You can see why they built the defunct Kaluakoi Hotel here: the beach is a rocky, white-sand dream. However, swimming here can be a nightmare. Not only can there be a tough shorebreak, but strong currents can be present even on calm days.
During winter, the surf breaks close to shore, crashing in sand-filled waves that can be a brutal exfoliant.
A five-minute hike up to the top of Puʻu o Kaiaka , a 110ft-high promontory at the southern end of the beach, is rewarded with a nice view of Papohaku Beach. At the top you'll find the remains of a pulley that was once used to carry cattle down to waiting barges for transport to Oʻahu slaughterhouses. There was also a 40ft heiau on the hilltop until 1967, when the US army bulldozed it (and gave the superstitious another reason to ponder the local run of bad luck). There's plenty of parking in the resort's cracked parking lots.
