Maui beach advice needed!

carrieoz_76

So we're leaning toward having our beach ceremony at Keawakapu Beach, which is the beach that the Mana Kai Resort and Oceanfront Inn are on.  Our only hesitance is that we don't know how popular the beach is.  

So, on a scale of how many people are generally at a beach, with, I don't know, Makena Cove (or any beach that hardly anyone goes to) being a 1 and Wailea Beach being a 5, where would Keawakapu fall?  Bottom line - do you think it's too popular for a beach wedding?

If it matters, our wedding will have 25-30 guests, and will be on a Friday at 4:30 in August.

EDIT: We don't mind there being some people on the beach.  They're public, that's cool.  I just don't want to choose a packed one w/ no room for our little group.  If that makes sense?  

kaesha

Ooh, that's a great question! With the furlough Fridays the schools are having - I wonder if it's a popular beach with locals at all... Makena is pretty busy for weddings (at least that's what my photog told me - we didn't do our TTD shoot there because there were 4 going on at the same time!).

lilac0660

Keawakapu is huge and doesn't have as much of a tide as some of the beaches further south, like Chang's (Poolenalena). So there is a lot more flexibility and it's not hard to find a private enough spot, especially at the end of the day. An added bonus is parking lots.

Makena Cove or Secret Beach (or not so secret when it comes to weddings) is one of my favorite spots on the island. It's absolutely gorgeous! Which is probably why it's not rare to see 2-3 couples all getting married there at sunset and trying to politely fight over good picture spots. Also, it's rather small. 25-30 guests would be tight. Plus,  the guests and you would either have to park along the side of the road or walk over from the Big Beach parking lots. That said, for a photo session, I would recommend Makena Cove in a second.

Big Beach may work. It's huge and clears up by the afternoon. Although you may encounter quite a few bodyboarders, especially when school is out.

Maluaka Beach in front of Maui Prince might be good, especially if Maui Prince remains closed, so there is a lot more privacy.

In betwee, Maluaka and Big Beach, there is the Onueli Beach. It's a black sand beach next to a red hill... gorgeous. It's a little tricky to get to (bumpy road, not very well marked) but there is a parking lot and I've rarely seen more than one or two people there. And those who do come, usually just come by to check it out and leave right away. One caveat is that they started building houses nearby but I don't recall how close the construction is.

There is also Palauea (White Rock Beach) just south of the Fairmont Kea Lani. It's pretty isolated from hotel & tourist traffic as well. It'll be large enough for your whole group and there is a parking lot nearby.

I'm sorry but I'm not very familiar with Wailea beaches. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help finding these places. Or if you'd like pictures of any of the beaches.

carrieoz_76

Lilac - thank you!  This is super helpful.  I really aprpeciate it.

discobelle

A friend of mine did hers at Makena Surf.  It was beautiful, and there was no one else on the beach at the time (sunset).

I am planning on doing mine on Mokapu Beach.  The only resort on the beach went out of business, so I'm hoping there won't be many people there.