If you want action, go to Sandy's. If you want the mellow family thing, go to the Windward side. For me, though, I just completely avoid Waikiki as much as possible. An avid surfer and lounger, Cournoyer picks her beaches by waves and reputation. She's willing to drive halfway around the island for great surf - parking optional.
Nobody really knows it's there.
Velzyland is a hidden treasure on the North Shore. She was used to driving two hours to the nearest beach in Boston, sitting in Saturday traffic on the way home, sunburned and tired. So ever since she arrived in Hawai ' i nine years ago, she has taken advantage of the fact that no matter where you are on O ' ahu, you're never very far from a beach. But even on an island, beaches are discovered and sometimes created. The four Ko ' olina lagoons, for example, were constructed along the shore near Barbers Point.