Let me preface this with a disclaimer - we live in a fully-landlocked area of the US, and can all swim but are in no way experts when it comes to ocean activities.
So, the basic question - is Lanikai beach worth it? I keep hearing that it is a must-do on Oahu, but I have read horror stories about parking issues and tickets being issued for parking in the wrong place. And it's in it's own separate area of the island compared to Waikiki, North Shore, Ko Olina, etc. My understanding is that it's beautiful there, but other beaches on Oahu seem plenty beautiful to an ocean rookie like me anyway. I guess the other draw of Lanikai is paddling to the little island offshore, but we probably wouldn't do that anyway, since we have a 5-year-old who probably wouldn't have patience for that (and a 5-year-old having a tantrum in a canoe in the middle of the ocean seems like a nightmare).
We plan to do Waikiki beach and multiple North Shore beaches - so with the potential PITA of it all, is Lanikai worth an extra trip? Will we be missing-out on something spectacular if we skip it?
I appreciate any opinions.
So, the basic question - is Lanikai beach worth it? I keep hearing that it is a must-do on Oahu, but I have read horror stories about parking issues and tickets being issued for parking in the wrong place. And it's in it's own separate area of the island compared to Waikiki, North Shore, Ko Olina, etc. My understanding is that it's beautiful there, but other beaches on Oahu seem plenty beautiful to an ocean rookie like me anyway. I guess the other draw of Lanikai is paddling to the little island offshore, but we probably wouldn't do that anyway, since we have a 5-year-old who probably wouldn't have patience for that (and a 5-year-old having a tantrum in a canoe in the middle of the ocean seems like a nightmare).
We plan to do Waikiki beach and multiple North Shore beaches - so with the potential PITA of it all, is Lanikai worth an extra trip? Will we be missing-out on something spectacular if we skip it?
I appreciate any opinions.