Best Beaches

Maui is proud of its more than thirty miles of beaches, and with good reason. Most are pristine, with golden sand, crystal blue water and plenty of protected areas for swimming and snorkeling. One of the finest, but alas most crowded, is Kaanapali Beach, a four-mile stretch paralleling the channel between Maui and Lanai and featuring a beach walk that links the area’s hotels and restaurants. At its northernmost point, just in front of the Sheraton, is Black Rock, one of Maui’s premier snorkeling areas.

The relatively flat Wailea Beach, which skirts the posh Wailea resorts, is a wonderful place not just for walking and people watching but also for spotting whales and gazing at sunsets. The beach at Makena Beach State Park, at the south end of Wailea, is a wild, seemingly endless expanse of gorgeous white sand favored by locals, including families, who bring picnic lunches or buy something from one of the food trucks at the entrance. It’s also a good place for swimming and bodysurfing.

Best for body- and board surfers is D.T. Fleming Beach Park, a classic west Maui beach that’s also extremely popular with swimmers, just north of the Ritz-Carlton.

The North Shore is windier than its western counterparts, but for people with kids, the lovely Spreckelsville Beach, aka Baby Beach, is a wonderful spot for whiling an afternoon away. It's protected by a reef, which makes for low surf and tidepools.