Lanikai Beach, Hawaii - Kailua, O'ahu, Hawaii - Remote O'ahu Beach Means Few Tourists While Enjoying Calm Waters

Lanikai Beach, Hawaii is located in Kailua off of Kailua Road in Kailua on the south eastern side of the Island of O'ahu. O'ahu is the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands and is the third largest. Lanikai is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Honolulu and 30 minutes from the Honolulu International Airport, which is the nearest airport to this beach.

The Hawaiian name of Lanikai is translated in English as Royal Sea or Heavenly Sea.

There are public access walks that lead to this beach. There are no steep drops in the water and the waters are usually fairly calm due to the reef within less than 0.5 a mile off the beach that helps to break the surf. That means that swimming is usually good here and fish are clearly visible beneath the waves near the shoreline. However surfboard vacationers should look to elsewhere on the island for more suitable beaches such as on the northern coast.

Looking across the waters, that are known for appearing particularly turquoise in hue, appear the two Mokulas Islands offshore from the beach. A landward view is dominated by lines of palm trees. The water is particularly clear as there are no streams or rivers that empty into the ocean in the immediate vicinity of this beach.

One can kayak or even swim from this beach to the Mokulas Islands as they are less than a half mile from the south end of the beach. However it is a swim against the current and as the islands are located on the seaward side of the Lanikai Reef, there is big surf and strong winds, particularly in the winter months.

The views from Lanikai Beach, Hawaii, have made it the backdrop for many photo shoots over the years.

There are no lifeguards here or facilities for creature comforts. However there is ample shade and probably not very many people.

Lanikai Beach, Hawaii, has made the list of the top 10 beaches in the USA that is annually announced since 1991 by Dr. Stephen Leatherman of the Florida International University, known as Dr. Beach. Dr. Beach makes his yearly choice based on 50 criteria and after a 2 year study he carried out of 650 public beaches prior to assembling his first list.

There is a fairly comfortable residential area just off the beach here that is favored by the lack of public amenities, which helps keep tourists to a minimum.

There is no parking lot. Parking is along the road above the beach area. Local Hawaiians have repeatedly classified this among their ten best beaches in Hawaii.

There are several vacation homes available for rent here for several months at a time as well as nearby hotels for visitors to this beach.