Hoai Bay / Lawai Beach runs about 54m (0.1km) along the Kauai coast — a short stretch by Hawaiian standards. It faces south. There are 9 mapped parking areas nearby, the closest about 87m from the sand. On-beach facilities mapped here include toilets.
Getting there & parking
Closest mapped parking is about 87m from the sand, with 9 parking areas within 600m.
Distances are to the nearest point of the beach. Only formal, mapped parking areas are counted — informal roadside and verge parking is common in Hawaii and is not recorded in OpenStreetMap, so there may be closer options than shown.
What's there
| Toilets | yes nearest 162m |
| Showers | not mapped |
| Drinking water | not mapped |
| Changing rooms | not mapped |
| BBQ | not mapped |
"Not mapped" means OpenStreetMap has no record — it may still exist on the ground.
Places to eat nearby12 within 1km · nearest 154m
- Leong's Market and Grill · 826m11:00-21:00
- Bubba's · 858mMo-Sa 10:30-20:00
- Beach House · 223m
- Merriman's Fish House · 824m
- Eating House 1849 · 827m
- Dolphin Sushi & Fish Market · 838m
- Tapas at Kukui'ula · 852m17:30-21:00
- Lappert's Hawaii · 852m07:00-20:00
- Uncle's Shaved Ice & Tea · 853mMo-Su 11:00-21:00
- Riptides Shaved Ice · 154m
- Scotty Brown's Restaurant and Bar · 842m
- Table @ Poipu · 850m
Details from OpenStreetMap tags — hours and offerings change, so check before relying on them.
Shops nearby3 within 1km
- Mo-Su 08:00-17:00
- Living Foods Market · 861m07:00-21:00
- Kukuiula Store · 998m
Where it is
Who it suits
- Families and long days — toilets nearby and parking close to the sand
- Early starts — sunrise is over the water in 5 months, from 6:34am in October
- Eating without driving — 12 places to eat are mapped within 1km
Derived from mapped features, not opinion.
When to go
Driest months are . Warmest are August, September, October.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Rain in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82.2 | 64.6 | – |
| Feb | 81.9 | 64.7 | – |
| Mar | 82.4 | 64.9 | – |
| Apr | 84.4 | 67.6 | – |
| May | 85.9 | 69.6 | – |
| Jun | 86.6 | 72.0 | – |
| Jul | 86.9 | 73.4 | – |
| Aug | 88.7 | 73.3 | – |
| Sep | 88.5 | 73.4 | – |
| Oct | 88.3 | 71.6 | – |
| Nov | 86.0 | 68.8 | – |
| Dec | 83.0 | 67.9 | – |
30-year normals (1991–2020) from NOAA NCEI station MAHAULEPU 941.1, 6.2km away.
Sunrise & sunset at Hoai Bay / Lawai Beach
In June the sun is up at 5:55am and down at 7:22pm — 13h 28m of daylight, the longest days of the year here. By December that shrinks to 7:09am–5:57pm, 10h 48m.
This beach looks south (167°). The sun sets behind the land from here, not over the water. Sunrise is the one over the water — October to February — so this is a morning beach rather than an evening one. The sunrise point itself swings about 50° across the year, from ENE in June to ESE in December.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Sun sets toward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7:19am | 6:16pm | 10h 57m | WSW 248° |
| Feb | 7:09am | 6:35pm | 11h 27m | WSW 257° |
| Mar | 6:46am | 6:47pm | 12h 01m | W 268° |
| Apr | 6:18am | 6:58pm | 12h 40m | W 281° |
| May | 5:59am | 7:10pm | 13h 11m | WNW 291° |
| Jun | 5:55am | 7:22pm | 13h 28m | WNW 296° |
| Jul | 6:04am | 7:24pm | 13h 20m | WNW 294° |
| Aug | 6:16am | 7:09pm | 12h 53m | WNW 285° |
| Sep | 6:25am | 6:41pm | 12h 16m | W 273° |
| Oct | 6:34am | 6:13pm | 11h 39m | W 261° |
| Nov | 6:50am | 5:55pm | 11h 05m | WSW 250° |
| Dec | 7:09am | 5:57pm | 10h 48m | WSW 245° |
Times are for the 15th of each month in Hawaii Standard Time. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving, so these hold all year.
Calculated from this beach's coordinates using the NOAA solar position algorithm and checked against US Naval Observatory tables (agreement within a minute). Which direction the sun sets is worked out from the shoreline's orientation, not from the skyline — a headland, an offshore island or high ground behind the beach can hide the last few degrees.
Live view
Nearest camera: Poipu › South-east: Kiahuna Beach - Kala Kai Point
Webcams provided by windy.com · add a webcam
Photos
Where to stay
5 hotels, resorts and rentals are mapped within 1.5km of this beach, the closest about 75m away.
Hotels & resorts nearby5 within 1.5km · nearest 75m
- Lawai Beach Resort · 75m
- Lawai Beach Resort · 154m
- Lawai Beach Resort · 254m
- Poipu Bed and Breakfast Inn · 945m
- Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu · 1191m
Mapped lodging from OpenStreetMap — not a complete list of what's bookable.
Booking link is an affiliate link — it costs you nothing extra.
Things to do nearby
Attractions & galleries1 within 1.5km
- The Shops at Kukui’ulu · 796m
Shops nearby9 within 1.2km
- blue ginger kids · 822m
- Coutuved By Björk · 823m
- Cariloha Bamboo · 824m
- SoHa Living · 828m
- Cruise Kauai · 835m
- Poipu Surf · 837m
- Mahina · 846m
- Crazy Shirts · 853m
- DEJAVU Surf Hawaii · 856m
Rentals & dive shops1 within 2km
- Beach Rentals · 1169m
OpenStreetMap rarely records gear rental, so bookable activities are searched via GetYourGuide (affiliate link).
Where Hoai Bay / Lawai Beach ranks
- The best-equipped beaches on Kauai — ranked #17
- Family beaches on Kauai — ranked #14
- Kauai beaches you can park at — ranked #18
Positions come from mapped facilities and shoreline orientation, and each list explains exactly how it is ordered.
Other beaches on Kauai
- Baby Beach · 0.7km · 151m long · faces south-west
- Kiahuna Beach · 2.0km · 368m long · faces south
- Poʻipū Beach · 2.5km · 346m long · faces south-west
- Brennecke Beach · 2.9km · 100m long · faces south-west
- Shipwreck Beach · 4.2km · 485m long · faces south
Safety
We don't have confirmed lifeguard information for this beach. Never assume a beach is patrolled. Check locally before entering the water.
Rip currents cause around 100 drownings a year at US beaches and account for over 80% of beach rescues, yet only 44% of beachgoers know it. If caught in one, the National Weather Service advises: flip, float and follow.
Safety guidance from the National Weather Service. Beach Beast is not a safety or rescue service. Conditions change rapidly — always check on arrival, obey posted signs and flags, and follow lifeguard instructions. The absence of a warning here does not mean a beach is safe or patrolled.