These Hawaii Beaches Keep Winning. But Are They Still Worth It?

Four Hawaii beaches just landed on Dr. Beach’s 2025 list of the best in the United States: Wailea on Maui, Poipu on Kauai, Mauna Kea Beach (also known as Kaunaoa) on the Big Island, and Lanikai on Oahu. We’ve covered every one of them over the years—and so have our readers, often with deep affection but sometimes with frustration.

Dr. Beach, also known as coastal scientist Stephen Leatherman, uses a formula that evaluates 50 factors, including sand quality, water clarity, wildlife, safety, and public access. On paper, Hawaii still stands out. But if you’ve visited any of these beaches lately—or tried to—you may or may not have had a very different experience.

We’ve walked these beaches many times. We’ve swum them, talked with visitors, and written about them for years. They’re stunning—but there’s almost always a twist.

Mauna Kea Beach comes with conditions.

Take Kaunaoa Beach, also known as Mauna Kea Beach, which is #8 on this year’s list. Dr. Beach noted, “You need to arrive early as there are a limited number of parking spots for visitors and ask the gate attendant for entry.” That sounds simple enough, but the reality isn’t always so welcoming.

“You shouldn’t have to ‘ask the guard nicely’ just to visit a beach. What happened to public access?” wrote Tom, one of many readers who’ve voiced frustration about access to Kaunaoa. Another reader, Linda, added, “Kaunaoa is stunning, but if you don’t arrive before 8 a.m., forget it. Parking’s gone. Makes it feel like the public isn’t really welcome.”

The beach itself may be close to perfect. But for many visitors, the experience of trying to reach it doesn’t quite match the postcard.

Wailea is #2. And it’s changed.

Wailea Beach ranked second on this year’s list. We last walked the Wailea Beach Path and wrote about it less than a year ago, shortly after returning to Maui in the aftermath of the Lahaina fire. It was still beautiful, but it felt different.

The sand remains soft and the water clear. The resorts are mostly well set back, and the landscaped path between them is as impressive as ever. But some visitors noted a shift in atmosphere.

“I love Wailea—it’s one of the few resort areas that still feels relaxed and beautiful. You just have to be ready for crowds,” wrote Greg, a longtime reader.

Others pointed to the growing number of beach chairs and a more exclusive feel recently, with resort rates stratospheric and public space feeling tighter than before. We’ve noticed the same.

While Wailea continues to evolve alongside luxury resorts, Poipu brings a different kind of energy: family-friendly, busy, and sometimes overwhelming.

Poipu ranks high—and so do expectations.

Poipu Beach on Kauai, coming in at #3, is a favorite families flock to for its sheltered sandbar, snorkeling, and turtle sightings. But there’s more to the story than postcard perfection.

Although its crescent cove feels spacious, Poipu can get surprisingly crowded, especially midday and on weekends. Some visitors have described it as beautiful but smaller than expected, which it is, with beach space quickly filling up, even as early as 8 a.m., when tour buses also start arriving. Others have noted that it’s become a tight mix of people, turtles, and monk seals, all sharing the same shoreline.

Visitors who expect a wide-open beach may find themselves squeezed between beach towels and sunbathers. Even with lifeguards on duty shouting warnings over megaphones, the overall experience depends greatly on timing.

Still, the magic isn’t lost. Snorkeling here can be quite good, wildlife is often in view, and it’s one of the few beachfront areas on Kauai with amenities just steps away. For those who go early or late, it can be every bit the beach Dr. Beach described. At other times, far less so. Then again, it depends on expectations.

Lanikai is picture-perfect. Getting there isn’t.

Lanikai Beach, ranked number nine, is calm, shallow, and framed by two offshore islets. In photos, it may be Hawaii’s most iconic stretch of sand, and we agree it couldn’t be more spectacular. However, that beauty contrasts with how difficult it can be to visit.

Parking in Lanikai is extremely limited and tightly enforced. Visitors regularly receive tickets or end up walking half a mile from Kailua Beach. The neighborhood has pushed back against tourism in recent years, and the signage throughout the area reflects that shift. One reader told us, “Lanikai is breathtaking, but finding parking is a nightmare. Some days we give up and head to Kailua instead.”

Dr. Beach acknowledged the challenge, noting that parking in the residential area is difficult and access can be limited. That remains true. Today, nearly every street in the neighborhood is monitored or signed, and even experienced travelers find themselves turning around. For many, the beach still lives up to the ranking, but like Mauna Kea Beach, getting there is often the most challenging part.

Do Hawaii beach rankings still matter?

In four of the past seven years, a Hawaii beach has claimed the number one spot. Last year, it was Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki. Before that, Hapuna Beach, Kailua, and Kapalua each took a turn at the top.

This year, the crown went elsewhere—5,000 miles east to Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York. It’s a reminder that while Hawaii still dominates the list overall, we’re no longer guaranteed the top honor.

Dr. Beach offers a chance to celebrate Hawaii’s beaches while taking stock of what’s changing. These are not untouched shorelines. They’re living spaces—used, strained, loved, and sometimes even loved to death. They’re also places where residents and ecosystems feel the impact of ever-growing attention, and where the balance between sharing and preserving is getting harder to maintain.

What readers keep telling us.

We’ve received hundreds of comments about Hawaii’s beaches in the past year, and they don’t fall neatly into categories. Some express joy at finding the perfect sunrise spot or a quiet morning swim. Others feel pushed out by prices, parking restrictions, or rows of resorts that now line what used to be open sand.

In a story we published last fall, a reader named Kaleo shared, “I grew up here, fishing these waters. Now we have gates and ‘private property’ signs where we used to go freely. It’s not right.” He wasn’t speaking about Lanikai or Mauna Kea Beach specifically, but he could have been. His comment echoes what many others have told us in different words, from different shores.

So what makes a beach the best?

Is it the water, the sand, the ease of access? That answer is different for everyone. For some, it may be the calmest cove; for others, it’s the memory of a perfect morning swim or the feeling of arriving somewhere that feels unchanged.

Or maybe it’s something harder to define—how a place makes you feel, and whether you’d choose to return.

This year’s Dr. Beach list is a reminder of Hawaii’s natural gifts, but it also raises the questions we’ve been asking—and many of you have already answered them. A beach isn’t just about where it lands on a list. It’s about where you choose to go back. Or where you wish you still could.

Let us know if you’re willing to share your favorite Hawaii beach and whether it still feels the same. If you’ve found ways to avoid the crowds or navigate the parking and timing challenges, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Photo Credit – Beat of Hawaii taken at Kaunaoa Beach at Mauna Kea, Big Island.