 The stretch of Poipu beach in front of the Sheraton resort is simply gorgeous. I have spent many hours here just sleeping in the sun. The nearby resort offers a poolside cafe where you can buy snacks or a quick and inexpensive lunch, and if you like body surfing, you won't be disappointed. Calm in the winter when the north shore is choppy, this beach is always the spot for fun in the sun.
The beach has remained the same although the resorts along its edge have changed many times. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki (whose name means sharp "as in wind or pangs of love") devastated the island. The room where I'd stayed a few months prior had been reduced to concrete walls. The old Sheraton pool became a sandpit, and the nearby Kiahuna plantation rooms were in ruins with surfboards nailed through the walls like thumbtacks.
In 1993 I couldn't believe how the raw beauty of the beach was in sharp contrast to the rubble of the nearby resorts. Of course, they've all been rebuilt, bigger, better, and more beautiful and today you can't even imagine the hurricane's fury as you bask in the blinding sunlight next to the calm sea.
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Take Hwy. 56 south past Lihue until it turns left into Hwy. 50. Take 50 until you reach the left hand turn off to 520. This is the famous "tree tunnel". Follow 520 south through the town of Koloa until you reach Poipu Road. Turn left, and when you see a sign for the Sheraton, turn right. At the end of this road is a public parking lot for the beach. Walk along the sidewalk to the left until you reach the area of sand in front of the resort. You'll love it!
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