Waiohai Beach

Located in the community of Poʻipū, Waiohai Beach - also called Waiohai Beach Park - is an immensely popular beach with light brown sand, some rocky parts, a nearby reef, and many nearby palm trees and shrubs in southern Kauai. This beach is a part of a larger beach named Poipu Beach - a sandbar (called a “tombolo” by locals) named Nukumoi Point separates the beach into two smaller crescent-shaped sandy areas. Waiohai Beach is the part of Poipu Beach which is located to the west of this sandbar. Poipu Beach is a favorite beach of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as “Mr. Beach” – and was named one of the best 10 beaches in the United States by Travel Channel.  

Although Waiohai Beach itself does not have lifeguards, it has a lifeguard tower to the east of the beach - the eastern portion of Poipu Beach that has the lifeguard tower is named “Baby Beach.” In addition, the beach and the area around it have many other amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic tables, a nearby grassy area, and pavilions. It is important to note that most of Waiohai Beach’s amenities are located near its eastern end. 

Waiohai Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, picnicking, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, bodyboarding, skimboarding, kayaking, fishing, canoeing, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, boating, and wake-boarding. The clear water near Waiohai Beach offers manageable waves, making it ideal for swimmers with slightly less experience. In addition, the water here also occasionally offers thrilling surfing waves, making it ideal for surfers. Waiohai Beach is also popular with snorkelers and scuba divers, who visit this beach to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity - depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near Waiohai Beach including sea turtles, rare Hawaiian monk seals, migrating humpback whales (usually between December and May), and a large variety of fish. 

You can also occasionally see sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals resting on Waiohai Beach. Waiohai Beach and the shoreline around it can also get occasionally windy, making it ideal for kitesurfers and windsurfers. If you are planning to swim, surf, or scuba dive near Waiohai Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have dangerous rip currents and waves, especially during summers. The shoreline around Waiohai Beach is also slightly rocky, which can also cause injuries - if you are visiting with children, we recommend visiting the nearby “Baby Beach” portion of Poipu Beach because it has calmer water conditions and is ideal for children. If you like birdwatching, you can also view many kinds of birds around Waiohai Beach

Getting to Waiohai Beach is easy - from Koloa Road (also known as Hawaii Route 530), you need to turn towards Poipu Road. From Poipu Road, you need to turn towards Hoowili Road. Poipu Beach is located near the intersection between Hoone Road and Hoowili Road. There is a large free parking lot near this intersection, along with a few nearby street parking spaces. You can easily walk to the eastern part of Poipu Beach from this parking lot through a nearby walking path. Once you reach the eastern portion of Poipu Beach, you can walk west along the shoreline to reach Waiohai Beach. We recommend visiting this beach early because this beach often gets crowded quickly, especially during summers and weekends. In addition, the parking lots and street parking spaces near the beach also fill up particularly fast during this time.  

There are many attractions near Poipu Beach. The Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa is a historic site that has remnants of the first commercially successful sugarcane plantation in Hawaii. This sugar mill was established in 1835, and sugar cultivation eventually became Hawaii’s largest industry. Visitors can currently see the remnants of the sugar mill at this historic site, along with sculptures of the people who tirelessly worked in the local sugar industry. In addition, the Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa is also a part of the United States National Register of Historic Places. Old Koloa Town is a historic village that was established during the 19th century - this village now has a variety of exciting shops and restaurants. This village also hosts many fun cultural and musical events throughout the year including the Kōloa Plantation Days and a monthly local market named Old Koloa Town Market that offers artisanal displays, food trucks, and live music performances. If you are looking for another attraction near Waiohai Beach, McBryde Garden is a 200 acre-garden that has the largest collection of Native Hawaiian plant species outside of the wild - this garden is also home to many other rare plant varieties including palms, orchids, and heliconias. The garden also has “canoe plants” which are plants that were introduced in Hawaii by Polynesian settlers, who carried them in canoes and it also has a “Bamboo Bridge” (which is a bridge made of bamboo) - in addition, a portion of the Lawa’i Stream also runs through the garden.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Waiohai Beach. The Beach House is a popular waterfront restaurant that is known for serving delicious Polynesian-inspired gourmet dishes. In addition, this popular restaurant has always been awarded  Honolulu Magazine's Hale Aina Gold Award for Best Kauai Restaurant. Another great upscale restaurant is the Red Salt (also called the Red Salt at Ko'a Kea) which serves excellent Hawaiian-style dishes with local culinary influences for breakfast and dinner including furikake crusted ahi steak, lemon-pineapple soufflé pancakes, and the red salt burger. In addition, it has also been featured on the television channel Food Network and it has also been awarded OpenTable’s Diners’ Choice award in 2022. Kalapaki Joe’s Kauai is a restaurant and sports bar which offers delicious seafood, tacos, pancakes, French toasts, bagels, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast dishes. Brennecke's Beach Broiler serves amazing dishes for lunch, brunch, and dinner including seafood, sandwiches, salads, soups, Hawaiian dishes, burgers, pastas, risottos, steaks, and eggs. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Waiohai Beach, Da Crack Mexican Grinds serves excellent tacos and burrito bowls.

If you are looking for a hotel near Waiohai Beach, there are many great nearby options. The 5-Star The Lodge at Kukui’ula offers many amenities including a golf course, four tennis courts, multiple makai-style pools (including an infinity pool and another saltwater-style lagoon pool), water sporting equipment rental store (which also offers lessons in multiple water activities including boating, canoeing, and snorkeling), rental facilities for bike and beach equipment, two restaurants, a spa, a lounge, and a 10-acre farm. Another upscale hotel is the 5-Star Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa offers many amenities including multiple pools, a 24/7 fitness center, a 45,000-square feet spa, and multiple restaurants and bars. The hotel also offers kids’ activities and evening luau ceremonies. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Sheraton Kauai Resort offers many amenities including an airport shuttle service, a Hawaiian restaurant, a bar, a fitness center, two pools surrounded by tropical gardens, and a hot tub. This restaurant also organizes fun luau ceremonies.  Another upscale hotel is the 3.5 Star Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club which offers many amenities including a restaurant, multiple pools (including kids’ pools), a hot tub, a game room, a spa, a cafe, a fitness center, a convenience store, and a gift shop. The hotel also offers snorkeling excursions, along with fun activities for kids. A more affordable accommodation option is the Poipu Sands which offers accommodation in vacation rental properties - Poipu Sands provides many amenities including a pool, tennis courts, and barbecue areas. Another moderately priced hotel is the Aston at Poipu Kai which offers many amenities including multiple pools, tennis courts, a restaurant, a barbecues area, walking paths, and beach towels. In addition, the hotel also offers many other amenities for a resort fee including rental facility for DVDs and Playstation 3 games, coffee and laundry detergent kits, and a shell lei greeting ceremony on arrival. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Waiohai Beach, Poipu Beach SurfSong is located conveniently close to some of the major attractions and restaurants in the town of Poipu.