Waikiki Beach is impressive. The length and depth of the beach is able to accommodate the demand that each hotel resort throws at it and its picturesque location next to Diamond Head allows it to be rightly famous, in my opinion. Nature made a beautiful spot and America is capitalizing on it. The open ocean views facing west are beautiful and the grounds are well taken care of. The beach is lined with a vertical mass of resort hotels, a great variety of dining options, meandering walkways, and picturesque palm trees. The nature-made beauty is well maintained along the coast with the great man-made city of Honolulu built up right behind it to ensure tourists have the perfect view.

The beach was not the main reason we chose to visit to the Island of Oahu but we did want to experience this famous location so we stayed at the Hilton on Waikiki which was right on the beach. We took a few strolls down long sections of beach, enjoying the views, the landscaping, and eventually, a glorious and colorful sunset.

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Our beachside strolls were enough to make it plain that sitting on the beach is what some people do all day, every day when on their Hawaii vacation. Families with children, couples, or groups of friends had large beach bags, coolers, and umbrellas for hanging out on the beach all day. More noticeable than the groups of beachgoers having fun were some of the people who were burnt red with vivd tan lines who continued to lay out as if determined to get even “more tan.” People watching is one of my favorite forms of entertainment but there are many other entertaining things to see and do on this beach such as renting large inflatable water bicycles, learning to surf, or parasailing.

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What I did’t love about Waikiki Beach was the sand. It was a much coarser sand than on the island of Maui and this made me want to walk up on the beach walkways rather than where the waves meet the sand but, perhaps paradise has made me too picky. 

Another common sighting at Waikiki beach are bride and groom couples getting their wedding photos taken. We saw three separate newlywed couples in just one evening and, upon further research, I discovered there are several small wedding chapels inside of the surrounding resorts, including the Hilton resort we were staying at. I am sure we would have witnessed a few more couples if we had walked even farther down the beach but, unless you have a quite a bit of time, you are not going to walk the entire length of Waikiki. The beach is about two miles long and there is so much to look at and discover from one end to the other. We shopped, we drank fresh fruit smoothies, we people watched, and we took some fun beachside photos. No matter who you are and no matter the occasion, this famous beach paradise is sure to fully capture your attention for a day or two.