Great snorkeling, family friendly beach. Before spending too much time in Kauai, you will be reminded over and over again that Poipu Beach was named "America's Best Beach" in 2004 by "Dr. Beach, PhD". So, in case you haven't heard it yet, this beach is officially, certifiably, "The Best".

Here is why:
The beach is protected by a reef offshore, so it is very easy to swim in. The sand is very good. Not fine sugary white sand, but good soft sand.

There is a "kiddie pool" area or lagoon, where there is almost no wave action. The little ones can have a beach all to themselves. We saw 3 and 5 year old kids with little to no supervision on this beach.

The beach has a playground, although it puzzles me why a kid would need a playground on the beach. There are also facilities and lifeguards, as well as plenty of parking.

Nearby places to eat include Brennecke's, a casual, but somewhat expensive restaurant with unbeatable views of the beach. Downstairs from Brennecke's is a Deli, with deli staples like sandwiches, chips and drinks.

There is a surf shop just across the street, where you can rent surf boards, boogie boards, or snorkeling gear.

If you're lucky, you might spot Hawaiian Monk Seals napping on the sand, or Green Sea Turtles swimming or resting on the beach.

Snorkeling was excellent here. The weather was warmer being on the South end. The beach area was great. There was a small playground for smaller kids to play on. It were a couple of industrial strength Little Tykes play structures. I wish we had discovered this beach earlier in our trip.

The snorkeling was wonderful. We went to several locations outside of our resort. Hanalei was wonderful snorkeling; the waters were so very blue and the fish would come right up to you. At our resort beach, the fish were as big as your two fists and they would swarm around you looking for food. A great pastime of the travelers is to buy packs of food and feed the fish out of their hands. We even snorkeled a section of the Napali coast during our boat excursion. The water is so clear that from the top of the boat, you could see the bottom. Dolphins were our swim mates. Scupa diving off the north shore was a definite new for me. We dived to about 60 feet. The coral was beautiful along with the many varieties of fish we swam with. We were even up close and personal with a sea turtle on more than one occasion.

Colorful tropical fish, sea turtles, sea lions, dolphins, and other delightful surprises in beautiful, clear, warm water.

Play area for small children and restaurant across the street.

Poipu beach
If your staying in sunny Poipu, where it doesn’t rain as much as other parts of the island, Poipu beach is easily accessible by walking from the Grand Hyatt or the Embassy Vacations Point at Poipu. Just follow Pe’e road along the water and it will take youright to the beach. Poipu beach is a nice park with picnic tables, places to grill, and lots of wild chickens running around. It’s a nice beach to just play in the water, lie on the beach. Brenneke’s deli is right there too if you want to get something to eat but the food is mediocre. Brenneke’s activity center is located here as well where you can book your activities and get discounts for going to the Marriot Timeshare presentation. The Marriot is located right next to the beach. If you continue walking west, the Sheraton is right next door.