It is no surprise that the beaches in Maui are well known and highly desired. Pictures cannot justify the natural beauty of this island. Every beach is so unique and charming in its way. However, below I list the 5 most beautiful beaches in Maui that we have visited and recommend putting these on your travel bucket list! Read more below about Wailea Beach, Makena Beach, Secret Cove Beach, red Sand Beach, and Black Sand Beach.

5 Most Beautiful Beaches in Maui Hawaii

1. Wailea Beach

Wailea beach made the top of our list for beautiful beaches in Maui. For several reasons.

Location! Wailea is located in Kihei, Hawaii. Because it is located in Maui’s Southwest, you will be getting plenty of sunshine and dry weather most of the time. While it could be raining a 10 min drive away, Wailea beach stays mostly dry (short showers are expected, depending on the season). When visiting Maui, consider staying at the Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott located on the Wailea beach. It is only stepping away from the ocean. This resort makes a perfect place for couples or families with kids to spend time on one of the best beaches on Maui.

Atmosphere! It is a relatively small, cozy, and laid-back beach. It offers a lot more privacy than other public beaches on Maui. We loved spending early mornings and evenings just browsing around in the sand without too many distractions.

Activities! Sunsets are spectacular on Wailea beach. Each evening the sky lights up in different colors. You will also see the Molokini (volcanic crater) at the horizon, floating on the ocean waters. Worth noting, if you like snorkeling and swimming, there are a lot of turtles and colorful small fish you can run into. In addition, the famous Maui Luau dinner takes place at Wailea Beach. This is just another grand point to consider when visiting the Maui beaches.

2. Makena Beach

Makena Beach Park is one of the largest and most beautiful public beaches located in South Maui. Generally, it is more crowded than other beaches. However, we still had a lot of privacy during our visit in May. Sand at Makena beach is whiter than at any other beach in Maui and the ocean is the most turquoise! The Makena beach park offers picnic areas and tables. This beach is ideal for snorkeling and swimming. Plus, you get great views of Molokini and Kahoolawe islands.

3. Secret Cove/Pa’ako Beach

The Secret Cove beach is undoubtedly the most picture-perfect and one of the best beaches in Maui. It is located in Makena Alanui, Kihei. It is called the Secret Cove because it is considered a little harder to find for first-time visitors. However, it is not much of a secret at all. It is a very popular wedding photography location in Maui. We advise you to visit this spot as early in the morning as possible, so you experience some private beach vibes.

It is worth noting that Secret Cove beach is one of the tiniest beaches I have ever been to, but the combination of lava Rocks, palm trees, and crashing waves indeed makes it a perfect place to visit!

How to get here?

Many travel forums mention that finding the Secret Cove is somewhat challenging. However, we did not have any trouble getting here. If you follow the address provided on their website and be careful not to miss the entrance on the road (which resembles a small door entrance into somebody’s backyard), you will not have any challenges either.

From Wailea, Alanuri drive to Makena Alanuri Road. After direction changes to Makena road, Look out for the stone wall with a blue beach sign to access one of the most beautiful beaches in Maui, Hawaii.

4. Red Sand Beach

One of the stops you can make to Road to Hana is at the red sand beach, which I call a hidden paradise. Therefore, one of the best beaches on Maui. If you decide to visit (which you absolutely should), wear the right shoes. You will have to walk through a slippery cliff trail to reach the beach.

I was the least prepared for this stop and made the trip in my sandals. The trail is not recommended for children or the elderly, and everyone else needs to exercise caution.

With that said, I have to admit that the red sand beach was the highlight of our Road to Hana trip. The beach itself is small. It has a crescent shape and is surrounded by a red wall of lava rocks. These rocks make it look like a separate lagoon inside the ocean. The ocean is exceptionally blue and wavy. Many tourists are stopping for this spot, and it is more challenging to get some privacy.

5. Black Sand Beach/Wainapanapa State Park

The black sand beach is also located on the Hana Highway in Maui. Along with the red sand beach, this is one of the best and popular stops you can make on your Road to Hana. There is black sand, black arches, and plenty of greenery surrounding the beach. Usually, it is a crowded destination. Given that the beach is tiny, it is hard to spread out. Since the black sand beach is located in the Wainapanapa park, you can serve yourself that basket of picnic you carried for your trip and enjoy it at one of the picnic tables located steps away from the beach.

Ho’okipa Beach Park

While we only stayed here for a few minutes, I still wanted to share this mind-blowing experience. If you’re going to see many enormous turtles sunbathing on the beach, you should visit the Ho’okipa Beach Park.

Wow! This was my reaction when we got here. First, I noticed many people gathered in one spot looking out. We went to see what was going on and why they all had cameras in their hands. As we got closer, we discovered an unexpectedly large group of turtles that looked so much like lava rocks, just chilling by the water! (Comment below if you also thought that these were the rock). I had to take a few seconds to realize that these were the actual turtles! If you also want to have that “wow” moment, head over to this shocking beach in Maui.

We loved discovering all these five beaches in Maui and are looking forward to seeing more in the future. If you want to learn more about Maui’s other top sights to visit, check our guide to Sunrise and Sunset at the Haleakala Crater.