Hanalei Bay & Beach

When I'm sitting at work and daydreaming about Hawaii, there's a good chance it's Hanalei I'm dreaming about. It's difficult to explain why.

On paper, there are certainly better beaches. Much of the year, Hanalei Bay is wavy & rough. It's unremarkable (or unsafe) to be in the water unless you're an expert surfer. The calmer summer months are good for swimming, but it's a huge rather flat, featureless sand bottom. Add to it the fact that it frequently rains and you have a recipe for so-so beach by Hawaiian standards.

Why daydream about it, then?

Hanalei provokes an emotional response in people. Water, land, and sky - everything in nature just seems to come together perfectly there. The steep mountains, with their cascading waterfalls, provide a beautiful backdrop. There's lush foliage, an aquamarine bay, and gentle orange sand. It hasn't been ruined by human development - the small, sleepy town with its one-land bridges and 20 mph speed limit are sedate enough not to detract from the overall feel.

My top recommendation for a visit is to walk out to the end of the pier. This is the astounding tropical scenery you came to Hawaii for. Bring your camera. Of course the pictures don't come close to doing it justice, but when you're back at work they can at least be a reminder of how it looked (and how you felt) when you were there.

Mokapu Beach

Mokapu is my favorite beach along the Wailea beach path, and one of my favorites anywhere! As you can tell from above, it's a beautiful crescent of fine sand and gorgeous (clear, calm) water. The view of the West Maui mountains is spectacular. The swimming in the middle of the beach is awesome - the bottom is nice & sandy. If you have a snorkel, head to the rocks on the far left side and follow them out to a spectacular reef. This is the first place I ever got to swim alongside a sea turtle...an awesome experience!

The resort that's behind Mokapu closed a few years ago and is being redeveloped. In the meantime, this beach is underused and uncrowded. I recommend staying within walking distance; parking is limited and fills up quickly.

The only real downside to Mokapu is that in the morning it's busy with a lot of walkers & joggers. The Wailea beach path ends here, and people funnel onto the beach to continue heading north to Keawakapu Beach. I recommend sticking to the very south (left) end of the beach - there the traffic mostly passes behind you. In the afternoon there's less foot traffic but a better chance for wind that can make the water choppy. Don't bother bringing your boogie board; you probably won't be able to use it.

Palauea Beach

Palauea is amongst my favorite Maui beaches! It's a gorgeous crescent of great sand, great water (just wade out past where the gentle shore break kick up the sand), and a nice amount of natural shade. The snorkeling is worthwhile on both ends, and it's usually relatively calm.

Palauea is just south of the main resort area of Wailea, and it's backed by only a few large houses. That makes it quieter than beaches further north, although you shouldn't expect complete privacy. If you're staying in Wailea but want to branch out past the more popular beaches along the beach path, Palauea would be a great place to start.

Ulua Beach

As I've pointed out in other posts, South Maui has so many great beaches. Ulua is probably one of my least favorite. Don't get me wrong - it's better than probably 99% of the beaches in the world (just look at the picture above!). Ulua just isn't at the top of the heap when it comes to beach-going in Wailea, which is kinda like saying that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough isn't the best flavor of ice cream. There might be better options, but if you're starving you're not going to say no.

The two main drawbacks of Ulua are crowds (especially on the north end, where they teach scuba lessons), and somewhat cloudy water (especially on the south end). Again, both of these are relative - and easily remedied by walking North around the small point to Mokapu Beach, which I much prefer.

Wailea Elua Village, a recommended place to stay and subject of a separate post, fronts Ulua Beach. Mokapu Beach is a 30-second walk North. Wailea Beach is a 5-minute walk South. Ulua sometimes gets wavy enough for some easy body surfing or beginner boogie boarding, but don't count on it. Snorkeling at the north end is good, however, if you can avoid the scuba lessons.

Po'olenalena Beach

South Maui has tons of great beaches, but Po'olenalena is easily amongst my favorites. It never seems crowded, probably because there's only one (small) resort on it, way at the south end.
Instead, climb over the rocks to the hidden northern part of the beach. It's a dreamily secluded place, especially for Maui. There are a couple of large, black volcanic rock bands that partially obstruct the sand and create a few separate sections of beach here - which makes it feel even more remote. If you're lucky, you might have one of these sections all to yourself.

Swimming has been good every time I've been there; don't expect much in the way of body surfing or boogie boarding. Snorkeling was so-so on the north end of the beach. Mostly this is a serene, beautiful place to hang on the beach and do a little swimming to cool off. There might be nudists at the northern end. At sunset expect small weddings, especially at the (relatively) busier south half where the parking lot is.