Kaunaoa Bay: Big Island’s Pride in Hawaii

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 Kauna'oa "Mauna Kea" Beach from hey tiffany!

Kauna’oa “Mauna Kea” Beach from hey tiffany!

When one dreams of Hawaii, the first thing that would pop up would most definitely be the magnificent and pristine beaches. With so many of them located in Hawaii, it would be hard for you to pick only one now, would it? To help you with that dilemma, head on down to Kauna’oa Bay located at the Big Island and most definitely feel that it’s the best among the rest.

Tourists would often refer to these parts as one of the best beaches in the whole country, extending up to a quarter mile of long sandy shores. It is shaped like a crescent and has soft powdery white sands and surrounding palm trees that will make you feel like you really are in the tropics. A mere look at the area will make automatically relaxed and peaceful.

 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel from ClarkRealty

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel from ClarkRealty

There are tons of prominent accommodation centers by the beachfront but the Westin Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is most probably the most attractive of all. It was first established during the 1960s and is the oldest resort still standing in the Kohala Coast. Due to its rich history, the resort has been an iconic landmark all by itself. It’s probably the reason why Kauna’oa Bay is sometimes call the Mauna Kea Beach. The Westin Mauna Kea gives guests the main access to the bay. It has its own private beach area and likewise has supervision on the public area. Aside from the unrestricted access to the Kauna’oa Beach, the Westin also gives guests excellent and comfortable facilities and amenities. Because of which, most of the tourists who visit here and want to indulge at the beach completely would like to check into either one of the resorts.

If you’re not a guest at the resort, fret not. You can still have the pleasure of going to the beach through the public entrance. However, the Westin would restrict some parts of the beach. So if you want to savor everything about Kauna’oa Beach, it would be best if you visit early in the morning. Once you’re in the area, go directly to the security office where you’ll be given a free pass and a map.

 20090904hawaii176 from detsugu

20090904hawaii176 from detsugu

Another accommodation choice is the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel which is also a sister hotel of the Westin. Given that, even guests of the Hapuna are free to use the amenities of the other resort. The most accessible town from the bay is Kaliua-Kona. If you won’t be able to check in to the hotels mentioned earlier, you can still find others in this town and just drive off to Kauna’oa for about forty minutes.

 parrot fish from thepollen

parrot fish from thepollen

The bay area is surrounded by coral reefs and is also where marine life call it home. Some of these water creatures are butterfly fish, parrot fish and even sea turtles lurk around here. Therefore, it would be a good idea to go snorkeling around these waters. The best spot for such activity would be by the southern section of the beauty right by the rocky outcrops. The bay water at the southern end is usually calm making it perfect for novice swimmers and for the children as well.

 Mau'umae Beach from mark_y_goh

Mau’umae Beach from mark_y_goh

If you wish to explore the many wonders of the area in a different way than snorkeling, you can go hiking instead up to about a mile and a half north of Kauna’oa Bay and arrive at attractive small white sand beaches such as Waiulaula and Mau’umae Beach. During the evening, the hotel would light up their flood lights over the water. Because of which, shows of planktons being eaten by the manta rays would be visible to the naked eye. This experience will definitely be one for the books. You can even have a better view of marvelous creatures at the lookout named “Manta Ray Point”.

 

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