Even if you're not staying at The Four Seasons Maui, you can soak up the sugar sand glamour here. The native plant landscaped fitness trail along the beach ensures that well-toned bodies abound along this shoreline. Valet park your car for a small fee, enjoy the beach and then head to Spago for lychee sake martinis, or splurge on a sunset dinner at the brand new steak and seafood restaurant, DUO. The upscale Shops at Wailea with are also just five minutes away—just in case you actually want to put on clothes.
On calm days, Mauna Kea is ideal for swimming and snorkling, or just laying out among the rest of the hard bodies until you’re ready for lunch at the steps-away Hau Tree Restaurant (the resort’s restaurant still operates on its own). Since all of Hawaii’s beaches are accessible by the public, the resort has always alloted a few parking spaces for non-guests: now, non-guests rule. But this golden moment won’t last: The resort is scheduled to re-open to new and improved glory in 2008.
This sexy expanse is popular with the island’s ridiculously goodlooking surfers, and you can lay out on a blanket and make a day of people-watching, socializing and taking trips across the Kamehameha Highway to Sunset Pizza or Ted’s Bakery. A word of caution however, don’t get too close to the water line: Rogue waves are common here and they like to sweep away your stuff.
The green mountain peaks and lush waterfalls that surround the bay make for an intensely sensual tropical scene, which provides a strong aphrodisiac for beachgoers. It doesn’t hurt that the top-rated Princeville Resort is at the east end of the bay, or that the town of Hanalei itself, chockful of shops and restaurants, has become home to fashionable hipsters, sporting iPhones, Prius cars and green groceries in designer bags.
Just follow the dreadlocked and fairy-dusted crowd up the trail to clothing-optional Little Beach, where the Burning Man crowd goes to socialize, dance wildly and surf naked (like Polynesians of old). On Sundays, its an all-out party. As sunset approaches, the drumming circle forms, furiously pounding out beats that speak to our more primitive nature. When a whale breaches on the mango-fuschia colored horizon, don't think you’re having a flashback—just sit back and absorb the savage beauty.
Somehow Kiholo Bay remains a best kept secret, even though it’s nestled right among the Kohala Coast resorts. True, it’s a bit of a chore to get there, but you can drive all the but the last ten-minute walk. The calm blue shallows are filled with turtles—the snorkeling is incredible. And best of all, you can gather white coral stones to leave your organic mark by spelling out your lover's name on the black lava along Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
The generally calm waters mean great swimming, so this is where the bikini-clad come to get wet and wild. Because there's no fishing or boating, an endless array of rainbow-colored fish and other sealife visible through strikingly clear water (it’s a marine preservation zone). Plus, you’ll be glad to know that camping is no longer your only beachfront accommodations option: You can stay adjacent to Hulopoe Bay at the Four Seasons Manele Bay, a resort with every imaginable civilized delight to compliment your leisure time immersion.
Rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and pack a cooler with all of your favorite treats, as you won’t pass another soul (much less a store) on the drive to this beach on the west side of Molokai. This isn't the place to watch the sexy people, this is the place to be one. When it's calm, swimming, snorkeling, bodysurfing, body boarding and surfing are on offer here. Even when it's not, the giant waves pound the sand so hard, you’ll literally feel the earth move. How sexy is that?
For the determined, this fabled beach break among the ocean cliffs, with surrounding crags providing protection from the wind, is a fantasy escape. If you’re coming to Oahu, add this to your list of must-be-kissed-at places to see—just like that steamy scene in From Here to Eternity. However, dip into the water with caution: Open-ocean waves roll up on the beach even though a sloping sand bottom takes some of the punch out of them before they hit the shore.
A thin strip of silky virgin black volcanic sand sprouting with baby coconut trees awaits those in the mood to seek it out. Big crashing waves mean it's not safe for swimming, but it is one of the most remote and amazing sights to behold in the entire state. And since by definition, volcanic crystal sand doesn’t last for long, roll around and luxuriate in it while you can.