Magic Sands Beach (Laaloa Beach Park)
Magic Sands Beach at La’aloa Bay Beach Park is one of the best-known beaches along Alii Drive south of...
Kailua-Kona & Alii Drive
Beaches in Kailua-Kona & Alii Drive
Kamakahonu Beach (King Kam Beach)
Kamakahonu Beach is a small sandy spot located just west of the Kailua Pier in downtown Kailua-Kona. This is...
Kona Keiki Beach
Kona Keiki Beach (kids beach) is hidden away behind a private housing community in Kailua. If you have kids...
Kahaluu Beach Park
Kahalu’u Beach Park is the most popular snorkeling location on the Big Island as is it shallow, protected, lifeguarded,...
Old Kona Airport Beach Park
Old Kona Airport is a state-operated beach park with lots of amenities and excellent facilities. The scenery is interesting...
Alula Beach (Kona Dog Beach)
Alula Beach (Kona Dog Beach) is a small hidden beach just south of the Honokohau Marina and Small Boat...
Alii Drive Shoreline Public Access
Ali’i Drive on the waterfront of Kailua-Kona has too many unnamed shoreline access locations to list individually. They are...
Honl’s Beach
Honl’s Beach is a small park with a sandy beach along Ali’i Drive. If you are staying in the...
Keauhou Bay & Harbor
Keauhou Bay Beach Park is a modest park on Keauhou Harbor that get’s little attention. It’s a great place...
Dig Me Beach
Dig Me Beach is a small patch of sand below concrete walls along the waterfront in Kailua-Kona. It’s a...
Niumalu Beach (Kanuha Beach)
Niumalu Beach is a small pocket of sand and lava rocks with easy access to Kailua Bay. It’s located...
Alii Saltwater Swimming Pool
Ali’i Saltwater Swimming Pool is something you have to see even if you don’t plan to go swimming there....
Kona Inn Shopping Village Seawall
Kona Inn Shopping Village is one of the most visited places on the Kailua-Kona waterfront. It’s filled with over...
End of the World
The End of the World is a public shoreline access along Lekeleke Bay that’s great for walking and catching...
He’eia Bay Beach
He’eia Bay is a small bay located north of Keauhou Harbor and adjacent to the Kanaloa Resort Property. The...
Outrigger Kona Resort Shoreline Access
This little-known shoreline access is a shaded place on the south shore of Keauhou Bay that’s superb for walking....
Pahoehoe Beach Park
Pahoehoe Beach Park is a small grass park in Kailua that has shade trees and places to sit and...
Makolea Beach
Makolea Beach is a hidden beach south of well-known Kahalu’u Beach Park that is worth trying to find. It...
Lymans Surf Spot on Holualoa Bay
Lyman’s is a popular surf spot especially in the winter months when the swells are stronger. When surf’s up...
Hale Halawai Beach Park
Hale Halawai Beach Park is a grass park with shoreline access on the waterfront in Kailua-Kona. There is no...
Keolonahihi State Historical Park
The public shoreline access next to this state property on Alii Drive is not well-known or frequently used. Keolonahihi...
Oneo Bay
Oneo Bay has a narrow shoreline along Alii Drive on the Kailua-Kona waterfront between Kona Oceanfront Gallery and Huggos...
Pawai Bay
Pawai Beach is at a private facility located on private property owned by Queen Lili’uokalani Trust. This trust, which...
Nearby Attractions
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is also known as Kawaihae-Anaehoomalu and is often signed Ala Kahakai Trail. This coastal...
About Kailua-Kona & Alii Drive
The city of Kailua-Kona has many beaches in the downtown area and all along Ali'i Drive which runs south from downtown. In some cases these beaches are well-known like Magic Sands Beach, Kahalu'u snorkeling beach, and King Kam Beach (by the Kona Pier), but other beaches are hardly known and easy to miss. Many of these "other" beaches are tiny spots marked by "Public Shoreline Access" signs between homes and hotels. A few of them are noteworthy for their uniqueness including Ali'i Saltwater Pool, Old Kona Airport Beach, and Kona Keiki Beach (perfect for kiddos). Some of Kailua's beaches are good for swimming like Keauhou Bay and Dig Me Beach while others are for surfers (Lymans) or just going for a walk (End of the World). It should be noted that Kailua, like much of the Big Island, has rocky shores with minimal sand. This western shore makes up for the lack of sand by having incredible snorkeling. If you are a good swimmer and the surf is mellow, don some snorkeling gear and go see the colorful fish that swim in and around Kailua. Sea turtles are a common sight too, but give them space in the water and on land. Kailua is a medium-sized city with all the services you'll ever need plus great restaurants and fun places like breweries, coffee shops, and waterfront shopping centers. Your to-do list could include getting a Scandinavian Shave Ice (with a scoop of ice cream), sipping some Kona Coffee, savoring some fish from Da Poke Shack, trying "Donkey Balls", or renting a SUP to see the waterfront from the water on Kailua Bay. Enjoy your visit to Kailua-Kona and take time to explore its diverse shore.