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Makena State Park
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
30 reviews for Makena State Park
Large beach! Plenty of space to spread out and not be near anybody.
Beach is mainly uncovered, some trees that are snatched up quick. But if you're here for a tan, plenty of sand to go aruond. Theres a parking lot and if you get there at the right time you'll get a spot.
Water is nice and refreshing.
You know the beach is terrific when you still find sand few days later in places you didnt think sand could be.
We came here because our friend wanted to show us the 'nude beach' located on the other side of this beach. We had to climb up this rock formation and then down the other side to get to it. None of us were interested in stripping down and participating, and I'm not sure what the purpose of showing it to us was, but we all went -- me, complaining all the way up and all the way back down again.
At the top of the hill, we were able to see the people on the nude beach and omg -- they were all, how shall I say, not within our age group so to speak!! I think people who have reached a certain age group just don't have any inhibitions anymore. I'll just leave it at that!!
The beach itself is pretty much just like any other gorgeous beach you will find here, except there isn't a lot of shade to hide from the scorching heat. There are a couple of picnic benches, but other than that it's every person for him or herself.
Not a lot of parking either on the weekends so plan to go early or just don't go during the weekend!
3.5 stars
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After landing in Kahului airport, I immediately changed into my bikini & cover-up, hopped into the car w/my cousin, and we headed here. The cuz had spent some time in Maui and she heard this was a good beach to check out. A decent drive from Kahului, but a scenic one - well, really what drive isn't scenic on this island. In any case, the beach was gorgeous and the shorebreaks were really fun to watch (I didn't have the balls to go in!)
If these 2 dudes are on the main road (right at the entrance to the parking lot) making smoothies, stop and do not pass go until you get one. The smoothies were delicious, made from fruits all grown on Maui (papaya, guava, banana, etc.) and the dude has to pull out a generator just to make it. Perhaps this is why it was $7, but worth it. A bonus was that I asked the guys where to get a cheap towel, and one of them had an extra ("I don't use pink anything") and gave it to me. Mahalo!
This was also my introduction to the casual nature of everyone on the island. Dude walked up to smoothie stand asking to buy a banana from the guys, who said no, but I happened to have one and bartered it for a cold beer. Sweet.
We happened to be on this beach while they were doing a photo shoot for America's Next Top Model (really!!) so this should give you an idea of how gorgeous this beach and the surrounding rocks really are. Oh, also I am on Nigel Barker's bad side, but that's a longer story for another day.
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Makena is a great beach to spend time at when you're in Maui. Big Beach lives up to its name - a large expanse of beach with beautiful water (though there can be a bit of a rough shorebreak). The sand is a bit more orange here - that shouldn't alarm you - Maui is the red dirt island. As a person who tends to stay in the shade at the beach (I ger really dark really fast), there wasn't much shade for me, just a couple of picnic tables near the entrance. Little Beach is famous for all the nude sunbathers (warning for you family types) - the entrance to that beach is before the main parking lot to Big Beach. There aren't showers or toilets here - I guess they are re-doing them. Once those are back in commission, Makena will get the 5 stars - really a ConVis dream here.
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When you think of Hawaii this is the beach you think of. Beautiful white sand, clear, warm, aqua water...The only reason I took off a star is that the surf was rough for the kids. We have our 8 year old, and 15 month old baby, and neither of them wanted to go in the water because it was very rough.If it was just me and my hubby it would have been perfect. Bring a cooler with food and drinks because there isn't anything really around there.
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This Beach is SPECTACULAR!
If you're visiting Maui Big Beach is a must!
...and for those that want to go swimming in the buff, Little Beach is just right over the hill. I didn't get to see Little Beach because I was with "Mr. Anti- Nude Beach" but it was recommended by everyone I talked to about Maui.
Stunning beach, (saw whales here off the coast), apparently there is a "little beach" nearby that is a nudie hippie beach and they have a drum circle on Sundays (yes naked hippies dancn' to da drum beat.
Anywho. NO bathrooms here (the are working on putting in new showers - usually there are bathrooms here, but for now the port-o-poddies are disgusting), and no running water so bring your own for sure. But the beach is long (great for a run) and body boarders seemed to be everywhere.
There was a Jaws truck (GREAT fruit smoothies, strange tacos but good, okay shaved ice, and a nice guy working there) near the parking lot. A little pricey, but the guy has a generator and you really don't have many choices in the area.
Date Rating: 8
Pick up Scale: 6
Strong Suggestion: WEAR YOUR SANDALS. They have really horrible prickers on the walk in and some places on the beach. When you see someone else step on one and shriek you will be glad you read this review and kept your shoes on.
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My favorite beach in South Maui. It's a great stretch of sand, with beautiful views and good swimming. However, the locals call this place, "Break Neck Beach" for a reason. The surf can be unpredictable, especially, on this part of the island, in the summer. Just don't turn your back to oncoming waves here, or anywhere else on Maui.
The parking lot can get crowded, but people come and go. If you arrive with a companion, just drop them off with your chairs or beach bags up by the path to the beach, and then find a spot to park the car.
It often clouds up here in the afternoon, but if you drive up to Kamaole Beach in Kihea, more often than not, the sun will still be shining there.
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One of the absolute best beaches in Maui!!!
They aren't kidding, when they call it the "Big Beach"!!
It's seriously huge, with an amazing amount of space, and 2 huge parking lots.
I loved this beach enough that we went back more than once, (even though there were other ones closer.)
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One of the best beaches ever. Lots of beach, calm waves, great snorkling. Didn't realize Little Beach was just over the southern hill. We were laying out at the southern end of Big Beach, and kept seeing a TON of people hike over the hill (kids and all). Should've realized it when we saw a bunch of nasty men hike over there, too. It was funny to see everyone run back over the hill when a photographer hiked over their way(hehe).
Gorgeous place!!!
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Great waves and snorkeling reefs.
The waves differ vastly depending on the season and the weather. There is a parking lot, but parking may get tricky since this is a very popular beach. There is no water to rinse off the sand, so beware. Usually there is a Jawz taco truck at the parking lot, but other than that, there is no businesses around the park. The sun is pretty fierce on this side of the beach so remember to bring sun block.
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Amazing beach and big enough not to be too crowded. Bit of a trek with your gear, but bringing your cooler is definitely worth it. It is hot work sitting around at the beach all day! Ya gotta have refreshments.
Swimming is tricky here due to the shore break. Chicks should mind their tops if the get thumped by a wave. Is it wrong to find it amusing when someone gets knocked down?
Big Beach is beautiful. not a break for surfing, but fun for wading out and getting rocked by the waves and the undertoe drag. crazy fun.
no showers though (although there are portable toilets and a taco truck/roach coach).
the cliffs are beautiful and the views to the south are amazing.
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Great Big Beach!
One of the highlights of the trip was the Sunday night drum circle and fire dance on the Little Beach side. Bring a headlight for the walk back over the short trail connecting Big and Little Beach. The night I went there were people with Tiki torches lighting the way and helping folks hike the trail.
No facilities. Bring your own water, and pack out your trash/cigarette butts.
Nice views here. You wil pass thru Wailea (the beverly hills of Maui )
and find this picturesque beach. Iwas only here a few minutes, yet the immediate views and vibe would make me want to come back and spend more time here. I would have like to snorkeled a bit. Great view of molokini too.
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Little Beach is fantastic - very lowkey, clothing optional, amazing waves to jump around in.
On my last visit to Maui, we made three treks to Little Beach all the way from the west side of the island. It was so worth the journey over! We saw some naked surfing, people doing yoga on the beach, young folks drinking beer, naked families frolicking in the water and a clearly intoxicated older couple shed their clothes and take on the fierce waves - it looked like they were having the time of their lives!
Little Beach, I miss you...
There are two divisions of beach in Makena State Park. Big Beach, which really lives up to its name, is massive. Its beautiful and gives the illusion is could stretch on forever. We were lucky there weren't a lot of people there when we visited. I imagine this place is pretty crowded on a summer weekend.
Just over the wall, which I'm told was caused by a lava flow and earthquake in the 1700's is Little Beach. I heard that Jay Leno has deemed this beach the best place to swim naked. While that may be the case, please God don't let me run into Jay Leno doing that in this pristine little area!
If you bring little ones with you to Big Beach, keep a watchful eye and keep them close. Everything is big at Big Beach, including the waves!
Other things to keep in mind-- bring plenty of sunscreen, water and food. The sun is strong here and there is a walk into the beach from the parking area. Be sure to stay hydrated!
Very nice stretch of beach here near the south west side of the Island. Not as crowded as Kaanapali, but just as nice, probably nicer as there is serenity.
Take a small trek through the trees to the beach and find yourself a nice spot for sunbathing. (Get some level of sunscreen on) Nice views and the sun peaks in and out of the clouds consistently.
To the north, you'll see a rock outcropping. You can climb over it to the north section of Makena beach........ be warned, sometimes the people here have very little or no cloth on!
Beautiful Beach! Nice location and great sun!
Enough room for eveyone!
Nice soft sand not chunks of shells.
Can get pretty windy.
Easy waves here for skimming and playing in the water.
Get the fish tacos from the truck along the way - YUMMY!
Definetly take all your belongings with you! Do not leave them in the car. We didn't leave anything in the car but the glove box was broken into and the backseats in the Jeep were flipped down to check if we hid anything in there. SO becareful!
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ahhh I love this place! I just went last month and went beach hopping. The beach is clean and huge! Theres also a nude beach but i didnt go there. I saw some mature people going there. I dont think its going to be pleasant to see that. However, I will be back!!!
This was a nice big beach. Very spacious, waves were fun to watch, although no great for snorkeling as you will be smashed by the waves. A must visit whenever in Maui.
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Officially named Makena Beach, this lovely sandy beach is almost 2/3 of a mile long and over 100 yards wide. It's often referred to as THE beach to go check out on Maui as it's quintessential of what you would imagine Hawaii to look like...palms, sand, lush greenery, land off in the distance, magnificent sunsets.
It's often crowded on the weekends (I recommend going on either a weekday or around sunset to just see the beauty of the sun over the water. There's also a smaller beach off to the right...this beach area is referred to as "Little Beach" and is primarily known for it's "clothing optional" mantra!! And apparently, the division between Big Beach and Little Beach was caused by a lava flow and earthquake in 1790.
There's ample parking and picnic tables if you want to bring some grub and it's a great beach to check out for swimming!
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Big Beach is a fantastic beach. We were staying just down the street at the Grand Wailea and were amazed at how vastly different the two beaches are.
The beach here was so much more clear that just up the stream. There were some pretty crazy waves that were fun to just kind of ride in on (body surfing???).. we did this for hours I think.
Snorkeling was decent at Little Beach... (we tried it at Big Beach but the cliffy edge--where it was presumably the best snorkeling--seemed a bit dangerous with the rapid waves).
Little Beach is a gay / straight nude beach that you get to by going to Big Beach and hiking up a little trail. It's certainly interesting!! You haven't experienced Maui until you've seen a 40 year old leather skinned local naked and surfing.
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Big beach has it's name for a reason. The waves are BIG. It is a great place to skin/boogey board or just watch. some of the locals are truly amazing/crazy on those things. But back to the Big waves. In our couple hours there we watched victim after victim get smashed into the sand by the conituous waves. They would then walk away holding their arms or shoulders in pain. Several locals we talked to said the beach is known for breaking arms, necks and shoulders. This is a great place for adults, not sure I would bring kids here.
Tips: Come early on the weekends as the parking lot is small and fills up quickly. Pack a picnic or eat at the local snack truck.
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This is not your typical tourist beach in Maui!
Makena Beach, also known as Big Beach, is an incredible sandy beach on the Southern end of Maui's coast, south of Wailea.
It's absolutely not crowded, and you'll have plenty of space to get comfortable here. The waves that come in are pretty decent 5 foot sets (or at least they were when I was there) and I had a blast doing some body surfing here.
After spending a few hours in the sun, grab some fish tacos at the Taco truck parked on the road. They claim they make the Best Fish Tacos on Maui, and I have to say it's true! These tacos alone make the trip down to the beach totally worth it!
There's a local survey that ranks the visitor beaches in Maui, and having been to 6 of the supposed top 10 (in which Big Beach ranks #2), I have to say that Makena is by far my favorite on the island. The main beach commonly known as Big Beach, is a very large strip of coast with nice sand, beautiful water and pretty lively shorebreak, so it's great for swimming and boogie boarding. But be vigilant and exercise the cardinal rule in swimming on Hawaiian shores: NEVER turn your back on the waves. And don't linger in the shorebreak zone -- the breaks are deceivingly large and strong.
Some have said there's good snorkeling here. I don't know about that.
At the far right of the beach, you can hike over a short ridge and visit a much smaller area known as Little Beach, which probably used to be a much more secluded spot once upon a time. It's a fun, clothing optional spot, but today it's definitely a scene that gets pretty crowded.
If you're up for it, take a short hike through thick coastal scrub and volcanic rock trails further north, and you'll see some pretty cool coves that have no area for laying, but I've seen a few people enjoy a diving rock there that's pretty tricky to reach.
the review is based on little beach alone.
once you walk the length of big beach, you climb up a short path of lava rock. from the top, the postcard view of big beach can be seen -- breathtaking.
as you walk down the other side of the lava rock, you descend into the magnificence of little beach.
on sundays it's church. you can immediately begin to feel the energy. the drum beat welcomes you as you finally sink your feet into the soft yellow sand. the beach is filled with people (some clothed, some not-so-clothed). there are people hoola-hooping, twirling poi, practicing for the fire-dancing to come. people in numbers are wading in the perfect waves, in the soft sand.
as the day comes to an end, the celebration focuses on the setting of the sun near (or sometimes, directly over) molokini. cheers, applause and ecstatic drumming accompanies the sun as it dips below the horizon.
when the sun is gone, the fire-dancing begins. the local favorites twirl their poi, staffs, hoops, etc.
a great way to spend a sunday afternoon/evening. can sometimes be tricky to get a ride home if you don't have a car but it's pretty easy to hitch home since the community at the celebration is of the ride-giving type. :)
little beach is my church for sure!
I grew up on Maui and Big Beach was the "Sandy's" of Maui. The waves are powerful and very body surfing friendly. The sand goes on forever. It used to be only accessible by dirt road, and most people missed the turn Makai. Next door was Little Beach. The hippie nude beach. We would always climb the rock that separated the two and check out the nudies, mostly men playing paddle ball (EWWW), ugly naked guy). We climbed back down the rock quickly and went back to our waves. The sand drops off and it gets deep quick. On the flat days it is a perfect area to learn how to dive. Not a lot to see, but the water is gorgeous.
Big Makena Beach, aka Big Beach, is my favorite spot on the face of the earth. Even when it is pouring rain and windy, I love this place. The skimboarding is heavenly, the sand is clean, the water is gorgeous, and the locals are friendly for the most part.
When the surf picks up, this is not a beach you want your kids to play at. The shore break is deadly strong and injures countless people every year. There is a guy named Mr. Leisure who has a real funky lookin beat up truck who actually keeps track of all of these injuries. I think he's pressing for a lifeguard station down there.
Big Beach is one of the last beaches on South Maui to not have any developments on it which gives it a very secluded and pristine feel.
I HATE going to any of the hotel beaches because they are not half as nice as this one. The only bad part about Big Beach is that the parking lot gets awful crowded on the weekends. The beach is so big though that there is always plenty of space to stretch your blankets out.
If you have the opportunity to check out this beach, make a point to do it. You will not be disappointed.
The waves are big! It's a beautiful stretch of sand though, perfect for sunbathing. It was really fun watching the locals hit the waves on their body boards...we caught a couple back flips!
