One excellent spot to get a great view of the ocean is at Kakaako Waterfront Park in Honolulu. It's located next to the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center between Aloha Tower Marketplace and Ala Moana Beach and Park and offers a more quiet location to enjoy the scenery.
The relatively small park is a bit hilly which is why it has such nice views. The park has grassy hills and a wide paved walking path as well as shaded picnic tables. This park has a nice secluded feeling and is visited more by locals than tourists. Many people like to come fish off of the rocks along the coastline in front of the park.
Unlike the other larger beach parks, this smaller park does not have a sandy beach. Instead it has dark rocks along the water. Even though there is no beach, there is still ocean access. There are steps that go down to a sheltered area of water. Outside the sheltered area, however, the open water can be rough and not appropriate for all swimmers so please use caution and be safe.