This is a state park beach with a lifeguard. Ok, so parking can be very difficult and I see the parking go all the way back down to the highway on the outside which is probably like a mile or more - just fyi. There are rips and strong currents here and they sometimes put out red flag warnings but I like to swim here, I enjoy it, I think its fun. Lots of people snorkel and scuba dive here because there are a lot of reefs and rocks with fish and turtles. There are also a lot of great spots to take photos. read more

Kua Bay - Lava rocks - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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Small beautiful bay. waters can be rough with lots of shore breaking waves. Beach is rocky and challenging to get to... Parking and park fees are expensive... Hawaii is gouging tourists with fees and taxes nowadays... but if you are on the Kona side this is worth the trek if you are a beach lover . read more

I did a bit of research before settling on Kua Bay and chose it based on the following: Good for boogie boarding, nice stretches of sand, safe for kids, life guard on duty, great to watch the sunset, and free parking. The drive up is beautiful, you drive through a gate and follow a winding road down to a parking area. We arrived a little after 3 p.m. and several cars were leaving so we were able to find parking on the side of the road just before the smaller parking area. There are outdoor showers and restrooms up front. Walking past that you can walk down a short and rocky path to the beach. The beach itself is perfect. Lovely sand, perfect for building sand castles. The waves were ideal for boogie boarding and in fact lots of adults and kids were out there. The water is also shallow for a long stretch so our teenage boys were able to go a bit further than at other beaches we visited. We stayed until sunset and had the perfect view. read more

Kua Bay - Sunset - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Incredible blue, clear water that looks like pool water. Waves were fun but not scary. Great white sand 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! read more

This bay was recommended to go to while on vacation in Hawaii and I'm so glad we did! It's easy to get to but was definitely busy the Friday we went. All of the parking spots were full, so people were parking alongside the road in. The beach was busy and it was a bit windy but the water is what made this spot so special. The water was insanely beautiful. Sharing ombré hues. Such calm waves. I think my husband stayed out floating for a good 45 minutes. There are public restrooms nearby, which was nice too. read more

Kua Bay - The most insanely beautiful water! - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

To avoid crowds, you definitely need to arrive before noon. A parking lot is available, and when it fills, you can park alongside the road. A decent sized beach where you'll need to claim your area real quick. When you first enter the beach, the area appears to favor more of the boogie boarders. Continue to the right and you'll see calmer waters near the lava rocks for snorkeling and swimming. The water was a bit cold, but pretty calm and very clear and shallow. We spent some time in the water without snorkel gear and saw a variety of fish swimming around us. The sand was so soft and it was a great place to relax until it got crazy busy around noon. Restrooms and showers are available. read more

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Warning: If you're driving in, you must leave before the gates close (7pm) or your car will be stuck until the next morning (8am)! Also recommend a vehicle with high clearance. Beautiful beach to watch the sunset! and of course take long walks on, and swim in. My friends and I mainly came here to watch the sunset. It's a bit of a drive in after passing the gates. We didn't have problems finding parking because the gates were going to close within an hour. The sand was soft and felt good on the feet. The water was turquoise blue and calm. Be cautious of the lava rock though! I ended up keeping my sandals on to prevent toe injuries. The crowds were thinning as we got there so we had a spot for us to chill. We sipped on our costco pink grapefruit drinks and I had my guava cheesecake here and just enjoyed the views and the sound of the water crashing in. Once the sun set, we gathered our items and headed back to the car to leave. We stopped by the restrooms and showers to de-sand. Unfortunately, on the way out we got a flat due to the roads edge, there was a drop and our rental didn't have enough clearance. So I highly recommend a vehicle with high clearance (Tacoma, Jeep) or be extra cautious when driving for parts of the road are narrow. Like I said, once they close the gates, you can't get your car out and you'll have to wait until the morning! And the 'park ranger' who was doing his rounds to make sure everybody was out saw us in distress and wasn't helpful at all! Apparently, they can't give people rides back to the entrance. We had to abandon the rental and to walk back to the gate in the dark and call for an uber. It was a predicament that I'll never forget. I mean at least I got my steps 10k steps in, so that's a highlight. I would definitely come to this beach again to wade in the water and snorkel but would be extra cautious on the time and roadway. read more

We came here to watch the sunset and saw a seal in the sand! The park closes 30 minutes after sunset, and they stop letting people in at sunset. Parking is free but you have to get a pass from security and so they can buzz you through the gate to get to the parking area. The beach itself was beautiful and there is a pretty clean bathroom and shower station. read more

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Easy to drive to off Highway 19. Gate to the lower parking lot near the beach opens at 9:00 am (actually 9:18 on our Thursday morning). It was a feeding frenzy to get just the right spot and continued to fill with folks and families for hours. Once in our beach chairs, it was a lovely view and a nice place to bring a picnic and read a book. Some people walked right in the water, for others it was too cold. Despite our rather remote location, people were walking back and forth next to us. If you plant yourself on the main beach, sit back as close to the rocks as possible because the tide does come up to most of the playable beach area between 11am - 12 pm (Spring). Great for boogie boards! It is windy. Our umbrella, was pulled a foot out of the sand. Lifeguard on duty. Please don't smoke and carry all your belongings, trash (and others') out with you. Restrooms were clean and stocked with toilet paper. No hand soap. I'm mystified by other reviewers who took long walks and described the beach as peaceful. It took less than a minute to walk from one side to the other, there were plenty of people, kids running, playing and screaming, some played music, someone was smoking. I would not say it's an easy walk to the beach. The paved parts - yes from the parking lot to the beach head. However, you need GOOD SHOES and balance to traverse the sandy rocks to get to the beach area. My usually supportive Dansko sandals were no match for the rocks. While I'm a strong walker, I needed to go very slowly, barefoot, and decidedly not gracefully to the beach area. If I went again, I'd wear sneakers, hiking books, or water sandals for tread, not carry anything, and still ask my fam for some assistance. On the other hand, there were others who hopped down the rocks in flip flops. All in all, a "nice" trip to the beach. read more

Kua Bay - Very rocky. - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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This is one of the best beaches on the island without worrying about lava rocks in the water or on the beach. On a clear sunny day you can also see spinner dolphins playing in the ocean. Definitely a fantastic spot! read more

This beach is gorgeous! The sand is soft, and the water is so blue. The water felt really nice, and wasn't too cold. I spent a few hours there in the afternoon, and could've stayed there longer. This beach gets crowded, but at least you can find parking along the road that leads to it (it's not too far of a walk). read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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I love this beach. Beautiful soft sand and clear water. Very peaceful. Not as busy as Hapuna up north and easier to reach than some others to the south. North of Kona by 15-20 minutes and south of the resorts. Easy access on a paved road that winds down to the water. There is a decent sized lot but if you don't come in the morning it will probably be full when you come and you will have to walk down a little ways. It's a great place to relax and spend some beach time. Highly recommend. read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

This beach is a perfect mix of beach, boogie boarding, sun, sand, and snorkeling. It is not handicapped accessible. The parking can be problematic if you don't come earlier in the day, but usually it's not too hard to manage. I could wax on and on about this specific beach, but the photos speak for themselves. read more

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Freakin gorgeous beach!!!!! We arrived on Weds around 11 ish and we lucked out on parking. This is a small parking lot but when we left around 3 ish...there were more opens spots than when we arrived. There was a high surf warning the week we visit The Big Island and these waves can get pretty big. They come periodically but still. Lifeguards were constantly warning people to stay close to shore if you're not experienced in the water...doesn't matter what activity you're doing...swimming, surfing, standing there.....just use common sense and be careful. It wasn't too crowded the day we went. Sand was white and soft...beach was clean and free of garbage so let's keep that up! =) read more

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Likely one of the best beaches in Hawaii - definitely the best that I've been to. The juxtaposition of dark lava rocks, turquoise waters, and (if you go at the right moment) flows of sunset, makes this beach as picturesque as the travel magazines. My kids got some nice photos there. Easy access, good facilities, parking (on popular days most likely you'd have to park on the sides of the access road) and nice shady areas make this place easy to enjoy. There's some rock formations towards the north end of the beach - ascend for a nice view of the coast beyond. Sunset is priceless. read more

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Definitely come in the morning to get better parking. But I like that it's not a rocky road to get to when renting a car. It's very pretty. Definitely rougher water tho read more

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This may be my favorite swimming beach on the island when you consider the ease of access, distance from Kona, showers, facilities, lifeguards, and best of all a rock free beach!!!! The sand is sooo soft! There are a few trees with shade if you just want to sit on wall and enjoy the ocean from afar. Once parked, be prepared to walk about 200 yards and take the first spot you find. If I may vent a bit, So many people think they are going to find a spot up front and just create a jam in the round-about instead of letting that space be for drop-offs for those who truly need it. Those are the same unwanted tourists who you will see doing the same thing at Costco, Target, etc., later in the week. read more

Beautiful beach area. Somewhat rocky but plenty of space to sit. There were beautiful, huge, tidal waves when we sat out. You can see planes take off and land from KOA! read more

Kua Bay - Sunset views! - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Beautiful beach with crystal clear water. Located across the main highway across the Veterans cemetery turnoff, parking can be a pain on weekend afternoons since many locals and tourists flock to this beach. Follow the short trail from the parking lot and you'll be rewarded with pristine water and white sand beaches. Enjoy the beach, views or grab a shaved ice from the mobile truck. Definitely worth spending a few hours here! read more

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Great Beach, Awesome Swimming Spot! Nice sandy beach that can be absolutely jam packed with people so you're need to pirate a parcel of sand and put your towels down if you find one or you'll be camping in the rocks... Lol... Nice area, I prefer the non lifeguard areas for my swimming though as I go miles out to sea and don't like all the whistling when you go far out as they try to tell you to go into the children's water again. I still do my own thing, but they are noisy those lifeguards... Not tons of sea life swimming around to see here, some but space probably because there are so many people. They have showers and public restrooms here which is nice too! read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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Best white sandy beach in Kona. Very clear water. Parking can fill up, but the parking is better than some other Kona beaches. Bathrooms on site are somewhat clean, which is why review is 3 of 4 stars. A bit of a drive to get there, but worth it. Asphalt and sand not near beach will be hot so bring flip flops or shoes to get to the beach. read more

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Honestly speaking, I am not a lover of beaches. I really dont like coming to the beach or enjoy doing other outdoor activities. Well, sometimes I do feel like going hiking. Anyway, I hate getting dark and I just dont like going in the water. People think I am lucky because I am in Hawaii surrounded by all these nice emerald beaches. Well, I can care less. Haha. I dont belong here and I rather be stuck in traffic in LA. I am not joking. But Kua Bay, is a nice beach. It feels like its a private beach because its definitely smaller than Hapuna Beach and its a lot prettier! It has free parking too! Their restrooms are not the cleanest but I have yet to see clean restrooms at the beach. They have a food truck here who also sells infamous Hawaiian Shaved Ice. The waves at this beach are a lot nicer because at Hapuna, its much calmer. White sand is very fine and its a great place to kill time with your family and friends on the weekends and even during the week. Beach is very clean and you can easily see that emerald beach everyone raves about. Water in Hawaii in general is pretty warm compared to California for example, so its good for everyone all year round. Its a pretty beach with the private beach vibe and youll just love it your time here! I did get dark and I really really hate the color of my skin but I dont regret the time spent here at this beautiful beach! read more

Prettiest beach in the Kona area. Make sure you arrive first thing in the morning because the parking lot fills up! The water is amazing, similar to Tahiti! read more

Watch out!! For rough surf. Saw several people injured in the two hours we were there - dislocated shoulders, busted teeth, lacerations. There are now life guards here. The surf can break close to shore in the shallow water. What we Love- beautiful views, amazing blue waters, super soft sands and good boogie boarding. Whats not so great. It is a smallish beach and can be crowded with more than 100 cars parked along the road you may have to hike. No shade, bring an umbrella. Surf can be rough. Overall a great beach bear town. read more

Kua Bay - Kua bay Kona, hawaii - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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Amazing white sand beach with crystal clear water!! Would highly recommend. Decent amount of parking and short walk to the sand! read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

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This beach was absolutely gorgeous. It didn't get terribly crowded for the time we were there (10-12 AM on a weekday), everyone was still able to socially distance, and my wife and I had a great time. You can do some nice snorkeling here, though there isn't a whole lot to see from where we were on the south side of the beach. There may have been more to see on the north side where the lifeguard is, but that side was much more crowded. We also saw lots of kids with paddle boards, and it seemed like they had a great time on the waves. Definitely doable as well! There is literally no shade here, so bring some shade of your own if you don't want to get sunburnt to hell like we did! In terms of facilities, there are restrooms, outdoor showers, and a lifeguard. Gates to the beach close at 7 PM, and I believe the sign said they stop letting people in at 6:30. Parking is limited here, so try to come early if you want to avoid that headache. read more

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!! Most beautiful beach I've seen and I was born and raised here. There are enough showers so it's not crowded.

Very beautiful beach with adequate parking. Soft white sand and clean beach! A bit inside from the main road so make sure you follow instructions. No stroller access and rocky to get down to the beach. Not too hard but need to be careful especially with kids. read more

The sand. The white sand. THE SAND! Is amazing here on this beach. Went here on the recommendation of the guys at our hotel and when we were walking out to head to the beach. There are a good amount of tourist who frequent this beach so it was a bit busy. We went all the way to the left and didn't have too many kids in the water right in front of us since there were a bit more rocks. Parking is adequate, bathrooms available & showers to rinse off after. Be prepared for no natural shade anywhere though. read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Came to this beautiful beach while on vacation in Kona! Let me first say the water is very blue and clear! There is a small parking lot, outside showers, and restrooms. If you are traveling with someone who is not mobile there is a place for them to sit (bring a canopy) at a picnic table or you can bring camping chairs for them to hang out at the top. Walking down to the beach is very rocky but short trip to the sandy beach. Again I stress to bring chairs, towels, umbrellas, etc for your day I'm the sun!! You can walk out pretty far in the water and it's only waist deep! I was so fortunate to have found this beautiful beach !! read more

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Free parking. Bathrooms. Showers. Turquoise waters and soft sands. Beach is surrounded by lava rocks that you can climb and even see turtles! read more

Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Found this gem of a beach because it was fairly close to the heart of Kailua-Kona and we didn't want to drive all the way to hapuna. So glad we picked this beach! The waves for a little body surfing were perfect and the white sands are some to never forget. The lifeguards were friendly and helpful with understanding the currents and keeping us safe. We even saw spinner dolphins out in the distance and a sea turtle so close we could've touched it. read more

The best beach we went to on our short week long trip to Big Island. The water is actually nice and blue (much better than a lot of other beaches I've been to in Hawaii on multiple islands). Water temperature isn't too cold either, and the waves are pretty decent for body surfing or boogie boarding. If you aren't a very strong swimmer though I wouldn't recommend that. White sand here is actually decently white too. The closest beach in terms of water color and sand to some places on the Caribbean I've seen anywhere in Hawaii. Much much recommended. read more

Hands down our favorite beach on the Kona side. Easy to get to, clear waters and clean facilities. It's a bit small and lacks shade so come early. The first time we came, surf was high and there were nice waves for boogie boarding and body surfing. The second time it was like a swimming pool with exceptional snorkeling to the right. read more

Beautiful bay! It's 30 minutes from Kona and a bit away from the touristy area. The beach is beautiful and clean with sky blue water. This bay is probably better and calmer in the morning where you can snorkel and swim. In the afternoon the waves can get rough and big. read more

My family and I were on vacation in the Waikoloa Beach Resort area in July and we went to Kua Bay Beach which was a short drive away. We arrived ~2pm and got there just as someone was leaving a spot close to the bathrooms. We were relieved because there were cars parked what seemed to be half a mile away along the road to the beach. There are some stairs and some rocks you need to navigate to get to the beach. The sand was soft and white. The water was unbelievably warm and clear . It was almost like being in a heated pool. The beach was not overly crowded as it seemed like there was a constant stream of people coming and going. The waves oscillated between gentle and strong and it was great for boogie boarding. Our girls (6 & 8) enjoyed playing in the water and looking out for schools of small silver fish that would swim by from time to time near the shoreline. There were some strong winds that hit the beach from time to time that would send people scrambling for their umbrellas. There were a good number of showers and a bathroom. This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen and one of our family's favorites during our Kona stay. read more

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Kua Bay is one of my top three favorite places on this island. Beautiful, soft, white sand, big waves for body-boarding, stunning fish if you want to snorkel, and food and shave ice options near the beach entrance. Be careful at this beach if you are visiting Hawai'i for the first time or if you aren't super comfortable in the ocean. Waves can get really big and sometimes the tide is so high that the waves come up and wash away your slippers. read more

Kua Bay - Enjoying a beautiful morning at Kua Bay - Beaches Near Me - Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Awesome beach - writing this review as Yelp refuses to acknowledge the location and address pinned are absolutely wrong, despite two submissins ive made - use Google Maps, not Yelp. read more

What an amazing beach. Glad we found it and took the advice of a local who steered us there. We got there around 9:30a and there wasn't a huge crowd yet - even on Saturday. Water clear as can be... the sand soft and white ... great waves for boogie boarding or body surfing. Even swam out to a big lava rock and jumped in from about 15-20ft... Saw turtles, fishes (couple different types) swimming around us in the cove... Great taco, poke and shaved ice cart at entrance near showers and bathrooms. Started to get busy as we left around 12... but the family all had a blast and were happy to spend our last day in HI there. read more

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Like others said, this is the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. My husband, 6 year old and I swam here for 3 hours and had so much fun. You can walk into the water and go snorkeling, and don't have to walk on sharp lava to get there which prohibited me at other places. We saw 10 different kinds of fish, and a turtle. In the deeper parts I put my 6 yo on a boogie board and swam him out there with fins so he could put his snorkel in the water. He was able to walk in the shallow parts and snorkel too. I would hop on the five hour flight from California for this beach alone. The warm showers are a plus as well! Safe water soft sand snorkeling boogie boarding easy access read more