Welcome back to our Most Frequently Asked Questions about Maui Beaches.  We’re here at Kaanapali’s Beach walk, which is the perfect place to answer our next question:

“So are there any good walking beaches around here?”

Whether for a morning workout, or a sunset stroll, Maui’s beaches are ideal for a promenade in paradise.

Maalaea or Sugar Beach is perhaps the most well known walking beach.  This four-mile stretch of white sand beach connects Maalaea to Kihei and has sand fine enough to walk barefoot. 

Both Kaanapali and the Wailea areas have paved walking routes.  Kaanapali’s begins at the Hyatt and winds along the entire beach to the Sheraton. 

It’s a great place to see and be seen! 

Wailea’s coastal trail begins at Mokapu beach and meanders from one perfect crescent beach to the next.  Feel free to stop and explore one or more of the five amazing resorts along the walkway.

Perhaps the most romantic beach on the island, Keawakapu is the place to enjoy incredible sunsets.  Located just before Wailea, many couples come here specifically to stroll hand in hand on this long stretch of golden sand.

“I just want to be PAMPERED.  Which beach can do that for me?”

This is our favorite question!  If luxury and constant pampering are your ideas of paradise, then Maui is happy to deliver.

Fronting the Four Seasons and Grand Wailea Resorts in South Maui, Wailea beach is a wide and wonderful crescent, graced with lovely, fine sand and clear, rolling waves. 

There’s no shortage of resort amenities…from sipping mai tais to oceanview massages and decadent spa treatments.

A string of exclusive resorts line the sugary sands of Kaanapali—ready to spoil anyone willing to indulge…

You can even hire your own Beach Butler and cabana through one of the resorts, or experience world-class shopping at Whaler’s Village.

And Kapalua Bay is an enchanting gem of white sand bound by swaying palms and the rolling green lawns of the exclusive Kapalua Resorts of West Maui. 

Sheltered from big waves and strong currents by long peninsulas of impressive black lava, Kapalua is one of the safest swimming beaches and finest snorkeling and diving sites in all of Hawaii.

 “Um, hi, we’re looking for a nice, secluded beach where the four of us can just hang out and not have all these tourists around.  Do you know a place?”

It’s hard to get much more secluded than Hana and if you’re looking to get away from everything and enjoy doing nothing at all, then you’ll find paradise at Hamoa beach. 

Rimmed by cliffs, coconut palms, and beautiful flowering vegetation, Hamoa is truly an isolated haven. 


Stay a night at Hotel Hana Maui and you’ll experience the ultimate in luxury, while still maintaining your island oasis.

Po’olenalena is a little more accessible than Hana’s beaches, with its more central location, but it’s surprisingly, often deserted! 

Located in South Maui, this 1/2 mile sandy beach slopes gently into the ocean making it perfect for swimming.

Locals call Makena, “Big Beach” and that’s exactly what it is—big.  It’s one of the last, large undeveloped beaches in Hawaii. 

The beach is a mile long, as much as a hundred yards wide, and often…empty.
 
“I want to see something really different.”  “Does Maui have any unusual beaches?”

Unusual beaches?  How about sand of a different color?   If you make it to Hana you’ll discover two beaches where the sand is anything but standard.

Waianapanapa isn’t exactly your typical beach with black sand that’s actually small, smooth lava pebbles, but that’s exactly what makes it so interesting! 


Set among lava cliffs within Waianapanapa State Park, this breathtaking beach also features a small sea arch, sea caves, and lava tubes. 

Isolated, and admittedly a little hard to get to, Kaihalulu or Red Sand beach gets its red-black color from the crumbling cindercone hill that surrounds the bay. 

The view of the red sand against cobalt waters, green ironwood trees, and a rocky lava sea wall is unmatched.

“So where’s the best beach?”

Maui is blessed with miles of magnificent beaches, each with a different personality and landscape. 

We encourage you to explore them all because the question shouldn’t be, “Where’s the best beach,” but rather, “Where’s the best beach for you?”

And if you’re still not sure, then just follow the blue Beach Access signs, and you’ll soon find that paradise is only a few footsteps away.