One night in Kauai we went out to Rob’s Good Times Grill, we ended up hitchhiking there from Kapaa (it seemed like a good idea at the time). We were going to hike the Na Pali coast the next day (we did, and it was amazing! More on that later) and someone at Rob’s told us we should also check out Hideaway Beach.
Hideaway beach is on the north shore of Kauai. It’s supposed to be similar to the Stairway to Heaven on Oahu, but down instead of up. which is pretty much the only thing I want to do before I die, but unfortunately it was damaged in a storm this year and will likely be taken down. It was always illegal to do but it was possible, and I wish I would have done it when I had the chance.
Hideaway Beach is pretty cool, but it’s hard to find if you don’t know what you are looking for. It’s right near the St. Regis resort, right before you get to the resort you’ll see a little parking lot surrounded by chain link fence, this is the parking for Hideaway. If you hit the gates to enter the resort, you’ve gone too far.
You walk down a little sand alleyway to the edge of the cliff, and that’s where you’ll see the stairs. Be very careful with the stairs, they are old and rusted and broken in places. There are a few very jagged pieces where the railing has broken off, but it’s not a terrible hike down, only 5-10 minutes.
The beach at the bottom is beautiful, and good for swimming. You can also do a little bit more exploring around the area, there are rock cliffs you can crawl up to keep going one way or another around the little cove.
Hideaways can also be reached by Kayak, or by swimming around the point from the St. Regis, but descending the stairs overgrown with lush green plants against the backdrop of the bright blue ocean is pretty spectacular.