3 Maui Beaches Named to TripAdvisor’s 2018 Best in US Awards

West Maui shoreline at Kāʻanapali. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Maui’s Kāʻanapali (#3), Nāpili (#15) and Wailea (#16) beaches all made TripAdvisor’s 2018 list of the 25 Best Beaches in the US.

The  travel planning and booking site announced its Travelers’ Choice awards, which also included the following Hawaiʻi locations (along with their respective rankings): Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve on Oʻahu (#5), Lanikai Beach in Kailua (#10), Waikīkī Beach in Honolulu (#12), Kailua Beach Park (#13), Hāpuna Beach in Puakō, Hawaiʻi (#17) and Poʻipū Beach Park on Kauaʻi.

The top honors this year went to Clearwater Beach Florida, which was followed by #2 Siesta Beach, also in Florida.

Hawaiʻi was absent from the site’s World rankings for Best Beaches in the World, which was topped by #1 ranked Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos.  Grace Bay was up from the number two ranking last year and reclaimed the top spot it held in 2016.

According to TripAdvisory, award winners were determined “based on the quantity and quality of traveler reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor, gathered over a 12-month period.”

TripAdvisor has awarded a total of 355 beaches, including the top 25 in the world as well as local lists for Asia, Europe, Africa, South Pacific, South America, Middle East, Caribbean, Central America, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the UK and the US.