Waikiki Beach at Dusk: The Prettiest Sunset Spot on Oahu

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If Honolulu surprised me with its beauty, the same could be said for Waikiki—tenfold—especially when we found the best sunset spot on Oahu.

It blows my mind that just a peaceful spit of sand is located right in the middle of such a bustling city.

Our hotel was located just a block off the beach, which was pretty convenient as we could run over for an hour and get some sun or take a walk at sunset whenever we had a brief break from all of our activities.

I loved the little pier that jutted out into the jade-tinted surf. Just beware the locals: I saw many surfer dudes trying to time it perfectly so they’d send a heavy spray up onto the (clothed) innocent bystanders above!

Luckily, we kept our distance. I would have been peeved, ever so slightly, if they’d ruined our camera equipment, which we were toting around out in the open, on the tripod for a change.

I’ve never seen so many ripped, beautiful bodies in one place. It was enough to make me almost—key word: almost—throw away my ice cream and hit the gym instead.

Yet another spot to add to our ever-growing “Places We Need to Revisit and Spend More Time In” list—a list that exponentially expands far quicker than it shrinks these days, it seems.

COMMENTS
  • May 20, 2011

    Gorgeous! That is one place we didn’t spend a lot of time, except for sailing by – I remember seeing that pink hotel. That first picture is absolutely stunning. I love how deserted and iconic of paradise it is with the colors, the setting sun, and the soft wash of the water.

  • May 20, 2011

    Stunning! And I’m jealous. I’m headed back to the states after 3 weeks of work and fun in Asia, but I could sure use a trip to the beach to relax a little. Hope you had an amazing time. Sure looks like you did.

  • May 20, 2011

    What beautiful pictures! We loved Waikiki and wandering up and down the bustling beach…so laid back and exhilarating at the same time!

  • May 20, 2011

    This looks amazing! I’ve heard some rather negative things about Hawaii in the recent past–that it’s all commercial, that it can be hard to get off the beaten tourist path, that the schism between the wealthy tourists and the service-sector locals can be dramatic. You’re convincing me that it’s still definitely a great place to visit.

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      Don’t listen! There are definitely some commercial spots but just as many quiet, secluded ones as there are places that are overcrowded and overrated.

  • May 20, 2011

    I love how it looks like the land runs out into the ocean and just…disappears. It makes for a haunting connectivity between the land and the water in your pictures.

    • May 23, 2011

      I like that analogy. It sums up my view of places like this.

  • May 20, 2011

    Peeved would be the word! I do try to remember to stick a 2-gallon, zipper-close plastic bag in my camera bag when I travel…and I’ve used them to protect my cameras from water several times during my travels (during a sudden downpour, on a speedboat ride…)

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      We were going to try this on our current trip, but it’s been full-on pouring the entire time we’ve been in Salt Lake and I don’t think a plastic bag would even do much to protect our gear!

  • May 20, 2011
    Mary

    These pictures are stunning! And they’re bringing back memories!

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      Thank you, Mary!

  • May 20, 2011

    A couple of those photos really surprised me how empty the beach was in such a crowded place. Nice to see and definitely an enticement to visit.

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      To be fair, it wasn’t too empty…it was in spots like the lifeguard stand, but we did all long exposures (around 25 seconds) so it blurred out any people in the shot. That said, there were definitely stretches filled with a lot of people and stretches that were blissfully empty.

  • May 20, 2011

    Really beautiful 🙂

  • May 20, 2011

    Beautiful photos Kristin! I love the effect you used on the first 2 or 3. Makes the pictures look mysterious and sublime at the same time. Hope all is well. Cheers!

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      Thanks, Ryan!! No special tricks or editing, we just used a tripod for a change and exposed most of the shots for 20 to 30 seconds each. Not much work, but killer outcome.

  • May 20, 2011

    Great photos! The first one looks like it should have some inspirational quote written on it and hung in a place of importance. I’ve scrolled back up twice just to look at it. Love it!

    • May 20, 2011
      Kristin

      Haha, I love it! Maybe Scott, who is better at Photoshop illustrations than I am should turn it into one!

  • May 20, 2011

    Hey Kristin! Truly stunning, I love the long shots of the sky and the way you captured the water.

  • May 20, 2011

    The lead photo of this post is simply breathtaking.

  • May 22, 2011

    Amazing photos, as always! I miss Hawaii.

    • May 24, 2011
      Kristin

      Well, you’re close enough to jet back in a heartbeat =) Take Amy with you! Girlfriend needs a nice beach vacation after a stressful semester.

  • May 23, 2011

    Swoon! Gorgeous!

    xox

  • May 23, 2011

    That lead photo — amazing! So gorgeous. (The rest are lovely, too 🙂 )

    • May 24, 2011
      Kristin

      Thanks so much, Nicole!

  • May 24, 2011

    Love those pink skies which must have been around sunset I suppose

    • May 24, 2011
      Kristin

      Yes, sunset! Nothing beats Hawaii just as the sun is starting to drop.

  • June 5, 2011

    Great photographs! Hawaii is such a magical place… I’m not usually a big fan of beaches that are overgrown with hotels and high rise condos, but somehow the skyline looks just right here. Classic paradise

  • June 14, 2011

    Just beautiful.

  • November 8, 2011

    I’m doing some research for a friend who is in Waikiki right now. OMG your pictures are gorgeous. Yup, Hawaii is moving up the list for sure!

  • July 15, 2012

    Those photos gave me the urge to pack my bags and visit the nearest beach asap. by the way here is my own entry to the weekly photo challenge, http://langaeh.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/weekly-photo-challenge-movement/

    • July 15, 2012

      Thank you for stopping by–and for playing along, too!

  • July 15, 2012

    Wonderful shots. Love the first one used for this weeks photo challenge. Indeed, very dreamy.

    • July 15, 2012

      Thank you! We do love playing with long exposures in the rare instance we actually haul the tripod around =)

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