"It's just gorgeous," said Annie Meredith, who regularly surfs in the bay. "You've got inexperienced mountains, drained sand, glum the deep - that's brand of solidified to beat." Hanalei drub out other shores stretching from San Diego to Cape Cod, Mass. Hamoa Beach on Maui was fifth on Leatherman's list. "The simple attractiveness of Hanalei Bay is breathtaking," said Leatherman, superintendent of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research. "It's extremely an heavenly setting.
" Leatherman based his selections on 50 criteria, including deuterium oxide calibre and temperature, cleanliness, weather, sand, aegis and facilities. And Hanalei is his in person favorite "getaway beach" in Hawaii. "If I want to get away from it all and cease to remember about the nap of the world, Hanalei is about the best livelihood to go, as far as I know," he said.
The big enticement here is that it's not a big attraction. Unlike in the high-rise jungle of Waikiki, where thousands of tourists recline across the sand, there's profusion of breathing range in separate Hanalei. Newlyweds Dirk and Courtney McNealy of Gainesville, Fla., noticed that there were only about 50 mortals along the absolute two miles of ground on a up to date weekday.
"Back in Florida it seems there's 50 commoners in a 10-foot stretch," Courtney McNealy said. The McNealys chose the Garden Island for their honeymoon because they wanted a calm retreat. "Oahu to me feels be partial to Chicago, a stupendous big apple on the brink of the water," said Duane Kutsch, of Richland, Wash. "This still has a hometown note to it.
" Hanalei beginning gained illustriousness when the hit melodic "South Pacific" was filmed here five decades ago, and it hasn't changed much. The sailors sang "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame" at the bay, while neighboring Lumahai Beach is where Mitzi Gaynor made renowned "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair." More recently, Kauai's North Shore served as the backdrop in films from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to "Tropic Thunder," which starred part-time native tenant Ben Stiller, one of many celebrities who vacation or dwell here. Hanalei and abutting areas have several climb surf breaks.
This is where three-time surfing fraternity guardian Andy Irons lives and honed his skills. But even when the surf is up, parts of the bay are protected by an outer reef, so common man can still swim safely. Ranked No. 2 in 2008, Hanalei will now be retired from Dr. Beach's list.
Its settling on returns the lid blot to Hawaii, which has won 12 times since Leatherman started the incline in 1991. HANALEI, Hawaii » If duration is a beach, Hanalei Bay must be heaven. This remote, 2-mile, crescent-shaped run aground on Kauai, where the emerald mountains happen on the sparkling sea, was selected No. 1 on "Dr. Beach" Stephen P. Leatherman's 2009 chronicle of finish 10 U.S. beaches.
