Tropical Re
Where the Turtles Come To Stay
Welcome to Maui Kamaole
Cross the street and you are on the sand. Maui Kamaole sits on the rise at the south end of Kihei, low buildings tucked into twenty-three acres of plumeria and palm, directly across from Kamaole Beach Park III. The lanais here are the kind you actually live on, wide enough for coffee at seven and dinner at seven, with the ocean and the islands framed between the trees. Wailea starts five minutes down the road and Makena five minutes past that. The boat ramp across the street sends snorkel charters to Molokini before most people are awake. It is quiet up here in a way the rest of Kihei is not. Set your bags down, walk down to the water, and let the week begin.
Where Aloha Awaits
I manaʻo ʻia no ʻoe
SUGGESTED FOR YOU
Every stay at Maui Kamaole is set up to feel like a place you chose rather than a place you settled for. Whether you're here as a couple in a one bedroom or a family spreading out across two, we have options that suit the size of your group and the pace of your trip, all with the same generous lanai, the same garden-and-pool grounds, and the same short walk across to Kamaole III. Take a look at what we have available and find the one that feels right.
Where Memories Begin
Nā mea e hana ai
things to do
South Kihei is the sunniest, driest, calmest corner of Maui, and we sit at the end of it where the town gives way to Wailea and Makena. Six beaches are inside ten minutes. The boat ramp across the street is the closest launch to Molokini on the island. Here is what we send our guests out to do.
Molokini Crater Snorkel - The charters that reach the crater fastest leave from the Kihei boat ramp directly across the street, which means a shorter crossing and clearer water before the wind finds it.
Turtle Town at Maluaka - Fifteen minutes south, a reef where green sea turtles graze the shallows in numbers that make the name feel like an understatement rather than marketing.
Snorkel Ulua and Mokapu - Wailea's twin coves sit six minutes away behind a sheltering lava point, with reef close enough to shore that beginners reach it on their first try.
Winter Whale Watching - December through April the boats head out to the Auau Channel, and the naturalists on board can tell a competition pod from a mother and calf before you can spot the difference.
Kayak from Makena Landing - Morning paddles down the Makena coast pass lava arches and sea caves, with turtles surfacing beside the boat and Molokini sitting out on the horizon.
Surf Lesson at The Cove - Kalama Park's soft inside break is where South Maui has been teaching people to stand up for forty years, and nearly everyone does it on the first day.
Whales from the Beach Across the Street - Between December and April we do not need a boat. Walk over to Kamaole III, take a bench, watch the horizon, and the breaches come to us.
Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve - Twenty minutes south, Hawaii's first marine reserve covers 1,200 acres of lava coast and protected water. Parts are closed to entry, so read the signs and stay on the marked route.
La Perouse Bay and the Lava Fields - The road ends at Maui's youngest lava flow, a black moonscape running to the sea where spinner dolphins often rest in the bay at first light.
Sunset from the Kamaole III Point - The lava outcrop at the south end of the park is the best sunset seat in Kihei, with Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokini all in the same frame.
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge - Twenty minutes north, a boardwalk crosses the wetland where Hawaiian stilts and coots feed, and the salt flats turn pink in the late season.
Tide Pools at Polo Beach - The rocky south end of Polo opens into shallow pools at low tide, the easiest ocean lesson on this coast for kids who are not ready to swim yet.
Wailea Beach Path - A mile and a half of paved coastal walkway links five beaches past lava points and resort gardens, and the stretch from Ulua to Polo at sunset is the best walk in South Maui.
Hoapili Trail, the King's Highway - An ancient Hawaiian footpath crosses the La Perouse lava flow on stones laid centuries ago. Bring twice the water you think you need and go early.
Golf at Wailea - Three championship courses stack up the hillside six minutes away, and the Emerald and Old Blue both hand you ocean views on nearly every hole.
Downhill Bike from Haleakala - The ride starts on the volcano's flank and coasts roughly 20 miles through Upcountry farmland, with the whole isthmus and both coastlines laid out below.
Sliding Sands Trail - The descent into Haleakala's crater drops through cinder desert and silversword fields, and even the first mile and back is unlike anything else you will walk.
The North Kihei Coastal Path - Fifteen minutes up the road, a flat paved route runs the length of Sugar Beach with ocean on one side and the wetland preserve on the other.
Keawalai Congregational Church, Makena - Built of coral block in 1832 and still holding Hawaiian-language services, with a seaside graveyard that tells the story of this coast better than any plaque.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary - The Kihei visitor center has free exhibits, a spotting scope on the lawn, and staff who will point you to where the whales were an hour ago.
Koieie Fishpond at Kalepolepo - A Hawaiian fishpond more than 400 years old, still standing in the surf and still being rebuilt stone by stone by the community that holds it.
An Evening Luau in Wailea - Six minutes south, oceanfront luau grounds pair an imu ceremony with a full Polynesian revue and the sun setting behind Kahoolawe.
Iao Valley State Monument - Thirty-five minutes north, a 1,200-foot spire rises from a valley floor so green it looks lit from inside, on ground central to the story of Maui's unification.
Bailey House Museum, Wailuku - A missionary home turned museum with the finest collection of Hawaiian artifacts and monarchy-period painting on the island, and far fewer visitors than it deserves.
Monkeypod Kitchen, Wailea - Six minutes away and worth the reservation, with farm-sourced plates, a serious beer list, and the honey-lilikoi mai tai people fly back for.
Three's Bar and Grill - Three chefs, three cuisines, one menu that somehow works, plus the best brunch in Kihei and a happy hour that locals actually keep to themselves.
Coconut's Fish Cafe - Fish tacos stacked on slaw, cabbage and mango, ordered at the counter and eaten fast. The answer whenever nobody can agree on lunch.
Kihei Caffe - South Maui's breakfast institution. Order at the window, grab a patio table, and commit to the loco moco or the banana mac nut pancakes.
Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice - Real fruit syrups over ice shaved fine as snow. Get the snow cap and the macadamia nut ice cream underneath and do not overthink it.
Maui Brewing Co. Kihei - Hawaii's largest craft brewery pours its full range at the source, in a big open-air room ten minutes up the road with a menu built around the beer.
Kamaole Shopping Center - Two minutes north for groceries, coffee, sunscreen and a bite, which covers most of what a condo week actually requires.
The Shops at Wailea - An open-air center six minutes south mixing island galleries with the designer labels, plus free Hawaiian cultural programming most weeks of the year.
Kihei Kalama Village - The open-air Triangle of local vendors, art stalls, surf gear and food trucks, right in the middle of Kihei's walkable stretch.
Farmers Market Maui, Kihei - Apple bananas, papaya, tomatoes and cut flowers at the north end of town, and the cheapest way to fill the condo kitchen for a week.
Wailea Gateway Center - A small, easy stop at the Wailea turnoff for a bakery run, a bottle of wine and a few good restaurants without the resort markup.
Maui Swap Meet, Kahului - Saturday mornings at UH Maui College, hundreds of vendors deep in produce, crafts, aloha wear and antiques, for a couple of dollars at the gate.
Where the sky meets the sea
Alakaʻi Kahakai
beach guide
This is the best stretch of sand on Maui and we sit in the middle of it. Kamaole III is across the street, Keawakapu is three minutes down, and the Wailea coves start six minutes past that. Each one has a different personality, from the all-day family park to the quiet snorkel cove to the wide open beach at the end of the road. Start across the street and work your way south.
Kamaole Beach Park III
Best for: families, lifeguards, sunsets, picnics
Our own beach, with a grassy lawn, showers, a playground and lifeguards on duty, plus the lava point at the south end that turns every evening into a front-row sunset.
Keawakapu Beach
Best for: swimming, snorkeling, morning walks
Three-quarters of a mile of fine sand between Kihei and Wailea, with the cleanest swimming water in South Maui and reef at both ends for an easy snorkel.
Charley Young Beach
Best for: soft sand, quiet mornings, easy swimming
A residential pocket at the far north end of Kamaole I, reached by a stairway most visitors drive right past, and the softest sand in town.
Ulua Beach
Best for: snorkeling, beginners, calm water
Wailea's most protected cove, where a lava point holds back the swell and the reef sits close enough in that first-time snorkelers reach it without a fin kick to spare.
Wailea Beach
Best for: swimming, gentle water, people watching
A wide, groomed crescent between two resorts, with the calmest shore break on this coast and the coastal path running right along the top of it.
Makena Beach
Best for: scenery, space, strong swimmers
Wailea's most protected cove, where a lava point holds back the swell and the reef sits close enough in for first-time snorkelers to reach comfortably.
Where Paths Unfold
Nā Huakaʻi o ka Lā
Day TripS
Maui Kamaole sits at the quiet southern end of the island, which puts the rest of Maui on one easy road out. The working harbor at Maalaea is fifteen minutes north, the lava coast at Makena fifteen minutes south, and the valleys, the volcano, the upcountry farms and the rainforest coast all open up from there. These are the day trips worth building a morning around, all within comfortable driving distance.
Makena
La Perouse Bay
20 min / Half day
The road runs south until it simply stops at a black lava flow, past Big Beach, a coral-block church from 1832 and a bay where dolphins rest at dawn.
Maalaea Harbor
Maui Ocean Center
15 min / Half day
The island's aquarium and its busiest harbor, with a walk-through living reef, a turtle lagoon and whale boats leaving all morning through the winter.
Iao Valley
Wailuku
35 min / Half day
A rainforest valley behind old Wailuku town, where the Iao Needle rises straight off the floor and the heritage gardens below trace everyone who came to work this island.
Upcountry
Makawao & Kula
45 min / Half day
Cool green ranch country on Haleakala's slopes, with a lavender farm, a winery at Ulupalakua and a paniolo town full of galleries and a famous cream puff.
Haleakala Summit
National Park
110 min / Full day
Two hours of switchbacks climb to a 10,000-foot crater rim above the clouds, where cinder cones and silverswords make the top of Maui look like another planet.
Road to Hana
west maui
150 mins / Full day
620 curves and 59 bridges through rainforest, waterfalls and black sand, and the drive itself is the point rather than the town at the end of it.
Where Curiosity Rests
Nā Nīnau Pinepine
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to visit?
Honestly? Now!
South Kihei sits in Haleakala's rain shadow and is the driest, sunniest stretch of the island, which makes any month a reasonable one. Winter, December through April, brings humpback whales close enough to watch from the beach across the street. Spring and fall deliver the same weather with thinner crowds and better rates. Summer is hottest, with the calmest water and the best snorkeling visibility of the year.
Do I need a rental car?
Yes, though less than most places on Maui. The beach is across the street and the Kamaole shopping center is a two minute drive, so you could manage a lazy week without one. But Wailea, Makena, Iao Valley, Upcountry and Hana all need a car, and those are the days people remember. Book it when you book the condo, because Maui inventory gets tight and prices climb late.
What should I know before arriving?
The property sits up the hill on the mauka side of South Kihei Road, so the beach is a crosswalk away rather than out the door, and the trade-off is quiet and space that oceanfront buildings cannot offer. Grocery shop on the drive down from the airport, since the condo kitchen is the real money saver on a Maui week. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, because mineral-only is the law here. If Haleakala sunrise is on your list, reserve it through recreation.gov well ahead, and if you are driving to Hana, reserve Waianapanapa State Park in advance too. Pack one light layer for the summit or an Upcountry evening, which run 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the beach.
What are the snorkeling conditions like?
As good as Maui gets, and most of it is within ten minutes. Kamaole III across the street has reef at both rocky ends. Keawakapu, Ulua and Mokapu all hold fish and turtles close to shore, and Maluaka at Makena earns its Turtle Town nickname. Molokini is the one worth booking a boat for, and the charters leave from the ramp directly across the street. Go in the morning before the trade winds build, which holds true everywhere on this coast.
What should we absolutely not miss?
Get out to Molokini at least once, because there is no water like it anywhere else within reach. Drive the road south until it ends at the lava at La Perouse, which takes an hour and changes how the island reads. Walk the Wailea path at golden hour. And spend one evening doing nothing at all, on the lanai or on the lava point across the street, watching the sun drop behind Kahoolawe. That is the part people remember.
Makaukau e ʻIke i
Ready to Experience Maui Kamaole?