Waialea Bay

Located in the town of Waimea, Waialea Bay has a one-and-a-half-mile-long and wide beach that is considered one of the most popular beaches in Hawaii. Waialea Bay features many marine creatures and is a perfect spot for many water sports activities including swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and watching sea turtles, dolphins, and humpback whales during winter.

Although Waialea Bay does not have lifeguards, the beach offers many amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and barbecues.

There are many fun activities at Waialea Bay including swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, whale watching, and paddleboarding.

Getting to Waialea Bay is very easy – the beach’s paid parking lot that costs $5/vehicle is situated at the end of Alakea Drive and is within walking distance to the beach.

If you are looking for nearby attractions, there are many options within a 20-minute drive of Waialea Bay.  Spread across 62 acres, Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area features many beautiful white sand beaches and is a great place for many water sport activities including swimming, snorkeling, bodyboarding, and whale watching.  Dolphin Quest Hawai’i - Swim with Dolphins is located inside Hilton Waikoloa Village – it features dolphin shows, swimming with dolphins, and touch tanks.  If you like photography, Pololū Valley Lookout is a beautiful Instagram-worthy scenic destination that provides access to a black sand beach named Pololū Beach which is one of the 10 black sand beaches in Hawaii and is a great spot to click pictures.  Another great attraction near Waialea Bay is The Shops at Mauna Lani, an open-air mall with shops, restaurants, twice-weekly hula shows, and a ride-simulating movie theater.

If you get hungry, you can drive 10 minutes to many restaurants near Waialea Bay.  The vegetarian restaurant Roots Alchemy serves many vegan and organic food dishes including beet salad, tempeh Reuben, beet kombucha, empanadas, crafted Jun, and vegan buffalo sandwiches.  Kings View Cafe is an American restaurant that offers Portuguese Paella, tavern sandwiches, mac and cheese, ribs, steaks, salmon, desserts, and drinks.  Another good restaurant near Waialea Bay is Kohala Burger & Taco, a hamburger restaurant with an excellent menu that includes hamburgers, French fries, burritos, craft beers, and wine.

If you are looking for a hotel near Waialea Bay, you can drive 30 minutes to the upscale 5-Star hotel Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection featuring a pool, bar, spa, restaurant, fitness center with a lap pool, two championship golf courses, as well as biking, canoeing, kayaking, and surfing tours.  The 4-Star Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa features a pool, poolside bar, lounge, spa, sauna, restaurant, fitness center with gym, and canoeing, boating, hiking, snorkeling, and diving tours.  If you are looking for affordable hotels near Waialea Bay, the 3-Star Hilton Grand Vacations Club Kings’ Land Waikoloa has a lounge, gym, arcade games room, and five pools featuring waterfalls or water slides – and Waimea Country Lodge is a historic 2-Star hotel with rustic 21 rooms and a nice restaurant.