There are plenty of beaches to choose from on Maui, and the ones in South Kihei were my favorite--so clean on the sand and in the water, beautiful sand, and very little people, especially on cooler days or towards evening. We always got to pick our own little private spot, instead of lining up next to other people for a square of sand.
Wailea Beach is a popular one, and for good reason. It's really big, with perfect boogie boarding waves, and really wide from the ocean to the Grand Wailea resort behind it. Basically lots of space, and far from any main road.
To the right where you rent a lounger, towel, and umbrella for $20 a person, and only till 4pm. We stuck closer to the left.
To the left.
I don't know what this beach was called, but it's pretty visible from South Kihei Road as you drive, and it's small, but one of the few beaches with rolling waves that are wide enough for surfing. We came here one evening with dinner to watch the surfers for a while. It made me want to learn to surf even more, but I didn't really want to have to go through the learning process on this trip, either. I wanted to relax more than anything this time. I noticed it looks similar to snowboarding, but with more arm action to catch the waves.
We also caught the sunset, which we tended to miss since it happened so early and so fast. It was basically completely dark at 8pm there in the middle of summer, and in Idaho it gets dark at 10. Big adjustment for us night owls. There is a time difference of a minute and thirty seconds between these two shots. You literally watch the sun float down within minutes. If you blink, you might miss it!
We actually found this next beach on our second day in Maui, and completely by accident. There are no signs anywhere to indicate there's even a beach there, and there are actually plenty of signs right in front of it that say "No Trespassing" and "Private Land", though beaches are all public in Hawaii. Only on the far left corner there's a sign with beach hours posted, and a Porta-Potty next to that. Somebody really wants to keep this beach private. We returned to it again and again because it was so secluded. Some days there were maybe three other people there, and this is a big beach! We kind of think this is our beach now. I tried looking on various maps to get a name, but there are so many beaches, and they all look the same on a map, so my best guess is it's called Palauea Beach. Poolenalena Beach next to it has that same reputation as being an undiscovered gem as well.
To the left.
To the right. It looks like this would be great for snorkeling.
I miss those beaches right about now! Those lucky locals get to be surrounded by ocean and beaches galore every day of the year. Though I have to say, the ocean scared me on East Maui, which is called the land of wind and sun. It's rocky with lots of cliffs dropping off to a very angry sea below. Very different from the ocean you see on these perfectly groomed beaches. That post is coming up soon.
xoxo,
Tanya
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