Slaughterhouse Beach (Mokule'ia Beach)

The charmingly named Slaughterhouse beach is located on the northwestern tip of Maui between DT Fleming Beach and Honolua Bay. Despite that rather unappealing name this is in fact one of the prettiest little beaches on the island.

The name “Slaughterhouse beach” comes from the fact that there used to be a slaughterhouse above the beach. The Honolua Ranch slaughterhouse along with a tanning/storage shed that were located on the cliffs above. However this shut down decades ago and the buildings are long since gone.

It would perhaps be better to call the beach by it’s Hawaiian name, Mokule’ia, which means “bay of abundance”.

Name aside, this is a lovely little cove of golden sand framed by vegetation-covered lava cliffs. Whilst the cliffs give the beach a cosy, intimate feel, they also mean to access the beach you’ll have to tackle around 100 steps.

During the winter the waves here get big and there are powerful rip currents. The surf here can be good, but nothing in comparison to neighbouring Honolua Bay which is recognised as one of the best waves in the world.

At this time of year swimming can be dangerous. However, when the water is calmer, which it usually is in the spring and summer, Slaughterhouse beach provides some good snorkeling.

It has been suggested that Slaughterhouse beach is clothing-optional. As far as we know this is not the case and Little beach might be your best option for this on Maui.