We decided to go to Maluaka Beach after hearing that is was a "turtle beach" and even though we came there in the early afternoon, we spotted two turtles the minute we arrived. Just a little swim outside the shoreline there was a medium sized black rock were 2 very active turtles were looking for food. And very close to the beach you can do some great snorkeling and see fishes like the moorish idol. read more

Maluaka Beach - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

The sand was so soft and the water so clear! We saw two turtles without our snorkeling gear! Very kid friendly

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

Amazing beach! We first went to Makena State Park beach but the current was too rough for swimming and floating so we searched on Yelp & came across this beach! Immediately upon walking up, the water looked amazing, calm and the surrounding landscape was phenomenal. Not excessively crowded, plus showers and restrooms. Score! read more

Maluaka Beach - The water was clear and the waves weren't too strong - great for swimming. We swam around a bit with masks on but didn't see anything. - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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This is one of the best beaches in Makena. It also borders Turtle town so always turtles around as well. Lots of room, sun or shade you pick. Nearby parking, washrooms, showers etc read more

Beautiful beach. Parking is about 1/4 mile from actual beach entrance. There is a place to rent snorkel gear here for $9/hour or $20/day. I was hoping to see some turtles but did not see any in the hour I was snorkeling. However, I did see a lot of fish and an eel. The water was a little rough when I was there. The guys who work there said the best chance to see turtles is early in the morning around 8 or 9 before the winds pick up and the water gets rougher. read more

We are currently staying a short distance up the road and ventured down to Maluaka Beach on our first full day here. Returned for snorkeling the following day, the sand is PERFECT for sand castles and there are many fish as well. My dad and sister even saw a turtle, they think it was a hawksbill, close to the shoreline. Nice public shower and bathroom, the kind of beach where you can leave things out and not worry about people stealing your stuff. read more

Maluaka Beach - A beautiful Sunday morning - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Quiet, clean beach. Not too crowded. Restrooms are available. Okay, for snorkeling. read more

Maluaka Beach - Beautiful beach - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Apparently one of the famed "turtle towns" that snorkeling trips take people to. You have to swim out a fair bit until you hit some decent snorkeling. The water was cloudy (probably because it's been so windy!) - but we went early in the morning before the waves really set in. We did see some turtles, lots of fish, and even an eel! The coral is just so-so but the other aquatic life makes up for it. Easy access and a clean public bathroom add to the appeal. Will definitely add to my list of Maui must-snorkel spots! read more

Great beach with lots of sand to relax on. The kids played near the shore and built sand castles while the hubby snorkeled. read more

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What other yelpers say is true: head to ulua for the beautiful corals and fish. But for turtles, head to maluaka beach. But be forewarned: the corals and fish aren't as pretty but that was where we've seen more turtles. read more

We came here on a boat tour right after Molokini. In hopes of swimming with some green turtles, we left disappointed. However, it's understood that the experience changes by the day. The beach here looked well kept and comfortable, though! read more

We really wanted to see sea turtles. But we didn't want to pay for a tour. This is supposed to be Turtle Town. We came here on our first day. We showed up around 8:30 AM (our bodies were still on PDT). There were not that many people around. The parking lot is across the street from Keawala'i Congregational Church on Makena Road. It was rather empty when we arrived. There is a rinse off area here. Walk down the street a bit and you will see a path in the vegetation that goes down to the beach. The beach is wide and there are not crowds of people. The water is beautiful! There are boat tours that come right up onto the beach to drop off and pick up customers. It would be nice to have an umbrella for shade but alas, our vacation rental didn't provide one. A local told us that turtles feed on the coral during low tide, which was at 10:40 AM that day. So, if you want to see turtles, check you tides. The waters are also calmer around low tide. It gets rougher as it moves away from low tide. The kids snorkeled on the southern end of the beach where there are small tidepools and black lava rocks. They liked this area because the coral reef is deep and the beach is sandy. Therefore, no water shoes required in the water. Eventually, the kids saw a sea turtle lazily swimming around! It was exciting. While there are flushing toilets and rinse area at the beach, there is no food. The beach and bathrooms are clean. Bring your own hand sanitizer, food and drinks. We drove south to the famous Makena Beach afterwards. There is a fish taco truck along the way as well as in the parking lot for Makena Beach. The walk from the parking lot to Makena Beach is beautiful. Makena Beach is beautiful but you can't snorkel or swim here. The currents are strong and the beach drop off is sudden and steep. There are signs posted with these warnings. So, Maluaka Beach is much better and safer than Makena Beach for playing in the ocean and snorkeling. Just watch for high tide and big waves. Please remember to use coral safe sunscreen to protect the coral and the critters that depend on it for food and cover. Look for a brand that uses physical sunblocks such as titanium or zinc oxide instead of chemical ones. We reapplied once in 4 1/2 hours. If you burn easily, reduce your exposed skin area. When we returned to the car after 1 PM, the lot was full and people were parked on the street. read more

Little known Maluaka beach is a quite, locals kind of place. The snorkeling on the south side (left side if you're looking at the ocean) is fantastic. Lots of fish, lot of turtles and quite a few eels. Parking is easy on the side of the road and a quick walk through the trees puts you on a quiet, idyllic bit of sand that is rarely crowded. Get your relax on. read more

Water is super clear and pretty calm. Great sand beach for seeming and snorkeling as well. Lots of coral reef and tropical fishes near shore. read more

Gorgeous beach and great snorkeling. If you want to paddle board its best going in the morning when the water is calm as the winds tend to pick up throughout the day. read more

Well hidden by Makana Beach and Golf resort, the Maluaka Beach is true gem! We just loved this beach and go back every time we visit Maui. The beach is clean, good for families and it's not as crowded as others. The water can get a little choppy and the sand is perfect for wading into the waves which my son loves to do! read more

Had a great day here. Nice spot for snorkeling but the surf is a little rough and there's A TON of spiny sea urchins! Make sure you watch where you step and wear flippers or water shoes. Nice corral reefs. Did see a giant sea turtle while snorkeling which made me really happy. Wasn't overcrowded and hopefully that doesn't change. Parking isn't great. Only a few spots. read more

I love this beach! Everything here is beautiful ...not too much tourist not too much people. Clean and gorgeous sunrise and sunset..we come here just to sit. We celebrated our 25th year renewal vows here too. read more

Amazing underwater life right off the nice sandy beach.. Also has nice showers/restrooms. read more

Maluaka Beach - Bring sun screen lots of sun!!! - Beaches Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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What a great beach. We arrived around 830 AM and the shore break was still small but bigger than what my daughters were used to on north Ka'anapali. They loved it. The shore break got progressively bigger as the morning went on. By 1130 it was a little too much for the 5 year old. At the mouth of the bay was a coral reef. I didn't see any turtles but it was still some of the best snorkeling I had on Maui. Undamaged coral as far as I could see. A little bit of a swim though. There was coral closer in but it was pretty beat up. There were shade trees on the north side of the beach and a grassy area by the road. read more

If you want to go to a beautiful beach on the west side of Maui and not pay for parking, go south and go to Makena beach. There is a big Makena Beach but I found a couple of spots north of it that are good. I assume they have a lot less people than the big beach too if you want more privacy. The first spot is Makena Landing Park which is on Makena road. It is a small cove and beach. The parking lot is right next to it. If you go further south on the road, Maluaka Beach is bigger. There is a parking lot on your left that is across the street from a church on the right. You walk down to the beach from there. The beach is beautiful with great views of the islands. You can see the wind farms on the south side of West Maui. A couple of the resorts lead into the beach. However, all beaches are public in Hawaii so you can go right on them. I definitely recommend Maluaka Beach if you want to swim. If you are visiting Maui and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me through Yelp and I can share my itinerary, which includes my Yelp reviews. The information for an electronic copy can also be found via my Yelp profile. read more

A great spot! Free lot just a 1-2 blocks north of the beach with bathrooms and showers, tons of turtles when we went, lots of shady areas beneath the trees, medium sized waves for the kids to play in, and not too crowded even on a weekend in August when we went. Definitely gonna hit up this beach next time we're in Maui! read more

Maluaka beach is nice but overrated on the internet. Waves are strong make it difficult to swim or snorkle. Limited parking which is little far from the beach. So if you have stuff to carry be ready for some undesired exercise. Best chance of watching sea life is at the North end and not South end as some people have suggested. Beach is more suitable if you are trying to avoid crowd read more

This was our favourite Maui beach! We were two families with young kids (all six or under). Half the kids wanted to snorkel, half didn't. Wailea Beach was a great hang-out beach but the snorkeling was a bit too far offshore for kids and there wasn't much shade. Makena Landing had great snorkeling close to shore and shade but only the tiniest patch of sand. Maluaka Beach was like a perfect mix of the two: Fantastic snorkeling just offshore plus tons of beautiful soft sand. And there's lots of shade when you need to cool off. The snorkeling at the south end of the beach is best for kids but the snorkeling at the north end -- though a bit harder to reach -- is teeming with turtles. We saw five turtles in just one snorkel. Only downside: This beach seemed cloudier than others nearby, at least on our visit. read more

I found the waves on this beach to be a little bit tamer than on some other beaches. I really loved swimming here, it's also good for snorkeling read more

This will always be my favorite beach in Maui. I fell in love with this beach the moment I step foot on it. It has a little bit of shade in some areas, an area where you can snorkel somewhat, and the waves aren't too crazy. There's also a designated parking area and from the looks of it, this seems to be a hidden gem because the parking lot wasn't full at all! The sand is super fine and feels amazing between the toes. The blue ocean water is breathtaking. I also loved the fact that it wasn't overly crowded. For the rest of our stay in Maui, this was our go-to beach and rightfully so! read more

I am from Texas and did all my research online about DIY weddings. I chose this beach based on online descriptions from wedding sites and 3 pictures. I arrived and when you get to the beach it's at a dead end road and you have to turn around and go back to get to the parking. Everyone went and parked and came back, there was one wedding finishing up and 1 small family playing on the beach. We waited for the other wedding to leave since you only rent the beach for 2 hours we had a small window to do our wedding, but we could tell they were almost done. Once they left, we started our ceremony. There is a cool little walk way for you to have an "aisle", if you turn to your right there was a huge piece of driftwood that was the size of a tree in the shape of a Y laying on it's side. Behind that, there was a bunch of lava rocks. It was beautiful and the pictures are AMAZING. Beautiful and perfect for breath taking sunsets. read more

Great beach yes... But having the beach to yourselves yeah right it was a tourist trap. Tons of people boats and not at all what the other reviews led us to believe. We left after an hour of noise and commotion. We are not the type to complain. The view was great and the water, beach and snorkeling were too but not the beach you want if your looking for peace and quiet like the others suggested. There are far to many other places to relax and be in serenity. read more

Went fishing and camping on this beach. Didnt catch any fish, but got a few mosquito bites haha

This place is great! Sandy bottom shore and small waves make for a great place to introduce swimming in surf to kids. We brought snorkel gear and they tried it out. Didn't see much because they were so close to shore, but I heard that if you swim out to the buoy, you'd see fish, coral, and turtles. Neither of my kids is a terribly strong swimmer so that didn't happen, but neverthless, this beach is awesome. Very uncrowded and had shade and restrooms. This was our favorite beach of all the ones we visited this trip. read more

Came here to snorkel so we could see the turtles but the waves were too rough so we hung out on the beach and watched the sunset. Not a bad tradeoff. We also got to see a couple getting married in an intimate ceremony. A really nice beach and not overrun with tons of people or kids, so a nice respite from some of the more popular beaches. read more

The waves can get pretty rough if you are trying to snorkel in this area. But once you are past the waves, it gets easier. The water can get pretty murky because of the waves so snorkeling is not as great here but if you are heard to boogie board or surf, the waves are nice. read more

Good snorkeling if the water is calm, perhaps. We visited a couple of times and visibility was terrible, nothing to see. The surf must have to be pretty low for it to work out here. read more

We headed here for our snorkeling, to avoid Ulua Beach since it gets so crowded. It was much less crowded than Ulua, but our snorkeling forays were a bit hampered by the choppy afternoon water, and we didn't end up seeing very much aside from sparse groups of fish. Definitely get here in the morning so you can get closer to the rocks on the north and south ends of the beach (where the coral is) without getting pounded by waves. I think in the morning this would be a beginner-intermediate snorkel area, but in the afternoon with the waves it was intermediate-advanced. read more

Maluaka Beach is relatively quiet and when we were there we almost felt like we had our own little stretch of beach all to ourselves. This was a great spot for my cousin to go snorkeling with me since access is easy, a big plus when snorkeling with a beginner. Although we did not see any turtles this time, I was told that it's not uncommon to see turtles here early in the morning. This may not be the best snorkeling on Maui, but it is a great spot for beginners and experienced snorkelers alike. We were thrilled to see large schools of fish, humus, parrot fish, etc. while snorkeling. When the trades and the surf picked up and visibility became poor the waves were still gentle enough for us to enjoy swimming at the beach. As the waves got progressively larger we grabbed our boogie boards and everyone had a great time. When you are treated to a beach this lovely it's definitely worth the drive. read more

The beaches and bathrooms are clean. Great grassy area for BBQ and shade. Showers and beautiful views.