oahubound

Honolulu

Magic Island Lagoon

A walled saltwater lagoon at the Waikiki end of Ala Moana park, flat as a bath.

Magic Island Lagoon

Why go

The calmest water in town, with a lifeguard and free parking - the easiest place in Honolulu to put a small child in the sea.

The catch

It is the far end of Ala Moana Beach Park, not a separate trip - park once and walk. The rock wall that kills the waves also stops the water moving, so it is warmer and cloudier than the open beach, and after heavy rain it is the last place to clear. Packed on weekends and holidays. The park gates shut from 10pm to 4am.

How long
2-3 hours
With children
Yes
Effort
Easy
Cost
Free, including parking
Parking
Easy

Small childrenCalm swimmingSunsetShade

Before you go

  • Lifeguard: Daily 8am-6:30pm

Getting there

Driving times on real roads, from the same data the trip planner routes on — not straight-line distance.

From Waikīkī8 min2.3 miles
From HNL airport37 min15.3 miles
From Ala Moana5 min0.8 miles
From Downtown Honolulu8 min2.6 miles

Add traffic. These are free-flowing times, and the H1 through town at eight in the morning is not free-flowing.

Hours, fees and access rules have not been checked against a primary source for this entry yet. Confirm before you build a day around it.

See it on the map Build a trip around it

What else is close

Nearest by road, which is not the same as nearest on a map — and not the same as sharing a region either.

  • Ala Moana Beach Park1 min awayA long, calm beach where locals actually go.
  • Ala Moana Center5 min awayThe largest open-air shopping centre in the world, between Waikiki and downtown.
  • Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon5 min awayFive acres of still saltwater behind the Hilton, cut off from the surf entirely.
  • US Army Museum of Hawaii5 min awayA coastal artillery battery on Waikiki beach, now a museum, with the concrete left as it was.
  • Hawaii Children's Discovery Center6 min awayA hands-on museum for younger children at Kakaako waterfront.
  • Kaka‘ako6 min awayA warehouse district between downtown and Ala Moana, now covered in large-scale murals.