If you're heading to Maui for a swim, you shouldn't miss the famous and luxurious Wailea-Makena resort on the south coast.

Its coastline is one of Maui's most beautiful, photogenically rugged yet safe for swimming, and very accessible by car and even bus.

View top beach resorts

Beaches and swimming

The beaches in Wailee are just like you'd imagine from travel agent catalogs. Small romantic coves with rocky peninsulas between them hide beaches with fine white sand, exotic palm trees and, thanks to the westward orientation, breathtaking sunsets.

There are 7 such beaches right in Wailea-Makena, the most famous of which are the lively Wailea Beach and Polo Beach right in the center of town, which offer a full range of services including the rather rare in Hawaii beach chair and umbrella rentals.

Quieter but still perfectly accessible beaches are Po'Olenalena Beach or Ulua Beach.

The best time to visit the beaches is in the early evening, when the setting sun creates the beautiful golden hues of the sand that are reflected in the crystal clear sea.

Although parts of the beaches belong to luxury hotel resorts, all must by law be open to the public and free of charge.

Snorkelling

The small bays with rocky reefs around their edges and smaller coral reefs very close to shore (about 100 metres) also attract great snorkelling, which is ideal for beginners.

However, as the beaches in Wailee are quite busy, the best conditions occur a little further south of the centre at Maluaka (Turtle Town) and Makena beaches.

The best hotels

Wailea-Makena is one of the most luxurious resorts in Hawaii, with many large hotel resorts, and is one of the most popular "honeymoon" destinations in America.

We recommend these hotels for the best value for money:

For considerably cheaper accommodation, mainly in the form of apartments, look for the adjacent resort of Kihei north of Wailea.

Kihei hotels and accommodation

How to get there

Wailea-Makena is easily accessible by car from anywhere in Maui. Highway 31 leads here, which, for example, takes 30 minutes to drive 27 miles from Kahului Airport to the resort.

Wailea is also served by the once-hourly bus service from Kahului and neighboring Kihei, the number 10 "Kihei Islander".