Makoa Resorts is a family of boutique vacation rental estates in the heart of Kihei, on Maui’s sunny south shore. Choose a one-bedroom villa for two, a three-bedroom penthouse with ocean views, a beachfront cottage on the sand, or a whole gated estate for up to 50 — every stay is a short walk from the beach, and every booking made here comes with our best rate.
Kihei sits on the leeward side of the island, which is why it gets so much sun and so little rain. The town runs along a string of golden-sand beaches — the Cove, Charley Young Beach, the Kamaole Beach Parks and Keawakapu — with restaurants, food trucks, farmers’ markets and beach-gear rentals all within walking distance of our villas.
It is also the most central place to stay for the island’s big days out. Morning snorkel boats to Molokini Crater leave from Maʻalaea and Kihei; the Wailea resort strip, with its restaurants and luaus, is about a ten-minute drive south; Kahului Airport is roughly half an hour away; and the Haleakalā sunrise and the Road to Hāna are both reachable from here without changing where you sleep.
From December through April, humpback whales cruise the channel right off Kihei’s beaches — often visible from a lanai.
Comparing resorts in Kihei? We’re the boutique, book-direct alternative: resort-style pools, yoga studios and a concierge team, with the space, kitchens and privacy of a vacation home. See what to do around Kihei.
Nine fully equipped villas on a gated estate directly across from the Cove — Kihei’s beginner-friendly surf beach — and a one-minute stroll to Charley Young Beach. Originally built as beach bungalows in the 1950s, Villas 1–9 pair mid-century Hawaiian charm with modern kitchens, A/C and reserved parking, and sleep up to 4 each (Villa 4 has two bedrooms). Ideal for couples, small families and longer workcations.
For more room, the estate also has three larger homes — our most luxurious Kihei rentals. Penthouse I and Penthouse II are 3-bedroom, 3-bath ocean-view penthouses that sleep 6 each, or book both as a 6-bedroom duplex for 12. The Plantation House is a 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath beach home that blends its original 1940s plantation style with contemporary finishes, and Garden Hideaway is a two-suite villa with two king ensuite bedrooms tucked into the estate’s gardens. See every villa and penthouse on our Maui villas page.
If you want to walk from your door straight onto the sand, we have three beachfront homes. Honu Cottage (1 bedroom, sleeps 4) and Mana House (2 king ensuite bedrooms, sleeps 6) share an oceanfront lawn in central Kihei, steps from shops and restaurants, with beach gear, a grill and a lanai for sunset dinners. Oceanfront Hideaway is a single-level, 3-bedroom home on the quiet “Secret Beach” stretch of Halama Street that sleeps up to 12 — a favorite for multi-generation family trips.
A newly renovated, two-story gated estate in Kihei, just minutes from Wailea’s beaches and restaurants. Downstairs are two-bedroom suites — Poolside Bungalow, Ohana Hale and Lele Hideaway, sleeping 4 to 8 each; upstairs is the four-bedroom Lele Penthouse with lofts and ocean views for up to 16. Guests share a heat-pump-heated pool, a yoga studio and a poolside BBQ area, and the whole estate can be booked for up to 36. Comparing Kihei with Wailea? Read our guide to vacation rentals near Wailea.
Travelling as a couple? Kihei Villa is a one-bedroom apartment for two, Honu Cottage is a beachfront cottage with a king bedroom and its own lanai and grill, and Garden Hideaway gives you two king suites in a garden setting.
Book Villas by the Cove in its entirety (21 bedrooms, sleeps 50), Wailea Inn (sleeps 36), or combine our properties for up to 80 guests — family reunions, wedding parties, wellness retreats and company offsites all stay together with pools, yoga studios and an event pavilion to themselves.
Beach gear is waiting in your unit — chairs, a cooler, an umbrella and a boogie board, with stand-up paddleboards available for all guests. Every rental has air conditioning and ceiling fans, a full kitchen stocked with the basics and high-speed Wi-Fi, and nearly all have a lanai of their own. Most properties use a lockbox for self check-in, so you arrive on your own schedule, and shared laundry is on site with detergent provided.
Villas by the Cove and Wailea Inn each have their own pool — solar-heated at the Cove, heat-pump heated at Wailea Inn — plus a yoga studio and BBQ area for the guests staying there, and Villas by the Cove has a spacious event pavilion for gatherings. Our complimentary concierge can arrange snorkel tours, surf lessons at the Cove, private chefs and grocery delivery before you land.
Booking directly with Makoa always gets you our best rate — no online-travel-agency markups or service fees. The price you see is our true best price, guaranteed. You’ll also deal directly with our local Kihei team: real people who know every villa personally and are a call or text away before, during and after your stay.
Straight answers to what travelers ask us before booking a Kihei rental. Anything else on your mind — send us a message.
Wailea is the resort strip; Kihei is the beach town right next to it. Staying in Kihei puts you within walking distance of beaches, restaurants and farmers’ markets, and Wailea’s restaurants and luaus are about a ten-minute drive away. Our Wailea Inn estate is the closest of our properties to Wailea — just minutes from its beaches.
Roughly a 30-minute drive. There is no shuttle, but taxis and Uber are available at the terminal — and we recommend a rental car for the flexibility to explore the island.
Yes — all of our Kihei rentals have a three-night minimum. Hosting an on-site event requires a full-property rental.
Yes. Villas by the Cove has a solar-heated pool and Wailea Inn a heat-pump-heated pool, each reserved for guests staying at that estate. Our beachfront homes trade the pool for direct beach access.
Three: Honu Cottage, Mana House and Oceanfront Hideaway all open directly onto the sand.
Villas by the Cove sleeps up to 50 across its villas and penthouses, Wailea Inn up to 36, and combining our properties accommodates up to 80 guests. See our Group Stays page for how group bookings work.
Kihei is sunny year-round. Humpback whales are in the channel from December through April, and summer brings the calmest water for snorkeling and paddleboarding.
Our policies are set out in full on the Reservation Policy page — please read them before booking, as they apply to every reservation.
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