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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 9:57 a.m., Tuesday, June 12, 2007

2 Hawai'i beaches in Travel + Leisure's top 20

Advertiser Staff

Hawai'i possesses two of the top 20 beaches in the United States, according to list of the best places to rub your toes in the sand by Travel + Leisure magazine.

The magazine included Wai'anapanapa Beach on Maui among its "secret beaches" selections and Kaua'i's Hanakapi'ai Beach among its "nature escapes" category.

Here's what the magazine said about each:

Wai'anapanapa Beach

"On Honokalani Road, just off the Hana Highway, is Wai'anapanapa, a black-sand cove set between cliffs. Watch daredevils paddle their boards beyond the weathered rock arches and lava tubes jutting from the shore. Shopping Detour At the Hasegawa General Store, load up on bargain surf shorts and folding beach chairs. Check-In Book one of the Sea Ranch Cottages facing the Pacific Ocean at Hotel Hana-Maui."

Hanakapi'ai Beach

"Two miles into the 11-mile-long Kalalau Trail on Kaua'i's Napali coast, Hanakapi'ai is a welcome pitstop. Tucked between two narrow cliffs, the beach is framed by a deposit of boulders. T+L Tip The beach is a bit of a tease: swimming is strongly discouraged, because of the violent surf. Check-In Plan ahead to book the one-room Jungle Cabana; (from $125), if only for the outdoor, torch-lit bathtub shielded by a bamboo fence."

California placed four beaches on the list while Florida had three.

Travel + Leisure's Great American Beach List

  • Horseshoe Beach, La Jolla, Calif.

  • Wai'anapanapa Beach, Maui, Hawai'i

  • Ladies Beach, Nantucket, Mass.

  • Napeague State Park, Long Island, N.Y.

  • Butterfly Beach, Santa Barbara, Calif.

  • North Avenue Beach, Chicago, Ill.

  • Fort Lauderdale City Beach, Florida

  • Zuma Beach, Malibu, Calif.

  • Rosemary Beach, Florida

  • North Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.

  • Gooseberry Beach, Newport, R.I.

  • Long Branch, New Jersey

  • Hanakapi'ai Beach, Kaua'i, Hawai'i

  • Pfeiffer State Beach, Big Sur, Calif.

  • Meyers Creek Beach, Gold Beach, Ore.

  • Cumberland Island, Georgia

  • Crandon Park Beach, Key Biscayne, Fla.

  • Popham Beach State Park, Maine

  • Kiawah Island, South Carolina

  • Whitefish Dunes State Park, Door County, Wis.