Poʻipū Beach runs about 346m (0.3km) along the Kauai coast — a mid-sized beach by Hawaiian standards. It faces south-west so it takes the afternoon sun and faces the sunset. There are 12 mapped parking areas nearby, the closest about 82m from the sand. On-beach facilities mapped here include shower, drinking water, toilets, bbq.
Getting there & parking
Closest mapped parking is about 82m from the sand, with 12 parking areas within 600m. At least one is marked free.
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 43m |
| Showers | yes nearest 20m |
| Drinking water | yes nearest 37m |
| Changing rooms | not mapped |
| BBQ | yes nearest 93m |
"Not mapped" means OpenStreetMap has no record — it may still exist on the ground.
Places to eat nearby12 within 1km · nearest 15m
- Starbucks · 590mMo-Su 05:00-18:00
- Crumb And Get It · 593mMo-Su 07:30-14:00
- Brennecke's · 63mMo-Su 08:30-11:00
- Puka Dog · 63m
- Red Salt · 185m
- Casa di Amici · 475m
- Lava's on Poipu Beach · 509m
- Honu Bar · 15m
- Kalapaki Joe's · 428m
- Little Fish Coffee · 484m
- Cabana Bar & Grill · 535m
- Papalani Gelato · 605m
Details from OpenStreetMap tags — hours and offerings change, so check before relying on them.
Shops nearby2 within 1km
- Whalers General Store · 579mMo-Su 09:00-21:00
- Suite Paradise Vacation Rentals · 432m
Where it is
Who it suits
- Families and long days — toilets nearby and parking close to the sand
- Sunset — the sun sets over the water here in 8 months of the year, as late as 6:58pm in April
- 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, 4.6km away.
Sunrise & sunset at Poʻipū 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-west (207°). The sun sets out over the water September to April; the rest of the year it goes down at the far end of the beach rather than out to sea. The sunset point itself swings about 51° across the year, from WSW in December to WNW in June.
| 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 | 5:58am | 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
Where to stay
10 hotels, resorts and rentals are mapped within 1.5km of this beach, the closest about 142m away.
Hotels & resorts nearby10 within 1.5km · nearest 142m
- Koʻa Kea Resort on Poipu Beach · 142m
- Ko'a Kea · 187m
- Kiahuna Plantation Resort · 383m
- Manualoha Condominiums · 553m
- Sheraton Kauai Resort · 653m
- Regency at Poipu Kai · 719m
- Makahuena · 914m
- The Point at Poipu · 1031m
- The Sands at Poipu Kai · 1049m
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
- aFeinberg Photography · 1433m
Shops nearby1 within 1.2km
- Honolua Surf & Co · 620m
Rentals & dive shops2 within 2km
- Suite Paradise Vacation Rentals · 432m
- Beach Rentals · 1176m
OpenStreetMap rarely records gear rental, so bookable activities are searched via GetYourGuide (affiliate link).
Where Poʻipū Beach ranks
- The best-equipped beaches on Kauai — ranked #1
- The best-equipped beaches in Hawaii — ranked #4
- Sunset beaches on Kauai — ranked #11
- Family beaches on Kauai — ranked #2
- Family beaches in Hawaii — ranked #4
- Kauai beaches you can park at — ranked #16
Positions come from mapped facilities and shoreline orientation, and each list explains exactly how it is ordered.
Other beaches on Kauai
- Brennecke Beach · 0.4km · 100m long · faces south-west
- Kiahuna Beach · 0.5km · 368m long · faces south
- Shipwreck Beach · 1.8km · 485m long · faces south
- Baby Beach · 1.9km · 151m long · faces south-west
- Hoai Bay / Lawai Beach · 2.5km · 54m long · faces south
Safety
A lifeguard station is mapped at this beach. Staffing and hours vary by season and can change without notice — confirm on arrival and follow posted signs, flags and lifeguard instructions.
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.