Kailua, a small community situated in Oahu is an attractive tourist site for millions. This small but thriving and lively community boasts bounteous oceanfront suites, vacation resorts and beachfront homes available both for buying and rental purposes. The key feature responsible for its immense beauty and popularity is the Kailua beach park which is ever crowded with tourists from all over the world and is undoubtedly one of the best beaches of the world.
A majority of the vacation rentals on the Oahu are found in Kailua. Although the place is an attractive tourist site, it is worth mentioning the fact that it does not boast the old fashioned hotels and motels.
Thus, when planning a vacation to Kailua, booking at a vacation rental for your stay is advisable. Of course, the tourists are provided with a number of options for the purpose, one of the most common of which is booking for a stay at a vacation home. You may opt for vacation spots depending on the location, ranging from beach rentals, near the ocean rentals, mountain rentals or even waterfront rentals.
Vacation homes are extremely popular among a majority of tourists owing mostly to the calm, serene and homely environment. Furthermore, as a number of people value their privacy, seeking respite from the outside world; vacation homes are their first choice owing to their secluded and private constructions and architecture.
Therefore, vacation homes are extremely popular owing to their privacy and home-like feel. Another reason why vacation homes are mostly preferred by tourists and also long term renters is the facilities and services that they provide. These include internet access, washers, dryers and other essential daily need items. Some of these also feature an onsite swimming pool for their vacationers.
Kailua real estate, cottages, estates, houses, studios and villas are all available for tourists. However, Kailua condos are yet another of the options that are highly preferred. Even though Kailua condos fail to provide the same level of privacy to their visitors as that offered by vacation homes, due to other tenants that may be present in the complex, but still this option is highly preferred; especially for those traveling with a large circle of friends and family.
The condos and apartments are often provided with a master bedroom and sometimes even private lanais to help the visitors relax and fully enjoy the views.
Furthermore, all of the rentals or real estates boast excellent managements which give you complete information of the verified owners.
The Kailua cottages are usually small for one or two people and are comfortable and cozy furnished to bring to vacationers the ultimate bright aura.
If you are one of those blessed individuals who have no worries of a tight budget then opting for a luxurious villa with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi is an excellent way to enjoy this heavenly location.
One may opt for any of the property types depending on his likes and interests and budget.

The town of Kailua is located along the windward coast of Oahu on Kailua Bay and is twelve miles northeast of downtown Honolulu. The name Kailua is translated as “two seas” or “two currents” in Hawaiian because of the two lagoons that create the prolific bay that has become famous around the world. A primarily residential neighborhood, the scenic beauty of charming beaches and picturesque hills has increased the popularity of Kailua vacation rentals. The local beaches are one of the reasons Kailua is so popular today. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, more popularly known as Dr. Beach rated Kailua Beach as the best American beach in 1998 for its sandy crescent-shaped beach and light to medium waves for surfing and bodysurfing.

However, even more popular today is Lanikai Beach, also a part of Kailua. Not only is the secluded beach hidden along the rocky shore, but the very photogenic view of the Na Mokulua Islands offshore makes for an even more enjoyable beach day experience. The tradewinds help to promote windsurfing, canoeing, and kayaking off of the beach, almost guaranteeing a fun day at the beach. Miles from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, the uncrowded and almost empty beaches of Kailua make it one of the most ideal places to stay and vacation – especially if you live for the beach and the ocean. Without having to fight traffic, other tourists, and urban city life, renting a vacation home in Kailua can provide the ultimate in relaxing vacations.

Not to be confused with Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, Kailua is a small, yet beautiful town located on the northeastern coast of Oahu. Although the town offers all of the amenities and conveniences of any modern city, Kailua, through numerous community organizations, has been able to preserve its small town atmosphere and “Old Hawaii feel.”

Kailua is home to a movie theater, grocery stores, numerous local and brand name shops, and great restaurants, but you will find almost no high-rises or oversized buildings in Kailua. However, you will find lush greenery wherever you go. The people in Kailua are very kind and the town preserves a very laid back atmosphere.

Nearby rental shops also offer surfing, kitesurfing, kayaking, canoeing, and wind sailing on the beach.

Aside from the beautiful beaches, Kailua is home to many small, local restaurants that serve excellent food and local shops that sell unique trinkets.
If you wish to find even more things to do, Kailua is only minutes away from Kaneohe and Honolulu.

If prospective home buyers can find real estate in Hawaii Oahu, they will be able to experience the true essence of the local way of life.  Much of the local lifestyle is based around the beaches.  The island culture is heavily influenced by the sandy shores that form the border of the tropical island paradises.  Kailua Peach Park is located on the windward side of Oahu and is famous for its excellent swimming, wind surfing, kayaking, and relatively calm waters to enjoy.  Similarly, Kualoa Regional Park is known for the same calm waters but also the offshore island of Chinaman’s Hat that is just a little ways off shore.  Kahana Bay Beach Park is across from Ahupua’a O Kahana State Park on the windward side and is quite popular with those beachgoers who’d like to avoid the crowds.

The secluded beach cove is one of Oahu’s best kept secrets for its calm waters and plenty of sandy beach.  Ehukai Beach Park is home to the famous Bonzai Pipeline on the North Shore and in the winter months hosts some of the best surfing competitions.  Surf can rise up to thirty to forty feet in the rough months, attracting the most experienced surfers from around the world.  People who live on Oahu can reach all of these fine destination beaches within just a few minutes’ drive. This is more than enough justification for people to buy a property in Hawaii on Oahu.

KailuaBay.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of Kailua’s beaches and bay. If you would like to get involved and want to learn more about what you can do to help Register with the KailuaBay.org so we can notify you of volunteer clean-up activities.

This site was designed to serve the Kailua community and visitors to Kailua’s beaches. There are two main purpose of KailuaBay.org:

• • First, the site will aggregate relevant content regarding our local beach conditions. This content will come in the form of automated feeds in addition to media, governmental and non-governmental organizations. If you work with a source for such data, please send us an initial email here and we will respond shortly.
  • Second, this site is designed to allow anyone to register for free, so that they may partake in the Kailua Bay Action Network. Members are able to post information about their local beach conditions and to notify the site administrator of an environmental concern or clean-up activity in their area. Members will also receive notices of clean-up efforts, as needed.- We can’t keep track every inch of beach alone. But, if we work together, we can quickly identify areas that need help. Let us know and we’ll organize a cleanup activity.  to submit a news item.

    Track Your Beach – If you’d like to start blogging the conditions at your favorite stretch of Kailua Beach , click here  to create a journal.

    Share an Idea – If you have a creative idea to help build community awareness or if you’d like our help organizing a local clean-up activity send us a note by clicking here.

    Tell a Friend – If you like what you see and know someone else who would like to help, share KailuaBay.org by clicking here. Community action only works when people who care get involved. So, please tell a friend. We promise that any information that you submit, including your friends name and email address will be kept strictly confidential — we never divulge member information.

    Visit often to get the latest beach news. Please feel free to send us a note, if you have any suggestions.

    Thanks for your support. And, for telling your friends about KailuaBay.org.

Wailupe from Kawaikui to Waialae Golf Course, signs will be removed.

Bellows and Waimanalo

signs will stay up.
Ala Wai Canal, Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, and Ala Wai
Channel signs will stay up.
Kaneohe Beach Park to Kokokahi will stay up.

Watson Okubo
Clean Water Branch
State of Hawaii Department of Health

that attempts to answer this question through an interrogative approach with audience and panelist participation.

Date: April 20, 2006 (Thursday)

Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. (followed by pupus and drinks until 7:00 p.m.)

Location: Hawaii Capitol Auditorium, Chamber Level

*Take TheBus Line 4 or parking is available at the State Capitol underground parking garage (accessible via Miller Street off of Punchbowl Street).

The Coastal Society of Hawaii is presenting a forum entitled: “Shifting Shorelines: Strategizing a Future for Hawaii’s Coasts”

Mark your calendar and join us for this very important forum. We will be discussing the topic of coastal erosion in Hawaii, the fate of our coastlines, and formulating solutions to be pursued by legislation. The topic will first be presented by panelists John Gutrich, Chip Fletcher, Denis Hwang, Thomas Smith, and Sam Lemmo specialists from the fields of Ecological Economics, Coastal Geology, Land Use Law, Coastal Engineering, and Coastal Management. Presentations will be followed by a comment and discussion period. Audience participation and insight for solutions to this complex and multifaceted problem is encouraged!

If you live in Hawaii and are concerned with issues such as Public Access, Beach Loss, and Development along the coast, then please come on down to the Capitol Building April 20th.

The Coastal Society of Hawaii is comprised a diverse group of Hawaii residents involved and concerned with important coastal issues. Our mission is to bring together students, surfers, beach users, researchers, legislators and professionals from all disciplines to address coastal conservation and developmental issues. Through structured forums, weekly e-newsletters, field trips, and mentor programs we aim at increasing communication and integrating problemsolving between the many individuals and organizations facing coastal challenges.

Panelists:

CHARLES (CHIP) FLETCHER, Ph.D.,

is Chairperson and Professor in the Department of Geology & Trombone Trouble Geophysics in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He conducts research in beach sedimentology and c! oastal hazards and is known for his service to government agencies and public groups.

JOHN GUTRICH, Ph.D., 25th Hour download

is an ecological economist and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Hawaii Pacific University. His research efforts include the valuation of non-market ecosystem goods and services, restoration wetland ecology, ecological risks of marine GMOs and efficient economic solutions to the environmental regulation of rivers.

DENNIS HWANG, JD, is with the law office of Reinwald O’Connor & Playdon, LLP. He is the author of the Hawaii Coastal Hazard Mitigation Guidebook, and is helping to write similar books for Indonesia and Lousiana. He has a Master of Science in geology & geophysics from the University of Hawaii and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston.

SAM LEMMO, MURP, is Administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands. He has been active in developing legislation to create a special fund to restore beaches in Hawaii and is currently developing a comprehensive integrated shoreline policy to improve coastal land use decisions.

THOMAS D. SMITH, P.E., Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back video is the senior coastal engineer at the Honolulu District of US Army Corps of Triloquist buy Engineers (USACE) who focuses on shore protection and navigation projects. He received a Master of Ocean Engineering degree from Texas A&M in 1994 in association with the USACE Coastal Engineering Education Program.

Facilitator:

KEM LOWRY, Ph.D.,

is Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa. In the 1970’s he led university planners that assisted in the development of the Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program. That experience led to his participation on several coastal management projects under the auspices in of the United Nations Development Program and the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

eprinted from the Honolulu Advertiser

By Reach Suzanne Roig

KAILUA — Bob Perry and his family looked without success for a clean beach to swim at for most of the six days they were in Hawai’i.

Yesterday was no different. They thought Kailua Beach would be safe. No signs were posted warning of contaminated water from sewage spills, but they didn’t count on Ka’elepulu Stream.

The stream, which flows into the ocean, still had posted warning signs until later yesterday, when they were removed by the state Department of Health.

“It’s our last day here and we haven’t been in the ocean yet,” said Perry, of Riverside, Calif. “It sure looked like a nice beach out here, until I saw the signs on the stream.”

Even though the signs have been removed where the family was staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Perry was concerned that there might be a risk.

With some beaches still closed and others just recently opened, how is someone to know if the water is safe?

After six weeks of rain, beaches around the island were closed when bacteria levels soared from storm-water runoff and sewage spills. In Waikiki, more than 48 million gallons of raw sewage poured into the Ala Wai Canal beginning March 24 after a sewer main break on Kai’olu Street. In Kailua, about 10 million gallons of raw sewage poured into the ocean in March.

One man died from organ failure when his body went into septic shock after he was infected with bacteria, possibly from a fall into the contaminated Ala Wai Boat Harbor.

While warning signs have been removed from some beaches, they remain closed in Waikiki and Kane’ohe.

Even when the signs are removed, the Department of Health won’t guarantee that the water is free of bacteria, said Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman. Even under normal circumstances, the water could still infect someone with a compromised immune system or an open wound, Okubo said.

“There’s bacteria everywhere,” Okubo said. “People can get sick from the ocean at any time. It doesn’t have to have a sewage spill. There’s always bacteria in the ocean.”

With all the contamination, some beachgoers have been leery about taking a dip in the ocean.

But at Kailua Beach yesterday, most local residents — those regulars who either surf or paddle in the ocean — didn’t have qualms about going in, despite warning signs posted along Ka’elepulu Stream. Visitors, especially those with children, however, stayed out of the water.

One family, from Orange County, Calif., left Kailua Beach to look for another where they would feel that their three children could swim safely.

Before leaving their Waikiki hotel room, Tammy Nguyen had searched the Internet for information indicating which beaches were safe. She even asked the front desk at her hotel.

“I don’t want to take a chance,” Nguyen said as she decided to leave. “We’ll go to Ko Olina. We don’t want to take a chance.”

Alika Cavaco, a Kailua surfer, said he’s not concerned about the water. Two weeks ago, he was, but not now.

“When the water went blue, I stopped worrying about it,” Cavaco said. “Kailua cleans up really quickly with the sunshine and the trade winds.”

Cavaco also noted that a much smaller amount of sewage spilled at Kailua compared to the amount that was diverted into the Ala Wai Canal.

“I won’t go in town for a long, long while,” he said. “It will take some time before I’m trusting of that water.”

Duane Samson, a member of the Kai Oni Canoe Club, said Kailua Beach was perfectly safe for swimming. Even the stream was in better condition than normal because the sand plug at the beach end had been opened and ocean water was mixing with the stream, Samson said.

“The stream is cleaner now than when it’s plugged up,” Samson said. “I just took a bunch of kids into the ocean from the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica (Calif.). Now the water is clean, not like when (the storm runoff and sewage spills happened last month). Then we didn’t go in.”

The confusion about when it’s safe to go in the water means it’s time to devise a better public reporting method on water bacteria levels, said Jeff Mikulina, executive director of the Sierra Club Hawai’i Chapter.

“We’d like to see a standardized reporting method posted online of the water quality from both the city and the state,” Mikulina said. “We have a surf report; we should also have a poop report. We’re pushing for this and next month you’ll see more discussion on how to improve the reporting methods.”

“Is it safe to go in the water?” Mikulina said. “That’s the million-dollar question. Personally, it will take me awhile before I go to the townside beaches. We know our sewer system is falling apart below ground. There’s reason for concern.”

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Reprinted from the StarBulletin.com

The state health chief opposes calls for more tests, as no standards have been established

By Mary Vorsino mvorsino@starbulletin.com

Sand at Kailua Beach has higher levels of fecal indicator bacteria than Ala Moana Beach and two spots in Waikiki, but none of the counts appear to pose a health risk, according to an Oahu environmental group.

Healthy Hawaii Coalition took the sand tests Thursday, citing public concerns over beach safety following the recent sewage main breaks in Waikiki that sent more than 50 million gallons of waste water into the Ala Wai Canal.

“It seems some of the areas are cleaner than what a lot of us worried they would be, especially in the Waikiki area,” coalition official Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo said yesterday in announcing the results. “The area that we are still concerned about is Kailua Beach, which has higher bacteria levels.”

During the recent heavy rain, waste-water spills occurred along the Windward Oahu coast.

The group found that sand at Kailua Beach had 24 “colony-forming units” of enterococcus per 100 grams, and 60 colonies of Clostridium perfringens in the same sample.

Waikiki Beach near Duke’s Restaurant had 46 colonies of clostridium, while Ala Moana Beach had 16. The beach fronting Hilton Hawaiian Village had negligible amounts of bacteria.

Gabbard Tamayo said she hopes the results spur the state to consider regular sand testing after sewage spills. “People have a right to know whether our beaches are clean,” she said.

But Dr. Chiyome Fukino, the state Health Department’s director, said the tests are worthless because there are no bacteria-level standards for sand. The state also does not test sand and so does not have historical counts.

“You don’t just throw these things together like you’re baking a cake,” Fukino said. “It doesn’t mean a whole lot.”

Meanwhile, a House panel passed a resolution yesterday asking the state Health Department to conduct sand testing where warning signs were posted following the Ala Wai spill.

“We’re erring on the side of caution, and we’re going to ask them to do some scientific analyses of the sand,” state House Health Committee Vice Chairman Josh Green said.

“We all know there is bacteria in the sand. The question is, Because of the new problems with the flooding and the sewage break, do we have extra problems?”

Lawmakers provided no funds to cover the testing, but told health officials they could return to ask for an allocation.

Fukino said she is not sure how the department will meet the resolution’s requirements, with funding so tight and current staffing already stretched. She also said meaningful tests would require a standard correlated with human illness. “We would have to design a study,” she said.

Earlier this year — before the heavy rain and sewage spills that plagued February and March — a trio of eighth-graders at Our Redeemer Lutheran School took sand samples at four Oahu beaches to test for bacteria counts.

With help from Diagnostic Laboratory Services, they found that Kailua Beach had higher bacteria counts than Waimea Bay, Waikiki and Ko Olina, which came in second. Waikiki was third, and Waimea Bay had almost no bacteria. They also found that bacteria counts were higher farther from shore. The highest levels were measured 30 steps from the shoreline.

“On the news, I heard the state isn’t really doing that much with the sand. They’re mostly concerned with the water,” said 13-year-old Cathy Yong yesterday.

________________________________________

Star-Bulletin reporter B.J. Reyes contributed to this report.