Kaanapali Beach
add photosKaanapali Beach is the destination beach and resort hotspot on Maui. Families flock here from miles away to enjoy the warm Hawaiian waters.
8 Reviews for Kaanapali Beach
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"We Love Ka'anapali Beach Maui"
Ka'anapali Beach is THE beach in West Maui. It runs from Black Rock south to Canoe Beach and fronts most of the major megaresorts in the area.
There are public parking lots scattered throughout the length of the beach which makes access relatively easy although the spots fill up early and its usually a pretty good distance from the lot to the beach. You will get a good workout hauling all of your stuff and kids to the beach, consider a backpack for the littler ones and a beach cart for all of your stuff!
The best part of the beach is at the north end near Black Rock. If you like snorkeling, Black Rock is a fine area when the water is calm. Be sure to venture out around the point to the north if you are on the south side of Black Rock as it seems the farther you go in this direction the better the visibility and abundance of marine life seems to be. This can be a great place for turtle watching too!
Don't venture to close to the point though as it tends to be very popular with people jumping from the rocks into the water.
Towards the south end there is good bodyboarding and most of the nearby resorts offer surfing lessons at this end as it tends to better suited for that than swimming. The beach is usually calm but can be rough at times. When it is, swimming is not recommended.
There are bathroom facilities scattered throughout the beach but they tend to be few and hard to find. There are showers near the beach access paths. There are pockets of shade along the beach but they get taken early.
We recommend a good beach tent or umbrella especially if you plan on staying all day with the children.
Food and drink are in abundance here as most of the resorts that front the beach welcome walk in traffic in the restaurants and several shopping centers with restaurants offer access via the beach path.
The beach path is a terrific paved walkway that runs the entire length of the beach and this is a fantastic spot to watch sunsets from!
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"I took my 2 year old on his birthday"
I was there the summer of 2010 with my mom and my 2 year old. We went in August. This beach is wonderful and there is a lovely outdoor mall just steps away. Parking was easy and the mall would validate for a few hours if you purchased food. The beach is clean and it felt safe.
1 family found this helpful
"Good Beach"
This beach is pretty cool. I'd say it is one of the better beaches that we visited. However, it is definitely not the most secluded as it sits right amongst the resort hotels. There is some good beginner boogy boarding and surfing here and some fair snorkeling down at the north end of the beach. The swimming is also pretty good. But if you're looking for seclusion this probably isn't the beach for you.
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"whale watching from the beach"
We went to Maui two years in a row. We had a great time. We loved that we could sit on the beach and watch the whales breach and jump out of the water. This beach has it all. Parts of it are great for boogie boarding and parts are great for snorkeling. Not to mention while you walk the beach path every resturant and shop is along the way. We love having lunch at the rusty harpoon. it over looks the water and the beach path. I love Kaanapali
1 family found this helpful
"Lovely beach near restaurants and hotels"
This definitely isn't a secluded beach, but it is beautiful anyway. It's conveniently located near lots of restaurants and shops. We visited in October, so the beach wasn't very crowded. The beach is narrower at the end near the Hyatt, but gets wider once you walk north towards the Marriott and beyond.
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful!"
We watched the sunset here one night and went for a stroll on the sand. This beach is so beautiful! (I guess that's why there are pricey hotels all along this beach!) It is huge and there are many people playing in the sand, laying out, and playing in the water. This would be a great place to take kids who love to build sand castles and play in the sand.
Also, there are many shops and restaurants along the beach (although they are pretty pricey) so it's convenient if you plan to eat after playing on the beach!
3 families found this helpful
"Great touristy beach"
This beach is in front of all the major hotels on the Lahania side of the Island (Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, etc.) plus Whaler's village. So if you are looking for easy access to restaurants and shops for lunch it is awesome. If you are looking for privacy, quiet and shade then not so much. There are not very many trees so if need shade and are not staying at one of the hotels, bring an umbrella. Also know that many sightseeing whale catamarans come in and out to pick up passengers. If you are looking for good snorkeling, head down to the Sheraton to Black Rock point.
You can't beat the views or the whale/dolphin watching here. But in my opinion there are so many prettier beaches on the island of Maui.
0 families found this helpful
"great spot to learn how to sailboard"
Kaanapali Beach is a great spot to learn how to sailboard; I learned here myself when I was a child, though we called it windsurfing back then. Lessons can be arranged through any of the local hotels’ activities desks or from Kaanapali Windsurfing (808-667-1964).
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