Alii Kahekili Beach Park

I love this beach. Clean, clear warm water. Parking lot, grass area, picnic tables, covered area, restrooms and one of my favorite places to snorkel and reconnect to these islands. Palm trees that sway like they are hula dancers and a paved walkway. I loved taking romantic walks here. Not bad right Valentine? I did good :)

This beach is just amazing and the snorkeling is great. Jump in the water and soon as you start snorkeling you’ll see all kind of fish.
I have personally seen several turtles through out several days. It has a nice grassy area if you rather not layout on the sand.

I like this beach a lot. The snorkeling is the best I’ve found on the Island and only feet away from the shoreline. There is a nice grassy area to hang out and palm trees to seek shade. There are a few overhanging trees too so one can set up chairs and get out of the sun. The water is so so clear. We have seen so many different kind of wildly colorful tropical fish. You feel like you are swimming in an aquarium. It makes you feel like you live somewhere really special.
There is a pavilion with picnic tables, grills, bathrooms and showers. You can always go to the Westin or any of the nearby hotels for a bite to eat.

My favorite beach in Maui because of the awesome and easy snorkeling and the fact that it’s clean and pretty quiet. There are also some trees along the beach if you want some shade.

This has been my favorite beach in Maui to date. There is ample parking, a couple of picnic tables, bathrooms are clean and there’s grass and shade from palm trees. The reef is literally feet away from shore so you can be an inexperienced snorkeler or swimmer and still have fun. I went about 10 yards out before I was seeing fish in all directions. One of the really cool things is that there’s tons of little caves and canyons that fish congregate around and again it’s all within a stone throws away. I went out about 75 – 100 yards and was diving down about 20 feet to find myself in the middle of some small schools of fish. There was a medium sized turtle having a snack that lounged around for about 30 – 45 minutes and was not shy at all (pictures to come). If you’re looking to snorkel AND swim then I suggest going here but walking back towards Kaanpali/​Black Rock since the reef is further out there and you can swim more freely there, if you want to snorkel then right in front of the parking lot us a great spot!

gorgeous beach with barely anyone there.

Lovely beach. Golden sand, pretty lawn, palms, decent restrooms, showers.
Easy snorkeling a few feet in. We saw a whale jump out of the water, too.

Nice place to enjoy Kaanapali Beach if you want to lay out on a grassy area instead of the sand, but the beach is readily accessible. There is ample parking near the Westin Ocean Resort Villas. Covered picnic tables with outlets and a bathroom are available. The palm trees are big enough to provide a decent amount of shade depending on the time of day you go.

The beach/​snorkeling area is a nice, simple place to get into the swing of Island time. Parking is simple, with lots of spots and no fees. The beach is nice and sandy, not at all rocky, which is great for getting into the water without slippery rock hopping.
Not far out is a baby reef, with submerged rocks and little brain corals growing. There are plenty of fish about, and we got to see a solitary turtle munching on the reef.

Located near the Westin Ocean Resort Villas NOT the Westin Resort & Spa. My husband and I drove around looking for this park based on reviews of it’s location and finally asked for directions. Locals mostly know it as Airport Beach.
Parking was abundant but we did arrive by 9am. Facilities were great with tables, benches, bathrooms, showers, and grassy areas if you don’t prefer the sandy beach. It was a little bit of a walk to the Black Rock area from the parking lot… probably more noticeable since both of us had full hands of beach gear. The beach wasn’t nearly as crowded closer to Black Rock as it was near the parking lot so I’d say it’s worth it to trek down a ways. Easy access for snorkeling but it was so-​so. We saw fish and coral but the clarity was not great and we weren’t able to swim around to the other side of Black Rock to Kaanapali Beach. Better snorkeling at Po’olenalena Beach.

This is a nice part of the Kaanapali Beach, it has a great restroom area with showers and a covered picnic area. When we were visiting there was a Hawaiian Monk Seal sunning on the beach. There is a pretty decent size off street parking lot right next to the Westin and nice views of Moloka’i and Lana’i from the beach. If you need a bite to eat, walk across the highway to Shark Pit Tacos, it’s totally worth it and a very close walk. From this park you can access the beach walk and practically walk the entire span of Kaanapali Beach.

hubby and I were there in Sept 2013
Drove around and tried to find a safe snorkel place after we passed the murky Honolua Bay.
This quaint beach was right next to The Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Safe parking lot, public restroom. mature crowd, nice white sand beach to get in and out of water.
No slipper rock! It was beyond great to easy snorkle.
I believe I could see better marine life in Honolua Bay, but hey, just want to relax, swimming with little fishes…
Alii Kahekili Beach Park was awesome. I will definitely go back again

Excellent beach on the North side of the Black Rock. Very quiet, right in front of the Westin Villas. Plentiful parking, nice bathrooms and lots of sand & ocean! Perfect for a picnic!

Free parking, Sign me up! After arriving in Maui my husband and I were looking for a beach to lay out on and watch the sunset. We stumbled upon this beach after driving around and noticing what all the big resorts parking garages charge $ 20/​day or $ 6/​hr for parking and all the free beach parking in the Kaanapali Beach area were taken. This was a larger parking lot, we came here multiple times during our stay and every time there was plenty of parking available. Newer clean facilities. No lifeguards, so be smart!

Still a good place for locals and visitors. It can get a little crowded after lunch but not a big deal. The beach is big enough for all to share despite the emergence of the Westin KOR and the Honua Kai. Just watch out for the dropoff at the water’s edge… saw some small kids misjudge the dip and whoops… drinking salt water or breathing it in… be careful! ALOHA!!!

The last time we were in Hawaii in 2005 we went to this beach and snorkeled right off the shore and saw a ton of turtles. We just got back from our trip and I didn’t see any this time around. It may have just been the season or something because last time we went in Sept. We also now have a 2 year old and the water is a little too rough for her. The beach is beautiful though and there is a really nice parking lot, bbq area, grass area and restrooms which makes it convenient. We also went to Kapalua, Black Rock, and Baby Beach but I still enjoyed this beach because of all the amenities. All the other beaches seemed to have limited parking and it wasn’t right off the freeway.
*Note the 2360 Kaanapali Pkwy address does not take you to this beach! This beach is actually next to the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort. That address will take you to Kaanapali Beach and just north of that is Black Rock. We drove in circles and just ended up going to Black Rock. The next day we just happened to drive into the Westin Ocean Resort to check it out and accidentally found Kahekili! I’m so glad we did since I wanted to return to this location to swim with the sea turtles again. Bummer it didn’t happen but it’s still a beautiful location.

This is a smaller beach near the tourist-​filled expanses of Ka’anapali. I don’t admit to coming here on purpose… in fact, I was trying to locate the famed black rock beach, but entered the parking lot to Kahekili by mistake. Sometimes wrong turns turn out for the better, because Kahekili gave me soft yellow sand, fantastic snorkeling, and a decent shot at parking, all without the crowds!
Let’s start with facilities. As with most beaches on the west side of Maui, it’s probably better to get here before noon. We arrived around 11 and about ¹⁄₃ of the spaces in the parking lot were empty. When we left around 1pm though, cars were already starting to park in semi-​illegal areas around the curbs. Plus — there’s a public restroom, and you can wash your feet at a little spigot.
While snorkeling at Kahekili, we sighted the humuhumunukunukuapu’a (all right, I admit I typed that just to show off that I could), sea urchins, schools of finish, and fields of colorful coral. The water is really clear because the waves aren’t too strong and don’t drag up sand, it’s not rocky at all, and the reefs are more abundant than at Kamaole.
And did I mention the lack of crowds? Kahekili is a gem of a beach for that reason alone, so let’s hope Ka’anapali will continue to distract everyone else =)

Great place for snorkeling

Great little beach spot! it is also known as «airport beach».
I tend to like this spot when I don’t feel like dealing with sand! haha it has a nice grass lawn just behind the sandy beach that is nice to lounge on. But of course you can still hit the sand as well if that is what you are in the mood for.
Snorkeling is good here. Great place to swim (to back of black rock and back).
There are also bathrooms here, outdoor shower, and shaded picnic tables that are great for gatherings and BBQ’s (bring your own grill).
Parking is also conveniently located right next to beach. usually you can always find a spot! weekends it is of course a bit busier.

Part of the vast and world famous Kaanapali Beach, Kahekili Beach Park is right in between the Westin and The Maui Kaanapali Villas.
Turqoise water, golden sand, and views of Lanai and Molokai come with easily accessible covered picnic areas, parking, restrooms, and showers. Ahhh… paradise.
What’s so awesome about this part of Kaanapali Beach besides the gentle waves for easy paddle boarding, swimming, or just doing nothing in the sun, is the snorkeling. You can people watch too but I think Oahu is best for that.
Perfectly aligned with the picnic areas is a snorkel area perfect for beginners. You literally can go knee deep in the water and be right on the reef/​coral with coral fishes nibbling on your toes. Mrs G isn’t a good swimmer but she was able to see tropical fish just by dipping her head into the less than knee deep water using my snorkel mask.
The turqoise water is just so clear with fantastic visibility. I wish I had an underwater camera. Watching all the fish especially the triggerfish interact with each was my favorite. It was like I was swimming in an aquarium. Definitely made the vacay.
Oh, there’s a shack to rent snorkel gear right in front of the Maui Kaanapali villas hotel (make a left on the beach from the picnic areas and it’s about 125 feet away) $ 5/​hr for a snorkel set.
I liked that it never felt overly crowded. Just an awesome place to smell like salt water the whole day.
Here’s a vid of what’s it like to snorkel in the area with one of the coolest fishes in the world.
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