The Best Beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii (By Tom Barefoot)

Let’s face it…. beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. One man’s favorite beach is another man’s second choice. Recognizing that deciding the Big Island’s Best Beaches will always be a subjective decision, it is still possible to categorize beaches into their respective best categories with a likelihood of being correct in the same way many polls in politics or whatever present you with a probable likelihood within a margin of error. The following are the likely picks of the best beaches on the Big Island in their respective categories:

Best White Sand Beach on the Big Island: Hapuna Beach
Hapuna Beach on Hawaii’s western coast line wins this category hands down and we are not alone in this assessment as many travel magazines have rated this beach the best beach in the world in various recent years

Best Black Sand Beach on the Big Island: Punalu’u
Although Punalu’u Beach is distant from the major populated areas of the Big Island it is the largest black sand beach in the state of Hawaii and has a beauty and charm all its own. Punalu’u beach qualifies “big time” as the best black sand beach on the Big Island

Best Nude Beach on the Big Island: Kahena Beach
Kahena Beach is a small and absolutely beautiful black sand beach located on the east facing coast on the Hilo side of the Big Island. For years it has had the reputation as being a nude beach and although this activity is not considered “legal” it proves out when taking a visit that its legend is no misnomer.

Best Thermal Heated Beach on the Big Island: Ahalanui Beach Park
Ahalanui Beach Park (also known as Pualaa) wins the prize as the best thermal heated beach on the Big Island. This amazing series of hot pools located just off the coast is a natural wonder on the Big Island.

Most Picturesque Beach on the Big Island: Maniniowali Beach
Manineowali Beach, also known as Kea Bay, wins our award for the most subjective of all categories, the most picturesque beach on the Big Island. A more perfect white sand beach would be hard to imagine.