting from Waikiki, jump onto the H-1 Freeway and head west…
Take the Pali Hwy (or Hwy 61) towards Kailua
Turn right onto Kailua St. and head towards the downtown area
Continue on Kailua St. and merge left at the intersection towards the ocean
Turn right onto Kawailoa St, and continue over the a small river stream bridge
Pass Buzz’s Original Steak House and turn left into Kailua Beach Park

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Oahu Bus:  

Start off from Waikiki, and travel on the number 20 Oahu Bus up to the Ala Moana Center.  Take a paper transfer and jump onto bus number 67 to the downtown Kailua area.

Finally take an Oahu bus transfer on the Shuttle bus #671.  Tip:  Ask your bus driver to inform you where to get off and transfer buses.

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3 More Beautiful Beaches

Here are 3 additional Oahu Beaches that are beautiful and worth visiting after this one...

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Beach Facilities

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Kailua Beach Park is well-equipped with beach facilities including:

• Covered and open-air picnic tables
• Barbecue Grills
• Bathroom facilities
• Beach showers
• Parking lot w/ free parking
• Kayak rental center
• Volleyball Court
• Lifeguard on duty

Park facilities open from dawn to dusk

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Visiting Tips: 

I would advise visiting Kailua Beach Park and Lanikai Beach earlier in the day.  If you are an early bird, this is the best spot to watch the sunrise and perhaps take an early hike to the Lanikai Pillboxes to catch the sun come up and enjoy spectacular views of both beaches and the Mokulua islands.

• Hawaiian Sunrise:  For you sunrise goers, This eastward corner of Oahu Hawaii is a great viewing spot for the Hawaiian sunrise…that is if you don’t encounter heavy clouds that tend to linger sometimes.
• Snorkeling:  Unfortunately the snorkeling is not ideal out here.  The water is perfect for swimming, but lacks the marine environment for the tropical fish to call home.  But there is a rocky jetty just past the boat ramp, where you are more likely to see colorful fish swimming about.
• Tide Pools:  There are some tide pools located along the road leading towards Lanikai.  Make sure there is no wave activity before exploring.
• Oahu for Kids:  Kailua Beach Park is great for the family and is kid friendly!

I usually head next door to Lanikai Beach, but Kailua Beach Park is considered just as beautiful and with convenient facilities. The beach crowd is friendly, which also promotes a relaxing setting at this destination.

The ocean waters here are fairly calm and great to swim and play in.  Always make sure you keep an eye on your children while in the ocean.

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In the area:

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The Kailua downtown area, is just a few minutes away.  This town has some great shops and restaurants worth visiting.

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Downtown Kailua

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Kailua Restaurants

A must try are their famous macadamia nut pancakes, that comes with a yummy macadamia nut syrup.  The lines sometimes can grow long, since there is limited seating, so it's best to there early. 

I recommend ordering your food to go, and better enjoy it on the Kailua Beach Park picnic tables.  The ambiance and view is so much nicer!  Also consider other award winning restaurants in the area including Cinnamon's, Mokes, Bread & Breakfast, and Over Easy.

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Lanikai Juice

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Lanikai Beach

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Lanikai Pillbox Hike

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