Kealia Beach
Kealia Beach
4.5
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4.5
131 reviews
Excellent
74
Very good
47
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
0
R C
Kansas City, MO19 contributions
Mar 2022
The beach itself is great. Great views. First day we went just to scout and had lot of smimers surfers, and boogie boarders though waves looked fast.
I decided to go another time to boogie and the waves were too rough and no way would you be able to just swim.
I have read this beach is inconsistent with activities. So depending on the tides/weather etc and what you want to do this can be a great spot or may not work. Watch the surf outlook if you want to be in the water. If you just want to sit and relax and watch, probably about any time is. good.
I decided to go another time to boogie and the waves were too rough and no way would you be able to just swim.
I have read this beach is inconsistent with activities. So depending on the tides/weather etc and what you want to do this can be a great spot or may not work. Watch the surf outlook if you want to be in the water. If you just want to sit and relax and watch, probably about any time is. good.
Written 31 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dugo G
3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
This is the type of beach you mentally envision when you picture a beach in your head. Beautiful long stretch of sand and bright blue water. There are plenty of surfers and the water is warm. The view on either side is picturesque. Plenty of parking, too. Highly recommended.
Written 22 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessica O
Boston, MA432 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
Kealia beach is located on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) about 11 miles north of Lihue Airport on Kauai. It has a long parking area right next to and parallel to the highway. The beach stretches for about ¼ mile. There’s generally about 30 yards from the vegetation bordering the parking area to the shoreline. The beach has a lifeguard station mid-beach and restrooms at the northern end.
The waves were the biggest we saw on the eastern side of the island. On the weekend, we counted at least two dozen surfers each day. The beach itself was not at all crowded, with at least 50 feet between parties.
My husband and I spent three non-consecutive days here in February. We kept coming back after trying other beaches. My husband wore a very tiny, colorful speedo with a thong back, and I wore a super-cheeky, sheer bikini bottom (aka a g-string) without a top. All the other men wore board shorts, and the women wore cheeky bikinis, many of which could qualify as thongs. Even though topless is legal in Hawaii, we didn’t see any other topless women. I was surprised because topless is so much more comfortable and seems especially appropriate in a tropical paradise.
Another surprise was the presence of naked children on the beach. I recall two families on different parts of the beach with naked little kids. In one case, it was a girl about 4 years old; in the other, a boy about 5 years old. Both families had older kids who were wearing swimsuits.
One day near the end of our trip, I inadvertently joined in the nudity. I was walking out of the surf when a big wave crashed over me unexpectedly and somehow stripped my swimsuit off. I didn’t realize it at first, as I was struggling to regain my footing and get my head above water. My husband and I looked and looked, but we were unable to find the suit. Since I didn’t have a spare with me, I spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing naked. We weren’t close enough to the lifeguard post for him to be able to see a difference in my attire, and the few people who walked by apparently didn't mind. The next day when we came, which was our last day on Kauai, I wore the single-string g-string that I’ve worn on South Beach in Miami and Orient Beach on St. Martin. My husband wore the same racy thong as before. No problems.
Overall, this was our favorite beach on Kauai. Although we prefer nude beaches, the remote beaches that we visited where nudity was feasible were either very hard to get to (Polihale State Park) or were not conducive to swimming (North Aliomanu Beach). This beach has nice white sand, vigorous waves, a lifeguard, rest rooms, and is within 45 minutes from the Poipu area where we were staying. There weren’t many people on the beach, and there was plenty of distance to walk along the shoreline. We never made it to any of the other reputed nude beaches on the north shore of Kauai.
The waves were the biggest we saw on the eastern side of the island. On the weekend, we counted at least two dozen surfers each day. The beach itself was not at all crowded, with at least 50 feet between parties.
My husband and I spent three non-consecutive days here in February. We kept coming back after trying other beaches. My husband wore a very tiny, colorful speedo with a thong back, and I wore a super-cheeky, sheer bikini bottom (aka a g-string) without a top. All the other men wore board shorts, and the women wore cheeky bikinis, many of which could qualify as thongs. Even though topless is legal in Hawaii, we didn’t see any other topless women. I was surprised because topless is so much more comfortable and seems especially appropriate in a tropical paradise.
Another surprise was the presence of naked children on the beach. I recall two families on different parts of the beach with naked little kids. In one case, it was a girl about 4 years old; in the other, a boy about 5 years old. Both families had older kids who were wearing swimsuits.
One day near the end of our trip, I inadvertently joined in the nudity. I was walking out of the surf when a big wave crashed over me unexpectedly and somehow stripped my swimsuit off. I didn’t realize it at first, as I was struggling to regain my footing and get my head above water. My husband and I looked and looked, but we were unable to find the suit. Since I didn’t have a spare with me, I spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing naked. We weren’t close enough to the lifeguard post for him to be able to see a difference in my attire, and the few people who walked by apparently didn't mind. The next day when we came, which was our last day on Kauai, I wore the single-string g-string that I’ve worn on South Beach in Miami and Orient Beach on St. Martin. My husband wore the same racy thong as before. No problems.
Overall, this was our favorite beach on Kauai. Although we prefer nude beaches, the remote beaches that we visited where nudity was feasible were either very hard to get to (Polihale State Park) or were not conducive to swimming (North Aliomanu Beach). This beach has nice white sand, vigorous waves, a lifeguard, rest rooms, and is within 45 minutes from the Poipu area where we were staying. There weren’t many people on the beach, and there was plenty of distance to walk along the shoreline. We never made it to any of the other reputed nude beaches on the north shore of Kauai.
Written 18 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beachmealready
Columbus, OH194 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
Easy to access beach right off of Kuhio Hwy past Kapaa town. Plenty of parking, but the lot had a TON of huge potholes. Beware or you could really tear up your rental car. Decent beach overall. Lifeguard on duty. Restrooms and picnic areas plus plenty of shade. Not bad.
Written 13 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AZFamilyman
Central Arizona, AZ231 contributions
June 2016 • Couples
Kealia Beach is a nice beach to just kick back and relax at. It is easy to find with lots of parking. It has Lifeguards and public restrooms. We walked in the clean sand and watched the surfers ride the waves.
Written 10 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda W
Morehead City, NC256 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
Beautiful pieces of drift wood lay just past the sand among the rocks. Very cool rocks, by the way, never see such patterns and colors. This beach would be a fantastic spot for a picnic or a relaxing day!
Written 21 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
209Elena
Las Vegas, NV357 contributions
The beach is beautuful. Popular among locals and surfers. Seems like a good place for the beginner surfers, seen kids getting lessons...Its long , good for strolling..may be not for swimming. Neverless, a beautiful place, close to Kapaa.
Written 14 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DenH99
Calgary, Canada29 contributions
Aug 2019
When we went, there were box Jellyfish all over the shoreline (a girl was stung as she was sitting in the sand when a wave of them came in), and the waves were pretty big...we didn't get to swim, but it is a beautiful site.
Written 26 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
embeyfar
Salt Lake City, UT94 contributions
July 2019 • Couples
We went bodyboarding at Kealia three times on our trip! We tried one time to go on the north shore, but it was dead that day, so back to Kealia it was! Would probably be a little scary with little kids, but it would be great with older kids. Lots of laughs and smiles here.
Written 25 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dhoerl
Bridgewater, NJ78 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
My wife likes too boogie board, and so we went to this beach every day we stayed in Kapaa. The north end is somewhat protected by a rock outcrop, and it's there the lifeguards want non-surfers to swim and boogie board. The best time seemed to be midway between low and high tide, and the surf did pick up at high tide.
You can walk the whole beach if you want - the sand is loose but if you walk on the lifeguards cart tracks it helps - takes about 15 minutes each way.
Bring your own shade as the little that's there gets staked out early!
You can walk the whole beach if you want - the sand is loose but if you walk on the lifeguards cart tracks it helps - takes about 15 minutes each way.
Bring your own shade as the little that's there gets staked out early!
Written 2 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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