Kua Bay

We came here to watch the sunset and saw a seal in the sand! The park closes 30 minutes after sunset, and they stop letting people in at sunset. Parking is free but you have to get a pass from security and so they can buzz you through the gate to get to the parking area. The beach itself was beautiful and there is a pretty clean bathroom and shower station.

Easy to drive to off Highway 19. Gate to the lower parking lot near the beach opens at 9:00 am (actually 9:18 on our Thursday morning). It was a feeding frenzy to get just the right spot and continued to fill with folks and families for hours.

Once in our beach chairs, it was a lovely view and a nice place to bring a picnic and read a book. Some people walked right in the water, for others it was too cold. Despite our rather remote location, people were walking back and forth next to us. If you plant yourself on the main beach, sit back as close to the rocks as possible because the tide does come up to most of the playable beach area between 11am - 12 pm (Spring). Great for boogie boards!

It is windy. Our umbrella, was pulled a foot out of the sand. Lifeguard on duty. Please don't smoke and carry all your belongings, trash (and others') out with you. Restrooms were clean and stocked with toilet paper. No hand soap. I'm mystified by other reviewers who took long walks and described the beach as peaceful. It took less than a minute to walk from one side to the other, there were plenty of people, kids running, playing and screaming, some played music, someone was smoking.

I would not say it's an easy walk to the beach. The paved parts - yes from the parking lot to the beach head. However, you need GOOD SHOES and balance to traverse the sandy rocks to get to the beach area. My usually supportive Dansko sandals were no match for the rocks. While I'm a strong walker, I needed to go very slowly, barefoot, and decidedly not gracefully to the beach area. If I went again, I'd wear sneakers, hiking books, or water sandals for tread, not carry anything, and still ask my fam for some assistance. On the other hand, there were others who hopped down the rocks in flip flops.

All in all, a "nice" trip to the beach.

To avoid crowds, you definitely need to arrive before noon. A parking lot is available, and when it fills, you can park alongside the road. A decent sized beach where you'll need to claim your area real quick. When you first enter the beach, the area appears to favor more of the boogie boarders. Continue to the right and you'll see calmer waters near the lava rocks for snorkeling and swimming.

The water was a bit cold, but pretty calm and very clear and shallow. We spent some time in the water without snorkel gear and saw a variety of fish swimming around us.

The sand was so soft and it was a great place to relax until it got crazy busy around noon.

Restrooms and showers are available.

Warning: If you're driving in, you must leave before the gates close (7pm) or your car will be stuck until the next morning (8am)! Also recommend a vehicle with high clearance.

Beautiful beach to watch the sunset! and of course take long walks on, and swim in. My friends and I mainly came here to watch the sunset. It's a bit of a drive in after passing the gates. We didn't have problems finding parking because the gates were going to close within an hour. The sand was soft and felt good on the feet. The water was turquoise blue and calm. Be cautious of the lava rock though! I ended up keeping my sandals on to prevent toe injuries.

The crowds were thinning as we got there so we had a spot for us to chill. We sipped on our costco pink grapefruit drinks and I had my guava cheesecake here and just enjoyed the views and the sound of the water crashing in. Once the sun set, we gathered our items and headed back to the car to leave. We stopped by the restrooms and showers to de-sand.

Unfortunately, on the way out we got a flat due to the roads edge, there was a drop and our rental didn't have enough clearance. So I highly recommend a vehicle with high clearance (Tacoma, Jeep) or be extra cautious when driving for parts of the road are narrow. Like I said, once they close the gates, you can't get your car out and you'll have to wait until the morning! And the 'park ranger' who was doing his rounds to make sure everybody was out saw us in distress and wasn't helpful at all! Apparently, they can't give people rides back to the entrance. We had to abandon the rental and to walk back to the gate in the dark and call for an uber. It was a predicament that I'll never forget. I mean at least I got my steps 10k steps in, so that's a highlight.

I would definitely come to this beach again to wade in the water and snorkel but would be extra cautious on the time and roadway.

Definitely come in the morning to get better parking. But I like that it's not a rocky road to get to when renting a car. It's very pretty. Definitely rougher water tho

I love this beach. Beautiful soft sand and clear water. Very peaceful. Not as busy as Hapuna up north and easier to reach than some others to the south. North of Kona by 15-20 minutes and south of the resorts. Easy access on a paved road that winds down to the water. There is a decent sized lot but if you don't come in the morning it will probably be full when you come and you will have to walk down a little ways. It's a great place to relax and spend some beach time. Highly recommend.

Prettiest beach in the Kona area. Make sure you arrive first thing in the morning because the parking lot fills up! The water is amazing, similar to Tahiti!

This beach is gorgeous! The sand is soft, and the water is so blue. The water felt really nice, and wasn't too cold. I spent a few hours there in the afternoon, and could've stayed there longer.

This beach gets crowded, but at least you can find parking along the road that leads to it (it's not too far of a walk).

Very beautiful beach with adequate parking. Soft white sand and clean beach! A bit inside from the main road so make sure you follow instructions. No stroller access and rocky to get down to the beach. Not too hard but need to be careful especially with kids.

This beach is a perfect mix of beach, boogie boarding, sun, sand, and snorkeling.

It is not handicapped accessible.

The parking can be problematic if you don't come earlier in the day, but usually it's not too hard to manage.

I could wax on and on about this specific beach, but the photos speak for themselves.