Little Beach, Maui
(a.k.a. Little Makena Beach
or Onouli Beach)
Little Beach, Maui is yet another beach with many names. Whether you want to call it Little Beach, Little Makena Beach or Onouli Beach is completely up to you!Little Beach is a great place to hang out in the warm Maui sun, but only if you're enough of a free spirit to accept the fact that it's a clothing optional beach. Officially, public nudity is illegal in Hawaii, but enforcement on this beach is said to be lax. This beach got its name because it's, well, little.... especially when compared to its neighbour, Big Beach. But its size does NOT mean you should write it off. After all, it's said that good things come in small packages, and that's definitely true of this beach! This beach backs onto one of the largest cinder cones on Maui: Pu'u Ola'i. To get to this beach, you must head to the north end of Big Beach, and climb along the footpath over the rocky remains of a lava flow from Pu'u Ola'i. Don't forget to savour the magnificent ocean view when you reach the top of the rock wall! If you're willing to make the trip, you'll be rewarded with an ocean that is generally much more suitable for swimming and boogie boarding compared to Big Beach. This is mostly due to the gentler shorebreak here. Swimming and boogie boarding aren't the ONLY activities that you can take part in here! It's said that when the ocean is calm, you can snorkel around the rocky tip of Pu'u Ola'i at the south end of the beach. Also, if you're able to get to Little Makena Beach on a Sunday evening, you will enjoy the assemblage of fire dancers, and other performers that gather here to entertain and hone their skills!
Practical Tips
There are no toilets at this beach; however, the portable toilets at
Big Beach
can be used.Especially if you plan on spending the day here, bring your own supply of fresh drinking water, as you won't find any here! The beach is only open during the day... the park gates are locked in the evening.
Getting There
Little Beach, Maui is located in Makena State Park, south of Kihei and Wailea. From Kihei, follow the Piilani Highway until it turns to the west and becomes Wailea Ike Drive. Across from the Shops at Wailea, it forms a dead-end, and you must turn left (south) onto Wailea Alanui Drive. This road eventually changes its name to Makena Alanui Road. Shortly before Makena State Park, this road changes names yet again, and becomes South Makena Road. Follow this road until the turn-off to Makena State Park. You should park at "Entry 1" for Makena.Do you see that long stretch of sand on the Google map below? That's Big Beach, Maui... at the north end of Big Beach is a rocky point... just past that you can see a much smaller beach, which is Little Beach, Maui!
More articles of interest: 1) Since you'll be driving past Wailea to get to this beach, why not read more about the Wailea area here? 2) And, since one beach can't possibly be enough on a Maui beach vacation, click here to read about our top beach picks!
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