Amazing Baby Beaches in Maui
Traveled in May 2023 and May 2025
Maui just might be our favorite Hawaiian island to visit with little ones because there are so many calm and easily accessible baby beaches for the whole family to enjoy. Baby beaches, or keiki beaches, are beaches that generally have little to no waves, making it perfect for little ones to splash around safely. Any time I’m not keeping a toddler with zero survival instincts from getting crushed by waves is a relaxing beach day in my book. These are our favorite baby beaches in Maui, organized by location. Bookmark for your next vacation!
Pro tip: We’ve learned (the hard way) that it’s extra relaxing to stay walking distance to a baby beach. That way, when your toddler is having a “no” day, you can just step outside onto your nearby baby beach without car seat struggles or parking panic. To save you time searching for the perfect accommodations, I’ve listed our top picks to stay close to each baby beach.
Baby Beaches in Maui West Side
1. Napili Bay
This beautiful crescent shaped beach has resort beach vibes without the crowds. One of the main reasons there are less crowds is because parking can be difficult in this area, so it acts as a natural crowd control. We stayed in an amazing condo across the street from Napili Bay beach so it was easy for us to just walk across the street to enjoy this calm beach. While there are some resorts fronting Napili Bay, the buildings are all low-rise condos and the rest of the neighborhood is more residential. So the beach itself feels more low-key than the other resort beaches on the island. When it was not windy, the water was calm enough for our toddler to splash around. For snorkelers, there is a reef further out and sea turtles are frequent visitors.
Hotels and Condos Near Napili Bay
Where to Eat near Napili Bay
- The Gazebo: the most famous brunch in the area. The line to dine in here can be hours long. Parents know that waiting in line is a no go with hangry little humans. With small kids, it’s much easier and faster to order to go.
2. Kapalua Bay
Kapalua Bay is another stunning crescent shaped beach just a little further north from Napili Bay. The beach in Kapalua Bay is known for its crystal clear water, so it’s popular with snorkelers. There is a small parking lot at this beach, though it fills up quickly so it’s better to visit in the morning. Another plus for getting there early is that the beach is calmer before the winds pick up. The beach is surrounded by a resort, so it can get crowded.
The Kapalua Bay Coastal Trail runs right behind Kapalua Bay. It’s a lovely paved path that leads up the crest overlooking the bay for some gorgeous views of the bay. When it got too windy and crowded at the beach, we headed on the Kapalua Bay Coastal Trail for a nice short hike. The entire trail is about 2 miles one way, and winds along the coast between the resorts and condos in the area. We walked until we hit the lava fields before turning back for nap time.
Hotels and Condos Near Kapalua Bay
Where to Eat Near Kapalua Bay
- Merriman’s: this is a fancier restaurant than I would usually take our toddler to for a meal, but the happy hour at 3pm is a great deal!
- Burger Shack Kapalua at the Ritz Carlton
- Food Counter at Honolua Store
3. Lahaina Baby Beach
The Lahaina Baby Beach was just outside the main town of Lahaina. There was a natural reef just offshore, so the waters at this beach were super calm and great for little ones. Sadly, the Lahaina Baby Beach was in the area devastated by the Lahaina fire. I include it in this list mostly for completeness and nostalgia because it was our favorite baby beach on Maui before the fire. We have fond memories of splashing around on that beach with our little one. However, I would not recommend visiting at this time as it feels pretty insensitive to do so after all that the locals in the area have lost during the fire.
A side note about visiting Maui after the devastating Lahaina fire: Like many others, we were not sure whether it would be helpful for the economy, or hurtful to the locals who were still recovering, to vacation in Maui. We decided that the best compromise to stay respectful was to support local businesses as much as possible during our trip. This meant booking activities directly with local companies, eating at local restaurants, and renting housing from locals if possible.
Baby Beaches in Maui South Side
1. Kamaole Beach Parks
There are actually three Kamaole Beach Parks in Kihei, known as Kam I, Kam II, and Kam III. These beaches are super accessible and all have big parking lots. We visited in the afternoon and found the waves were a bit too strong for our toddler. But it can be calmer in the morning when it is not as windy. The southern-most beach, Kam III, has a grassy area with a playground behind it if the water gets too choppy. The beach at Kam III is a little more rocky, so be careful of little feet there.
Hotels and Condos near Kamaole Beach Park
Where to Eat Near Kamaole Beach Park
- Da Kitchen: we love the deep fried spam musubi. They also have tasty plate lunches.
- South Maui Gardens: has a collection of food trucks in a beautiful garden setting. Standouts that we were really impressed with were Kitoko (fancy gourmet fusion bentos), Thai Mee Up (flavorful Thai food), and Aloha Prime Eatery (fine dining from a food truck).
- South Maui Fish Co: yummy grilled fish tacos all made with local fish
- Maui Fish’n Chips: amazing fried fish tacos, fish and chips
2. Kalepolepo Beach Park
Kalepolepo Beach Park used to be an ancient fish pond. There is a man-made wall that breaks the waves, so the waters are super calm and stay pretty shallow. It’s great for younger babies and toddlers to splash around or play in the sand without having to worry about waves. There are also often turtles hanging out on the rock wall, which is a fun sight. However, this beach isn’t the most picturesque on the island. There isn’t that much greenery, and the waters are not that blue. The big draw of this beach is really how calm and shallow the water is.
Our kiddo loved seeing the turtles. But he got bored with this beach pretty quickly because the waters were a little too calm and he now likes some excitement from the waves.
The parking lot for this beach is small, with about 7 parking spots. We visited on a weekday morning and got the last spot. I could see this parking lot filling up quickly on a weekend.
Hotels and Condos near Kalepolepo Beach Park
Where to Eat Near Kalepolepo Beach Park
- Sugar Beach Bake Shop: amazing malasadas, but get there before 10am or they will sell out! Banana bread also very good.
3. Ulua Beach
Ulua Beach is a cozy public beach with gentle waves in Wailea. It is one of the few beaches tucked between the high-end resorts in this area that has a public parking lot, so the parking fills up quickly. The parking was already full when we visited at 9:30am on a Sunday. However, because the parking is limited, the beach doesn’t get that crowded. If staying at a resort in the neighboring beaches, it is possible to walk from Keawakapu II Beach Park to Ulua Beach. However, you do have to walk over some rocks to get to Ulua Beach, so it would be difficult to do with kids and gear.
Hotels and Condos near Ulua Beach
Where to Eat Near Ulua Beach
- Akamai Coffee: located in Wailea Village. Delicious locally grown coffee with unique latte flavors. We also liked their breakfast options (though the drinks are a better value than the food, IMO).
4. Keawakapu II Beach Park
I saved our favorite baby beach in this area for last! The Keawakapu II Beach Park is the beach directly in front of Wailea Ekahi Village, where we stayed. It is two beaches up from Ulua Beach and just south of Keawakapu beach (also a nice beach but we did not explore that one since we had such easy access to the Keawakapu II Beach Park from our condo resort). We loved that our condo had direct access to this beach. It was so easy to just walk down to the beach at our leisure without having to worry about finding parking. When we couldn’t find parking at Ulua Beach, our plans for the day were not ruined because we just headed back to our resort beach. The beach itself is beautifully calm, with gentle waves that are exciting enough for a little one, but not big enough to knock them over. There is also a little tide pool area off to the left side of the beach connecting to Mokapu Beach that was fun to explore.
There is public access to Keawakapu II Beach Park, but the parking lot is pretty small. That is probably what keeps the crowds to a minimum at this little gem of a beach.
Hotels and Condos near Keawakapu II Beach Park
Where to Eat Near Keawakapu II Beach Park
- Akamai Coffee: located in Wailea Village. Delicious locally grown coffee with unique latte flavors. We also liked their breakfast options (though the drinks are a better value than the food, IMO).
