Maluaka Beach is an intimate sliver of golden sand beach that parallels the former Maui Prince Resort in Makena along Makena Road. Views of Kahoolawe, Molokini, Lanai, west Maui and Molokai are drop-dead gorgeous, along with the ocean's hues of blues and greens. There are no facilities here sans for a lifesaving float belt posted near the beach's entrance. As long as there's no south swells, the water is very calm; good for swimming/floating and snorkeling with a small reef close to shore. A convenient loading zone is available near the beach allowing you to load/unload your gear. A lack of parking is the only downfall as Makena Road is a residential street with just a few spots along the shoulders. There is a small park and parking lot just north of the beach that also sports restrooms. OVERALL: The "baby beach" of Makena. read more

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2 o'clock has everyone else is leaving there's a perfect beach in a cove. When you're on the island of Maui, it is a hidden gem so relaxing. read more

Maluaka Beach - Beach - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

Vast beach with lots of crazy waves on a windy or less calm day. You can still go into your shins regardless of the wind and waves.

Best spot for snorkeling and relaxing. There are showers and public restrooms along with wonderful reef structures for fish spotting. Shaded areas by the palm trees are coveted spots to relax. read more

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We just loved our beach day here! We sort of found it by accident after taking a turn off the main road, and I'm glad we did. The beach is located on a dead-end street, so it's on the quieter side. There are only a handful of stalls right near the beach access, but 400 feet away is a larger lot with plenty of free parking. We came on a Sunday around 1030a with my 2.5 year old toddler. He had the time of his life digging the sand and playing in the shore break. At times, the waves got really big, and we had to watch out, but in general, it was a swimmable beach. I even got in at 6 months pregnant! We saw two sea turtles swim by while we were there, which was a treat! You can see the offshore islands as well as west maui, which makes for a picturesque day. The sand is super soft and fine, and there is hardly any coral to worry about stepping on. Really reminded us of Kailua Beach on Oahu. The showers and restrooms are back at the lot, so plan accordingly. read more

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Beautiful beach, the waves weren't to big for the little ones to play in. Plus the sandy beach part is great for laying out too. Even the rocky sides were great for keeping the guys fishing entertained. Overall I just enjoyed the view, such a pretty day. Of course when I wasn't taking pictures I saw whales off in the distance too. Xoxo, ChelsieFletcher read more

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It's a nice beach we snorkeled here and saw some fish and turtles. The currents at all Maui beaches are at least present so be aware of how far out you go. read more

This is a beach with great views but so is most Maui beaches. However it has small parking near entrance and has a smaller parking lot but is also really far away from entrance. Most of day can be really cloudy at this beach. Has pretty big waves/surf at times. Don't recommend for anyone with physical issues as the walk from the car to the actual beach is extremely far and involves several uneven stairs to get to beach. Very dark quickly at night if you wait for sunset. Feels little uncomfortable when dark and not many people around later in day to get back to car. No food options. Worth driving little bit up to Makena beach where have more people, plenty parking, shorter walk, and even food trucks. read more

Maluaka Beach - It's often cloudy most the time at this beach - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

This was probably my favorite beach we went to in Maui. It is slightly off the beaten path, being pretty south of things, and there is a side street that takes you down to about 6 parking spots. There is also a lot a bit back if those 6 spots are full. We lucked out and was able to get one of the 6 spots, and I left in the middle of our time there to go get food and my spot was still there when I returned. From the lot, you walk a bit on a paved path before getting to the beach. There is a nice shower and some picnic tables, which we are at, even though it was a it windy on the afternoon we were there. I also liked that right behind it is a nice private resort, but you can walk on the path in front of it. There was plenty of spots to set up and it was not very crowded. The waves were medium and my young kids had a great time playing in them! read more

Very beautiful beach with super fine soft sand. absolutely no rocks or small pepples so can walk around barefoot without worry. took some pictures here, very scenic. was told there are turtles here too so snorkeling is very possible. though the waters are not as clear as kapalua, nonetheless, it is still a very nice beach. read more

This beach is most far out in both distance and beauty. Please accept this picture in place of our thousand words. read more

Maluaka Beach - Molokini Crater in the afterglow of Sunset - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

Super family friendly beach with plenty of space for lots of visitors. When we visited in Late April 2023 the surf was great to just play in or to surf with boogie boards. Lots of surfing when we were there! Great hidden gem of a beach! There is a public parking lot just a bit before you get to the closer small amount of parking. Look for the lot on the right hand side before you get to the few spots on the left. read more

Maluaka Beach - Waves - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

We came to this beach on our last afternoon in Maui since it was close to where we were staying and we read that it's known for sea turtles. I figured we would have to snorkel to see any turtles and we didn't bring any snorkeling gear with us. It turns out that assumption was wrong. We were swimming and suddenly saw a dark shape moving towards us. It scared the crap out of me at first until I realized it was a turtle! We ended up seeing a second one while swimming as well. The beach itself was nice. There's not a lot of shade, but there is some that we found at the back of the beach. It was pretty and not too crowded. If you want a beach with a chance of seeing some wildlife, this is your spot. read more

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One of the best beaches on Maui! A friend shared about this hidden gem and so glad we came to check it out. The scenery and area is beautiful. Not only do they have clean bathrooms, but there's grassy areas for a picnic with no worry about sand! read more

Maluaka Beach - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

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This beach was nice. It wasn't crowded. Parking is available only a short walk away. The parking lot also has bathrooms and a shower. There's minimal shade. Most people had personal chairs and umbrellas. Bring your water shoes because it is rocky even on the edge of the water. I saw a lot of people snorkeling towards the bigger rocks and heard people saw turtles. GPS will take you directly to the parking lot. read more

So beautiful! Has a little area with tree great for shade . Not very busy on the morning recommend arriving first thing in the morning ro avoid the high winds read more

Great views and less of a tourist beach just a few miles from hotels. Worth the getaway from the crowd read more

Maluaka Beach - View - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

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Best sunsets and beach insouthmaui One if our favorites.clean..restrooms Beautiful views and sand read more

Maluaka Beach - Sunet - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

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Beautiful beach. Very scenic and great for pictures.

We really enjoyed this smaller less busy beach. We set up under some foliage at edge of beach and proceeded to snorkel. Saw some very different interesting sea life. Some Hawaiian dwarf flounders , a coronetfish, a trumpetfish, lots of tangs, some fish I'm still trying to identify. We also attempted to walk over to the black sand beach just south of here. We ended up stopping at some tidepools and observed tons of urchins, sea cucumbers and crabs. Really great day full of interesting encounters. read more

Amazing beach! Great snorkeling and killer spot to see sea turtles. Parking is always open and the bathrooms are very clean. read more

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The very first beach we went to in Maui, because we were told my locals that there was some beautiful lava rock area called Maluaka. Not sure if this was it, but its just a regular sized casual beach. Great for relaxing or swimming. There was quite a number of people lounging here in the sands. Sands are clean and water is blue. read more

This beach has 4 parking spots on one end and 20 on the other, it's rocky, has little shade and no surf. Decent snorkeling and semi private due to lack of parking. I would suggest another beach as this one just doesn't do it like other maui beaches do. read more

Maluaka Beach - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

Unlike others, I found the sand to be harsher (feels likes lots of broken sea shells) and the waves were strong (sending the sand at your legs with force). Still, a beautiful beach with lots of green area to picnic. Saw one of the better sunsets from here. read more

Maluaka Beach is located right behind the Makena Beach & Golf Hotel where we were staying which makes it somewhat secluded. Unlike the beach located the Grand Wialea which is entirely populated, you get the feeling that it's your own beach at Maluaka Beach. We found ourselves the only ones on the beach at times. Don't get me wrong though, Grand Wialea is a goregous hotel. Our lifeguard said we were the only ones he's ever seen that flew a kite on this beach. Glad I was able to make it fly. I guess we made history. Kinda funny and dorky at the same time. Great location for a hotel with just a short walk and primary access through the hotel. read more

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Really enjoyed this beach. Sand was very soft. Waves were stronger than some others we went to but good for boogie boarding. We didn't see a turtle but I had younger ones with me so we didn't go out too far. We did see fish tho. Clean bathrooms. We got lucky with parking both times we went. Has one large tree for shade read more

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This is one of our favorites. We love the turquoise water, the shade under the trees and the sandy entry. We go here at least once a week, sometimes more. There is a good mix of locals and tourists. We almost always see turtles, and that is just swimming. The waves vary and it can be flat and calm as a lake or quite large and fun... all in the same day. The bathrooms and showers down the block where there is parking is clean and perfect. read more

Maluaka Beach - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

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What a beautiful place. 6:00pm and not a soul on the beach at sunset. My long time girlfriend of 28 years is now my wife. Just Married! Woo-Hoo! I thought the ceremony was at White Rock Beach but it ended up here. Weather report said 60% chance of rain and we never saw a rain cloud. The sunset was majestic. Everything was perfect! Mahalo! read more

Maluaka Beach - Just after our beach wedding. Great sunset that evening. - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

Stunning views! Not too crowded. Definitely a worthy stop! (Went on a Tuesday afternoon)

Awesome beach! We seen several turtles and several fish. This is a moderately sloped beach that is perfect for the family. It is adjacent to a hotel so there are several people from the resort but it wasn't overly crowded. Parking is somewhat limited so finding a parking spot might be hard. There's also a nice restroom adjacent to the parking lot as well as a clean up shower area. read more

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I have been hearing about 'Turtle Town' for quite some time, and checked out exactly where it was... Or one of the spots. Seems like different people say Turtle Town is here, or there, when really, Turtle Town is wherever turtles are. This, was not Turtle Town. At least not the day we went. This didn't really matter, because I have been snorkeling around the island, and have seen a million different turtles. Maluaka Beach WAS a gorgeous beach, that was not too crowded, and had the clearest waters on the island. (Besides Molokini) You could swim out so far, and still the water was crystal clear. If you follow along the rocks on the right side of the beach, you won't go wrong. Plenty of unique fish, eel, sea cucumber and vibrant coral. The water was really warm, once we got in, we never wanted to get out! While snorkeling around, we caught a glimpse of a turtle sleeping in the coral. That sighting would be the only one we saw after 2 hours of swimming around... Makuaka Beach, you were not Turtle Town when we went, but you better believe we will be back no matter if there are turtles or not! read more

Maluaka Beach - Some good snorkeling here! - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

If you see a vendor selling $8 avocados, buy one! Fantastic! This beach is really off the beaten track, hidden behind a hotel. But the snorkeling is wonderful -- we got to introduce our kid to a big sea turtle -- and if you are a shade-loving person like I am, you will love the huge shady trees and soft grassy area to sit on. *sigh* I miss Maui read more

Based on other reviews, it's a hit or miss on if the wind picks up. We came at noon and the water was very choppy and made it hard for snorkeling:( we went to Ahihi Natural Reserve after and snorkeled there with much success! read more

Beautiful. No alcohol on this beach. Good snorkeling. Not best for kids swimming. Other options. read more

Maluaka Beach - Nice small beach. No alcohol. Clean bathrooms. Nice waves. - Beaches Near Me - Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

I think we came at the wrong time, it was a windy day in the afternoon and it was high tide. No turtles were seen and the water was too rough to snorkel. My husband went in but had a hard time with the current and the visibility was poor. Check low tide times and the weather conditions if you are making a drive out here. The beach is pretty secluded and parking is a little ways away unless you get one of the few spots right across from the loading zone. read more

Great beach to spend the day. It was only about 20 min from Kihei and very conveniently located

Convenient. Chill plenty kine parking. Great bathrooms. Showers - choppy waters sometimes but the spot is beautiful.

Yes your chances of seeing a turtle are pretty high but I must warn you that you need to be here in the morning. I came a bit later like 11 am and the winds were already picking up and it made snorkeling hard. Thankfully I got to see a turtle that day as it came up pretty close to the shore. It got really windy later on and we left because of the wind. The next time ill for sure be here early in the morning and hopefully snorkel to see more turtles. Overall nice beach with showers and some shaded areas on the South side. read more

This is my go-to beach park when in Maui. The beach is not too crowded and plenty of sand to park your belongings. The wave can be calm and can be wavey depending on the season and on wind speed. The parking is located near the chapel and a few spaces across the loading area if you are lucky to get one. I highly recommend coming to this place (or maybe not so it does not get crowded - hehe) read more

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Maluaka Beach a.k.a Turtle Town is a nice sand entry snorkel spot, and wonderful soft sand beach at the South end of Makena just past the resorts of Wailea. Add this to your list of Maui activities. When driving south from Kihei, and past Wailea off the main road you will find this sweet little beach with a large shady grassy area, restrooms, and soft sand to play in. Bring some beach chairs and your snorkeling gear for a fun and relaxing Maui beach day. Check out The Traveling Together Journal on YouTube for a video of this sweet little place, as well as many more videos on adventures around Maui. read more