Great beach! It has shade and some good views. Definitely a good place to bring the family as it is…read moresomewhat protected. Parking is expensive kind of a bummer. The area itself didn't have much amenities, but definitely have palm trees and shade, which was nice in the afternoon. Happy to make it on our first day

You NEED water shoes if you are coming here to snorkel. Do not treat this as optional, or you will…read morenot enjoy your visit. The entry in and out of the snorkel zone is very rocky, slippery, and has sea urchins so it protects your feet. Tons of fish, kind staff, free sunscreen, no complaints. Very beginner friendly as well. Lifeguards present. I recommend!

Small little calm water cove next to the pier with Kona boys rental, in front of Marriott…read morecourtyard, with ABC, snacks, Ululani best shaved ice ,safe for kids to play and snorkel to see plenty of coral fish. Keep an eye for dolphin playing around the outside too. Outside shower, restrooms, very close to the street.

This beach opens into a small lagoon that you can snorkel in before you get to the open ocean…read more There is a great beach Shack that offers lessons for SUP if needed . The small beach with white sands is also a nice quiet place to relax at night to listen to the waves if you are staying at the King K hotel. We had a small impromptu night picknic with food purchased and drinks from the hotel listening to the Ironman World Championships banquet luau music at night . It was beautiful , relaxing and soulful. Highly recommend.

This was a nice clean beach to settle into for the day. The water was clear and had a lot of see…read morelife to see snorkeling. I hung out for a long time following a squid watching it change to its surroundings.

As some travel experts have pointed out, Makalawena Beach is arguably the best beach on the Big…read moreIsland that cannot be reached by road. That's right, there are two ways to reach this beautiful white sand beach and gem by hiking, and the path I took was via the Kekaha Kai State Park's main parking lot, and first that is a rough 20-minute drive with 4x4 vehicles like Jeeps from Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to that trailhead. Then it's about another 30-minute hike in each direction and you go on lots of loose lava rocks and it can get hot, so make sure you have sunscreen, a good bucket hat, and plenty of water. I don't know about the second way in, so I could not speak to that method. But in any case, it is so worth the time and effort when it was all said and done. There were a few crowds when getting to Makalawena Beach but not super busy at all. You'll find other tide pools, palm trees, and other native plants. Waves are rather rough at times, but it is still swimmable for the most part.

Incredible blue, clear water that looks like pool water. Waves were fun but not scary. Great white…read moresand space for laying out too. Best swimming beach we found in Kona! If you don't have a local ID, it does cost $20 to enter with your car. (If you park at the top it's a 1.5 mile walk down to the beach so I don't recommend that). But the beach is well worth it!

Pretty, has a life guard, shower, flushing toilets But small…read morebeach area, too many people...

This spot is off the beaten path, with no real signs leading to the sight. Although I had…read moreresearched it, we really arrived by accident and were just exploring. Goats wandering around, beautiful views and a little hike to get to the water across burial grounds. The views were really amazing. We came here twice, once during a rain storm and the other on a beautiful sunny morning. This is a special spot that you should not miss. B

Fantastic. Can't say enough. Quiet amazing place to eat a dinner and watch the sunset. Ocean…read morecrashing into lava rock all around you. The view is outrageous.

I absolutely love this place! The walking trail is level and paved while the other side is the…read morebeach. It is so pretty with all of the plants and art. We came before sunset and walked the trail. As the sun was setting we crossed over to the beach side. It was beautiful. The coolest part were some friendly locals were playing their ukulele and singing. It felt magical honestly. There is so much parking and space. I always come to this park at least once on my visits. Highly recommended

As a lover of travel, this was great to visit although we didn't have time to stop at the beach or…read moreanything. The landing strip was remade to a regular road along the pretty long drive (felt maybe a mile?) out and back. There was plenty of parking and even a walking path if I recall. I don't know what it was used for other than the obvious, planes, but maybe the walking path had some history noted.

Come back after a month. Still beautiful but no luck with the sunset. Free parking across the…read morestreet, velvety white sands, amenity and lifeguards, restaurants and quick food next door. Always has music( you might not want though plenty of rock to sit on to watch the beautiful sunset.

Right off Ali HWy with marking along the street. There are waves which makes this beach perfect for…read moreboogie boards or just riding the waves. There's a lifeguard that goes on the megaphone to warn people to stay away from the rocks, watch your kids, and go under the bigger waves because those waves hit! It was so fun. It's fun watching people ride the waves too. It's not the biggest area but so beautiful. There are a lot of people so it can get crowded. I had so much fun!

This is a NPS managed site that protects the ancient fish traps and fish catch ponds. centuries old…read more, all by hand to catch fish that come in on the tides to feed. One Way traps. A marvel to imagine

Great location to visit not too many tourists and the beach is nice. The hike is not the easiest on…read moreunimproved path with a lot of lava rocks and it very exposed to the sun. Need to bring water and wear sturdy shoes. Came during the gov shut down so the parking lot, visitor center, and restrooms were all closed but at the turn around you can fit ~10 cars along the shoulder.