This beach is considered the best in the United States

With over 30 miles of picturesque coastline, Maui boasts a plethora of beaches that are sure to impress. From the striking black sand beaches to the idyllic stretches of soft white sand, there is no shortage of stunning shorelines to explore. Notably, South Maui is home to Papakōlea Beach, one of the few green sand beaches in the world. In a recent ranking by Tripadvisor, Kāʻanapali Beach has been crowned the best beach in the United States, marking a historic moment for the beautiful destination.

Travelers often think of warm weather, an idyllic white sand beach, a tranquil ocean, expansive landscapes, outdoor activities, water sports, relaxation, renewal, and reconnection (with oneself and others) when they picture a beach vacation.

According to Marilyn Clark, owner of Lighthouse Travel and a member of Travel & Leisure’s A-List of travel experts, all those things are available at Kāʻanapali Beach, along with award-winning hotels, restaurants, and fantastic shopping. “Kāʻanapali Beach was once a retreat for Hawaiian royalty, and it has won numerous awards. It’s a great place to create some lasting memories,” she added.

For decades, visitors have been drawn to the crescent-shaped, three-mile length of pristine white sand along Maui’s West Coast, north of Lāhainā town, for its azure oceans, which are home to coral reefs and a variety of marine life highlights Travel + Leisure. Snorkeling and scuba diving off of Kāʻanapali Beach (meaning ‘Kana cliff’ in Hawaiian) is a popular activity for tourists, who may see a variety of underwater creatures, including brightly colored tropical fish, green sea turtles, and wide stingrays.

“Kāʻanapali Beach is a great place to do a lot of the things people want to enjoy during a beach vacation,” Clark opined. “It offers some of the island’s best snorkeling, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, and sailing — and it’s a good place to learn to surf and/or scuba dive. For all the golf enthusiasts who visit Hawaii, Kāʻanapali is home to two 18-hole golf courses.”

Whale watching is fascinating even for those who would rather remain on dry land. The shallow, warm water on Maui, particularly in the Au’au Channel, attracts thousands of humpback whales every season, making it one of the best sites in the world to go whale watching, according to Clark.

The Maui Nui Basin, the canal between Lānaʻi, Moloka’i, and Maui, is a protected sanctuary where migrating humpback whales gather to mate every year between December and April. It’s not uncommon to see mothers and their calves breaching the water’s surface near the shores of Kāʻanapali Beach and Lāhainā.

This beach, which sits against the west Maui Mountains, has been a favorite among tourists for more than 60 years thanks to its fine, white sand, swaying palm trees, and family-friendly amenities. In reality, Hawaii welcomed the Kāʻanapali Resort, the state’s first master-planned resort complex, in 1962 on Kāʻanapali Beach.

In a promotional film shown a few years later, the then-owners, American Factors, dubbed the area the “Polynesian Riviera” and “the new queen of resorts.” Those interested can board a charter jet out of Honolulu International Airport and land on a stretch of land right next to the beach. There are now a number of resorts on Maui’s Kāʻanapali coast, including the luxurious Westin Kāʻanapali Ocean Resort Villas.

Kāʻanapali Beach not only has year-round tourist attraction, but it is also rich in Hawaiian heritage and culture.

Today, Black Rock, also known as Puʻu Kekaʻa, which means ‘the rolling hill’ in response to seeing stones sliding down from the summit without any apparent cause, divides the region known as Kāʻanapali Beach in half. At its peak, there stood a heiau, or temple. According to Pōmaikaʻi Krueger, a cultural counselor at the Westin, it is regarded as a holy place and the location where a soul enters eternity.

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of its developments. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached at evieblanco@detourxp.com.

This story was originally published June 13, 2023 at 9:00 AM.