Po'Olenalena Beach

Located along the southern portion of the Maui shoreline, Poolenalena Beach - also called Paia Beach, Poolenalena Beach Park, Pepeiaolepo Beach, Love Beach, Keauhou Beach, Makena Surf Beach, and Po’olenalena Beach - is a half-mile long beach with light brown sand and nearby kiawe trees.  The southern part of Poolenalena Beach is also called Chang’s Beach.  The areas around the southern and the northern ends of Poolenalena Beach have lava rocks.  The name of this beach (Poolenalena) means “yellow head” in Hawaiian - this name is a reference to a large nearby dark-colored rock that has some yellow streaks - this rock is present in a nearby golf course called the Wailea Blue Golf Course.  The beach has a spectacular background of upscale oceanfront homes and nearby high-rise oceanfront buildings. 

Although Poolenalena Beach does not have lifeguards, it has a few other amenities including a shower (available near the beach’s southern part) and a restroom (available near the beach’s northern part). 

Poolenalena Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, picnicking, fishing, swimming, bodyboarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, and wakeboarding.  The water near Poolenalena Beach usually has gentle waves and a gradual depth, making it ideal for beginner swimmers and paddleboarders.  Snorkelers also enter the water near this beach to explore its vibrant biodiversity - depending on the time of the year, you can view many kinds of animals in the water near Poolenalena Beach including sea turtles, migrating whales (during winter and early spring), rare monk seals, sea stars, sea urchins, coral, lobster, and many kinds of fish including porcupinefish, hawkfish, and grouper - seals and sea turtles are protected under a law named the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and harming them can result in a fine of up to $50,000  and possible imprisonment.  The rocky portions of the beach near its southern and the northern end are often popular among snorkelers, especially the rocky portions near Poolenalena Beach’s southern end.  In addition to snorkeling, the water near Poolenalena Beach also offers fun surfing and bodysurfing waves, especially in summer during afternoons.   

If you are planning to surf, swim, or snorkel in the water near Poolenalena Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable and dangerous rip currents and deadly waves, especially during summers.  In addition, some parts of the water near Poolenalena Beach also have rocky bottoms, which can inflict severe injuries to visitors.  If you are planning to fish in the water near Poolenalena Beach, we recommend ensuring compliance with the local fishing regulations - these regulations can be found on the website of the Division of Aquatic Resources (which is a part of the State of Hawai’i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources).  Poolenalena Beach also offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern Maui shoreline, especially during sunsets. Poolenalena Beach is also a popular wedding spot and many weddings are organized on this beach, particularly during sunsets.  Poolenalena Beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quiet beach experience as this beach sees fewer visitors than other nearby Maui beaches.  Clothing-optional beachgoers occasionally use Poolenalena Beach as a visiting spot.  If you are planning a clothing-optional visit to Poolenalena Beach, we recommend being careful as the public indecency is punishable by local authorities

Getting to Poolenalena Beach is easy - the beach is located near 4690 Makena Alanui, where a large free nearby dirt parking lot is also present.  As another parking and access option, a parking lot for this beach is also available adjacent to a resort named Makena Surf Resort: Destination Residences Hawaii (which is present near 4850 Makena Alanui) - you can easily walk to the beach from this parking lot.  We recommend being careful while walking to the beach from the parking lots as thorny branches from kiawe trees are known to fall on the ground around Poolenalena Beach - these thorny branches can inflict injuries to visitors.  In addition, we also recommend being careful while parking here and avoiding leaving any valuables in your vehicles and burglary-related attempts have been known to occur here. 

There are many attractions near Poolenalena Beach.  Makena Landing Park is an oceanfront park that has a small beach - this park has many amenities including grassy areas, restrooms, showers, and barbecue areas.  This park also offers many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, picnicking, wildlife watching, swimming, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kitesurfing, windsurfing, boating, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, and wake-boarding.  Molokini Crater is an offshore volcanic crater that was formed after a volcanic explosion around 230,000 years ago.  The clear water around this volcanic crater is a part of a marine reserve and is immensely popular among scuba divers and snorkelers - the water here has a vivid coral reef and it is home to many kinds of aquatic creatures.  Kalama Park (also known as Kalama Beach Park) is a large waterfront park that has many amenities including athletic fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a skating rink, a performance gazebo, picnic pavilions, a skateboard park, a multipurpose field, a playground with shaded pavilions, and picnic areas.  The park hosts many fun events throughout the year including sporting events, festivals, and outdoor events.  If you are looking for another attraction near Poolenalena Beach, Lava Fields at La Perouse Bay (also known as La Perouse Lava Fields) offer a scenic landscape almost entirely consisting of rugged yet interesting black lava rocks - you can explore these beautiful lava fields via the hiking trails present here.  In addition, many historical sites are present around these lava fields including heiau and Hawaiian fishing shrines.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Poolenalena Beach.  Ka’ana Kitchen offers amazing gourmet dishes for breakfast and dinner including risotto, steaks, seafood, salads, poultry dishes, and dessert - the restaurant’s dishes are prepared from locally sourced ingredients.  Lineage is a popular restaurant that offers excellent fusion Asian-American cuisine.  This restaurant was awarded TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice award in 2021 and it was also awarded Honolulu magazine’s Hale ‘AinaAward’s gold prize for the best new restaurant in 2019.  Manoli’s Pizza Company is known for its amazing pizzas and it also offers excellent pastas, sandwiches, burgers, gyros, salads, chicken wings, and fries.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Poolenalena Beach, 808 Deli offers outstanding sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, and breakfast dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Poolenalena Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 5-StarFour Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea offers many amenities including three restaurants, three pools, 58 cabanas, 24-hour fitness center, a spa, and tennis courts.  Another upscale hotel is the 4.5-Star Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott, Maui, which offers many amenities including four restaurants, two coffee shops, multiple bars, a spa, multiple pools, waterslides, golf courses, a gym, and an airport shuttle service.  Makena Surf Resort: Destination Residences Hawaii is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including two pools, two hot tubs, two herb gardens, four tennis courts, and barbecue areas.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Maui Coast Hotel which offers many amenities including a hot tub, a fitness center, a tennis court, a restaurant, and a cafe with regular live entertainment.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Poolenalena Beach, Wailuku Guest House is a 30-minute drive away and offers many amenities including a beach gear loaner facility, a pool, a sundeck, and beautiful gardens.