Paʻiloa Beach

Top choice in The Road to Hana


The small beach here is a stunner – hands down the prettiest black-sand beach on Maui. Walk on down, sunbathe, enjoy. But if you jump in, be very cautious. It has a vicious shore dump and undertow, with a bottom that drops quickly and water conditions that are challenging even for strong swimmers. Powerful rips are the norm (Paʻiloa means ‘always splashing’). Drownings occur here.