Hamoa Beach

Beautiful and rough…
North and east exposure gives it a lively personality. Locals are 95% sweet and friendly.
Current is strongest at both margins
Grimy toilets and now has a shower
Great boogeyboarding

I recently returned from my first trip to Maui, and when I think back to the most dissapointing things on my trip (there weren’t many! Maui is amazing!) Hamoa beach definitely comes to mind first.
When I was planning my vacation, I read all the great reviews about how beautiful this beach was, both on Unilocal and on other locations. I knew I had to stop there when we explored the Road to Hana.
I was completely shocked because as you can see from my pictures, this beach is in no way spectacular. I would say it was even kind of gross… I hope that doesn’t offend any locals as that is certainly not my intention! But after spending days at the gorgeous Wailea beach and snorkeling at Kaanapali beach (and several other beautiful beaches on Maui) I just thought this was rather underwhelming and a complete waste of time.
Also, the bathroom looked horrible! (See photo)
I honestly wanted to give this 2 stars, but I am giving it three because I acknowledge its a public beach, and the beautiful, well-​kept beaches on the other side of the island belong to resorts that take care of them. But even still… I’ve been to many beautiful public beaches all over the globe, so I can’t understand why there are so many rave reviews for this mediocre beach.

lovely sand beach.
On the way there you first pass by Koki beach. There is a large area near the koki beach to sun bathe on the grass and sometimes they have chicken BBQ (look for signs) and music in the hut to the south of Koki beach. The beach itself is gorgeous, lined with trees and has a soft sand beach. I would very much recommend stopping by here for a quick dip prior to going a bit further to Hamoa beach.
Hamoa itself is also a sandy beautiful beach with outdoor shower and bathroom. It does have the Travaasa Hana tourists which are there and they get free towels, access to the bathroom, and beach chairs with umbrellas.
The beach itself may have a lot of boogie boarders or surfers. Sometimes it gets very crowded with tourists but generally before 11 am its not that busy.
Very picturesque and worth going to.
One last thing I should advise: BE NICE AND RESPECT THE LOCALS. I believe there have been incidences in which people block off the street, litter, or act as if all the locals are there to serve them. this is their home and they are sharing it with us :)

My favorite beach ever! It’s a beautiful soft sand beach with some shaded spots for sitting. I don’t enjoy sunbathing, but I love to boogie board (on baby waves… is that still considered boogie boarding?), or play around with the waves.
To go into the ocean, I would enter on the left side where the waves are the gentlest… generally. You can swim around and even snorkel around if the waters aren’t too choppy. Some days there are tons of larger waves. When a large wave crashes in front of me (I learned this tip from a sweet local), go under the wave. When you start feeling comfortable with that, when another crashing was comes to you, get low to the ground to prepare to go under the wave, and then look up at the wave passing. It’s the most peaceful thing ever — I plan on bringing some goggles next time to see more clearly. I also love somersaulting over a wave that hasn’t crashed yet or doing a superman pose over waves that haven’t crashed. It just lifts you up so high!!!
There is one private restroom in the big building on the right and a nice shower at the bottom of the steps. The treck down is about 40 steps or there is a driveway (marked for travaasa) that you can walk down as well.

Beautiful Beach
its a morning beach because the sun will not shine on this beach in the afternoon.

Unbelievable. Gorgeous. Pristine.
We have been to a lot of beaches in Maui and this is one of our favorites. The water is so crystal clear, it is shallow quite a distance from shore is is partially protected on the left side of the beach. This, in addition to the public bathroom, makes it a great beach for kids and adults alike. Just an FYI– it is the snow covered mountains of the big island that you can see across the ocean. Pretty amazing sight!
Be warned though, the parking sucks so plan accordingly.

This was one of my favorite beaches in our trip to Maui. Great clean beach that was very beautiful, quiet, and relaxing. My husband was able to boogie board here and he said it was good

This is a very picturesque beach with a sandy bottom and no rocks. It’s good for body & boogie boarding but can be a little rough and choppy for swimming even on weather-​perfect days. The sand seems like a mixture of white & black sand, and some dirt, and is very sticky compared to regular white sand. There is a very dirty and disgusting public restroom but no other beach & park facilities. You may see some lounge chairs with umbrellas but those are for guests of the Travaasa Hotel only. There are shady spots as the place is full of trees. Parking sucks as the tiny dirt lot fits maybe 6 – 8 cars, and there’s no parking on the narrow road’s shoulders. Be careful because idiots will block you in as they did to us. Luckily the car next to us was gone but we had to do some sharp turns and backing in and out.
TIP:
Its not a good beach for people with difficulty walking as you need to descend several steps from the cliff above. It can also be very touristy.

I’d heard a lot of rave reviews for this beach, some describing it as the best in the state. I have to say I didn’t really find it to be as stunning as many other people. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very nice beach and it’s tucked in a secluded spot near Hana that prevents it from being too crowded or commercialized. But I wouldn’t say it’s the best beach on Maui, let alone the state. Nearby Koki beach is actually just as nice and is more beautiful, in my opinion.
That being said, this is a great place to stop if you’re doing the Road to Hana and continuing toward the Kipahulu part of Haleakala National Park. The sand isn’t very clean but there is room to set up and do some bodyboarding or surfing. The waves are definitely choppy, so if you swim I wouldn’t go out too far.
Parking wasn’t an issue for me as I was here during a weekday, but I can see how it would be a problem if there are larger weekend crowds. There isn’t much roadside space near the stairway leading down to the beach. The restroom area next to the beach appeared to be closed for renovation while I was there.
Overall, I don’t consider this beach a «must see» as is the Kaihalulu red sand beach or the Waianapanapa black sand beach. I recommend working those into your Hana drive schedule and stopping at Hamoa only if time allows.

This is part of Road to Hana and it’s a MUST STOP!!!
It has to be my favorite beach ever!!! I’m so glad we stopped here, and because of that it made my trip so much fun.
Parking gets kinda packed, it depends what time you go. You just park along the street near the residents wherever you see available.
The water here is freaking clean and blue!!! Not many people either even though it has a station for hotel guests which I don’t even know where the hotel is at.

Hamoa Beach alone makes driving the road to Hana worth it. They print postcards to feature places like Hamoa Beach.
Whether you want to lay out and soak up the sun, bodysurf, boogie board or just splash around, this place is perfect.
It is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular beaches I’ve visited.

The most beautiful and crystal clear water beach I have ever seen in Maui. It can be compared to Kailua beach in Oahu. Easy access, soft sand, calm crystal clear water, perfect for swimming, and last but not least, it’s not crowded at all. It’s like having a private beach for yourself. A must-​go beach in Hana, Maui.

I LOVE living in Hana and Hamoa is one of the reasons. Just please please PLEASE be careful if you are not a strong swimmer… The currents can get very strong and the beach breaks can get very rough. I’ve seen too many tourists end up with knee, leg, foot injuries and struggling to get back in to shore. On a calm day though, you can swim all the way out to snorkel the lava point. It’s a steep walk up and down to the beach via either steps or a steep driveway, so take that in to consideration if you are with elders.

STUNNING! Waikiki was like a children place, Hamoa rocked my entire trip to Hana, which also made the the 2 ½ mountain drive X 4 somewhat more meaningful.
Waving, clean, calm and relaxing at the same time. Hamoa was as good as I would wish to get. Simply soo much fun to hang with family there.
If you ever take a chance to drive those darn curvy road into Hana, do NOT miss Hamoa beach!

So glad we found this gem… It was like having a whole private beach! Perfect waves and sandy bottom made this a great place to enjoy under the shade or in the soft sand. There is one public restroom, but the lockers are for the hotel down the street and they have a security guard on watch (at least when we were there). It was a great stop on our way to the Seven pools, but after seeing all the crowds there, I wish we would’ve just spent the afternoon here! Street parking

Hamoa beach is hands down the best beach we’ve ever been to. The salt and pepper sand is powder and the water is unbelievably clear. The triangle patterns in the sand after the water reseeds is mezmurizeing. We don’t think we ever want to visit a beach in California ever again! No matter what part of the island you live or visit you need to see this beach for yourself.
5 star! We would give it a 10 if we could! Such a beautiful beach.
check out our maui video, you will see a clip of this place…

It’s a breakneck beach in bad conditions. Locals flipper ½ mile out, but unless you are skilled I would watch the shore break. I mean it. The problem is that its the most beautiful beach in the world… and there isn’t a rock or twig to step on. No reef or anything to bother the toes for some distance.
The days this beach is flat? Those are the days the locals call in sick.
Other than that, James Michener was right… it’s the perfect crescent moon beach of all the Pacific. Volcanic spits on one side, volcanic rocks and tropical jungle like cliffs on the other that yield to views of rolling grassy ranges of happy cows on an island.
It’s easy to say this is the most romantic, special, epic beach

Perfectly picturesque Hamoa Beach is tha shxt! This place is on my short list of favorite beaches in the world. Soft sand and palm trees in a beautiful, crescent-​shaped cove. Delish waves make for great boogie boarding and it’s not crowded like most of the spots in the tourist books. Sun or shade, pick your spot. There’s even picnic tables if you want one.
Weeks later and I’m still dreaming of this place. If you get a chance, go… It’s like walking right into a postcard.

This beach looks like a Hawaiian post card, decorated with sugary soft sand and bright blue water. Gosh, I really wish I was there right now.
We didn’t spend too much time here because we didn’t want to drive the Hana Highway back to our hotel with wet bathing suits on, but I saw lots of surfers & swimmers having fun in the water. There’s plenty of warm sand to lay out on too, so this would be a great last stop to relax before you head back home from your Road to Hana drive.

Having grown up in Newport Beach you tend to get a little spoiled with gorgeous beaches, good surf, and nice weather. But the beaches get crowded with tourists, surfers get territorial, and it turns into a scene.
This is why I can respect a place like Hamoa. We were part of a very small group on this amazing crescent beach with amazing sand, palm trees and phenomenal wave action. We all went bodysurfing and ran out into the surf like Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie «The Beach». It was paradise.
There were maybe 10 others on the beach the whole time… one being Weird Al Yankovic who was passed out on the beach on something that probably wasn’t over the counter.
Best bodysurfing I have had in years, we were getting barrelled for hours. Finish it up with a nice Kona lager and pulled pork sandwich and you have had a great day.