Napili Bay Reviews

if you are travelling with family, it is a nice beach to spent time. All sort of water activities at one place.

Be sure to watch out for rocks, both of my kids got hurt (bruised / cuts) from rocks, but still amazing experience.

Had a nice morning here - seems a bit more 'local' than Kaanapali (still plenty of tourists, though). Parking can be tough, so get there early (which is better for snorkeling, anyway) and park on the main road then walk down to the beach. Saw a few turtles and had a nice snorkel - we went out from the middle of the beach through a break in the reef, then turned right (north) and swam along the reef - nice. Surf got a bit rough for swimming - and it gets pretty deep quickly - but good fun swimming if you are a good swimmer. Have fun.

It was highly recommended and now I wish I would have taken a pass. Very crowded, lots of rock entering the water, somewhat rough and no real visibility. Horrible trying to park.

Top 3 location in Maui, mostly fish but green sea turtles too, mostly on the north end. Good for snorkeling or SCUBA. Not as easy as Ka'anapali due to a stronger surf from the rocks and coral but just go early for SCUBA, just about anytime for snorkeling. Then middle is pretty boring now do to the death of coral but the north end is good and if you are good you may find a sea turtle fighting the waves on the south end and I did but expect drift of 12 feet at times and plan for it if you do. It is also too shallow for SCUBA there. Stick to the north end and nearby where is gets deeper and calmer.

Parking is limited, most people on this beach are staying near by including the several hotels along it. Gazebo, Sea House at this beach and Merriman's (very expensive even for HI) is between it and Kapalua (which is very similar BUT a public beach with easier access and facilities thus even better for some people. It would be my other top 3 choice for everyone, there are better places to SCUBA if experienced.

Again, wetsuits not needed in September, 82F, chilly at first but take 2 minutes to acclimate. Good for sunbathing but avoid 12-2 or get burned.

My husband and I are big fans of "Bobbing" in the Ocean - when you are standing in the water and waves lift you up and place you down? Love it. This beach has areas that are perfect for kids and families but also areas with much bigger surf. Be smart. Do not do what we did and think the massive waves are "do able". Nature is merciless to those unprepared. I am pretty sure we looked beyond ridiculous as the waves tossed us about and wedged sand in every possible crevice. Had a blast but had to move to the smaller surf in order to survive. Lol

Amazing beach. Great views. Amazing sunsets. Sand is amazing- calm water- good snorkeling. You won’t want to miss this beach.

At the time I was planning our trip to Maui, Napili beach showed up as 5 of 1000 on TripAdvisor when I searched for sites on Maui. We went there. I am amazed it got that high a ranking, The beach may have some good features (good swimming, etc.); but in terms of scenic beauty it did not rank high in my books at all. There are building all along the beach. There are so many more beautiful beaches on Maui.

I just like to bob about, get a bit of exercise, my husband swims his heart out. When the waves are right, there's body surfing, body board surfing, and big board surfing. Children can play at the gentle end of the beach. The beach is quite steep and there is no shade to speak of so bring an umbrella. There are places to wash off the sand as you head home.

This is a very nice little sandy beach with calm clear waters for swimming or snorkeling. When I visited there was a large sea turtle grazing on seaweed at one end of the beach. My only small complaint was that it was a bit crowded as it is a pretty small beach surrounded by resorts. It is tough to find some space of your own, particularly with any shade.

We came over Christmas and New Year's, so at the height of the season, but still... really crowded. We estimated several hundred people on the beach at any one time during our stay: not a lot of room to spread out. Also, the coral within immediate reach of the beach, once alive and vibrant, is now dead and covered in algae. You can still find live coral and turtles if you snorkel out a ways. It's still a nice beach and a good place to play in the waves.

We have now been to Maui twice. I find the beaches are nicer near Kihei than they are in the Lahaina area. That said, this beach is the best we've found near Lahaina. If you're not staying at one of the resorts that surround this beach, parking can be a little tricky. There is street parking nearby, but if it's crowded, it means you are carrying your beach stuff several blocks. It's worth it, though, with nice sand, kid sized waves, and snorkelling on a reef not too far out.

As a part time resident of Maui, we are so so lucky. We live on Kapalua Bay but just as often come to Napili Bay to relax and enjoy some snorkeling. It's a close call between the too so I won't select a winner. Just go to both!

Great for all ages. In an inlet so the water is calm and great for families with small children. Beautiful beach and has a restaurant that serves awesome food.

My husband and I sat for hours (between getting into the water to cool down) watching people being silly in the surf. The day we visited it wasn't great for swimming, but on the protected side of the bay we were able to just float in the water for fun. When you visit make sure to set up your chairs and umbrellas as far back as possible because only one row of chairs at the very back of the beach is able to escape high tide!

We found this beach after we discoverd the fantastic Gazebo restaurant. It is a great place so spend a day. even has a few picnic tables if you get there soon enough to claim one. Sandy shores with nice rollers coming in. loved it

The Napili Kai staff, the bay and the Sea House restaurant are amazing. It is the best place to unwind and ground yourself

This is a fine swimming beach, nice to look at, with great sand. Not much snorkelling, though, and usually pretty crowded, for good reason. A place to laze away the afternoon.

This beach is great!! We saw sea turtles feeding near the tide pools, could occasionally see whale breaches in the channel, swimming along the shore was great with some swells. Snorkeling off of the beach were were able to see several species of fish.

We had a great day at this beach on our last trip and were sad to not have time to make it back there this time as we were staying on the South! Lots of fun waves, and saw lots of turtles. Parking is not great so may have to walk a ways.

Napili is a west Maui Gem. Lot's of turtles on the left and right, a nice reef about 50 yards out and a really nice swimming and later in the day, boogie boarding beach. Two fun places to eat, Sea house on your right and The Gazebo on the bluffs on your left. Napili is a charming beach, with alot to offer, but as you may already know, Maui has alot of great beaches, and Napili ranks as one of it's best.

Just down a short trail from Napili Point Resort, beautiful sandy beach with a spectacular view of Molokai. Great snorkeling just offshore; lots of sea turtles and, if you're lucky, a pod of dolphins will visit you.

We ate dinner at the sea house and it overlooks this beach. Tons of families playing in the water. The waves weren’t bad at all and a great place for families with small kids.

We visited Napili beach several days the week before Christmas in 2018. It is a good fun beach with the first 30-40 of shallow water and good for small kids. It is a small area where about 1000 people can fit so plenty of help all around. Only downside is, there are lots of big rocks on both ends of the beach which is about 500 feet wide and big rock in the middle of the beach also. But good kid and family friendly beach with several restaurants nearby.

One of the most beautiful beaches on Maui! Our group of nine visited here several times during our stay. Perfect place for snorkeling when the water is calm and a great place to body surf when there are larger swells.

The beach is tucked in front of a number of hotels/resorts so if you are not at one of them, very hard to find parking. The beach itself is OK. There is a large drop from the top of the beach to the water and the area to sit and tan/relax is quite narrow. Did not make it into the water so not sure how it is to swim or snorkel, but there were a lot of people in the water swimming.

Napili Bay and Beach are great for couples and families. On a calm day the water is perfect for snorkeling. The Napili Bay and Beach Foundation is working to restore the beach and can always use donations to help that effort. The area is perfect if you want to relax and unplug for a while.

With a week on the beach I long for more. Nice tame water, super snorkeling and amazing sunsets. A place for the whole family!

Another beautiful beach to enjoy in Maui. Water was very calm the day we were there with only small waves.

Great for swimming, snorkeling ( mornings), rough and windy in the afternoon. Another Gem on Highway 30 north of Lahaina

We stayed across the street, we came here every day. My wife read, I swam/snorkeled. The north end is kid, hotel guest popular. I recommend the south end, that’s where the turtles hang out. There’s a lot of fish to enjoy also. The waves can be mild to big, depending on tide. No public restrooms.

This is a beautiful beach near the Napili Kai resort. Get there early to get parking, although we parked at 3 pm no problem. Calm surf, family friendly

We tried to hit as many beaches as possible while on Maui. nice sandy beach with restroom and food right off the beach area. Parking was a bit of a challenge, we ended up on the street which makes it a bit of a walk. The waters were a little rough, snorkeling was not an option.

We have been here often as it is one of Maui's best beaches for snorkling and just safe swimming. However the access has changed and there is a large drop to get to the beach which is difficult for seniors.

We have stayed everywhere from the seasons to all the huge resorts on the strip. This little cove is a hidden gem. Never overcrowded , staff are like family and we are repeat visitors. The bay here is one of the best swimming and snoring spots we have been too. Love it and highly suggest taking the trip.

Napili Beach is gorgeous; however, if you want to snorkel, we discovered that the waves here were much higher than at other beaches around the island & in West Maui. This beach is fairly small & gets crowded quickly, so get here early. It's in a neighborhood, so you may need to park fairly far away & trek your beach stuff in. There are also no facilities (bathrooms, showers, life guard, etc). The Gazebo restaurant & the Sea House are on either end of the beach, but there are long waits for both, so I suggest packing in your own food or eating before or after your beach time.

Calm, clear and fresh sea full of fishes. Velvet sand. Family beach with restrooms and showers. Really wonderful !

One of the prettiest beaches in Maui. Well protected cove and the snorkeling is great. The beach sand is soft and lots of it. See turtles almost every time we go. There are restrooms and outside showers available. Parking is limited there but there are a couple of pay parking lots on the main road or get there early and park on the main road. That's what we usually do. Great place for families too.

This is a pristine spot for snorkeling and a beach day! Off to the right there is a nice reef and its pretty safe and calm. Lots of great fish to see. I would not recommend going to far past the point as that is where the currents are. Parking can be tough, so get there early if you don;t want to hike in. You can pull up and drop your stuff. AWESOME SPOT!

Great beach so get there early because a lot of people think the same. Parking can fill up quick. The morning is the best time to snorkel less people less wind.

This is a gorgeous bay with pretty gentle water that turns electric blue when a cloud comes over. It also has the nicest sand and beautiful views of Molokai. There are many shaded areas due to the palm trees on the beach. I could've sat here all day with the great breezes. Not too crowded, as I'm not sure if this has public access other than the hotels that share the beach. My favorite of our trip!

We went to Napali beach because I read the tide pools were easily accessible. The pain parking lots were little far, but there was some free parking that was closer. The beach was a good size. Many of the beaches on the west coast are very rocky and I would recommend water shoes but this beach was not rocky. The tide pools were close and easily accessible, but I didn’t not find much marine life.

great beach to snorkel on. We went in January, the water was warm. The beach has limited lounging areas and you are sitting on a little bit of an incline. A few days the waves were big, I'm a great swimmer so I loved it, they are shore breaking waves.

Have gone snorkeling all over Maui, and did so again this trip at Black Rock, Lahina Shores, Napili Beach, and Honolua Bay. Napili was far better for live coral, reef fish, and turtles. We were saddened by the state of the used to be great Honolua Bay and Black Rock.

This is a fantastic area. Depending on the time of year, there can be a very steep slope into the water. Literally saved an older lady's life because she got swept into the waves and would not let go of her purse, chair, etc. She was in shock as we screamed at her to let go while simultaniously trying to pull her from the water. I think this is more of an isolated incident but just be aware.

Breath-takingly beautiful! What is there not to love about Hawaii? Everything is so clean and the water is crystal clear.

This was the perfect beaching for playing and exploring with children. And the adults had a good time too. It was also very relaxing and not too busy. It was secluded and had easy access for guests staying at the resorts with beach access. We definitely will be going again!

My kids enjoyed the waves on this beach for hours. Great boogie boarding and body surfing. Waves can reach almost to the rocks though, so be sure to have anything you don't want wet up on the rocks!

This beach has bathrooms and a small parking lot. The beach entry could be difficult for anyone with mobility issues as there are multiple steps involved. The beach itself is gorgeous. The snorkeling is ideal (fish and turtles) there are numerous coral reefs where marine life abounds. It is an ideal, unbelievable spot. If you can make it there I highly recommend it.

This beach was super fun. We read about the steeper grade making the waves fun to ride up the beach and man was that right on. Super clean beach, not too crowded, waves were safe for little kids, but still fun for us big kids and our 13 year old sun had a blast riding up the beach with the waves. Parked out on the street and had a short walk. Also had public rinse off station.

We stayed on Napili Bay and love it so we're a bit biased but trust me, it's an awesome place to spend the afternoon boogie boarding, body surfing or just chilling catching some rays.

Small beach but one of the prettiest I have seen. Parking is available along the street but it gets hard to find a spot as the day goes on. We parked at the friendly golf course across the street from Napili Kai Resort (which you walk through to get to beach). The golf course will let you park there all day for $10.

This little bay is a little slice of heaven. Grab your chair and a book and just enjoy the gentle waves and soft sand. It's also a great spot to learn to snorkel - there's a huge reef right off the shore that's teaming with sea life.

The bay is one of my favorite places to snorkel! It’s beautiful and lots of fish and sea turtles to be seen here. It’s flanked with The Gazebo restaurant on the south with amazing breakfast and lunch (tip: get takeout to avoid the long wait) and Sea House on the north end with great breakfast and good happy hour.

It’s got a steep drop off at the waters edge, so not super gentle for babies, but a lovely place to spend a day!

Parking is tricky with very little street parking available. Getting there early is your best bet.

The bay focuses waves down the center. Great food nearby. Awesome for kids. Bring a boogie board and ride the swells up the beach!

We visited the Sea House restaurant nearby and walked down to the beach after. I was blown away at the beauty and calmness of the water. Clean beach with lots of rocks for snorkeling as well.

We snorkeled at this beach. It was easy entry and had a beautiful rock/coral area to view many fish and turtles. We even saw an octopus. The beach has a small amount of surf but plenty of sand. The sand is actually soft so it is harder to walk on. We walked to the beach from our resort so parking was not an issue for us. There were definitely people using the beach but it was not over crowded. Great place to swim and snorkel.

Napili Beach is a serene spot removed from the bustle of Lahaina, but close enough to enjoy Lahaina town easily and within minutes. Beautiful views across the channel to neighboring Lanai and Molokai. Perfect for family beaching, including body surfing, swimming, boogie boarding, kayaking, paddle boarding, and sand castle building.

Napili Beach is the perfect spot to lay on the soft Hawaiian sand, it is perfect to swim in the ocean, it's even better to snorkel or paddle-board, and there are TURTLES!! Even when the tide is a little high, it isn't scary or intimidating...its walking distance to The Gazebo restaurant also.

We loved this sandy beach in a secluded cove just off the Pacific Ocean. It was busy, but there is a restaurant and restrooms, and it is close to The Gazebo for breakfast.

Don’t want to do Maui on a strict budget? But don’t want to pay a million dollars a night? Then anyplace around this beach is where you want to be.
The beach itself is beautiful, not crowded and best yet, not surrounded by large towering hotels with millions of people.
Seals and Sea Turtles are regular visitors to this beach during February.

Truly a wonderful place to relax, snorkel, or paddle board. If we are wanting to do the beach on the West end of Maui, this is always our first choice. protected, clean, beautiful, excellent snorkeling. a great example of Maui's wonders.

Since being named America's most beautiful beach it has become much more crowded. Nonetheless it is worth the visit. If you are not staying in a resort in Napili you may have issues with parking.

This is a spectacular beach, but it can get crowded at times. Really good for the keiki, however, as it is protected and not much waves

Great looking beach, but the snorkeling visibility was very poor. I’d recommend slaughterhouse beach or Kapalua bay. Fine if your not planning to snorkel.

A smaller beach with a lot of people on it. When we were here there was not so much sand so both the beach was narrow and several rocks visible among the sand - lead to some scratches. - parking can be an issue - by ready to walk a bit

This beach has become very crowded since it is in the local guidebooks It's a small bay, so the beauty is taken away from it when there are people crowded right up next to you.
I think the wider longer beaches on Kaanapali are a good option if you'd like to spread out.

Everyone here on Tripadvisor says its a nice beach kind of must visit.
But everyone pls be careful. Unless you are a good swimmer I do not recommend you go in ocean. This beach has uneven ocean bed which can go upto 7-10 feet near the beach.
There are days when waves are strong and I have seen adults getting pulled in, who later needed help to get out.
Its a good location for snorkeling but I said earlier unless you are a good swimmer DO NOT GO IN OCEAN.

Gorgeous looking beach. My teenagers had fun snorkeling here as well. We beach hopped from Kapalua Bay in the morning, walked over to The Gazebo for lunch, then spent afternoon here. Some shade early in the day then disappears in the afternoon.

After driving/site-seeing around wherever the wind took us, we stumbled upon this beach. Lucky for us, our parking ended up being right in front of the beach access. It's a smaller beach but the water is a beautiful turquoise blue. Our girls, 9 and 11, LOVED that the waves were so strong that body surfing was totally an option, although they spent endless time on their boogie boards. We spent the afternoon there and it was a spectacular, relaxing time.

An easy walk from our Napili Point condo, we could sit and watch the other sun worshippers and dip into the lovely water to snorkel and swim. Sunset is beautiful from this beach, with Molokai directly across, often shrouded in clouds.

Beautiful crystal clear turquoise bay. Great for snorkeling. Lots of fish. Also saw two turtles. Park on the road and walk in. A perfect way to spend the day.

Great snorkeling here, and we saw a turtle swimming around. The waves are small, and the floor here is all sandy, so no stubbing your toes. Lots of kids playing in the water

This is a nice beach inset into a bay, but the slope on it is quite steep. so it feels like you a climbing a little hill between the water and the lounging area of the sand.

This is our favorite beach on Maui. Unfortunately, the beach itself is very much eroding. I understand they may be pumping sand from out in the ocean, into the beach. The “surf” there has been “high” and difficult to navigate...
Snorkeling is good there, when not so rough.

We love visiting this Beach. It is great for playing with our Little Nieces in the shallow water. Our Grandparents also appreciated the calm warm water. We always arrive early to get our favorite spots.

We found Napili Beach via an online search and thought it sounded like the perfect place for our group. We had three families traveling with kids from 15 months to 17 years old. The little kids loved playing on the sandy shore and the older kids loved the water here. It was relatively calm and very swimable. Those that snorkeled saw quite a few fish, but no turtles. We loved this location and would definitely return.

All of Maui is suffering, I wish all tour operators would quit posting pictures of green and living coral. It's not there, schools of fish gone. Very sad. But I know well it's enviroment. All maui especially Molokini need a 5 year closure to recover.

Check out the photos of this normally packed and crowded beach now devoid of tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

An absolute gem. This beach is situated on a cove. Water is clear and waves often calm. Sand white, soft. So beautiful. This would be a great place to stay. We have just done day trips to this beach.

Sadly had insufficient time to swim and snorkel here, but we came in hopes of catching a glimpse of a turtle. We wandered over to some rocks and there was a huge 4-5 foot long green sea turtle nibbling algae in a pool at our feet ! Indeed there were others nearby and we could see the heads of several more further out. A foolish lady tried to touch one and was quickly admonished by an onlooker: "Don't touch ! $10,000 fine for first offence !" Why some people feel the need to touch such beautiful animals, not caring they may impart their germs, etc.... We watched them in awe for a while, a truly wonderful experience.

We were at this beach last week and found they had good snorkeling directly off the beach but found the beach very busy and this is the off season. I am sure it is even busier during peak times.

Parts of this beach are rocky, with black rocks but I find it to be incredibly beautiful, as Hawaii is the only place I have seen beaches like this. This beach is tucked away, it took us a little bit to find parking to walk down. There is a large swim beach area that we could see, that didn't look like it had as many rocks.

We visited it with my family. Great beach. Awesome waves. You can do some snorkling too. The only down about it was trying to find a parking space. There are some on the street but are few and fought after. I ended up parking at the golf course nearby. US$10 for the whole day. Also, getting to the beach is a bit tricky. You have to walk through a resort to get there. There are signs, but it is easy to miss them. Ask. There are resort employees around who can give directions.

We live in Hillsboro Beach , Florida. I appreciate mgnificent views and beaches and this is a mst visit destination

Gorgeous beach, some of our best shallow snorkelling. Parking is at a minimum so go before noon or close to sunset. A sunset stroll is amazing and romantic.

Beautiful beach. Big drop-off. Big waves. Not great for kids. Shady places. we sat at the back of the beach in the shade and out of the wind. Very comfortable. Use your GPS for beach access. Family oriented.

Nice quiet beach along Maui's northwest shoreline. Best accessed from the smaller resorts along the Napili coast.

Such a beautiful beach and an awesome view of Lanai in the background! The water is so blue and Lanai is so beautiful to look upon.

The only beach I want to go to. Can be calm on one end and great waves for bodysurfing on the other. Good for snorkeling and paddle boarding too. But the best part is just gazing out over the ocean at Molokai'i and Lanai'i.

Beautiful beach with giant waves. The beach is at a slope but it’s a good size beach! The sand is really soft with not many shells.

Turtles, turtles, and turtles...I like turtles and saw many both times we stopped to go snorkeling here. Visit both the left and right sides and you will be rewarded with both an abundance of colorful fish and turtles.

The waves are currently running very strong so if you hoping to snorkel you missed the chance, but keep an eye out at low tide you may get lucky. Lovely soft golden sand with easy access to restaurants parking is limited and narrow streets good for an hour visit.

We stayed in Kapalua so this beach was very close to us. The water was nice a warm and clear once you got past the waves. The waves are pretty strong so little ones will get pushed around. The depth drops off pretty quickly so make sure to keep an eye on the kids. There are a couple wash stations where you can rinse off sand before getting back into the car.

Snorkeling was awesome. Visibility was really good. We were able to see all kinds of colorful reef fish. Just swim towards the dark areas in the water. That’s where the reefs are located. We also saw a green sea turtle!

This is a great place to bring kids to frolic in the water (with hands on supervision) or to snorkel. There were turtles in the water and the water was quite warm.

This is my happy place. Beautiful beach with a relaxed vibe. Family friendly as well. This is a must visit on the west side.

Wonderful and secluded beach, but be careful if you decide to swim.Even if the ocean seems calm, waves could come at any moment bad enough to throw you first on the seabed and then throw you to the shore, personal experience! I just drank a little, my girlfriend some impact cuts on the shore.The current is strong and it takes very little to get you into the open ocean, stay close to the shore!

The beach was very crowded, but we could find a good spot for our group of 13. People were friendly and understanding. This is a great place for snorkeling especially around the rocky areas. We could see a turtle and a wide variety of fishes.

Napili Bay Beach has good sand, clear water, is good for snorkeling, paddle-boarding, and playing in the waves.

The Napili Shores are a must see, just driving down or stopping to see the natural beauty was wonderful.

For peace and quiet and the best food at the best prices come to Napili Kai beach resort. The Seahouse has wonderful food at great prices. Happy Hour food is incredible....

Probably one of the prettiest beaches we came across when we were on Maui. Unfortunately parking once you arrive is a real problem so I can imagine a lot of passers by do just that. Lovely however and a great spot if you want to see a nice sunset. Sit long enough and there is a fair chance you will spot some whales out at sea.

This was a cute little beach that we stumbled upon. The sand is very soft and quite steep right by the shore so it is not the best walking beach. There is a nice little restaurant at one end that served a good breakfast. There doesn’t seem to be any public washrooms so that was a bit of a problem. We were glad we stopped and had a look at the area.

Fun beach for kids and floaties. Good reef nice clear water, but a bit of difficulty getting out because of the slope and undertow.

If you like straight, long beaches, then Kaanapali beach is good. If you like smaller horse shoe shaped beaches with great snorkeling and body surfing, then this is it.. Parking is a challenge, but this beach is not to be missed

My fave beach on this side of the island. Travelers please be respectful of the nature and wildlife. Great people watching and the water is beautiful.

Napili tends to have more rain and wind than the Kaanapali Beach area but it is a nice protected cove beach with a gentle rolling surf that is such a nice place to snorkle. The Gazebo Restaurant is near by (up on the bluff) and the Macadamia Nut Pancakes are a signature treat.

We do not recall seeing a public restroom at this location but, if you walk up the road a little further (on the other side of the point), there you will find Kapalua Beach restrooms and a drinking fountain.

These two beach coves are pretty close to each other. Each have their charms.

We were here on a recharge trip with young children 3 & 4. Napili wasn’t crowded at all and the waters were very calm. The view out was great and the water was pretty much crystal clear 25 yds out🤩🤩🤩. Of the beaches we’ve visited during our stay this one was by far the calmest, clearest, and most relaxing.

Enjoy 😊

We walked here after eating at the Gazebo and had a fun few hours of snorkeling. The waters were calm and we all felt safe going in. The snorkeling was better "next door" at Kapalua

Beautiful beach and one end of the Kapalua coastal trail.

Used to be a huge parking problem…now it is impossible. A new Parklinq system charges you $29 FLAT RATE TO PARK.

Parking on the street is restricted by road work.

Absolutely ridiculous. The only people that are going to use this beach now are those who can walk to it.

Way to go Lahaina…screw the people supporting your economy

this is NOT a ritzy huge wave beach; this is a dream-come-true all-you-need-in-one-place simple small slice of Maui with a close-by reef, waves good for boogie-boarding; water great for swimming and sandy beach for reading and sleeping. Family-friendly, small, hidden AWAY from the kitsch and ritzy resorts of kaanapali or kapalua

We enjoyed this beach. Plenty of people, but not overcrowded. I do wish there was better parking and some readily available food and facilities.

Napili has a nice stretch of sandy beach. This area is located in a small cove and does provide some wind protection. Decent area for snorkeling, although there is not a vast amount of water to explore. Parking can be difficult so try to arrive as early as possible!

Great place to snorkel and relax

Do get a beach umbrella since it gets super sunny and hot but a great beach overall.

One note that there is no public restroom, you might have to go to shops near by and request to see if they let you use it

Beautiful small beach in a cove. Brown coarse sand. Calm waters for snorkeling. Nothing missing other than sufficient access. Parking can be a problem, so it's either get early or walk further.

Great beach with good snorkeling and swimming. Nice facilities but parking is at a premium. Get there early or walk a ways. Enter near Napili Bay Resort.

Most of Napili shore is rocky, so this was a nice alternative. All beaches are public, so anyone can go there.

My favourite beach on Maui. I swam with a family of turtles every day.. easy access and a beautiful spot to watch the sun go down..

I'm not sure it was worth going out of our way for, but if you were staying near here, and had an umbrella, it would be great. We did not have an umbrella, there is no shade. The water is pretty rough, but the kids had an absolute blast. One of the waves was so large it came all the way up to the wall and washed away Grandma's sandals, which had the kids scrambling and talking about for days lol

Great beach for both couples and families. Got a little windy in the afternoon. Both the reefs and snorkeling were awesome.

We brought our Grandkids here and they enjoyed it. It was difficult to get them out of the surf using a boogie board

Though we stayed on Kaanapali Beach we were impressed with this bay and the sandy beach in Napili. Worth the drive and fight to find parking!

Hidden gem for snorkeling, great beach, calm water, plenty of fish, turtles (Merlin sunning himself) and corals.

Every trip to Maui I stop by Napili Beach to play in the water. It’s a beautiful stretch of beach and fairly calm water with some waves. I do find there’s quite a steep step up/down into the water. If you don’t time it right you may have difficulties. Late in the afternoon the day I visited there was a small wedding on the rocks. Other years I’ve seen several wedding take place on the beach. Highly recommend Napili Beach.

It is a small beach with a lovely Sand. Beautiful panorama over the Horizont. Great to relax and enjoy the flair of Maui.

This bay has many interesting geological features, tide pools, and turtles. It is not as crowded as other beaches. Great spot for snorkeling.

This beach was best we found for small waves for children and older folks. You need to go to the area in front of Sea House restaurant for the calmest waves. There is beach access from the street then walk right toward the Sea House restaurant.

We have been going to Napili beach for twenty five years and it never disappoints.
The bay is sheltered by a reef which in inhabited by numerous fish and often turtles.
The waves vary according to weather: sometimes there is great body surfing and sometimes the water is like glass, and great for paddle boards or just floating on an air mattress. The sand is great for castles and if there is a slope, it is good for sliding into the water on a boogie board.
This is a difficult beach to access and for parking, but well worth it. Numerous small hotels line the bay, the nicest of which is the Mauian.
If you aren’t staying on the bay, park on the street and access the beach by walking through the Napili Kai breeze way.
Two restaurants are within walking distance: The Gazebo(lunch and breakfast only) and the Seahouse.
Stay for sundown when the conch blows and a scantily clad young man lights torches along the Napili Kai walk way.

My husband and I stayed at Ka'anapali but came over to Napili to have dinner at Seahouse Restaurant.. The ocean here is calmer and more private. Tons of whales jumping in the background. Awesome! Also has a more authentic Hawaiian feel because of resort designs and tiki torches compared to other Maui resorts. Some of our best sunset photos are from this beach. It is a little to the north of Ka'anapali so more "tropical" with more palm trees and greenery. This is a good beach for honeymooners and people with kids.

This is hands down a fantastic family beach with something for everyone. Plenty of great sand and lots of coral reefs to snorkel. I saw lots of sea turtles of all sizes and everyone respectfully enjoyed them. Some were chilling in the bottom while others glided large circles around the snorkelers. I saw a huge moray eel and tons of beautiful fish. There were also many schools of fish. I felt like I was in heaven it was so beautiful. Be patient with the parking and you will find a spot in the lot as many people were coming and going through the day. There are showers and restrooms for changing if you need them. The beach is located near beautiful neighborhood resorts and wasn't overcrowded.

Napili Beach is out of the way and a bit tricky to find with the current construction, but worth every minute you spend trying to find parking that won't get you fined or towed. The water is amazing and the reef that surrounds the cove prevent the waves from directly entering the swimming zone, which makes for the best swimming pool on the planet with gentle swells and gorgeous colors. DO NOT MISS!

Napili Beach is a busy spot for swimming and snorkeling with so many condo complexes that front it. The protected bay is not too rough for the children. There is a wonderful view of Molokai from the bay. Napili Bay is known for its beautiful sunset views.

Amazing beach for all activities. Snorkeling, playing in the water, just enjoying the beach, etc. Not too crowded. Great restaurants at both ends of the beach: Gazebo and Sea House.

Napili beach is in a protected cove, but still gets some decent surf close to the shore. We stayed at Napili Kai resort.

My wife and I along with another couple recently were on a 28 day cruise vacation to several Pacific Islands. On this adventure we visited Maui and drove to Napili Beach. This is a beautiful beach with excellent scenery of the surrounding area and the ocean. It is very picturesque. We enjoyed our visit.

We went to Napali beach twice during our stay. Parking is a pain, and we would have gone again but the surf kicked up making it impossible. Very nice beach. Get there early so that you can find parking (on the street). There are no amenities, so come prepared. Great place to hang out and swim in the morning.

Sunbathing, showers, boogie-boarding, snorkeling, swimming. I almost always see a turtle while snorkeling here. It's a steep beach in the winter so not the best for simply walking. Sea House offers a great happy hour starting at 2:30 right on the beach.

A nice, clean and relaxing area to spend a few hours or the whole day. Calm waters. Good snorkeling (by the rocks) and good amenities close by.

Napili Beach is a nice sandy beach with waves & excellent snorkeling at the ends. Parking can be a little difficult

If you like riding the wave back and forth, this is a great beach! Kids seem to love it! It’s somewhat small and crescent shaped, and steeper then a lot of the beaches, but that’s what makes it fun riding the waves. If it’s anywhere near high tide, beware, the waves will come all the way to the top of the beach and wash your belongings away!

We had a blast at Napili. There is public parking on the south end( not a lot) and a water fountain to wash feet. We spent a lovely afternoon there playing in the waves. People social distanced on the beach and wore masks on the trail to the beach. Normally we would have snorkeled, but there was a high surf warning so we stayed right on shore.

Excellent beach, not too busy or loud but it is not a very Long Beach FYI. Easy to access and there were a lot of families at this beach while we were there.

We stayed a 5 min walk from this beach and boy were we glad we did. Beautiful stretch of sand with calm water with smaller waves. Also seahouse is right there for happy hour

You have to park on the street (get there early), but this is a great snorkel beach. I really like the snorkeling on the North end near the Sea House restaurant. Walk south over the rocksl to Turtle Cove. Bathroom is by the restaurant. You can get good fish and chips or fish tacos to go if you want to spend the day at the beach.

We've been coming to Napili Beach for over 15 years and really noticed a lot of erosion recently. The beach has gotten much steeper than in the past. That said it is still a great place to soak in some sun. The tidepools are fun to watch with the turtles who frequent them.

Awesome beach, on the small to medium size of beaches. It can get crowded quickly and parking becomes difficult later in the morning/day, so arrive early if you want a smooth experience.

Beautiful beach; amazing waves!! Surf was high; lifegaurds showed us where to swim!!
Ample showers and restrooms.

An interesting beach with shore break for boogie boarders. Great for people watching. parking not too bad. Unable to walk around the corner to the bay next door as we could last visit. One of the resorts have fenced of their access to limit tourists snorkeling with the turtles in the cove.

Amazingly gorgeous place to visit. We loved the beauty of the ocean, so special! Can’t wait until we get home to see the postcards! Grammy and Grandpa are excited to see us in the mountains now. Fun for all!

Great beach. The access was a little confusing, but Iso happy we went here! It was not busy so we used seats that were available. We went in the water and unexpected to us the waves were incredible and were tossed around. It was the most fun ever!!! Could not stop laughing and filled out suits with all the sand!!!! The best unexpected find and fun!

Lovely small beach but we came at the wrong time of day. High tide washed the beach almost entirely away. Barely any room to put your chair down.

A great beach for snorkeling or just relaxing and taking in the beautiful views. This beach is not as busy as some of the larger beaches. (a great place to find sea turtles)

The beach was nice, not too crowded. Surf was too rough to go snorkeling. Had to park on the street a couple of blocks away and walk to the beach access area.

7:15 Sunset at Merrimen's ...make your reservation. We had to take our dessert home. Great beach views.

This was a popular identified snorkel location. We joined the masses. Was busy but not over crowded. Reef wasn't much to look at, but the fish were abundant and plenty as well as many varieties.

Beautiful beach with great snorkeling. Saw turtles every time we were there. Saw a few eels too. Both sides are good for snorkeling. Parking just north of the bay in the Kapalua Beach lot or along the road.

Beautiful bay, for playing, snorkeling and enjoying the sun.

Parking is about $34 per day if you are not a Maui resident. There is a bit of a walk from the restroom down to the beach. The restrooms are not very clean. Looks like people who go there are pretty disrespectful.

However, the beach is lovely, and there is a stand so you can rent things you might need, like an umbrella, chairs, and snorkel gear that kind of thing and it is at least worth visiting.

Beach itself is great. Soft sand. Showers at walkway to wash off sand. Interesting place to build sand castles.

Good place for adult and older teenagers to snorkel. Reefs are quite a distance from shore so water before reefs will not allow smaller children to stand. You will see colorful fish and sea turtles.

Waves vary greatly. often, waves are minimal with very little undertow. At higher tides waves can get to four or five feet and greatly increase undertow. There can also be sneaker waves that come in groups of three or four when it is otherwise calm so smaller children and anyone who cannot swim need to be watched and should stay close to shoreline.

Beach can get quite crowded. People staying at Napili Bay Beach Resorts usually have beach chairs and umbrellas available. If you are coming from elsewhere you will need to lug your stuff quite aways as most parking lots are restricted for resort guests so parking is limited to lower honowaikea road. Facilities are limited for non-Napili Bay beach resort guests.

This beach is perfect for relaxing and taking in the beautiful ocean. It does get extremely crowded and because of its small size, fills up very quickly. Get there early to get a good spot and if you want shade.

Beautiful beach. Much smaller than Kaanapali Beach so a bit more crowded. Easy access from the Napili Bay Beach trail. There are several upscale restaurants close to the beach as well.

With the number of people on the beach this was not a pleasant experience. So did not stay long. Access is through a small business area and resort hotels. Parking is not easy and disabled access is difficult. The width of the beach is dependant on the tides i suspect but quite narrow.

This is pretty far west so a lot of people , unless they are staying at Kannapali or Kapalua - never go explore it. It's easy to miss because the other beaches are more famous. But there is good public access and parking and then there is a nice swath of usually much less populated beach front than Kannapali or Kapalua. Really a nice, almost local , place.

safe,relaxing,great for children, tons of fish and turtles just feet offshore, you can see the whales breaching across the bay in season, very relaxing and family oriented.we had never been to Maui and visited lots of beaches all over but it was the most laid back and my favourite.The parking can be tight but usually you can park on the road and walk 300yds.

Albeit small, this beach has absolutely everything: mild waves, snorkeling, beautiful sand, bathrooms, showers to rinse off, free parking (get there early, it has limited number of spaces). If you don’t score a free space, there is a paid parking out next door, equally small, for $20USD for the day. You can also find street parking but be prepared to walk.
This beach is ideal for families, snorkelers, etc. There is so much fish and coral variety; expect to see eels, turtles, urchins, cucumbers…

We spent an afternoon at Napili beach during our recent trip to Maui.

The beach is easy to walk and we all had a fun time enjoying the waves.

4th year staying at Napili Bay, new found paradise.
From year to year, never know what the ocean will give you.
2 years ago, the bay was flat calm & snorkeling / scuba diving from the beach was excellent, almost unlimited visibility, 75’+.
Last year & this year, more ocean waves & energy, viz not so good.
Recent rain run off has murked up the water.
No public parking, limited on street parking, current (May 2019), street construction has road tore up, significant traffic delays & most of the street parking unusable.

With the new HI State law this year to not allow reef damaging suntan lotions (finally),
Stream2Sea works perfectly.
We have been using for 3 years, costs twice as much, but you only need 1/2 as much (a small drop goes a long way), & stays on when swimming longer.
Get the tinted version, as the original goes on very white.

Great boogie boarding and other times it’s calm and perfect SUP area. Get there early for shade or Bring and umbrella. Just be sure to make camp above the burm or I guarantee a wave will sneak up the little hill and you will be wet. Wash room Sam men restaurant near by make this a great day hang out.

had a little issue finding public parking, had to pay $10 to park inthe tennis club parking lot and this is lo season!!, water is crystal clear, nice gently rolling waves, could spend all day floating here.

Although not in many books this place is fun for snorkeling. Beach is super clean. When we went the surf and undertow was quite strong so watch your kiddos we did see one toddler get knocked down.

Pretty good snorkelling. Not much coral of color but lots of fish and saw a few large turtles. Nice small beach but gets crowded. Be there by 10AM or later in afternoon if you want parking

A nice little cove to hang out. Great sand and water is as always awesome. It was a walk for us to get there.

This was a very pretty beach. However, it was quite crowded. During the days we visited other quiet beaches and enjoyed the view from the Merriman's during their Happy Hour (3:00 to 5:00)

Our group was my husband, myself and our four adult children (22, 26, 28 & 29).

I would not recommend for kids because the beach was so crowded.

As asked in an upcoming question, I would not suggest for a honeymoon.

Fantastic beach....smaller than many others but it was more geared toward the locals. Not many tourists were at this beach when we went. The waves were very strong and violent. One bad part was that the walk to the swim-abke area was a bit lengthy, but still worth it. Also, the Sea House oytdoor Cafe is right on the beach and has great food at reasonable prices. This beach is a definite MUST VISIT and enjoy for anyone planning to goto Maui.

Been going for years now. Although it’s a bit busier that it used to be, we still enjoy staying here. Usually just the wife and I last year we got hijacked by our kids and grand kids they had a great time. Going back in May this year.

Napili Beach

Lahaina

One of our favorites

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We've enjoyed Napili Beach for many years as well as visiting it multiple times during each stay on Maui. We have actually only stayed adjacent to Napili Beach once but it is an easy drive from where we generally choose to stay. It is a nice cove with plenty of shallow areas as well more challenging deeper waters. There are rocks on the south side that you can get washed up against so be careful here. We have also seen plenty of sea turtles here including some that come along some of the rocks when the water is only one foot in depth. Parking can be tough as is true of many of the beaches. We usually get around the parking issue by getting to the beach before 9am. The temperature is decent enough by this time. We will enjoy snorkeling and relaxing before the crowds show up and head off by 12:30pm having enjoyed nearly 3-4 hours at Napili Beach. If you go enjoy the colorful fish!

This was the perfect beach to get married at. Our resort was right on the beach and we had a dinner under the stars reservation at the SeaHouse Restaurant right on the other side of the beach. The amazing sunset, sand on our toes, the sound of waves crashing, it is a magical sight to see. Plus, on our free days, spending time at the beach was always a fun time. Waves weren't too strong but they definitely kept coming. Sea life was pretty as well. Can't wait to go back and relive our memories!

and there is snorkeling to boot. This beach was located close to our vrbo so we visited often. Lovely, always clean, and shade available. Our grandkids ages 5, 7, 8, and 10 loved sliding down the sand into the waves or riding the waves back to where we were seated. Awesome!!

This is one of the most beautiful beaches on the hawaiian island of Maui. It is also one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
We love this beach, it is great for snorkeling ,paddle boarding, buggy boarding,swimming and relaxing. You also have access to the amazing sea house restaurant. Our family loves this beach we go there every two years. If you happen to visit this beach we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

This is a little "bay" that is well suited for swimming. Even in rough weather, people are able to swim in it with apparent safety. It is beautiful water but is totally surround by hotels.

Friendly people, travelers and locals alike. Soft sandy beach that is sloped made it a bit difficult for some of our seniors to navigate. But with some assistance they fared well. We snorkeled and saw a great many varieties of fish. Strong outgoing current, so fins are a must. And please fellow seniors, make sure you are heart healthy. We stayed at a small resort (Napili Sunset) which allowed for beautiful sunsets and good access to everything Hawaiian. It’s a different vibe then other Resort areas, more relaxed—less foo-foo!

A friend and I rented snorkels and waded into the water to see what was around. There's a small natural reef about 30-50 yards in, and tons of marine life living on it -- brain coral, sea turtles, moorish idol fish, convict tang, needlefish, ornate wrasse, and more. This was the best snorkel experience I have had, and beat a lot of scuba dives that I have been on in terms of wildlife! If you stay on the shore side of the reef, there's barely any current. If you go beyond it, it's still not bad for experienced swimmers.

Great beach, first part of the week was a little windy and rough, but the last 2 days were calm and perfect for swimming. Great beach for kids

We had the best time at Napili Beach! It is as gorgeous as the photos in travel guides display. This is a great location for beginner snorkeling...as part of the beach is protected from huge waves. We saw several sea turtles which were beautiful.

We had almost rented a unit here, and after visiting for a spell, I'm glad it fell through. The beach was packed to the gills, and seemed to be the least pleasant beach we encountered on that side of the island. The boombox blasting that Christian country song didn't help.

A little shade, smaller waves, lots of sand and beauty for the children and Mom and Dad. I suggest this beach for smaller children. Bring your umbrella. There is a great restaurant and bar nearby. There is a reef to snorkel or paddle boat around. Rest room facilities are available.

Had a fantastic afternoon snorkelling and seeing three turtles, 2 eels and a ton of schools of fish. Love coming to this beach every time we visit Maui.

One of the nicest locations on Maui, big sandy beach in a somewhat secluded bay. Good snorkeling, and walking distance to a couple of great restaurants (The Gazebo, and Seahouse).

We arrived at Napili Beach During large cold front was coming through. There were red flag advisories and they have them posted for a reason. Swimmers ignored the warning and there were several rescues that had to be made. When the red flag warning was removed it was a great swimming, snorkeling, skim boarding and sunning beach. It was very safe and calm area for recreation. We were staying the Napili Kai Resort and had access to fresh towels, snack and beach chairs. A great place to enjoy the sunset.

The food and the view are great. Go for lunch but get there before two o'clock. My favorite was the crab crusted Mahi-mahi. There is free parking, too.

Get there early to find a place to park. Beach was pretty busy by the afternoon, but not over crowded.

We loved the Napili Beach in Lahaina. Spacious sandy beaches with crashing blue waters hitting the shorelines. We took in some sun and actually got a sunburn.

We came here 3 days in a row since we stayed at Napili Shores, a 5-minute walk. Couldn't have been nicer. Very clean, friendly people, close access to food (Sea House is at the end of the beach) or bring a picnic under the umbrella. Good waves for body surfing or boogie-boarding, plenty of snorkeling. Excellent view of Molokai right in front and part of Lanai. Great beach to watch sunset too.

We were not able to stay here as long as before. The left side of the bay has some erosion so when you part to enter, go towards the Sea House restaurant side (on the right), the left side has a eroded and there is a set of stairs to the beach that were closed for repair. Still a beautiful place for sunset.

We had lunch at Sea House last week while driving up to Kapalua. We were exploring the area and found Sea House by accident. We were thrilled with our experience. The service was excellent, helpful with suggestions and polite. We had tender fried Calamari, the fresh fish sandwich with fries and a salad. Everything was hot, delivered promptly for a great value in Maui. We highly recommend you try it as a destination or by accident! The beach view is awesome.

We stayed at Napili Shores on Napili Bay for almost a week in February. The beach is great for sunning or snorkeling or for the boogey boards. A little breezy when we were there but we've been before and this is a fantastic place to stay and do water things.

We swam and snorkel in Napili Bay and it was beautiful! There are quite a few rocks near the shoreline so you have to be careful getting in and out of the water but it is well worth it. Sometimes the water level is high and there are big waves but this last time we were there it was calm and lovely for snorkeling.

Best snorkel spot for kids as its really safe. Great clear water too. We saw lots of fish and turtles. Get there early for a close parking spot.

Now this is what I think of when I picture a Hawaiian beach! Idyllic! Soft sand, clear blue water, good snorkeling at the lava points at the ends, and great boogie boarding & body surfing! It's a small beach but the character is second to none. Park along Hui Rd.

We go here every visit to Maui, it’s beautiful. Always makes for a relaxing day. Parking can be difficult to find, so need to be patient and wait fir a spot.

So crowded. You have squeeze in between other groups to sit. There is very little beach. The tide starts coming up quick and soaks your stuff. Only enough beach for one family before the water hits. Good parking though. $10 per day

Excellent beach located at the Napali Beach resort. The beach has relaxing swimming, snorkeling, and great views. The resort has a restaurant, The Seahouse, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There is another beach, Kapalua Beach which is within a short 5 minute walk away. Both beaches have public parking areas. Across the street from the Kapalua beach is another public parking lot.

The most gorgous bay in Maui, we go there every year, and thank heavens it never changes, the BEST ON MAUI!

The best beach in Maui! We stayed at Napili Point and make the easy walk from there so we don’t ever worry about parking. Sometimes the waves are kicking which makes it fun to boogie board. Snorkeling and paddle boarding are popular activities at this beach too.

Each beach in Maui is different. Size, perspective from the other islands, wind and water currents, curve of the shore, etc. and Napili is a small ,beautiful, horseshoe shaped beach with a dramatic full view of Molokai. Stunning.

A fun family friendly beach in a beautiful environment. So pretty and lots of close amenities. Not a lot of shade so bring a umbrella. The snorkelling is exceptional and most of the time, the water is calm so access not a problem. The Sea House Resturant is at the north end of the beach and has fantastic happy hour specials. The Gazebo is at the south end of the beach and is a must for breakfast of lunch - they do take out so can bring back to the beach.

If you want to stay on this side of the island this is great place to visit. This beach is exceptional and should not be missed. The problems is always,whether to stay on this side of the island as driving back and forth from up country is not to good.to far, best to stay in this area and enjoy many things tondo

This is a very nice beach, one you would expect to find in Hawaii. I rated it average only because it is small, usually crowded and has very limited parking. I suppose if we would have arrived before 9AM, found parking and a spot on the beach I may have ranked higher. With several other choices of great, less crowded beaches we left here and found something less populated . If you want to visit this beach, get here early.

Gorgeous beach where we received a surprise professional family photo shoot. The sunset was unbelievable. Amazing !!

good snorkeling; you are literally in the back yard of a bunch of apartments and when the tide comes in the water practically comes up to their back yards. Hard to find parking here.

narrow beach with little shade, looming hotels and restaurant; parking chaotic/haphazard; very placid waters....

The snorkel store recommended we check out this beach with the family for great snorkeling and we were glad we did. The shape of the cove, makes it very protected and easier for the kids to swim in. We saw tons of sea creatures, fish and the famous turtles! Only con for this beach is the parking, very limited parking. We were able to get a spot our second time because we arrived around 7 am. If you come later, you have to park along the street and carry all of your gear a lot further.

We were staying at Napili Shores so we just walked over. The sand is so soft your feet sink deep down with every step. It's a small beach but does not have a crowded feel. The surrounding beach area is very attractive. Since many people were snorkeling there, I assume the snorkeling is at least decent. Next time I'll definitely bring my gear. So much more appealing than those huge, overcrowded beaches.

We stayed at The Mauian Hotel on Napili Beach so we spent a lot of time on this beach.

1. It is gorgeous
2. Sand is soft
3. Amenities are close
4. People are Friendly

Be aware - there are strong Rip Tides on the north side of the bay near the rocks. We saw two people that had to get rescued. Do not swim straight towards the shore, swim at an angle and you will escape. I got caught in a Rip there and got out but did return to that section. That said, the staff at the Hotel(s) and Maui Ocean Safety were fast to respond. Have fun and stay safe. Snorkeling was poor because of tides and visibility.

Still 5 Stars!!

Went here while on vacation. Great beach, a lot of people. We did find parking on the street. Crystal clear water, good snorkeling. There is a shaved ice place called Big Wave also in the area. Great shaved ice. Kids loved it!

The entire island has been experiencing weather that has created huge swells and unusual winds, but we decided to venture to Napili Bay anyway. There were red flags indicating not to go into the water, but we knew that before we arrived. The water was several different shades of blue with row after row of white foam capped waves. Beautiful.

Napili is a reef protected bay that is great for swimming and water sports. We saw snorkelers, SUPs, boogie boards, kayaks and swimmers every day. A couple of days the waves were strong as reported in the surf report for the area. Other days it seemed like a lake. Pay attention to the surf report!
And if you do kayak or SUP for goodness sake, don’t harass the whales!
The parking can be tricky, but there are multiple public access points to the beach. It’s great for families, couples and everyone.

Nice beach at the West Coast of Maui, great to watch whales during December and March and beautiful view of Molokai

If you are on Maui and you are looking for a beach for children you need to go to Napili Bay Beach.
Take the walk down to the area protected by the rocks and you can snorkel and just enjoy the view. The Humpback Whales were close enough to see them from the shore.
There are no restrooms in this area so be advised. There were showers if you need to wash the sand off.

All the beaches on the northwest side of Maui are great, but Napili's secret is that some of the best snorkeling on the island is next door . . . at Honokeana Bay, often aptly called Turtle Bay. Facing the ocean, make your way to the left some 125 yards through the rocks. Soon you will have to stay high, just below the private property, to a fairly easy launching spot.

I guess I’m biased but we went up to snorkel based on reviews and after enjoying the snorkelling at Honalua bay so much.
Disappointed because surf was up so couldn’t snorkel.
Beach is really small compared to Kaanapali.
I’ll stay with a Kaanapali.

Great snorkeling at Napili beach.. go to Flemmings Beach for some tourist level boogie boarding. Boss Frogs was a great place to rent equipment.

Want to see turtles! Go to the Napili Beach. The beach is so beautiful with gorgeous clear blue water. We saw many turtles while my wife and I were there for the day.

Unfortunately we witnessed a man drown here yesterday. The water may look calm but the currents can be very strong and waves rough. Do not go swimming/snorkeling here unless you are a strong & experienced OCEAN swimmer.

Beautiful clean beach and water.

Lots of fun. Especially good for shoreline surf play. Ride up the beach on your boogie board. Snorkeling is mixed. Lots of fish, not special for coral.

Wonderful beach great for families and everybody — saw turtles on the south side and good snorkeling on north side and excellent swimming toward the right — and beauty through out — good waves on the left side for boogie boards

Warm ocean with turtles swimming nearby. An incredible place with spectacular sunsets. Loved every minute.

Title says it all! Delightful time and the convenience of this place is outstanding. I can't say enough.

If you want something quieter but lovely, try this beach. Snorkeling was good too.
It’s a whole different thing from the busy Kaanapali beach.

Are there really any bad beaches in Maui? Nice beach. No problem parking. Easy walk for us to get to beach.

Stayed right on the beach at Napili Beach resort. 2 story building, beach to blender in 2 minutes. Two people per room only. Perfect place for a honeymoon!

We make Napili Bay a must visit each time we come to Maui. The beach and water are amazing and there is great snorkeling. We often see multiple turtles swimming in the ocean. You can swim right up to the turtles but don’t touch them. I highly recommend visiting Napili Bay. Steve Concialdi

It was raining and hot. the result was a beautiful rainbow. The area is lovely. Areas for snorkeling sea turtle and flying fish sightings can be expected

This beach is beautiful and perfect for a relaxing, lazy day in the sun. The soft sand beach, the waves are mellow and calm just right to paddleboard or just float in these warm Hawaiian waters. You can rent umbrellas and chairs and whne you want a cocktail, it’s just a bery short walk to the Seahouse restaurant.
Loved this beach and bay!!

It's a small beach that offers unique experiences. South side of the beach are sandy and good for floating and swimming. North side of the beach is rocky, great for snorkeling. I love the North side to just float with the colorful fish at waist or knee high (or should I say waist or knee low ^_^) water. There is a restaurant/bar from nearby resort that's open to public. Around the corner is a fruit stand that's buzzling with fresh fruit, cool drinks and happy customers. The tiny rocky shore offers a neat walk.
My newly found favorite on Napili.

This is a lovely spot and easy access to the Gazebo restaurant which serves amazing breakfasts. ( be aware though the wait is usually 20 -30 min.) Good snorkeling and lots of turtles. Biggest issue for tourists is parking and even finding the public access. We eventually did (it is just a Napili Surf Resort if you are coming up from Lahani). Parking though is limited either arrive early say 8:30 or around noon when morning beach goers are leaving.

Another beautiful beach with awesome views and great for pics. I'll be there again next time I'm in the area.

This is defintely a family beach with lots to offer. Snorkeling, body surfing and swimming are all pretty great. The northern part of the beach is wider and there has been some erosion but it is so beautiful to look at being in this little bay.

Looking for minimal rip tides and lower wave heights we found this beach through a local. Fairly busy but worth a look.

Two beautiful beaches, Kapalua Beach to the north is great for snorkeling. The Sea House restaurant is great for lunch (try to sit outside). Napili Beach is great for families.

Napili bay has a very small area for actual sand that you can lay down on. It has eroded and very steep for most part. There is a wider strip on either side towards the Seahorse or the Napili sunset resorts.

The protected beach has mostly soft sand so it is good for playing in the surf, boogie boarding and so on. You can also snorkel on either end as well.

Spent a Sunday afternoon at Napili. Got lucky with a parking spot right in front of Napili Sunset. There is a beach access path there and an outdoor shower for rinsing off. The beach was busy, but not crowded. We really enjoyed watching the fun-seekers doing various activities in the water. The current was strong, but little ones were playing near shore, with parents hovering, as was certainly needed. A gorgeous beach. Sun, sand, surf - what’s not to like?

I love this little bay. It is quiet and has great snorkeling. Lots of turtles, fish, and eels. There are also kayaks and paddle boards to rent. If you are not staying at one of the hotels in the bay, parking can be scarce. I stayed at Hale Napili and loved it. Had my coffee in the bay ever morning.

A great smaller beach. We love bringing breakfast here and watching the turtles munch on algae among the rocks. We make a visit every time we're on Maui

This beach was a 5-minute walk from our condo... not too crowded, and the water was calm enough for snorkeling.

beautiful clean beach, usually the waves are mild, water was so clear. Very good restaurant on either side of the cove, couln't get in to Gazebo, but the other had excellent fresh salads. would definately return

Beautiful bay, beautiful water, beautiful landscape, beautiful walks. i just love the swimming sea turtles.

Our "go-to" beach. Beautiful views, long sandy beach perfect for families with kids, snorkeling and boogie boards.

Usually gentle tide and lots of fish and eels to see. Can become crowded but worth going in the water here

We went to this beach twice and it was amazing. Gorgeous views and water so clear. You can take a sun umbrella for shade and it won't blow away. Turtles are spotted here to. There is an area of lava rocks that the turtles will swim to and you can be 5 ft from them. Love this beach!

Beautiful beach to relax for a while. Minimal fish seen in 2 hours in the water NO TURTLES. Reviews on the site are older so maybe the turtles have moved on. The sand is super soft and silky and it’s a perfect location if staying in one of the local resorts. Disappointed in limited fish and wildlife seen in the water.

We loved the snorkeling here. Look forward to going back someday. Just a piece of paradise and lovely swimming and water fun.

Great place to see the sun go down and have a wee dip before dinner. BUT parking is at a premium and a real annoyance.

Beautiful beach, golden sand and easy access to the water.

By far our favorite Maui beach! Good for kids & families! Parking is a little tough but at least it’s free! And walk over to the Sea House for HH!! Best HH & restaurant views we had our entire trip!

When you're far away, wishing you can go to a place that is soothing; relaxing and close to everything. This is your spot. Wish it was longer. Beautiful Bay!

An absolute gem. This beach is situated on a cove. Water is clear and waves often calm. Sand white, soft. So beautiful.

we had unusual 8-12 foot waves and there were so much fun! body surfing, boogie boarding, swimming. the day before the waves were calm and we were there all day. beautiful beach. i don't like that people bring their dogs and the owners throw the balls close to others. outside of that the experience was fantastic.

Napili Beach overlooks Napili Bay which is really pretty. Since you are in a bay, there is great boogie boarding, snorkeling and views of the islands.
There are two things you should be aware of to make you day delightful. First, sit on the left side of the beach because it's a much wider beach then on the right side and when the high tide comes up there is very little beach on the right side. Second, parking is limited so get there early and park near Bob's Snorkel Shop, walk through their parking lot and down to the beach.
Mahalo!

Napili Beach, and most of the beaches of Lahaina, are a good mix of sand, surf, and snorkeling, suitable for familes.

We spent several hours on two different days at Napili Beach and it is a very nice beach and setting. Even on high surf days, it's still relatively calm.

Can’t say enough perfect beach for snorkelling, the birds were a pain as people keep feeding them so they come up to you when your eating.

This is one of the nicest beaches on the island for snorkeling, but it isn't so great for just playing in the water, because of all the rocks and coral. It is a little cove so the water is pretty calm. Parking is really tough unless you go really early or during lunchtime, and there is a trek down a long staircase to the beach (and back up). There are bathrooms/ changing rooms, which is great.

When we visited this beach, the waves on this beach make it a very fun and we stayed hours. There is an undertoe that pulls you back out. Make sure you can swim and your visit will be worth it!

How can you go wrong with a beach on Maui? The water is gorgeous and the views are even better! Very quiet and family friendly!

Scenic beach with a good reputation for snorkeling but I must have visited on an off day. It was windy and the seas were rough that day making for choppy conditions. I didn't see many fish. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful beach although it is not very secluded as it is surrounded by low rise beach resorts. It was also extremely challenging to access the beach from the main road because of all this development. There is a public bus that stops near the beach. You can catch the West Maui Express for $2 and I used this to get back to the Sheraton on Ka'anapali Beach.

Lovely beach! Beautiful beach in every way. Easy in and out. Often calm and not a lot of waves. Crystal clear water!

Nice calm water. Great to snorkel in. Parking is a bit scarce so you’ll probably have to park on the road but worth it!

Fantastic calm beach to swim at. Gentle rolling waves in the morning. Sand is a little squishy, so you do need to use your legs and knees a little to plough through it. Absolutely gorgeous. Could have stayed for hours.

This is the perfect beach spot for families with young kids. Shallow water that is mostly calm, lots or rocky areas to explore, and the ability to spot sea turtles with our without snorkeling. We visited 3 times during our 6 day stay, our 6 year old daughter couldn’t get enough (and we live in a FL beach town!). Get there early (before 9am) if you want any chance at close parking.

Good parking and very close to the beach. Restrooms. Just a superb setting. Looks like out of a movie. Great swimming.

Very nice beach and not crowded -- water super but strong undertoe and strong waves coming in --- once you get out a bit it's calm but initially can throw you --- kids really need to watch it . But definitely recommend this beach.

What you see in the iconic photo is the start of the small adventure.If you use the SEA HORSE RESTAURANT as a focal point, (standing on the deck of the restaurant) that is safe swimming for the little ones,right in front,a bit more wave activity around to you left of the bay,for the older kids,and last but not least is the short walk along the concrete pathway to the right of the restaurant,in front of some of the condos,as in the picture.
Look for the 2 sign posted interesting facts from a time gone by.

Napoli Beach is getting more popular every year and unless you stay nearby or visit a nearby restaurant, parking is difficult to find. However, this natural crescent shaped beach of pure sand and fabulous snorkeling makes it worth any effort to visit.

Napili beach is a small, crescent shaped beach North of Kaanapali, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty. It is lovely, especially at sunset. We have attended 2 wedding there. It can feel crowded due to its size, but it is worth seeing.

Napili Bay is our favorite beach. Protected by a coral reef, the waves are generally gentle, good for snorkeling or for playing with your grandkids. Lots of families come to this protected cove, but the best access is from the resort on the beach, Napili Kai Beach Club.

Another beautiful beach in Maui. Parking was a pain trying to find free parking in a residential area but we followed the directions from The Snorkel Store and managed to snag a spot at around 9 am. We had a wonderful breakfast at the nearby Sea House restaurant and then hit the beach.

Pay attention to where the regulars were set up on the beach. The water can come up quite high. We needed shade and so planted ourselves by the hedges at the back of the beach and the water still came up that far.

The beach has soft sand but a bit of a hill/slanted entry from beach down to the water. Sandy bottom with a few large rocks to watch out for. Waves were not bad the day we were there but locals told us even though the bay is protected, some days it can be a huge boogie boarding area where you could ride almost from the corner of one side of the bay diagonal to the other.

It is a popular beach for snorkelers. People were snorkelling in the middle of the bay as well as on both the right and left sides. On the left side were some tide pools and I saw fish and a turtle in the area.

Though there are no facilities (bathrooms), Napili Bay is a great place to choose for beach time for a few hours.

The best beach in Maui for calm waters and great for snorkeling!!! Get there early to find parking and it’s a short walk down to the beach. It’s not so crowded and the water is pristine blue-green. The snorkeling is perfect here as you can see the fish so clearly. It was nice that the beach was only 12 minutes from the blowhole.

Loved it !! We were a little concerned about being right off the highway, but the sounds of the waves drowned out the sound. Lots of great private spots to have lunch or just CHILL ..."Maui Time" :)

Napili Beach is beautiful anytime of the day. I love arriving in the early morning just before sunrise and walking up the paved trail toward Kapalua so that I can watch the sky colour up over Molokai and Lanai. Later in the day when the sun is up the beach is great place to enjoy the waves and the sand. You can snorkel too, if the water is calm. If you stay around for sunset, there are great views to be had from the nearby restaurants to enjoy more colour in the sky as the sun slips behind Lanai.

There is no designated public parking for this beach. It is surrounded by some older hotels but it is a public beach. Great people watching location. Snorkel right from the beach.

Parking in a lot provides easy access to the beach. Easy in and out of the water- sandy bottom to start, nice place to be and the snorkeling was very good! Good fish and a shower!

Beautiful beach. Nice water.Not to overcrowded. Waves were very strong which hurt the snorkeling. Breathtaking views made up for some of the construction going on in the area.

Awesome little beach to relax and swim in. The waves are frequent for body surfing, the water is an amazing temp for floating around and clear for snorkeling. Public beach surrounded by Napili Kai beach resort. Little spot of heaven!

We've visited Kamaole Beach Park III, Hamoa Beach, Hookipa Beach, Fleming Beach, Baby Beach, the beach near the airport, and stayed at Kaanapali Beach on this trip. This one is not crowded and is shared by a few small resorts. The sand here is thick and tricky to walk through but just a beautiful beach with glorious snorkelling for beginners although the waves were pretty rough the day we visited. We would come back here to vacation next time as it felt like a private beach. Parking was challenging but we got a spot before 11 am on Hui Street.

We just spent 7 wonderful days in Maui. Each morning, we went for a walk at this smallish beach.. it was a very cool beach both at sunset and sunrise.

I realized on this trip, one needs to decide what they want to do in Maui. Stay in one location or see all the sights Maui has to offer.

if i wanted to see all the sights, i would stay in Kihei - it will be less driving.

if i were to just want to stay in the north, then this would be the area i would stay in .. it is close to Lahina ; where you get some shops, but is a quiet location..

We arrived on a heavy surf day (great for surfboarders, but not if you want to snorkel). Very crowded beach (probably because of the heavy tourist season.

Really pretty crescent shaped beach, soft white sand, gorgeous water. Surrounded by palm trees, looked like paradise. Fun place for everyone, kids and adults all enjoyed the water.

Napoli Beach is a little jewel in Maui! The cove has beautiful still blue water and soft white sand! It’s hard to find if you aren’t staying at the hotel, but we walked over from the Montage and it was worth the effort! Great swimming in calm waters!

small intimate beach with lodging ON THE SAND!. Wow. We stayed for a couple hours. Not much parking, but well worth exploring. Nirvana!

Last month when I visited this beach it had big waves so I didn't get a chance to go into the water, but I was able to enjoy the beautiful beach.

The sand here just seems different and get there before sunset.
Very crowded though so be prepared. Decent snorkeling spot with lite surf.

We stayed at a condo right on this beach. The mornings start off so quiet and then couples, families, kids all plant their chairs and beach umbrellas. Crowded but not overwhelming.

We loved watching the snorkelers, paddleboarders, boogie boarders and one outrigger every day. The kids would race out into the waves screaming with laughter and come flying back in on their boogie boards. One dad was trying to teach his little one how to surf but he was having none of it.

There are sea turtles to watch close by and whales in the distant.

As the sun goes down everyone leaves and we’re left with the crashing of the waves without the screams and laughter. What a slice of life!

Gorgeous beach, easy parking (if you can find it), with facilities to shower/change etc. It's not the biggest but the sand is nice, protected from huge waves and many things to see if you snorkel

There aren't any bad beaches when you're in Hawaii, but Napili compares unfavorably with Kapalua or even D.T. Fleming. The beach is tough to navigate for the public (street parking only and some spots at the resort), there are no rentals, and the snorkeling doesn't compare to Kapalua for the variety or for the turtles you can see at Honokeana.

Nice beach which might deserve a higher rating anywhere else in the world but certainly not in comparison with other Hawaii beaches. It is rather steep and small so gets crowded sooner than others.

Perfect low key place to relax, boogie board, and watch intermediate surfers. We were here when the winds were high so there were unusually big waves rolling in which made it almost too hard to boogie board. The surfers were having a great time. The beach had nice, soft sand with plenty of room to spread out. Normally there's good snorkeling in the bay not far from shore. Low key, quiet beach. Free parking on Napili Pl. Fun tide pools at the south end of the beach.

This stunning bay offers an unforgettable experience for beach lovers, snorkelers, and nature enthusiasts.

Impressive:
- Pristine, well-preserved natural environment
- Abundant marine life
- Secluded, tranquil atmosphere

Recommended for:
- Snorkeling and swimming enthusiasts
- Nature lovers and photographers
- Families seeking a secluded, peaceful beach experience
- Anyone looking for a unique, unforgettable experience.

This beach is perhaps a bit off the beaten track, but definitely worth a stop. A lovely crescent of sand and beautiful views of Molokai make it a great place for a picnic and a swim. If you want a walk, head one bay north and start a lovely coastal walk on the Kapalua Trail which also starts out on a beautiful beach! The beaches all through West Maui are gorgeous, but Napili (and Kapalua) are very special!

Simply stunning! Great for snorkeling, close-in reef(also at Kapalua Beach right next to Napili). Lots of pretty fish, some kids spear fish farther out with Hawaiian spears - like a sling shot. Fun to boogie board - which our condo across the street provided for all our kids. Snorkel shop close by. At times the water barely laps the shore...so calming. AND the Sea House restaurant is on this beach. Their happy hour (2-5) is great! So are the views. Had late lunch or early dinner there. Plus, in whale season they’re amazing to watch. Turtles here, too. This beach has it all.

We’ve been coming here for over 15 years, it’s still a favorite spot. Protective cove for very good snorkeling, nice sand, some shade and some waves on opposite end for body surfing. Doesn’t get any better than this.

Last day we went at the suggestion of fellow travelers - wished we had of gone day one. This beach is fantastic; the sand is so soft, waves are great for playing in, and turtle encounters were frequent. I would recommend visiting this beach area or even staying in one of the beach front condos.