Kaanapali
Beach, a few minutes north of Lahaina Town and about 40 minutes from
Kahului, is the collective term for the strip of sand that runs along
much of the western shore of Maui. Many people estimate the beach to be
at least one mile long and as much as three miles long. My own estimate
puts the beach’s total length at about two miles from the southernmost
end at Canoe Beach (or Hanakao’o Beach if you’re Hawaiian and can
pronounce Hawaiian words) to Black Rock (or Pu’u Keka’a).
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| Black Rock in the center, Kaanapali to the right. |
Serving
as a backdrop, there are no less than nine hotels and rental
condominiums right off the beach. That being the case, Kaanapali Beach
if far more crowded than any other single beach on Maui. If you don’t
mind crowds, this fact provides ample opportunities for people watching.
For example, if you want to see how the locals live on the weekends, go
to Canoe Beach where they gather en masse during the weekends to
celebrate birthdays. (Mind you, Canoe Beach is the least beautiful
section of Kaanapali Beach.) Near the middle of Kaanapali Beach on the
sea side of the Whaler’s Village shopping Plaza is “Dig Me” Beach where
allegedly beautiful people gather to flaunt their feathers. Frankly, the
only high marks this area of the beach gets is for its preponderance of
inflated egos. At the northernmost end of the beach is Black Rock where
snorkelers and cliff jumpers gather. The snorkeling if decent if you
swim around the rocks towards the north but the afternoon currents can
be a bit tricky. Turtles are as common here as anywhere else and people
seem to see eagle rays here a lot, though I’ve never seen one here. You
do have to watch yourself snorkeling, though, as kids and teenagers
jumping off Black Rock into the water generally have no qualms about
cannonballing you. At sunset, there is a traditional Hawaiian prayer
said on Black Rock after nearby torches are lit, capped by a dive into
the water meant to evoke the spirit of Hawaiian royalty.
As
I said, the beach is long but it is also wide with a fairly steep
drop-off at times which often makes for good body- or boogie-boarding.
The sand here is fine and powdery for the most part, which no doubt once
earned Kaanapali Beach the distinction of being voted the best beach in
the world a few years ago. (By whom, is another question, since
everything in Maui appears to be voted “the best.”) Yet, the best
snorkeling is off of Black Rock since there is hardly any coral or
underwater topography for the remainder of the beach’s length. The rest
of the beach is still good for swimming, though, provided one stays out
of the way of Stand-Up Paddleboarders (SUPs), kayaks, para-sailing
tourists, and now, sadly, jet skis. This beach that was once content
with sunbathers, swimmers, and snorkelers has now been turned into a
circus. If you’d some exercise while watching the circus, you can walk
the narrow beach path that runs along the beach from one end of
Kaanapail to the other, only, don’t be surprised if you are offered some
illicit drugs by locals, usually in front of condo rentals (maybe
because the hotels run tighter security?). If you want shop or grab some
grinds (food), Whaler’s Village is between the Westin Resort and the
Aaston condo rentals. Naturally, all the shops and restaurants are
overpriced, but as far as food goes, I have found Hula Grill to be the
most consistent in terms of quality and value for your dollar. There is a
McDonalds in Whalers Village if you want to save money, but I don’t
think it’s worth your health.
Finally,
if there’s one big problem with Kaanapali Beach, it’s the lack of
public parking. Yes, there are two covered parking lot where you can pay
to park, one just past Kaanapali Beach Hotel and the other next to
Whaler’s Village; that’s your best bet if you don’t want to spend a lot
of time looking for the other mythical public parking lots. (I believe
the current per hour price for parking there is about $5 an hour. If you
buy $15 worth of goodies in Whaler’s Village or eat at any restaurant,
they can validate your parking ticket; another option.) For a complete
rundown of all your parking options, please visit the Trip Advisor link
below. Mind you, the review is from 2009…
Overall,
Kaanapali Beach gets 3.5 out of 5 stars from me, losing points for
becoming too overrun in the past few years. Otherwise, there are far
worse places to be. Enjoy your stay!
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