Honomalino Bay
Milolii, HI
Honomalino Bay hides just south of Milolii, reached by a walk through a working coconut grove that makes the beach itself feel like a reward for the effort. The sand here is soft and pale against the surrounding black lava coast, and the water sits calm enough behind the point that it's one of the easier swims in South Kona.
One of the more genuinely peaceful swims on this coast, sheltered and soft sand, though the walk in and total lack of facilities keep it from being a quick stop.
How we score beachesGive yourself twenty unhurried minutes for the walk in. It's shaded and flat almost the whole way, and rushing it means missing how much the grove changes the light.
Park near Milolii Beach Park and walk south along the coastal trail, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes through the coconut grove.
The walk in is mostly flat dirt trail through the grove, manageable for most walkers but not for strollers or wheelchairs.
Calm most of the year behind the sheltering point, with the clearest water for snorkeling in summer.
More Hawaii beaches
Waikiki Beach
Honolulu, HI · Hawaii
4 access points
The beach that put Hawaii surfing on the map, with gentle, forgiving waves for beginners, Diamond Head crater as a backdrop, and a reef that keeps the water calm most of the year.
Lanikai Beach
Kailua, HI · Hawaii
A quiet, residential-neighborhood beach on Oahu's windward side, with powder-soft sand, turquoise water, and two small offshore islets (the Mokulua) as a paddling destination.
Poipu Beach
Koloa, HI · Hawaii
A sheltered, sunny south-shore beach on Kauai split into a calm swimming lagoon and a livelier surf side, with a good chance of spotting Hawaiian monk seals resting on the sand.