10+ best beaches in Maui I went to 🌴 + swimming, snorkeling, VIEWS!🌴 Hawaii travel blog

ALOHA!

If you’re looking for the best beaches in Hawaii, the island of Maui is often said to be one of the best for beaches!

Although really, if it’s your first trip to Hawaii, you will likely NOT be disappointed no matter which Hawaiian island you choose to visit!

There are worthy beaches on each of the islands.

But, Maui DOES offer a lot of choices when it comes to beaches!

And there’s even a Maui beach that has been named one of the best beaches in America!

👆 According to the beach scientist known as Dr. Beach, a Maui beach is one of the best beaches in America!

And when it comes to choice of the best beaches, the areas of West Maui and South Maui can both offer you many beaches that you’ll likely be quite happy to visit.

And, it’s the areas of West Maui and South Maui that the vast majority of hotels and resorts on Maui are located.

More below about the best Maui beaches in West Maui and South Maui!

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Best Maui beaches for your first trip to Hawaii

As it goes in Hawaii, (almost) all beaches in Hawaii are public.

So basically all beaches on Maui are public.

And as an FYI, even if a beach is public, that does not necessarily mean that there is a public trail to the beach.

But for the purposes of this list, that doesn’t matter, because all of the beaches on this list have public access.

There are many Maui beaches that have beachfront resorts (oceanfront resorts!), and some of these are on the list below.

Being public beaches, it means that you can go to them even if you’re not staying at a resort that’s right in front of that beach.

This also means that you won’t find any beachfront resorts with a private beach on Maui.

1. Kaanapali Beach

Kaanapali Beach is one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) beaches in West Maui.

Along here you will find many beachfront hotels and resorts, including:

• Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa
• Kaanapali Beach Hotel
• Aston at the Whaler on Kaanapali Beach
• Kaanapali Alii Resort
• Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club
• Hyatt Residence Club Maui, Kaanapali Beach
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa

2. Napili Bay

This is a beach located at the southern end of Kapalua.

Napili Bay may be a spot to see if you can find turtles swimming in the ocean.

3. Kapalua Bay

Kapalua is a smaller resort area in West Maui, and this is one of the beaches in the area. This is considered to be a good snorkeling spot on Maui.

Where to stay if you want to be right in front of Kapalua Bay

• Montage Kapalua Bay

4. Ironwoods Beach

Ironwood Beach is a quieter beach in Kapalua.

See more about this Maui beach: Ironwoods Beach

5. DT Fleming Beach

This is a pretty popular beach in Kapalua, and it’s known for being good for boogie boarding.

You can buy boogie boards when you get to Maui, for example at the ABC store (convenience store) in Kaanapali or at Walmart.

You can go for an oceanfront lunch or snack at the Burger Shack that’s located pretty much at the beach.

See more about this Maui beach: DT Fleming Beach

Where to stay if you want to be right near DT Fleming Beach

• Ritz Carlton Kapalua

That covers some of the great West Maui beaches. Be sure to see the best of West Maui to see if you’d like to spend more time there.

Now we are moving on to South Maui beaches.

6. Mokapu Beach

Where to stay if you want to be right in front of Mokapu Beach

• Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort (Hyatt)

7. Ulua Beach

This is also a top Maui snorkeling spot.

Where to stay if you want to be right in front of Ulua Beach

• Wailea Elua Village (Destination Residences Hawaii)

8. Wailea Beach

One of the famous beaches in Wailea, called Wailea Beach!

Where to stay if you want to be right in front of Wailea Beach

• Grand Wailea Maui (Waldorf Astoria)
• Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

9. Polo Beach

Another great beach in South Maui.

Where to stay if you want to be right in front of Polo Beach

• Fairmont Kea Lani Maui
• Polo Beach Club Maui (Destination Residences Hawaii)

More places to stay if you want to be along the Wailea Beach Path

• Wailea Beach Resort (Marriott)
• Wailea Beach Villas (Destination Residences Hawaii)

10. Maluaka Beach

The area of Maluaka Beach is also known as turtle town, and this means that this is among the top snorkeling spots on Maui.

You have a chance at swimming with turtles!

See more about this Maui beach: Maluaka Beach

11. Makena Beach aka Big Beach

This is a wide and expansive beach. It’s a popular beach that’s a part of Makena State Park.

It’s the “big” beach compared to the “little” beach.

12. Makena Cove

Makena Cove is also called “Secret Cove.”

It’s not so much of a secret anymore, but if you didn’t know about it, you may just drive right past it!

So in that sense, you could say it’s a bit of a “secret” path… hidden in plain sight!

This is a smaller beach that’s likely to also be a quieter beach.

See more about this Maui beach: Makena Cove

That covers some of the great South Maui beaches. Be sure to see the best of South Maui to see if you’d like to spend more time there.

And those are some of the best beaches on Maui!

There are also some beaches on the Road to Hana that you may want to explore:

• The famous black sand beach on Maui
• Road to Hana beaches

More for planning your Maui vacation:

• Best of hiking on Maui
• Best of the Road to Hana
• Best of Haleakala National Park
• The best of Maui in 3 days
• The big list of things to do in Maui

Looking to split your time in Hawaii on another island?

• Best beaches on Oahu
• Best beaches on the Big Island

HAPPY MAUI BEACH VACATION!

👇 Explore the Road to Hana map on google maps!


More of the best things to do in Hawaii:

• Things to do in Maui
• Things to do in Haleakala National Park
• Things to do in Lanai
• Best things to do in Oahu
• Things to do in Kona
• Things to do on the Big Island
• Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park


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Top things to pack for your Hawaii vacation!

The ultimate beach towel for travel?!

Turkish towels are considered to be more absorbent and lightweight than your average beach towel. Be sure to check out turkish towels like these!

The cheapo way to waterproof your phone

You can take underwater pictures with a simple waterproof phone case like this. Touch screen may not work well underwater - try the volume button to snap the pic instead!

Get your suitcase more organized!

Packing cubes can make it so you're spending less time on your vacation looking for things! They are basically a form of drawers in your suitcase. Take a look at these packing cubes.

Wear less sunscreen by wearing a UPF swim shirt!

Wearing a swim shirt means less skin that's exposed to the sun which means less sunscreen you need to apply! See about wearing swim shirts with UV protection like these when you're snorkeling.



More for your Maui packing list

• How a cheapo waterproof phone case works
• Why wear water shoes for the beach
• Why a personal swim buoy is an essential for snorkeling and swimming in the ocean
• Essentials to pack for Maui
• Best shoes for Maui




Watch the videos to see Maui in action!

Find more amazing things to do on Maui: Watch my Maui videos on youtube

If you see an activity you like, look in the description below the youtube video for the individual blog post about that specific activity!



ALOHA!