Located directly behind Holiday Resort & Spa, Matapang Beach has long since been the docking point for many outrigger canoes and practice points for outrigger teams. This local beach park is not as big as the other beach parks on island(Ypao aka Gov. Flores Beach Park and Asan War Memorial Beach Park), but what it does boast is a only a few covered picnic areas(1 – 2) with immediate proximal parking to the beach front. The lows being the actual grassy park is littered with outrigger boats with very little(if any) grass to picnic on(but that’s what the beach is for right?). The glassy, smooth water is not uncommon for Guam beaches since the shoreline is protected by a barrier reef. When the tide comes in it is still shallow as far out as 10 – 20 feet from the shore. The sand is fine and not littered with shards of glass or bonfire material but the actual sandy beach is quite narrow but not so narrow that you can’t enjoy the shore. There is a lifeguard tower on premise(not sure of the times it is occupied). One star deduction for zero bathrooms. Another plus is that this beach(like many other beaches on the Tumon strip has it’s own private parking lot(unsure what time the parking lot gate closes) and public access to the beach. I remember the days of a warm up run from then, Parc Hotel(now Holiday Resort) to either the Hilton or Nikko and back for an outrigger practice. Despite the zero bathroom dilemma, this is still one of my favorite Tumon beaches. Excellent beach access with minimal effort to park or even trek to from the road.
