Maliko Bay

Located on the north shore of Maui Island, Maliko Bay - also known as Maliko Bay Beach – has a rocky shoreline.  There is no sand at this beach, and the Maliko Stream drains into the ocean here.  The beach offers amazing, Instagram-worthy views of Mauka Mountain, especially during sunset.  

Maliko Bay does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly.  Maliko Bay welcomes dogs on a leash, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset. 

Maliko Bay offers many activities including swimming, snorkeling, paddle boarding, jet skiing, and scuba diving.  If you are planning to go into the water near the beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and rocky bottoms, which can cause serious injuries to visitors.  Snorkelers can explore coral reefs, and see a large variety of colorful tropical fish including devil scorpion fish, spiny lobsters, ridgeback slipper lobsters, large conger eels, and Spanish dancers.  In addition, downwind paddlers and jet ski riders frequently launch from Mliko Bay. Recently, the Surfrider Foundation announced a health alert for the presence of high bacteria levels in the water, which indicates the presence of human or animal waste in the water that might threaten public health and damage coastal reef ecosystems.  For weekly updates on water quality, visit Surfrider.org.  Divers may dive on either side of the bay, but the most exciting swim-throughs are on the right (east) side of the bay, where they might find three deep ravines on the cliff side.  Divers may spot small caves, but we recommend not entering them as sometimes it is difficult to come out. 

Getting to Maliko Bay is easy - the beach has only a small dirt parking lot located near 1397 Hana Highway 36.  This access road will go inland and then loop around and head right out to the bay and ocean.  After parking, you will need to walk a few minutes to get to the beach.

There are many attractions near Maliko Bay. Maui Nui Botanical Gardens is home to hundreds of tropical and subtropical plants, including native Hawaiian plants and Polynesian-introduced plants.  In addition, it offers interesting guided tours that provide unique insight into the local biodiversity and talk about various water conservation techniques, including xeriscaping (a method of garden design that involves choosing plants that can be maintained with little water). Hookipa Beach Park has a small white sand beach with many lava rocks.  The beach is one of the world's most famous windsurfing sites among professional and highly experienced surfers for having some of the world's tallest waves, especially at the east end of the beach.  There are four distinct surf breaks at Hookipa, including Pavilions, Middles, The Point, and Lanes.   The beach offers many amenities, including lifeguards, picnic areas, picnic tables, pavilions, showers, restrooms, and an observation deck.  In addition, there is Hookipa Lookout on the edge of a tall cliff to watch the surfers tackling the farthest east break known as "Pavilions."  If you are looking for another attraction near Maliko Bay, 4th Marine Division Memorial Park is a place where the 4th Marine Division was stationed and trained during World War II, and the memorials of soldiers who sacrificed their lives have been preserved in their honor.  This forty-acre park offers many amenities including four covered picnic pavilions, eight picnic tables, four barbeque grills, baseball fields, a playground with swing sets, restrooms, water fountains, and a large parking area.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Maliko Bay. Nuka is an upscale Japanese restaurant that serves amazing salads, sushi, soups, noodles, rolls, sashimi, katsu, tempura, kushiyaki, burgers, seafood, pork, poultry dishes, sake, and desserts. Colleen’s At the Cannery is an American restaurant that serves incredible soups, salads, sashimi, pasta, ravioli, burgers, seafood, and poultry dishes. Polli’s Mexican Restaurant serves delicious nachos, tacos, salsa, tortillas, salads, soups, enchiladas, tamales, burritos, chile relleno, chimichangas, fajitas, steaks, burgers, and sandwiches.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Maliko Bay, The Magic Oven serves toast, burritos, sandwiches, pizza, quesadillas, burgers, pork dishes, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Maliko Bay, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-Star Hotel Wailea, Relais & Châteaux is 39 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including a fitness center with yoga classes, a golf course, an outdoor pool with cabanas, a hot tub, a Mediterranean restaurant, and complimentary weekly canoeing excursions.  Another upscale option is the beachfront 4-Star Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott, Maui which offers many amenities including a spa, a fitness center, outdoor pools, hot tubs, golf courses, four restaurants, and two coffee shops.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Mana Kai Maui Resort which offers many amenities including a heated outdoor pool, a fitness center, barbecue grills, beach equipment rental, and a restaurant with outdoor seating.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Maliko Bay, the 2-Star Days Inn by Wyndham Maui Oceanfront offers several amenities including a fitness center, a restaurant, and a barbecue grill facility.