Kekaha Kai State Park

awesome beach. a bit crowded but tons of fun. beach is so beautiful, and waiting for a wave to hit with 20 other ppl, priceless.

Beautiful stretch of Hawaiian beach to stroll along, decent waves to surf or body board on, and warm waters with lots of fish to snorkel in and enjoy.
There are picnic tables to have a nice Sunday BBQ with your Ohana.
The lava rocks are dope to wander through and take pics of.
If you have a flatbed truck with giant wheels, this is a perfect spot to chill at.
Mahalo

I think this is the best beach closest to the Kona village! You go up towards the airport, pass the airport, drive for another maybe 5 minutes and you go up an ascent and at the top the Veterans cemetery is on your right. Immediately to the left is a road with a turn lane. Turn left onto this road and go all the way down as far as you can drive. You’ll probably have to park along the side of the road as there is very limited parking space. On windy days you will get sandblasted. But on calm days this will be the most beautiful beach to lay out on and to dip in the gorgeous bue waters!

Waves are good sized, however, since it is one of the better beaches closer to the Kona airport side, this beach is crowded. The water is just not as clear as Beach 69, but it is nice for an afternoon dip.
Parking is decent but if you dn’t come early or at a good time you will have to walk pretty far and down the lot and rocks.
Not one of my favorite beaches, but the color is wonderful.

One of the first places we visited on the Big Island for some snorkeling and swimming. A good place to start if you’re staying in Kona. Good introduction to the beaches of the Big Island.

Best beach to watch the beautiful Sunset! Short stroll to the beach and you are there. Shower and bathroom facilities are clean.

Driving through the lava rocks on slightly paved roads made the trip very very bumpy (and fun!). Make sure to wear your seat belts, lol!
However, it was absolutely beautiful looking outside the car windows and seeing the magnificence of natural lava landscaping. For visitors especially, it’s not everyday that you get to experience seeing this kind of landform.
As much as I was tempted to take home a piece of the lava rocks, I had heard that it was bad luck, so I decided not to risk it.
The beach at the end of the road was our final destination. We had brought some picnic foods and drinks to enjoy. The ocean was fun to play in as well, and I didn’t think that area was too crowded. I didn’t think the waves were that big at the time we were there. The ground is a bit rocky though and not the soft sand that you could expect from a different beach, so be careful not to cut your feet.
While here, some of the snorkelers found some sea cucumbers and a sea urchin (we were careful not to touch that one). Also, it was pretty neat seeing some fish swimming around near us. There were also a few pretty trees to take pictures near if you like photography. Wildlife is beautiful.

All reviews below hit this spot on the head– an adventure there and back. Snorkeling along the steep, lava-​rock shore line was highlight for sure. Tidal pull a bit strong for a novice, but worth it to swim with sea turtles. Would go back with more sun-​screen the next time.

Maka’lawena
This is an adventure. Wow what beautiful turquoise water, it’s mesmerizing. The sand is so soft. The snorkeling is fair to good but advanced be careful if surf is up. We’ve been to the Big Island many trips to Hawaii and this a picture perfect beach.
Getting there makes it all part of the adventure. You take the bumpy road between 90 – 91. The road is rough but not horrible, no 4-​wheel drive needed. Most rental cars can make it easily if you go slow. (Don’t try the more treacherous road at 88 – 89, unless you like driving over boulders and you still have a long walk at the end). Park at the first parking area and take the visible path on the right and head North following the trail behind the first beach. At the North end of that beach you will follow a trail that leads to a long hot path. As others have said, the walk in is longer than you think. Best to wear tennis shoes as the last part of the walk is lava, flip flops not recommended but sturdy water sandals okay. Plan for about 30+mins walk total from the car to where you put your towel down. Bring water the trip seems longer and hotter on the way back. Go to the middle bay, there is shade and some picnic tables. Definitely not a secluded beach even during the weekdays lots of people but not crowded. But all worth it.

Anywhere near Waikoloa, this is as good as we could find. Parking is free but yes, get there by 9 if you want good/​any parking. Maybe it’s because it had been really windy when we went (7÷25÷14), but the water wasn’t AS clear as I hoped, but it was still amazing. And beware of windy beach days, the sand isn’t pleasant when it’s windy, and neither are the waves. We went snorkeling around the reefs towards the left of the beach, facing the water. I have some underwater pictures up, too!

Don’t miss the turn to get in. Keep going down for 1.5 or so…
Pretty bumpy but if you have a Jeep it’s not so bad.
Restrooms and BBQ.
The beach is rocky so bring a chair or at least a towel and find a sandy area.
The airport is nearby so it’s pretty cool to see the planes fly over. Parking was free when I went so not sure why some people said they charged to park. You can park and walk right to beach.
The park is very quiet and family oriented. Have fun!

Very nice beach park.

Turtles, turtles and more turtles! If you are ever on the Big Island check this park out. We went here on our last day in Hawaii. The sea turtles were huge and there are a lot of them right on the shore line!

From Kona take Hwy 19 north from the airport and turn toward the ocean about ½ mile after mile marker 91. Don’t miss the chance to visit these 3 lovely beaches if you’re staying in Kona.
We drove all the way down to the first beach, but it is a rutted road and if you have a low car you might want to park closer to the main road and hike in. We have read that there are plans to fix the road and put in more amenities at Kekaha Kai beach so maybe by the time you visit it will be smooth sailing.
From Kekaha Kai Beach at the end of the road, you can walk either along the shore to get to Mahaiula Bay and Makalawena Beach, or combine a shore walk with a walk through the lava trail. It will be about a 2 mile out and back. The beaches are lightly visited, at least they were mid-​week in January when we were there — and they are everything you think sandy beaches in a tropical paradise should be. The only bummer is you’re near the airport, so your reverie will be interrupted by air traffic. Still a 5 star experience.

Makalawena Beach at the Kekaha Kai State Park is beautiful with surfing and snorkelling opportunities.
The beach is about a 25 or 30 minute walk from the parking area near the bottom of a bumpy partially paved road that meets Hwy 19 between mile markers 90 and 91.
The walk starts on what I’d call a skid trail (suitable only for off-​road vehicles) through part of the lava flow, then past a former beach house of sorts, then a trail across a more granular lava to sand dunes and the beach. An interesting trek with a great beach as a reward.
There was a mix of snorkelers and skim boarders and surfers among the limited number of people there. The current is strong, so weak swimmers or children must be extra careful and all should be aware of rock hazards. That said, it’s absolutely beautiful with fantastic contrasts of colour, sand and lava, dune and sea, with sand above the water line that’s deep and soft.
There are no services at this beach, but two porta-​potties near the parking lot.

Gorgeous beach — off the beaten track — and not overrun with tourists — and beautiful turquoise waters and perfect waves.

Beautiful, but guy got bitten by shark today,

This beach is freaking beautiful.
Parking is doable here, but the lot gets pretty full.
The white sand here is simply AMAZING. It gets a little sticky when wet, but there’s a place to hose off your feet near the lot.
My only complaint would be that it would be nice if they extended the concrete path farther into the beach — the sidewalk ends and you still have to walk over a stretch of jagged rocks. Easy to cut your feet open if you’re not careful.
What makes this beach extremely picturesque is that the water looks turquoise hear the shore (helped by the white sand), but then turns a rich blue as the ocean floor drops off.
An added bonus is that unlike Waikiki, the beach is large enough that it’s not completely flooded with people.

For a free and fun adventure, go to Kekaha Kai State Park! Tons of lava rocks!
We had a jeep for off-​roading and off-​roading we got! The unpaved road to Mahai’ula was bumpy but piece of cake for the jeep. Regular sedans are manageable but I don’t think the ones we saw were having as much fun.
If you follow the main road in, you’ll end up at the beach. It’s a nice grainy sand beach with picnic tables.
If you want to continue your off-​roading adventure, there’s a road on the left-​hand side right before the beach parking lot. It’s marked by two wooden posts. This road is ridiculously bumpy. At some point, the road curves towards the coast leading to a rocky beach. Very secluded obviously.
To reach the unpaved road, head 1.5 miles north from the Kona airport. The road entrance will be on the left.

Not the biggest beach, but there is still plenty of space for people to sprawl around. The water is super clear and the sand is super soft. There are rockier areas to explore and my dad said he saw huge fish, puffer fish, and my mom got a video of a huge sea turtle swimming around. The sand is nice, and they do have a bathroom with an outdoor shower type thing to rinse off your salty ocean water self. Seems like a place where lots of families and locals as well as tourists come to enjoy.
The entrance to this beach is off the freeway and it is unmarked. I don’t remember the road going in being bumpy, and it didn’t take long for us to get to the beach at all, where there are plenty of parking spots.