Waikiki Beach Holidays & Accommodation
Hawaii Islands, USA, North America
If you like the appeal of visiting a beach that is close to all the comforts of home, then Waikiki Beach is certainly a beach that would appeal to you. It may be a bit crowded at times, but you can always cross the street and take a break by going shopping, or even rent an outrigger canoe if you prefer and make a break for the open ocean. There are a lot of choices when there are so many conveniences available. Waikiki Beach, near the heart Hawaii's capital city of Honolulu has a lot to offer visitors. It is a very tourist-friendly beach, where people can rent equipment for a variety of water sports including snorkelling, parasailing, and paddling in outrigger canoes. For those of you who have always craved the experience, half of the two mile beach is devoted to surfing, and lessons are available for those that are interested.
Waikiki Beach Holidays Planner
Waikiki Beach with its soft white sand, life-savers and tranquil swimming and surfing lagoon is the tourist hub of Hawaii. The beach is broken up into a handful of different sections, some for families, some for small kids and others for bodysurfers. A boadwalk runs along its length making it a great place for a sunset stroll
When you've had enough of the gorgeous white sand beaches and beautiful water, you can enjoy waterfront shopping. At night, the area comes alive with live entertainment and clubs. At the nearby park called Kapiolani Park, you can often catch an outdoor screening of a movie.
There is a development close to the waterfront at Waikiki Beach called Waikiki Beach Walk. It is an outdoor retail space with glass ceilings that is almost eight acres in size. Here there are boutiques and other retail shops as well as restaurants and spas for visitors to enjoy. One of the first hotels in the area was actually one of the first beach resorts opened anywhere, called the Sans Souci, opened by Greek-American tycoon George Lycurgus in 1893.
The water at Waikiki Beach is actually quite shallow, and the bottom quite rocky. Lifeguards watch the water and ensure that conditions are as safe as possible. At the beach, you are greeted by the Duke Kahanmoku statue, the statue of a turn of the century athlete who won Olympic gold in swimming competitions and also made a living teaching people at Waikiki Beach how to surf. The beach has a long history of being used as a surfing venue and was popular with Hawaiian royalty in the 19th century who used to surf there on their era's version of longboards. The surf at Waikiki is a long rolling break which is ideal for longboarders and novice surfers, which makes it an ideal place to learn the sport.
Nearby Waikiki Beach is Diamond Head Tuff Cone, a great place to get a great view of Honolulu and much of Oahu. This iconic crater is very symmetrical; it is a long extinct volcanic crater that resulted from a very brief eruption many millions of years ago. It was given its name by English sailors who that the calcite deposits in its rocks were diamonds.
Also nearby is the Waikiki Historic trail, a walk that showcases 23 historic sites, many marked with a bronze surfboard. Some stops include the Royal Grove in Helumoa that was once the location of a coconut tree grove, and four Pohaku, or Wizard Stones, that are said to provide spiritual healing. The path ends up at the Duke Kahanmoku Statue which has become an enduring symbol of Waikiki.