Ulua Beach
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The best snorkeling spot in Wailea.
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  • Marielena66
    Boston, Massachusetts34 contributions
    Lovely beach for a chill day
    Beautiful beach, with showers and restrooms. Surf was gentle but fun. Water was clear blue, shore was not rocky. We found parking easily at 10 AM but could see that it would be challenging if you show up later. There was some decent shade in parts but best bring an umbrella
    Visited June 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written June 17, 2022
  • beartrax79
    Lyons, Colorado95 contributions
    Great family beach, but limited parking
    We made several trips to Ulua Beach on our vacation, and it did not disappoint. There was easy snorkeling and moderate waves that made it a great place to take the young kids. Lots of people have found this spot though. By mid-morning, it is hard to find a place to put your beach towels down that isn't on top of someone else. I saw a review below that there is a large parking lot available. That is true but if fills up... FAST! Get there early if you want a spot because there's nowhere to park on the roads if the lot is full.
    Visited December 2019
    Written January 8, 2020
  • Michelle C
    182 contributions
    Family beach
    Beach closest to our resort (easy walk). Clean, sandy, gentle shelf in sea. Gets quite busy but not overwhelmingly so. No resort services here. Public restrooms at the north end. Dogs are a regular feature. The wind seems to blow in every day around 1pm, leading to run-away umbrellas!
    Visited June 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 15, 2022
  • Paula
    Los Gatos, California9 contributions
    Amazing beach!
    This is one of the best beaches we’ve been to in Wailea area. The people are nice and friendly they have bathrooms and showers/places to clean feet. We also went snorkeling and we saw different fish and turtles. Also felt very safe since there was a lot of snorkelers and even scuba divers there. There was also plenty of shade at the beach which was very good. Would recommend this beach!
    Visited June 2021
    Traveled with friends
    Written June 11, 2021
  • Jeffery M
    58 contributions
    Sandy Beach With A Good Snorkeling Basalt and Coral Reef
    This is the beach that is the play beach for the Wailea Beach Resort and the Maui Elua resort. The waves here in October were minimal and it was not difficult to get in to the water. The snorkeling is best in the morning and the crowd picked up as the day wore on so go early morning for the best, least crowded snorkel experience. Also swim out to the furthest tip of the reef and beyond, mind the surge breaking on the rocks of course, but the outer point is the least crowded area and was where the turtles were hanging out feeding. Even a better idea walk past the reef through a small cluster of trees on the beach to the other side of the reef and snorkel the north side of it and head out to the point from there. You will encounter less people on that side of the reef as most of the snorkelers are coming from the Wailea Beach Resort which is on the south side. The fish were numerous (all the classic Hawaiian reef fish) and conditions in October were about 10-15' visibility and maybe 20+ further out. I saw at least 3 different turtles feeding and hanging out but it could have been as many as 7 since I had numerous sitings some of which may have been the same turtles.
    Visited October 2022
    Written October 15, 2022
  • Dan_T
    New Lebanon, Ohio103 contributions
    Easy access but limited snorkeling quality
    Nearby public parking makes this beach accessible to anyone and the choice between Ulua and Mokapu beaches is nice. Swimming is easy and the beach is 'ample' but not overly large for the crowd. Snorkeling was so so, with higher than normal surf creating cloudy conditions on the nearby reef. I'd call this a nice swimming and sunning beach but focus on snorkeling elsewhere.
    Visited January 2022
    Written January 27, 2022
  • dancinggoats
    San Angelo, Texas342 contributions
    Nice clean family beach
    Nice family beach, protected from the wind for the most part. Wasn’t too crowded but parking can be a pain, especially in the first part of the day. Restrooms are ok but not the cleanest. Shower spray to wash off the sand, but no food or drink facilities. Decent snorkeling, good body surfing, popular spot for scuba lessons.
    Visited April 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 22, 2022
  • Piero C
    Brindisi, Italy509 contributions
    Great sunsets, fine snorkelling.
    This is a nice spot to introduce the kids to the pleasures of snorkeling. The reef is accessible from shore with a walk-in sandy shore and a plentiful variety of sea-life. Also nice to recline on the grassy knoll behind the beach and watch the sun go down.
    Visited November 2020
    Written November 10, 2020
  • roderick M
    134 contributions
    Pretty coastal beach with gorgeous views
    There is good snorkelling here around the north end rocks. A beautiful , 1,500 ft or so stretch of golden, soft sandy beach with good entries. Great place for families with children to frolic in the surf and boogieboard and swim. A good beginners diving area offshore here. Parking is tight at times as shared with three beaches, so get there early. Lovely views here of the turquoise ocean, offshore islands, lava outcrops and sunsets. Highly recommend this gorgeous beach in the Wailea area.
    Visited May 2022
    Written July 16, 2022
  • Carlee C
    78 contributions
    Strong current
    Nice and small beach, we went for snorkeling. However be aware of currents. When we went it was very strong and pulled us out quite far and it was a hard swim back in. I’d go elsewhere for snorkeling, we didn’t see too much. Nice and quiet beach though and we had no trouble getting parking.
    Visited June 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 17, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Excellent
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Paula
Los Gatos, CA9 contributions
Jun 2021 • Friends
This is one of the best beaches we’ve been to in Wailea area. The people are nice and friendly they have bathrooms and showers/places to clean feet. We also went snorkeling and we saw different fish and turtles. Also felt very safe since there was a lot of snorkelers and even scuba divers there. There was also plenty of shade at the beach which was very good. Would recommend this beach!
Written June 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeffery M
Laguna Niguel58 contributions
Oct 2022
This is the beach that is the play beach for the Wailea Beach Resort and the Maui Elua resort. The waves here in October were minimal and it was not difficult to get in to the water. The snorkeling is best in the morning and the crowd picked up as the day wore on so go early morning for the best, least crowded snorkel experience. Also swim out to the furthest tip of the reef and beyond, mind the surge breaking on the rocks of course, but the outer point is the least crowded area and was where the turtles were hanging out feeding. Even a better idea walk past the reef through a small cluster of trees on the beach to the other side of the reef and snorkel the north side of it and head out to the point from there. You will encounter less people on that side of the reef as most of the snorkelers are coming from the Wailea Beach Resort which is on the south side. The fish were numerous (all the classic Hawaiian reef fish) and conditions in October were about 10-15' visibility and maybe
20+ further out. I saw at least 3 different turtles feeding and hanging out but it could have been as many as 7 since I had numerous sitings some of which may have been the same turtles.
Written October 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dan_T
New Lebanon, OH103 contributions
Jan 2022
Nearby public parking makes this beach accessible to anyone and the choice between Ulua and Mokapu beaches is nice. Swimming is easy and the beach is 'ample' but not overly large for the crowd. Snorkeling was so so, with higher than normal surf creating cloudy conditions on the nearby reef. I'd call this a nice swimming and sunning beach but focus on snorkeling elsewhere.
Written January 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dancinggoats
San Angelo, TX342 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Nice family beach, protected from the wind for the most part. Wasn’t too crowded but parking can be a pain, especially in the first part of the day. Restrooms are ok but not the cleanest. Shower spray to wash off the sand, but no food or drink facilities. Decent snorkeling, good body surfing, popular spot for scuba lessons.
Written April 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Piero C
Brindisi, Italy509 contributions
Nov 2020
This is a nice spot to introduce the kids to the pleasures of snorkeling. The reef is accessible from shore with a walk-in sandy shore and a plentiful variety of sea-life. Also nice to recline on the grassy knoll behind the beach and watch the sun go down.
Written November 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

roderick M
134 contributions
May 2022
There is good snorkelling here around the north end rocks. A beautiful , 1,500 ft or so stretch of golden, soft sandy beach with good entries. Great place for families with children to frolic in the surf and boogieboard and swim. A good beginners diving area offshore here. Parking is tight at times as shared with three beaches, so get there early. Lovely views here of the turquoise ocean, offshore islands, lava outcrops and sunsets. Highly recommend this gorgeous beach in the Wailea area.
Written July 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carlee C
78 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Nice and small beach, we went for snorkeling. However be aware of currents. When we went it was very strong and pulled us out quite far and it was a hard swim back in. I’d go elsewhere for snorkeling, we didn’t see too much. Nice and quiet beach though and we had no trouble getting parking.
Written June 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

theporterhouse4
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA30 contributions
Sep 2021
This was a great full day of fun, sun, snorkeling and swimming! Perfect place to just park your butt for the day! Bring a cooler, chairs, umbrella and snorkel gear and have a full day of fun! The waves were soft and mushy on this flat sand beach. Lots of lava rock formations all around to see sea life...even turtles!!! Parking is near by, but not plentiful. We circled twice and were able to find a free spot!
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

grlgrdgate
California1,689 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
Ulua Beach is gorgeous and is connected by the beach path to Wailea Beach. It is often less crowded than Wailea Beach and has good snorkeling conditions. It is an easy stroll away from most hotels in Wailea. Enjoy!
Written July 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jim D
Kihei, HI196 contributions
Jan 2015 • Friends
Aloha,
Our beautiful Ulua beach (In Front if Walea Elua and near Marriott) has been nearly entirely washed away by our winter storms and high surf these last couple of weeks. The sand will be back - but it will take months. Almost all just rocks right now. Check on it before making plans to hang out there.
Written January 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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