Ulua Beach
Last updated 30. Jun, 2010 by Mark in Beaches, Beaches | South Maui, South Maui Beaches
Ulua Beach
Rating: 
In a nutshell: Quarter-mile long pocket of sandy beach.
Minuses: Parking sometimes fills up early.
Sound-bite: [Children playing]
QUICK SUMMARY:
Good swimming, boogie boarding and excellent beginner to intermediate snorkeling around the rocky outcrop on the north end of the beach. More crowded that its neighbor to the north, Mokapu Beach – here you know you’re in the Wailea Resort.
Like Polo Beach, the name was changed when Wailea Resort began marketing. Ulua is the name of perhaps the most popular Hawaiian game fish, so it was definitely a winner for the brochures. The old Hawaiian name reported by those who remember this beach prior to WWII was “Kaula’uo.” During WWII US Marines renamed the beach to “Little Tarawa” (for the mission they were training) and that name stuck with many local folks.
Video credit: HawaiianObrien.com.
Ulua Beach fronts the Wailea Elua Village condos and is popular with dive instructors, as there is a good beginner level dive at the outer reef. Beach parking, shared with Mokapu Beach, can also fill up early. If the lot is full, you can park at the south lot for Keawakapu Beach and take a quarter-mile stroll across Mokapu Beach as all three of these beaches connect.
Key Info:
Location: End of Hale Ali’i Pl (access from Wailea Aluani Dr.) – See Google map below for exact location.
GPS Coordinates: 20.690527,-156.443671
Facilities: Bathrooms, showers, no lifeguards.
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