10 Best Beaches in Maui and Map of Maui Beaches

Maui, Hawaii is one of the most beautiful islands in the world and for good reason! The natural beauty is stunning and it’s the perfect island to explore. Looking for a relaxing getaway? No worries, the beaches are some of the prettiest in the world. There are so many beaches that when I was planning for our trip, it got a little overwhelming. Now that I’m back I have created this post to help you narrow it down and see the best beaches in Maui that you have to visit!

Note: I made a map of Maui beaches featured in this post at the bottom of the page, Hope this helps!

1- Makena Beach

One of the best beaches in Maui is definitely Makena Beach, also known as Big Beach. It is located in the South side of the island and is a perfect place to spend the whole day! The water was some of the very bluest I saw in Maui. It was a really gorgeous turquoise color contrasted by beautiful white sand. This beach was one of the very best for swimming and hanging out. It is definitely not a secret and you will definitely not be alone at this beach. However, I feel Big Beach is still very worth the visit and was one of my very favorite beaches in Maui.

This beach is actually very huge and there are many different places you can park. Parking is not free, but will only set you back $5. One of my favorite things about this beach is that you can actually walk up the side of a hill and get to an amazing view point over the beach. You can see its little sister- Little Beach- on the other side. Fair warning: Little Beach is a clothing optional beach.

2- Wailea Beach

Wailea Beach is also located on the South-Western coast of Maui. It is another one of the most famous beaches in Maui, but for good reason. It is a beautiful golden sand beach with spectacular sunsets. The mountains looming in the background make for a great backdrop. Wailea beach is one of the best beaches in Maui and often celebrities can be spotted here!

That’s because some really ritzy hotels border this beach including the Grand Wailea Resort and the Four Seasons. Grand Wailea Resort is where “Just Go With It” with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston was filmed. The hotel is spectacular and it is well worth a visit to get some mid-day smoothies or cocktails in between hanging out at the beach.

3-Kapalua Bay

Kapalua Bay has been voted one of the best beaches in Maui many different years. This intimate beach is located on the West coast and is situated within a cove. This is a great beach for families because there are facilities like restrooms here. You can also stop at the nearby Snorkel Bob’s to rent some snorkeling gear because this is one of the best beaches in Maui to snorkel! The tide was pretty high when we were there so everyone had their beach towels pretty high up on the beach. I didn’t get any pictures at the actual beach because I was enjoying myself and having a fun time swimming and playing in the water. A local told us that if it is ever raining in Maui, to head to the West side because this area of Maui is known for their sunshine!

4- Makena Cove

Makena Cove is somewhat of a hidden gem in Maui. It is about 5 miles south of Makena Beach so you can plan to visit both in the same day. Makena Cove is a little bit harder to get to as it is in a residential neighborhood and there is not much in the way of parking. We ended up finding a spot to park along the road.

This beach is very secluded so you won’t see many other people there. The one exception? This beach is popular for wedding photographers because of the beautiful lava rocks everywhere contrasting the crystal clear waters.

5- Polo Beach

Polo Beach is a beautiful beach right on the Fairmont Kea Lani property. Thanks to the many walking trails in the South side of the island, you can walk to many different beaches and experience them all for yourself. I really enjoyed Polo Beach because it was more intimate and it’s a smaller beach hidden in a cove.

If you are staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani, you can reserve beach chairs and umbrellas for yourself which is very nice. You can also rent snorkel gear and go snorkeling here! I loved how blue the water was here, but I also loved that on one side of the beach there was lava rock making for some interesting photos with beautiful palm trees in the background. I definitely could have stayed here all day.

Polo Beach wasn’t very crowded, was perfect for swimming and had gorgeous blue waters making it one of the best beaches in Maui.

6- Lahaina Beach

Lahaina Beach on the West side of Maui is another very popular beach. It is a very long and beautiful beach and many resorts line it. There are many restaurants that line it as well making it a perfect place for Happy Hour or a Sunset dinner. Sunset on Lahaina Beach was beautiful and there were many people out and about waiting to see the show. Some of the nearby hotels were playing live music which definitely added to the sunset ambiance and made this feel like a very romantic beach.

7- Ho’okipa Beach

Ho’okipa Beach on the North shore is definitely one of the best beaches in Maui! I absolutely loved this beach and you should definitely add it to your list! If I only had time for one beach, it would maybe be this one! Here’s why- this beach is a resting ground for sea turtles! I absolutely love sea turtles so I was ecstatic to see sooo many laying on the seashore.

From a distance, it just looked like a bunch of grey rocks, but in fact they were sea turtles! Make sure to keep your distance from them to help them maintain their livelihood and safety. This beach is also famous for their huge waves and it is a great place to watch surfers!

8- Black Sand Beach

The Black Sand Beach at Waianapanapa State Park, on the outskirts of Hana, is one of the most unique beaches in the world! I absolutely loved this beach, it was spectacular! The black sand contrasting the beautiful blue waters and bright green flora and fauna made it absolutely breath taking.

This beach takes a lot more work to get to then some of the other ones on this list, but it is one of the very best beaches in Maui. You will have to drive along the Road to Hana and end in Hana to find this paradisaical beach. Even though it is harder to get to, it is definitely not a secret! There were many people at the beach when we were there, but it is definitely still worth visiting!

9- Koki Beach

Koki Beach is another very unique beach in Maui because it has red sand! Apparently there are two red sand beaches in Maui, but one is very easy to get to and one is very difficult. To be honest, I didn’t know there were two and while on the Road to Hana, I didn’t have any service.

I was able to look at Google maps, I just couldn’t type in any locations. On Google Maps, it shows “Red Sand Beach” which led here to Koki Beach. There is another red sand beach, but apparently it takes an arduous hike to get to. I would recommend just coming to Koki Beach instead because it is so easy to get to, still really pretty and family friendly since you don’t have to go on a crazy hike to get here.

10- Hamoa Beach

Hamoa Beach is located right across from Koki Beach so it is definitely very possible to visit both! Hamoa Beach is surrounded by black-lava cliffs and is a grey sand beach popular for sufing, snorkeling and sun bathing. It is really perfect for lots of water sports! Be careful here during the winter because there can be powerful currents!