Kailua Beach is located on the Eastern side of the Island of Oahu and I have been lucky enough to have spent many, many days on its beautiful sand. It is away from the tourist craziness of Waikiki, it does not have the surf culture of the North Shore and it is very green with the back drop of the Koolau Mountains. From Waikiki/Honolulu, depending on traffic, you can jump over on the Pali Highway or LikeLike Highway and be sitting on an uncrowded Kailua Beach in 30 minutes.
Kailua town has grown a bit more touristy in recent years, with trendy shops and eateries encroaching upon the local vibe, but you can still get anything you need without having to venture into Honolulu. Honestly, it is probably the all around perfect beach for anyone and everyone.
Since Kailua Beach is an east facing beach, the sun comes up early and ducks behind the Koolau Mountains early - this means that if you want maximum 'sunage', you should get there earlier than you think; by 3 p.m. the beach is in shadows.
Let's start with the basics - the sand is soft and clean, and a near white color. The beach itself is not too wide, but wide enough to find a good spot to set up your stuff and still have some room to play. The shape of the beach is a long, easy crescent that starts approximately at the Kailua Beach Park and runs around the bay (it is technically a bay) to the rocky rise that leads up to Kaneohe Marine Corp Base - don't worry, all the military stuff is the beyond the hill that is miles away.
The waves are minimal at best, never big enough for anyone to get up on a surfboard, but at the turn of the beach (mid point of the crescent shape of the beach), there is always some decent body-boogie board surfing waves on even the flattest day. On days where there is a swell coming in on the east shore of Oahu, the waves may be good enough to body surf on a number of spots along the beach. But, because of the big off-shore reefs, the real waves never make it into the beach - you can only see them crashing off in the distance.
Another aspect that I like about Kailua Beach, and almost all Hawaiian beaches, is that motorized water craft are not allowed - you don't have to deal with the noise and smell of those toxic Jet Skis or water-ski boats. The only thing you will see out on the water are small Hobie Cat sail boats, windsurfers and kite surfers. This has made for many peaceful days of sitting in the sun.
The water is warm, but not as warm as the southern beaches of Oahu, and very clear. There is no reef or rocks under your feet, but an occasional piece of coral. You can easily swim out 40 years and pick out the shells on the sea bottom. It is a GREAT place for families with young children, as it is extremely safe. On non-windy days, the water is as flat as a pool - great spot to get kids comfortable swimming in the ocean and floating on a boogie board.
The reason I noted in the title, that it 'Could be Perfect' depends on two situations - 1) The Wind - this is the windward side of Oahu and the Hawaiian Trade Winds (www.wikipedia.com) blow in from the Pacific in this direction. It is great if you are into windsurfing, but it can tend to chop up the water a bit and bring a fair amount of morning/evening rains to this side of the island. 2) The Jellyfish. A few days after each full moon, there is a jellyfish bloom, where the jellyfish will move into the bay and when a windy day corresponds with a bloom, there can be many of these stinging bubbles around. I say bubbles, because they actually look like a light blue bubble that you would blow with bubble gum. When you see these in the water and on the shore, don't worry about the bubble, that does not sting you, rather is is the tail or tentacle that can trail 3 feet beyond the body of the jellyfish that hurts. Just bring vinegar with you - it takes away the sting. Or better yet, go to the south or west side of Oahu - there won't be nearly as many.
As for accommodations - there are no hotels. This is one reason the beach is rarely crowded, even on weekends during the tourist seasons. If you want to stay in the area, and this is the area that we always stay in when we visit, just go to the Internet and search under Kailua Beach vacation rentals - you will have many, many options that are better than just about any hotel.
Since this is a residential area, there are limited places to park, even though State Law says ALL beaches are public. There is the larger Kailua Beach Park at the beginning of the beach, near to Lanikai Beach, and then Kalama Beach park at approximately the mid-point of the beach. All in all, parking is not a big deal and walking to a perfect spot is very easy.
If I could only visit one beach each year, I would probably pick Kailua Beach each time.
