Location: Between Mauna Lani Resort and Mauna Kea Resort
Access: Access to Hapuna Beach is divided between a public parking lot to the south and the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel to the north. Non-hotel guests can take Hapuna Beach Rd from Hwy 19 and park in the parking lot between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Non-Hawaii residents are charged a $5 fee to help maintain the park.
Conditions: Hapuna Beach is the Big Island’s largest sandy beach, stretching nearly a half mile from north to south. Expect calm surf in the summer and fall, and rough water with larger waves in the winter. Hapuna Beach is of the best locations on the Big Island for boogie boarding and body surfing.
Facilities: Showers, Bathrooms, Picnic Tables, BBQ
Fine grains of sand, crisp waves and clear waters make Hapuna Beach one of the Big Island’s most popular attractions.
As the largest white sand beach on the island, Hapuna is a must-see for anyone visiting the area. Located on the scenic Kohala Coast, Hapuna Beach is nearly a half-mile long and teeming with empty sand space. Offshore trade winds generally keep the area from becoming too hot in the afternoon, so the beach is a great place to visit at any time of the day.
Similar to nearby Mauna Kea Beach, Hapuna is renowned for its sugar white sand, rock-free bottom and clear waters. Bodyboarding, swimming, beach volleyball and other forms of recreation are popular throughout the year. The rocky points on each end of the bay host a variety of tropical fish and beautiful coral formations, making it an excellent location for snorkeling.
In general, the beach is divided into a "public" side and a "private" side. The "private" northern end of the beach hosts the Hapuna Prince Hotel and is dotted with lounge chairs for hotel guests. A rocky outcrop separates the northern section from the public side, where grassy fields and picnic fields line the beachfront. Visitors are welcome to explore any part of the beach provided that they respect the hotel facilities.
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Seasonal variations change the character of Hapuna Beach between the summer and the winter. From October to March, large northwest ocean waves narrow the beach and provide excellent (though sometimes dangerous) shore break for surfing and body-boarding. In the summer, the ocean is calmer and the beach widens to its maximum width around the month of September.