Don’t blink as you cruise Alii Drive, or you’ll miss Laaloa, often called White Sands, Magic Sands, or Disappearing Beach. That’s because the sand at this small pocket beach, about 4 1/2 miles south of Kailua-Kona’s historic center, does occasionally vanish, especially at high tide or during storms. On calm summer days, you can swim here, next to bodyboarders and bodysurfers taking advantage of the gentle shorebreak; you can also snorkel in a little rocky cove just to the south. In winter, though, a dangerous rip develops and waves swell, attracting expert surfers and spectators; stay out of the water then, but enjoy the gawking. The palm-tree-lined county beach park includes restrooms, showers, lifeguard station, and a small parking lot.

Alii Drive