By any measurement, this is one fine beach. Guidebooks usually say it's a toss-up between Hapuna and Kaunaoa for "best beach" on the island, but most locals give the prize to Hapuna. There is ample parking so you don't have to get here at dawn, although it can fill up by midday. And while the north end of the beach fronts the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, it's still a public beach and not just for hotel guests. The beach itself is a long ( 1/2-mi), white, perfect crescent, one of the Big Island's largest. The turquoise water is very calm in summer, with just enough rolling waves to make bodysurfing or boogie boarding fun. There's some excellent snorkeling around the jagged rocks that border the beach on either side, but a strong current means it's only for experienced swimmers. In winter, surf can be very rough. Hapuna tends to get a little windy in the late afternoon; even that can have a benefit, as everyone else leaves just in time to give you a private, perfect sunset. There are a couple of small protected coves at the north end of the beach with shallow, sandy-bottomed pools ideal for youngsters.