I have never seen armed people guarding Beach access. And when I was there last I swear I saw people walking from a distance through the bellows beach
You’re correct - Bellows has allowed civilians to access the beach for as long as I can remember, but these days, you have to walk along the shoreline to get there. Civilians can’t access the beach through the base anymore and the road does have a manned guard shack.
Hopefully the authorized civilians include all native Hawaiians & locals at least... thanks for the info!
Yes and no. For example, Hawaii residents can obtain permits that allow us to go fishing on Kaneohe Marine Core Base. But restricted access is better than no access I guess.
Growing up (back in the 80’s and 90’s, prior to 9/11), we could drive on to Bellows and Barber’s Point just by telling the guard we were going to the beach. I miss those days!
My family is planning a trip to Aulani. We will only have enough points for a 4-5 night stay, so we were thinking of visiting another island for 3 or 4 days. Has anyone here done this? Where did you choose to go and why? We’d love to hear what others have done and loved on the other Hawaiian islands to help us decide! Thanks in advance
Kauai is the perfect blend of local culture, postcard-perfect beauty, and tourist amenities. Many families who live on Kauai have been rooted there for generations and there’s a cozy, small town feel there that you won’t find anywhere else in Hawaii (except Hilo). They speak pigeon, talk about hanabata days, and all swear by Hamura’s saimin. Kauai has Na Pali, Waimea Canyon, and Hanalei Bay. Poipu and Princeville have beautiful hotels. The island is so compact that you can experience the best of what Kauai has to offer in just a few days.
Maui has become very commercialized. The proportion of tourists/mainland transplants/locals has changed dramatically in the past few decades and many parts of Maui feels like a rich, mainland suburb. The over-hyped, Instagram famous parts of Maui (Hana, Lahaina, Molokini) are overrun with tourists and can be unpleasant. But there are still some cool, hidden gems that are worth seeking out - like the road from Kapalua to Wailuku where you can buy the banana bread
@monsterkitty mentioned. It’s 10x more beautiful than the road to Hana but 10x scarier!
The Big island has a volcano, and let’s face it, it’s pretty hard to compete with an active volcano ... especially if you’re lucky and lava is flowing into the sea during your visit. There are also star gazing tours on Mauna Kea. Hilo is quaint and has lots of local stores/restaurants, but the tourist amenities are meh. The Naniloa Is the nicest hotel in town but will feel inadequate after a stay at Aulani. Kona/Waikaloa have some fabulous hotels but that part of the island just doesn’t feel very Hawaii to me ... maybe because there aren’t a lot of locals who live there? Unfortunately, the Big Island is very spread out so you’ll waste a lot of time driving around.