orangetravelcat

I know the ocean in Hawaii is not calm, clear and warm like the Caribbean, but what would be the closest in comparison and what would nearby hotels be? Thanks.

luvtravl

Part of it depends on what time of year you visit. In the winter, the north shore of islands like Kaui and Oahu have big waves and are not good for swimming or snorkeling. In the summer, the waves are bigger to the south. Which island(s) are you considering?

turn_it_on

The north shore of Kauai has some incredibly beautiful, calm, clear, and warm water in the summer, try beaches like Ke'e, Tunnels, or Anini...Ke'e really looked like God's swimming pool last June in all shades of blue and green and the backdrop is breathtaking. THE hotel up there is the Princeville, and there's lots of nice condos there too.

love
roxy

islandmom

Lanikai, Kailua, Bellows, Waimanalo.... all that swimming pool type water.

MerryTravel

I second Kailua (sandy bottom, blue water, lovely views, almost always calm), and actually the water in Hawaii is very warm pretty much year round.

sunbum1944

Another vote for Kailua - and especially
Bellows !

Intrepid1

When I lived in Kailua and swam at Bellows the water there was never as "calm" as the Caribbean...has something changed in the interim?

bluefan

None. You would have to fly beyond Hawaii to islands like Bora Bora in French Polynesia or Aitutaki in the Cook Islands for beaches that compare to some of the best beach islands in the Caribbean (flat, barren coral islands like Anguilla, Aruba, Turks and Caicos). White sand beaches with calm, turquoise waters.

The Hawaiian islands don't have much in mature coral reef barriers which produce such phenomenal beaches in the South Pacific and the Caribbean.

But if you compared Hawaiian beaches to those of lush, mountainous Caribbean islands with volcanic origins like St Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, you might have a fair comparison then.

But there are a few protected areas that make for tranquil beaches as others above mentioned:
Kauai: Ke'e, Tunnels, Lydgate Park (Princeville)
Oahu: Hanauma Bay, Lanikai, Bellows (Kahala Mandarin Oriental) and Ko Olina lagoons (JW Marriott Ihilani...for now)
Maui: the crescent-shaped beaches like Kapalua (Ritz-Carlton), Wailea (Four Seasons and Grand Wailea), Polo (Fairmont Kea Lani) and Hamoa (Hotel Hana Maui)
Big Island: Mauna Kea (Mauna Kea Resort)

But I'm probably not the best person to answer your question since I go to Hawaii for reasons other than its beaches. I actually like the "rough" Hawaiian beaches like the North Shore beaches of Oahu, the Big Beach (Makena) on Maui, and the black sand beaches (which all have strong waves) as much as the ones I've listed above.