'Dr. Beach' picks Hanalei Bay nation's No. 1 beach

HANALEI, Hawaii — If life is a beach, Hanalei Bay must be heaven.

This remote, two-mile crescent-shaped beach on Kauai where the emerald mountains meet the sparkling sea was selected No. 1 on “Dr. Beach” Stephen P. Leatherman's 2009 list of top 10 beaches, which was released May 22.

Dr. Beach's Top 10: http://www.drbeach.org

Here are the winners going back to 1991 of Florida International University professor Stephen P. Leatherman's annual Best Beach award. Winners are retired from later lists.

2009 — Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
2008 — Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, FL
2007 — Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, N.C.
2006 — Fleming Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
2005 — Fort DeSoto Park, North Beach, St. Petersburg, FL
2004 — Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
2003 — Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii
2002 — St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe, FL
2001 — Poipu Beach Park, Kauai, Hawaii
2000 — Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii
1999 — Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
1998 — Kailua Beach Park, Oahu Hawaii
1997 — Hulopoe, Lanai, Hawaii
1996 — Lanikai Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
1995 — St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, FL
1994 — Grayton Beach State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, FL
1993 — Hapuna, Hawaii
1992 — Bahia Honda, Big Pine Key, Fla.
1991 — Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui, Hawaii

Hanalei beat out other shores stretching from San Diego to Cape Cod.

“The sheer beauty of Hanalei Bay is breathtaking,” said Leatherman, director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research. “It's really an idyllic setting.”

Hanalei features postcard views from every angle and is untouched by the feverish development that has transformed the coastlines of other islands. It's cherished by both locals and tourists as the perfect spot to swim, surf, snorkel or simply escape and unwind.

“It's just gorgeous,” said Annie Meredith, who regularly surfs in the bay. “You've got green mountains, white sand, blue ocean — that's kind of hard to beat.”

The runner-up on Leatherman's list was Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Fla., followed by Coopers Beach in Southampton, N.Y., on Long Island; Coronado Beach in San Diego; Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii; Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y., on Long Island; Cape Hatteras in Outer Banks, N.C.; Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Fla.; Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod, Mass.; and Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, S.C.

Leatherman based his selections on 50 criteria, including water quality and temperature, cleanliness, weather, sand, safety and facilities. And Hanalei is his personal favorite “getaway beach” in Hawaii.

“If I want to get away from it all and forget about the rest of the world, Hanalei is about the best place to go, as far as I know,” he said.

Hanalei is located on Kauai's North Shore around the corner from the Napali Coast, the most stunning corner of the state. One side offers lush valleys, dramatic waterfalls and sculpted mountains with peaks that rise 4,000 feet. On the other is the Pacific, where dolphins and sea turtles can be seen.

The big attraction here is that it's not a big attraction. Unlike in the high-rise jungle of Waikiki, where thousands of glowing-pale tourists sprawl across the sand like eggs in a carton, there's plenty of breathing room in secluded Hanalei.

Newlyweds Dirk and Courtney McNealy, of Gainesville, Fla., noticed that there were only about 50 people along the entire two miles of beach on a recent weekday.

“Back in Florida, it seems there's 50 people in a 10-foot stretch,” Courtney McNealy said.

The McNealys chose the so-called Garden Island for their honeymoon because they wanted a peaceful retreat.

“The water is nice. The sand is nice,” Courtney McNealy said. “It's really beautiful.”

Duane Kutsch, of Richland, Wash., said he enjoyed the slower pace and the space.

“It doesn't seem so big and commercial like Oahu,” he said. “Oahu to me feels like Chicago, a huge city on the edge of the water. This still has a hometown feel to it.”

The flight to Kauai from Honolulu takes less than a half hour.

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