Guests ask us about Wailea more than almost anywhere else on Maui, and usually in the same breath as a worry: “isn’t it all private resorts?” It is not. Wailea is Maui’s manicured south end, about fifteen minutes down the coast from our bungalows, and it is one of the prettiest stretches of shoreline in the state — five golden beaches, a paved path along the water, world-class golf and the island’s fanciest hotels. Here is the part nobody at those hotels will lead with: every beach is public, the parking is free, and the coastal path belongs to everyone. You can spend a perfect Wailea day for the price of gas and a plate lunch. This is how we’d do it.
Fifteen minutes south, and a slightly different Maui
Wailea sits at the south end of the leeward coast, past the far edge of Kihei where South Kihei Road turns into Wailea Alanui Drive. From our place on the north end of Kihei it is a straight, easy fifteen-minute drive — no mountain roads, no traffic to speak of outside of rush hour. You will know you have arrived when the older, lived-in Kihei strip gives way to wide medians, clipped hedges and roundabouts with sculpture in the middle. It is a different look, and it is deliberate.
Wailea is a master-planned resort district, laid out in the early 1970s and built up through the decades that followed on what had been dry ranchland. That planning is why it feels the way it does — low-rise hotels spaced along the water, everything landscaped, none of the honky-tonk that makes older beach towns fun and a little messy. Some people love it and some find it a touch sterile. We think it is worth a day or two of any Maui trip regardless of which camp you land in, because the shoreline underneath all that landscaping is the real thing.
Here is the fact that changes how you use Wailea. In Hawaii, every beach is public up to the high-water line, and there is no exception for the fancy ones. When developers built these resorts they were required to provide public beach access and free public parking at each beach, and those lots are still there, marked with the blue shoreline-access signs. The hotels own their pools and their lawns. They do not own the sand, the water, or the path along the top of it. Walk in like you belong there, because legally, you do.
Wailea at a glance
The five beaches, north to south
Start at the north end with Keawakapu, which straddles the line where Kihei ends and Wailea begins. It is a long, wide ribbon of soft tan sand — close to a mile of it — and it is our pick when we just want to walk, swim and watch the sun go down without a crowd. There are two free public lots, one at the north end off South Kihei Road and one at the south end where Wailea Alanui begins, both with showers. The rocky patches at either end hold fish if you bring a mask, but most people come here to stroll. Our full write-up lives in the Keawakapu Beach guide.
Next down are Mokapu and Ulua, a pair of small coves separated by a rocky point, fronting the Andaz. Ulua is the one to circle on your map: the lava outcropping on its south side is the best snorkeling in Wailea, with reef fish, the occasional honu (green sea turtle) and calm, clear water first thing in the morning before the wind comes up. Mokapu, just north, is quieter and better for a plain swim. They share a single free public lot above Ulua, and it is small, so it fills early — more on that below. If snorkeling is your priority, read our South Maui snorkeling guide first.
The showpiece is Wailea Beach itself, the half-mile golden crescent that fronts the Grand Wailea and the Four Seasons. It is wide, the entry is gentle and sandy, and it is the best of the five for straight swimming and for lying on a towel with the resorts behind you and the island of Kahoolawe out across the channel. It is also the busiest and the most resort-heavy, but the free public lot off Wailea Alanui puts you on the same sand as the hotel guests paying a fortune for the view. We break the whole beach down in our Wailea Beach guide, and sunset here is one of the best on the south side.
At the south end is Polo Beach, fronting the Fairmont Kea Lani. It is the quietest of the resort beaches, a little narrower, with a rocky point on the south end that snorkels reasonably when the water is calm. Locals like it as a launch for stand-up paddleboards and kayaks, and its free public lot is usually the last one in Wailea to fill, which makes it a smart fallback on a busy morning. Past Polo the paved coast runs out and the shoreline turns wild toward Makena and Big Beach, but that is a different guide. For a first Wailea day, Polo is a calm, pretty place to end up.
| Beach | Parking | Snorkeling | The vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keawakapu | Two free lots, north & south ends | Good at the rocky ends | Long, wide, big sunsets |
| Mokapu | Use the Ulua lot | Fair, shallow reef | Quiet, calm, fronts the Andaz |
| Ulua | Free lot, fills early | Best in Wailea — honu & reef | Snorkelers, sheltered cove |
| Wailea Beach | Free lot off Wailea Alanui | Fair; better for swimming | Resort crescent, lively |
| Polo | Free lot, usually last to fill | OK at the south point | Southernmost, calmer, SUP launch |