This is a beautiful beach with limited access so it doesn’t feel crowded. The guard station only allows about 20 parking spots in for public use so get there early or go during non peak times. The beach itself is great - white sand and beautiful views. Bring a body board for some fun. There are some nice shady spots to hang out in. You can do a little bit of snorkeling on the rockier ends of the beach but there are other places better for that.

There are several beaches with resorts north of Hilo. Our bit of paradise was at the Mauna Kea Beach. We stayed at the Marriott Autograph hotel at this beach (see a different review for this hotel). The hotel has all the beach amenities available for you. As you can see from my pics, this beach fits all the requirements for a dream Hawaii beach: long white sand, it is shallow for quite a distance into the ocean, a beach bar is readily available, and it has snorkeling. There is even an anchored float for you to swim to and rest on. We choose here for the Manta Ray snorkeling experience (see the Manta Ray Advocate review). And of course, the sunsets were spectacular (again see pics). For a bit of a hike, you can walk/hike the path to another hotel around the cliffs from this beach. While it’s a nice change of scenery, for us, this environment was a better fit.

It doesn't look like anyone has posted a recent review on this beach so I'll share our experience from today (7/5/24). Like many have said, get there early because they only have 40 public beach parking spaces. We arrived a little before 8:00 and our pass was numbered 20. Head down the hill from the resort entrance gate after getting a FREE parking pass (the resort tried to charge people $20 to park there two years ago but that practice was deemed illegal). When you get to the bottom of the hill there is a right hand turn to where the parking spaces are - the sign says "Beach Parking". There will be a gate. Push the button and a guard will ask you what you want. Just tell them you want access to the beach parking and put your paper pass on your dash (they must be watching remotely). The arm should go up and just find an empty space that is marked "Beach Parking". There is a paved path down to the beach. The resort has the first half of the beach filled with lounge chairs and umbrellas. Keep walking south and if you are lucky you can grab some of the very limited shade. There were a lot of people with shade tarps on the beach but if there is much wind they can be tricky. The restroom and showers (both very nice) are on the south end of the beach. The beach is beautiful. The water is clear. A nice sandy bottom. One of the nicest beaches on the island in our opinion. I snorkeled the north (right side as you look out to the water) lava/coral formations. Even though much of the coral appears to be dead there were lots of fish. I had a special treat when a HUGE manta ray came gliding right by me. The resort has a night snorkeling experience where they turn on bright lights and people snorkel with the manta rays so I guess they stay in the area. What a graceful creature. Have a good time!

One of our favorites on the Big Island! You have to get there early as there are only around 30-40 car passes given out per day. The hotel is under extensive renovation so you have to park on the west side of the hotel. Unfortunately, you will have to walk past the hotel part of the beach to get to the public part. It’s a beautiful beach with beautiful views and water. You will not be disappointed!