Kailua Beach Park: Oahu’s Best All Around Beach

Kailua Beach Park Oahu
Yellow kayaks in turquoise waters nears Kailua beach on Oahu, Hawaii

I love the Kailua Beach Park. This area of Oahu is definitely not exactly a secret, but it isn’t nearly as well known as I would expect! These gorgeous waters and perfect sands often get overlooked due to it being overshadowed by its more famous neighbor (Lanikai Beach).

Not sure why Lanikai Beach is so famous, read more about Lanikai Beach here.

Kailua Beach Oahu offers the same awesome environment as Lanikai, but includes even more that Lanikai doesn’t. In my opinion, these secret advantages help make Kailua Beach Oahu’s best all around beach.

Kailua Beach Quick Facts:

Available Tours: So many! Stand up paddle board tours, Kayak Tours to the twin islands, Guided Kayak Excursion with Lunch

Kailua Beach Location Breakdown

Where is Kailua beach?

Kailua Beach is on the east side of Oahu. With no traffic it is about 30 minutes from the Honolulu airport or Waikiki.

It is less than 1 mile north of the amazing Lanikai Beach. Both areas feature perfect beaches framed by vibrantly green rugged mountains.

Don’t want to deal with the hassle of renting a car on Oahu? I recommend renting out a Hawaiian Style Moped for the Day! (Much easier to find parking.)

Kailua Beach Park address: 526 Kawailoa Rd, Kailua, HI 96734

Kailua Beach Park Photos

Kailua Beach
Kailua Beach

The entire Kailua Bay includes 3 different beaches: Castles Beach, Kalama Beach, and Kailua Beach.

Once here, you will find clear blue water, white sand, and an awesome breeze coming in from the sea! If you are an early riser, its location on the east side of the island makes it an absolutely picturesque location to take in a sunrise.

Kailua Bay Confusion

Kailua Bay (not to be confused with the Kailua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii) Bay features 2.5 miles of stunning beaches.

There is also an accompanying small town named Kailua that is perfect to explore when you are ready for a break from the sand.

Kailua beach in Oahu Hawaii
Kailua beach Park Photos

Castles Beach Oahu

Another beach that is part of Kailua Bay is Castles Beach. This beach is often called the best surf spot on the east side of Oahu (especially in spring time).

It doesn’t have its own parking lot (like Lanikai) which makes accessing a little bit more difficult, but if you are willing to battle for a neighborhood spot and hike for a few minutes you will likely have the opportunity to catch some amazing waves, or even just watch the talented surfers. 

Surf at your own risk though as there is no lifeguard on duty here.

Kalama Beach Park

If you want to be a little bit more secluded than Kailua, you should try Kalama Beach. It is just north of Kailua Beach. It has its own parking lot as well as restroom facilities.

Once again, don’t expect to have this beach to yourself, but it is definitely less popular than the others in the area.

Kailua Beach Parking

Parking at kailua beach is actually pretty easy. There is a parking lot for this beach. You don’t have to compete for neighborhood street parking while trying to avoid the parking ticket police.

Kailua Beach Parking
Kailua Beach Parking

Kailua Beach Rentals

This is the perfect location for all your water sports needs. There are tons of different Kailua Beach Rentals available. Find all >> Kailua beach rentals and tours here.

Kailua Beach Kayak Rentals – this is one of the few places where you can rent a kayak and explore the world famous “mokes.”

Book your tour: Kayaking Tour of Kailua Bay with Lunch

 Kailua beach kayakers in Oahu Hawaii
Kailua beach on Oahu, Hawaii

Surfing – whether you bring your own boards, take a lesson, or just watch others it is a great spot for surfing

Kite Surfing – I didn’t even know what kite surfing was previously. I didn’t try while there, but I did enjoy watching the kite surfers. It felt like I was at an X-Games event.

Kailua Beach Rentals
Kailua Beach Rentals

Kailua Beach Snorkeling – Is it any good?

Kailua Beach snorkeling can still be great, but if you can only snorkel at one spot you might not want to risk it. The winds coming in sometimes cause the water to not be as clear as other coves of the island.

While snorkeling in Kailua might not be the best on the island, it is still worth it if you are there. If you are looking for great snorkeling that is more consistent, I recommend Sharks Cove and Hanauma Bay.

For a full guide of snorkeling on Oahu read the top Oahu snorkel spots here.

Kailua Beach Snorkeling and Kayaking Tours

If you are not the strongest swimmer it might be a good idea to book the this Guided Snorkeling and kayaking Tour. They will take you to the best spots so you don’t have to swim as much to find the fish.

There are also Stand Up Paddle Board Lessons that are perfect for beginners.

This Twin Islands Guided Kailua Kayak Tour will take you to the secret feeding grounds of the turtles!

Kailua Beach kayaking on Oahu
Kailua Beach kayaking Oahu

The Secret Advantages of Kailua Oahu: Lanikai beach vs Kailua beach

Okay, so why should you consider passing up the world famous Lanikai Beach in favor of Kailua Oahu?

The basic answer is that you can get everything Lanikai offers without way less drawbacks.

Advantages Over Lanikai

  • Less crowds – You aren’t going to have this beach to yourself, but you can expect there to be substantially less people lounging on the sand here.
  • Kailua Beach Parking – there is actually a parking lot for this beach. You don’t have to compete for neighborhood street parking while trying to avoid the parking ticket police.
  • Restrooms, Showers, Lifeguards, and Picnic Pavilions – There are actually facilities at Kailua Beach Park that will let you spend a whole day on the beach. 
  • Kailua Beach Rentals – This is the perfect location for all your water sports needs. There are tons of different Kailua Beach Rentals available.
    • Kailua Beach Kayak Rentals – this is one of the few places where you can rent a kayak and explore the world famous “mokes” (islets off the coast)
    • Surfing – whether you bring your own boards, take a lesson, or just watch others it is a great spot for surfing
    • Kite Surfing – I didn’t even know what kite surfing was previously. I didn’t try while there, but I did enjoy watching the kite surfers. It felt like I was at an X-Games event.
    • Kailua Beach Adventures is the name of the biggest company in the area. 
  • Restaurants and Shops of Kailua – ready for a break from the sand? You can easily wander into the small town to find something to eat or shop. My favorite is that there is even a farmer’s market.

Disadvantages of Kailua Beach Park

Nothing is perfect. The best way to mitigate the less than ideal parts of this beach is to know and plan accordingly.

The things to be aware of are:

  • Kailua Beach Snorkeling – The winds coming in sometimes cause the water to not be as clear as other coves of the island. If you are looking for great snorkeling that is more consistent, check out one of the other top Oahu snorkel spots. Kailua Beach snorkeling can still be great, but if you can only snorkel at one spot you might not want to risk it.
  • Kailua Beach Parking – Yes, there is a Kailua Beach parking lot, but it still isn’t easy to get a spot there. To make sure you get one I recommend you arrive early in the day, or later in the afternoon.
  • Crowds – Kailua Beach Park is less crowded than Lanikai Beach, but it is still popular. While you likely won’t find 4,000 influencers roaming the beach, you aren’t going to have it to yourself.
  • Sunsets – if you are looking for a great sunset beach, this isn’t it as the sun will be setting behind you. What you lose in sunsets though you can gain in sunrises.

What to Bring to the Beach

Travel towel – So much easier to pack these quick dry microfiber travel towels than go without or be forced to buy one once there. We always travel with at least two of them.

Dry Bag There are some lessons you just don’t want to learn the hard way. Ruining your phone, camera, or other valuables at the beach is a very expensive lesson to learn. This dry bag is amazing and works for any and all water activities.

Reef-safe sunscreen – The sun here can be very strong. Make sure to wear a reef safe sunscreen or a rashguard.

Rash guard or long sleeve swim top – I wear the one from Skims and I love not having to worry about getting burned when I am out in the sun ALL DAY. Free people also has some amazing rash guards you can shop here. 

Backpack or waterbottle sling – I am obsessed with my Beis travel backpack. I never travel without it. It is seriously the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. If you don’t want to bring a full backpack this waterbottle sling is my absolute favorite. It fits a waterbottle, iPhone 14 pro max, plus some extra space for bars or snacks or your wallet.

Packable snacks – I always travel with these That’s it bars from Amazon. OMG, they are sooo good and only have a few minimal ingredients.

Conclusion: I Love the Kailua Beach in Oahu

I really think that you can’t find a better combination of white sand, clear blue water, and perfect waves. When you combine those features with the ability to do things like the Kailua Beach kayak rentals and the next door shops and restaurants, it really is the perfect spot to spend an entire day.

Planning a trip to Oahu? Read more of our Oahu blog posts below!

My husband and I have been to Oahu many times and have written up more blog posts to help you plan your trip. These are my most popular blog posts and Hawaii travel guides to help you plan your trip.

Best Things to do in Oahu

Oahu Beaches

Best Cliff Jumping in Oahu

Best Snorkeling in Oahu

More Hawaii Blog posts:

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Hey there! I'm Claire, the founder of avenlylane.com & avenlylanetravel.com. While spending 4 years completely bedridden and miserable from an unexpected illness I decided to begin writing about my past travel adventures and now the rest is history. Thank you so much for visiting the website. I hope you enjoy it!

1 COMMENT

  1. Bellows is the best beach, hands down over any other on the island. And anyone can go to the Marine Corps post off beach that’s right before the guard shack of Bellows (as long as they aren’t training).

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