Hulopoe Bay Beach(Hulopo'e Bay Beach)

Located in the Hawaiian island of Lanai (also known as Lānaʻi), Hulopoe Beach - also known as Hulopo’e Beach Park, Hulopo'e Bay Beach, Hulopo'e Bay Beach Park, Hulopoe Bay Beach, and Hulopo'e Beach - is a long and beautiful crescent-shaped beach with light brown sand, a sloping incline, and nearby palm trees. This beach is situated along the shores of a bay named Hulopoe Bay which has been designated as a marine preserve. Large rocks are present near both ends of the beach, creating tidepools where you can see starfish, crabs, and a variety of other fish. In addition, a lava terrace is also present near the beach’s eastern end. The upscale and beautiful 5-Star Four Seasons Resort Lanai is also next to Hulopoe Beach – it’s a four-minute walk down to the beach. This crescent-shaped beach was listed is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  

Although Hulopoe Beach does not have lifeguards, it has many other amenities including showers, restrooms, picnic tables, nearby grassy areas, and drinking water fountains. Dogs are not allowed at Hulopoe Beach.

Hulopoe Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, fishing, tidepooling, wildlife watching, hiking, camping, paddle-boarding, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, skimboarding, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, snorkeling, boating, parasailing, volleyball, and UTV riding which you can arrange at the Four Seasons. The water near Hulopoe Beach has very few waves, especially during the summer, which makes it ideal for beginner swimmers, bodysurfers, and surfers. The clear water at Hulopoe Beach is great for snorkelers and scuba divers in order to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity - the water has a reef made of volcanic rock and depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near Hulopoe Beach including spinner dolphins, migrating humpback whales (between December and April), and many kinds of native Hawaiian fish including spectacled parrotfish, bluefin trevally, and paletail unicornfish. In addition, visitors can also view Hawaiian green sea turtles on rare occasions in the water near this beach – these endangered sea turtles are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act 1973 and harming them can result in a fine up to $25,000, along with possible imprisonment. The best time to watch sea turtles in the water near Hulopoe Beach is during summers. 

The portion of the water near Hulopoe Beach’s central and eastern parts is particularly a great spot for snorkeling. However, if you are planning to enter the water near Hulopoe Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have rip currents and rogue waves, especially during winters. If you like tide-pooling, you can explore the large and interesting tide pools present near Hulopoe Beach’s eastern end - these tide pools are home to many kinds of wonderful animals including starfish, sea cucumbers, limpets, crabs, sea stars, and small fish. If you are planning to fish in the water near Hulopoe Beach, we recommend ensuring compliance with the local fishing regulations. The area near Hulopoe Beach also offers an amazing oceanfront tent camping experience. If you are planning to camp near Hulopoe Beach, you can visit the Lanai community website for more information regarding the camping rules and charges for Hulopoe Beach. Hulopoe Beach also offers views of an offshore rock formation named Puu Pehe, which is also known as "Sweetheart Rock" - according to Native Hawaiian legends, this rock contains a tomb of an Hawaiian princess who lived in a nearby sea cave and accidentally drowned while her husband was away. However, archeologists have studied this rock formation and have determined that Puu Pehe was a heiau (which is a traditional Hawaiian worship site) and only has remains of birds. 

Getting to Hulopoe Beach is easy - the beach is present near the southern end of Manele Road which is a part of a two-lane highway named Hawaii Route 440; this highway is the only state highway in Lanai and there’s a free parking lot once you get here. 

If you are travelling from the nearby island of Maui, you can take a private boat trip to a nearby Lanai Harbor named Manele Harbor. Hulopoe Beach is a ten-minute walk from this harbor. Boat trips to Manele Harbor are easily available from various locations in Maui including from Lahaina Harbor and from the town of Kaanapali. You can visit Manele Harbor’s website for more information regarding the private concessionaires offering boat trips to the harbor. As another access option, you can take a private boat to another harbor in Lanai named Kaumalapa'u Harbor - boat trips to Kaumalapa'u Harbor are easily available from various parts of Maui including from Lahaina Harbor and from the town of Kaanapali. You can visit Kaumalapa'u Harbor’s website for more information regarding the private concessionaires offering boat trips to the harbor. Once you land at visit Kaumalapa'u Harbor, you can book a taxi to reach Hulopoe Beach. Lanai has few taxi service providers including Rabacaʻs Limousine Service which is actually a van service and can be contacted via phone at (808) 559-0230 and Lanai Taxi Service which can contacted via phone at (808) 649-0808. We recommend visiting Hulopoe Beach early, especially during summers as this popular beach is known to get crowded quickly. The beach is open between 7 am and 7 pm

As an interesting fact, the island of Lanai has a unique shape that resembles an apostrophe mark (‘). This island is spread over 140.5 square miles, and 98% of this island is privately owned by Larry Ellison, the co-founder of a multinational computer technology corporation named Oracle Corporation. Larry Ellison is also currently the tenth-wealthiest person in the world and has a reported net worth of over $100 billion dollars.

There are many attractions near Hulopoe Beach in a nearby town named Lanai City. This town is a 15-minute drive away from Hulopoe Beach. Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center is a museum that has interesting exhibits that offer a unique insight into the history of Lānaʻi and the Hawaiian archipelago. The Lanai Adventure Park, which is also known as Lanai Adventures, is an adventure park which offers many fun activities including zip lining tours and guided e-bike tours. The adventure park’s aerial adventure course is an obstacle course that has over 70 challenging and exciting obstacles - these obstacles set around a tower called the Aerial Adventure Tower. If you are looking for another attraction near Hulopoe Beach, Dole Park (also known as Lanai City Commercial Square) is a large grassy recreational area with many nearby shops and restaurants. This recreational area also hosts a weekly farmers’ market where you can taste delicious local produce and also purchase local handicrafts.

If you get hungry, there are many great nearby restaurants near Hulopoe Beach. You can find some of these amazing restaurants at the nearby Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Nobu Lanai is an expensive upscale restaurant that is present at Four Seasons Resort Lanai - the restaurant was started by famed chef Nobu Matsuhisa and is known for its delicious Japanese dishes including sushi, sashimi, tempura, and gyoza dumplings. ONE FORTY is another upscale Hawaiian steakhouse in Four Seasons Resort Lanai and it offers amazing dishes for breakfast and dinner including seafood, steaks, pastas, eggs, and pancakes. VIEWS is also located inFour Seasons Resort Lanai and offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean. This restaurant also offers amazing Hawaiian-inspired dishes for lunch including salads, taco, wraps, burgers, steaks, sandwiches, poultry dishes, and pork dishes. If you are looking for more great restaurants, you can drive to nearby Lanai City.  The Blue Ginger Caféin Lanai City andoffers amazing dishes exhibiting local culinary influences including seafood, breakfast dishes, burgers, burritos, sandwiches, pork dishes, steaks, and Asian-inspired dishes. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Hulopoe Beach, Coffee Works in Lanai City offers amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including bagels, sandwiches, wraps, and quesadillas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Hulopoe Beach, there are only a few options. There are two Four Seasons hotels on Lanai. The 5-Star Four Seasons Resort Lanai is a four-minute walk away from the beach – this hotel offers many amenities including two pools, a spa, multiple bars and restaurants, a complimentary local area shuttle service, a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, a kids’ club, and a fitness room. This hotel was listed as the best hotel in the United States by a media outlet named U.S. News & World Report in 2018 and 2020, and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach. The Sensei Lanai, Four Seasons Resort is 20 minutes away by car and is a renowned wellness retreat that has soothing Japanese-style architecture – the hotel’s amazing spa has ten hales (Japanese-style huts), and it offers therapeutic spa treatments and wellness-oriented programs including meditation sessions and coaching sessions by wellness guides (called sensei). In addition to its incredible spa, the hotel also offers many other amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants and bars, tennis courts, idyllic gardens with artworks, a fitness center, and an 18-hole golf course – as well as many other fun activities including horse riding and archery and hula lessons. A more affordable hotel is the Hotel Lanai which has 11 rooms and is set in a 1920s plantation home and offers a restaurant with regular live local entertainment, an airport shuttle service (available for a fee), and complimentary continental breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Hulopoe Beach, Dreams Come True Lanai is a bed-and-breakfast that has four rooms and offers many amenities including a communal lounge with antique furnishings, a garden with tropical plants and flowers, and a guest kitchen.