Maui is an island particularly well known for its beaches. With some of the world’s most prestigious shorelines and warm sand to put your toes in, selecting a favorite on Maui can be next to impossible. Maui delivers most any type of beach. From extremely white soft sand to rocky beach cliffs, any type of beach environment is available here. We want to present you with some of the best beaches that you can travel to across the shoreline in Maui.
Be sure to check out some of these locations today:
Hamoa Beach East Maui:
Hamoa Beach is definitely what you might consider the ideal feel for peace and tranquility. As you drive down Haneoo Road, you will start to see an incredible coastal view. Down towards the Koki Beach you will start to see Hamoa Beach reveal itself. This is one of the longest and widest beaches on the island at over 1000 feet in length and 100 foot in width. The area is bordered by a series of absolutely stunning sea cliffs. This is a wonderful beach to come to if you are interested in some sheltered snorkeling activities, excellent swimming, as well as the chance to partake in some fairly safe body surfing in the winter. The surf hits the beach and can get quite large in the winter months so it can be a good idea to be a strong swimmer here.
Kaanapali Beach:
Most of the seaside resorts that you might see advertised in Maui, likely advertised this beach. It’s a 3-mile stretch of beautiful sands running through a number of resort grounds. Black rock along the beach adds a bit of contrast from the beautiful sands, and fish in the area an excellent habitat. Many people who learn how to scuba dive often do some of their first scuba diving lessons near the black rock here. The fish species in the variety of coral can make for a wonderful experience. Kaanapali beach also has plenty of opportunities if you wanted to take on jet skiing, windsurfing, parasailing and more.
Iao Valley State Park:
This is an area that’s known primarily for its gardens and parks, there are many different overlooking hiking trails and paths that you can enjoy apart from the epic beach. The lookouts, and the quality of the sand in this area present many options. A striking backdrop of foliage pairs particularly well with the beautiful sands in the front of the area.
The Honokalani Black Sand Beach:
This black sand beach is one of the most picturesque on our list. It’s located in the Waianapanapa State Wayside Park and you can access the beach directly from the main parking lot. The black sand beach has entrances to several caves and there are a number of unique legends surrounding the black sand on this beach. This is mostly a location for sightseeing and maybe catching some sun. For the most part it’s fairly unsafe to swim here as the current can be very strong. The cave is fairly safe to explore and you can get some extremely pleasurable views venturing inside to see the contrast of the black stone against the ocean.
Kamaole Beach:
This beach is located fairly close to the town of Kihei. It’s a 1.5 mile beach that has some extensive views of some of the cliffs throughout the island. This remains one of the best places if you wanted to go collect some fine white sand and favorable swimming conditions. The Kamaole III beach remains one of the favorite amongst boogie boarders and body surfers. The grassy area towards the south end of the beach also has plenty of picnic space if you are planning on spending a full day on the beach. There are three distinct beach areas which each tend to cater to different crowds. The good news about this divide is that there is often plenty of space for everyone on this beach and you will be able to spend time with other families or find other people that are at the beach for the same type of experience!
Big Beach:
The Oneloa Beach, also known as Makena Beach, got its name for being one of the largest beaches in the southwest of Maui. It’s around two thirds of a mile long and it’s over 100 feet wide insuring that there’s plenty of space for bathers, swimmers and even those that just want to sunbathe. This is the perfect area where you can get views of the mountains like Molokini and Kahoolawe and have large open sandy entrances to the sea. Big Beach remains one of the prettiest beaches on the whole of the island and it tends to be a popular place to relax for a day trip or an afternoon.
Hookipa Beach:
Just northeast of Paia, off the beginning of the Road to Hana, this powerful treat awaits. This is one of the best places to go as a surfer in the winter time on Maui. It’s a great place to come and watch the surfers while having plenty of beach space for sun bathers. The beach will attract a large number of sea turtles through the afternoon into the evening. Hookipa is recognized as a chilled-out spot where you can take in the environment and really relax away from some of the largest resorts in the area. If you’re looking for a great place to surf or you want to spot a sea turtle from one of the protected areas, this is the perfect place to come for the afternoon. There is parking directly off the highway and it’s quite easy to access, unlike some of the other beaches where you may have to hike a little ways.
If you’re heading to Maui and you want to access some of the best beaches in the area, these are a few that you can go immediately.