Kaimana Beach(Sans Souci Beach)

Located in the neighborhood of Waikiki, Kaimana Beach – also known as Kaimana Beach Park, Kaimana’s Beach, Sans Souci Beach, and San Souci Beach – is a wide beach with light brown sand, nearby palm trees and Hau trees, nearby rocky reefs, and a nearby rocky breakwater.  The beach area is located adjacent to a war memorial named Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium.  Kaimana Beach is a part of a much larger beach named Waikiki Beach. 

Kaimana Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, nearby benches, picnic areas, a nearby grassy lawn, showers, and restrooms.  

Dogs on leash are allowed here below the high tide line.

Kaimana Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, fishing, swimming, jet-skiing, boating, water-skiing, snorkeling, surfing, paddleboarding, skimboarding, boogie boarding, bodysurfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.

The nearshore part of the water here is shallow and has gentle waves – this makes the beach ideal for beginner swimmers, paddleboarders, kayakers, and canoers.  This beach is also a popular surf site – surfers usually surf in the water beyond the reefs here.  There is a popular surfing site near this beach named Old Man’s.  In addition, experienced swimmers frequently also engage in a challenging 250-meter swim to reach an offshore windsock to test their swimming skills.   Snorkelers and scuba divers also visit here to explore its vibrant biodiversity – this beach offers a fun Waikiki Kaimana Beach snorkeling experience.  However, if you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and strong waves – the water around an aquatic channel named the Kapua Channel is especially dangerous after a high tide.  In addition, jellyfish are also known to live here – these creatures often emerge around eight days after full moon and can cause painful stings.   Zumba, yoga, and cross fit classes are also frequently organized here.  This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other Waikiki beaches.  If you like volleyball, there is a nearby Kaimana Volleyball Club named Kaimana Sports Club that offers fun volleyball training sessions for kids.  In addition, this club also offers fun volleyball tournaments for teenagers.

Kaimana Beach has wheelchair-friendly access mats and beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities – please note that the access mats and beach wheelchairs here are currently non-operational.

Getting to Kaimana Beach is easy – from Interstate H-1, you need to turn towards South King Street through the South King Street exit, which is also called Exit 25A.  From South King Street, you need to turn towards Harding Avenue.  From Harding Avenue, you need to turn towards Kapahulu Avenue – Kapahulu Avenue will lead you to Kalakaua Avenue.  Kaimana Beach is located at 2863 Kalakaua Avenue.  

You can find free and paid parking lots at two adjacent landmarks – the Kapiolani Regional Park and the Honolulu Zoo.  You can easily walk to the beach from these parking lots.  

In addition to these parking lots, metered and free street parking spaces are also located along Kalakaua Avenue.  We recommend visiting this beach early because it can get crowded quickly, especially during summers.  In addition, the parking areas here can also get filled up quickly on weekends.

The beach gets its main name – Kaimana Beach – from a nearby hotel known as the New Otani Kaimana Hotel.  The beach’s alternative name – Sans Souci Beach – comes from the French phrase Sans Soucis which means “without worries” – the area near the beach was the site of a hotel during the 19th century.  This hotel was named “Sans Souci'' after the Sanssouci Palace in Germany.  In addition, Kaimana Beach was also the site where the cable which established the telegraphic link between Hawaii and the mainland United States was brought ashore.

There are many attractions near Kaimana Beach.  The Louise Dillingham Memorial Fountain is an exquisite nearby fountain that was built in the 1960s by renowned local architect Albert Ely Ives.  This fountain was named in honour of Louse Dillingham, who was a prominent local socialite and was also the president of the local wing of the League of Women Voters. Diamond Head State Monument has a volcanic tuff cone named Diamond Head that was formed due to volcanic activity around 300,000 years ago.  This state monument also has an old artillery installation and it also has a lighthouse and a bunker – Diamond Head’s summit also offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the Oahu shoreline.  Kapiolani Regional Park is a popular waterfront recreational park that has many amenities including tennis courts, an archery range, soccer fields, a jogging course, and picnic areas.  Kapiolani Park also has the Honolulu Zoo that is home to over 1230 animals – it also has a bandshell named the Waikiki Shell.  Ala Moana Regional Park – also called Ala Moana Beach Park  – is a 100-acre park that is a 20-minute-drive away and has a popular golden sand beach named Ala Moana Beach – this park offers many fun activities including beachcombing, swimming, fishing, snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, and tennis.  The park also hosts many fun events throughout the year – one of the most popular events is the Memorial Day Lantern Floating Ceremony.  

Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design has interesting exhibits that offer a unique insight into the global diversity of Islamic culture and art – you can explore the museum’s premises through guided tours.  These tours are held on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, the Waikiki Aquarium is the second oldest still-operating public aquarium in the United States and it is home to more than 3,500 animals including seals, octopus, jellyfish, and clams.  It also hosts many fun events including the Ke Kani O Ke Kai Concert Series and the International Koi Show. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Kaimana Beach.  Hau Tree offers amazing Hawaiian-inspired dishes for brunch, lunch, and dinner including seafood, steaks, pork dishes, salads, pupu platters, eggs, toast, and pancakes.  Lulu’s Waikiki is a waterfront restaurant that serves amazing dishes for lunch and breakfast including pupu platters, eggs, burritos, tacos, burgers, and salads.  Tiki’s Grill & Bar is a popular Hawaiian restaurant that offers delicious American and Pacific Rim-inspired dishes for lunch and dinner – it also offers live music performances and it has also been praised by Honolulu Magazine.  Barefoot Beach Cafe offers a variety of delicious dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including burritos, burgers, quesadillas, fries, and chicken platters – it also offers live music performances.  If you are looking for another nearby good and affordable restaurant, Mami’s Empanadas serves delicious Latin American dishes including choripan and empanadas.   

If you are looking for a hotel near Kaimana Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach offers many amenities including a fitness center, batting cages, tennis courts, a pool, poolside cabanas, shopping stores, spa services, multiple restaurants and bars, and a large aquarium.  As another upscale option, the 4-Star Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head offers many amenities including evening wine tasting sessions, bike loaner facilities, beach gear loaner facilities, and a restaurant.  Another great hotel is the 3.5-Star Kaimana Beach Hotel Honolulu –  also called the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel –  that offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a fitness center, multiple stores, beach chairs and beach umbrellas, and bike loaner facilities – the hotel was awarded Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s Readers’ Choice award in 2021 and it was also listed in Travel+Leisure magazine’s It List (that features some of the best world’s best recent hotels) in 2022.  A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Park Shore Waikiki Hotel that offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a fitness center, airport shuttle service, and a pool with a sundeck.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel, the 3-Star Hotel Renew offers many amenities including access to a nearby fitness center, loaner facilities for beach chairs, snorkel equipment, and beach chairs, and in-room fitness equipment.