Puu Poa Beach — Attraction in Kauai

Beautiful beach shared with the Princeville Resort, great for snorkeling, rough for swimming. Lots of sea turtles!!

Public parking is limited to 8 spots, located just before the Princeville Resort guard stand. Cars were waiting for a spot to open, so we followed the advice from other reviews and used the resort valet... Cost: we paid for a drink to validate our parking slip and a tip for valet.

You may get mixed information from resort guards, valet, and concierge but what I understand is they can't charge patrons to access the public beach but they can "charge" for parking at the resort which is $45-50 for 90min. However, parking can be validated at the beach bar and we were not held to an order minimum despite being told by some staff that it was $100. We felt ready to leave by the 90min mark but this didn't seem like it was strictly enforced.

There are bathrooms and beach rentals by the bar which are available to the public. However the beach chairs and cabanas are reserved for resort guests only. We felt a little funny bringing our beach stuff through the hotel but the pathway is separate from the room halls and anyone we encountered was very friendly. All in all...

I wasn't planning to visit this beach but I'm so glad that we did it on serendipity. I was planning to go to the hideaway beach, but saw a sign that says beach access across the street from the parking lot, and went in. The trail is next to the Hotel Hanalei Bay, which was under construction, so the trail itself was an eyesore but it was well constructed with stairs so it was easy to walk through. Once you get down, you'll find a well shaded beach where you can swim and snorkel. There weren't many people when we went on a weekday afternoon and if you walk a bit, you can find a space completely by yourself. There's also a swing on the beach which was fun. I would recommend coming here later in the afternoon since the sun was too bright during the midday and it was not good for pictures. Parking spots are limited but I think it's possible to get one if you come on a weekday afternoon and wait for...

Loved this beach! First of all, the views from this beach are phenomenal- picturesque. Not so good for swimming; but great for snorkeling! There is a large coral reef where I saw a wide variety of types of fish, even though the surf was high and visibility was low. There was a lot of shaded areas and a lot of places to spread out.

This beach is shared with the Princeville Resort. You access this beach by the long staircase along the left side (if you are walking towards the resort) of the Princeville Resort. You have to be lucky to find parking in the public access parking which has about 10 car stalls. If you want to go inside the resort, you can also access the beach by their elevators. They just ask you to not use the pool or chairs that are out for the guests, but the bar, restroom, and showers are open...