Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Maui, Hawaii
It is always good to stretch your towel on the very sands where Hawaiian kings and queens once worked up a tan. Four-mile, sun-kissed Kaanapali Beach on West Maui is just that place. Offering some of the nation's best swimming, sunbathing, and snorkeling, Kaanapali Beach attracts the common vacationer, blue-blooded royalty, and just about everyone in between. With bright blue crystalline waters, pastel sunsets that will make your jaw drop, Kaanapali Beach is widely considered to be Maui's most beautiful and enchanting beach. Located two miles north of Lahaina, it is an everything-but-the-kitchen sink resort spot. A paved beach path connects all of Kaanapali Beach's shorefront establishments; world-class luxury hotels (with fabulous pools), condominium and vacation-club resorts, gourmet, open-air restaurants, posh spas, and outdoor beachfront shopping. Add to that lush green gardens and nightly luaus that will make you swoon, and you will have no choice but to agree; Kaanapali Beach is seashore royalty.
Rich in Hawaiian culture, Kaanapali Beach comes complete with its historic legacy. Ancient Hawaiian warriors laced with taro and green sugar cane plants, once trained on these shores while Polynesian nobles enjoyed rest and relaxation. And the traditions of those times still linger. Hula performances, Hawaiin arts and crafts (for children), Hawaiian lauhala weaving and lei making at the local beachside resorts, all enrich the Kaanapali Beach experience.
To ply the deep, blue seas, sail off into watercolor horizon on a sunset dinner tour or head out for a whale watching excursion. But if you would rather stick to the sands, Kaanapali Beach keeps its beach bums happy. Sailing, sea kayaking, body boarding, and swimming are all great ways to make a splash in the calm, warm water and lifeguards are on duty. Kaanapali Beach's greatest claim to seashore fame is the outstanding snorkeling at infamous Black Rock. The water around Black Rock (in front of the Sheraton) is teeming with schools of tropical fish and, if you're lucky, an occasional sea turtle. Rent snorkeling gear along the shore or bring along your own.
Though brimming with beach bums year-round, Kaanapali Beach is still considered to be one of the more tranquil and low-key Hawaiian beaches. Public restrooms and showers are on-site, and while finding a spot for your towel is usually no big deal, finding parking is. Your best bet is to try catching a paid spot at the southern entrance (turn off of Honoapiilani Highway) at the Kaanapali Resort or pay for parking at the Sheraton or Whalers Village shopping center. Exquisite beauty, laid-back atmosphere, and the most complete resort package, Kaanapali Beach is the crowning jewel in Maui's glittering coastline.