Hawaii / Maui Beaches

Photo by Lindsey Yung
© All Rights Reserved

So you’ve been to Hawaii five times and never ventured beyond Honolulu and Waikiki. Who can blame you? Hulu’s got it all. But if you’re looking for something more laid back, then Maui may be the place to plan that next trip. Maui beaches are regarded as crowded if more than a few dozen people show up. My kind of crowd.

For a resort lined beach with all the amenities of Waikiki but only a fraction of the activity try Kaanapali on the west coast. Or head north to Kapalua Bay, a reef protected beach that is quieter still, with only one resort on it. Want to rub shoulders with the wine spritzer set? Slip on over to the next bay for afternoon refreshments at the Ritz-Carlton.

Then continue your beach safari at Kihei on the southwest coast. Here you’ll find Kamaole Beaches I, II and III, considered the most active beaches on the island. Nonetheless, you won’t have any trouble finding a place to unroll that rattan mat for a nice belly-bake. Or if you really like lots of elbow room, head a few miles further south to Makena, also called ‘Big Beach.’ This wide stretch of sand is the ideal spot to glaze the epiderm with sunscreen and set the dial on your bronze-well timer to 'lightly toasted'.

More adventurous types can join the sun worshippers at Little Beach across the point from Makena. Here women get allover tans with no tan-lines and surfer dudes hang out on the waves.

Then there’s the beach I would steer clear of entirely. It's the infamous Makena Cove, where archaic rites of passage are performed daily to consign heretofore freedom loving souls to primordial servitude for the remainder of their days.

- "I...I...I...(gulp)"
- "That‘s alright son. Take your time. It's a big decision."
- "You spineless little jellyfish! Do you know what I'm gonna do with you when I get you back to the hotel?"
- "I do."
- "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you - hubby for life."
- "Hey, come back here. You can't go in the water like that. That's a rented tux!"