| Aloha!
We frequently receive requests from friends and family for advice regarding their visit to Maui. When to come, where to stay, what to see, where to eat, etc. This page is not meant to be a substitute for a good travel book like the Lonely Planet series, but instead will hopefully provide some local knowledge to supplement your other reading. If you have any further questions or suggestions, feel free to drop us an email. Unless otherwise noted, we have no financial relationship with any of the recommended businesses.
This page is divided up into the following 6 sections. Click on the subject that interest you to zoom directly to it.
When to Visit:
The favorite time of year for locals are generally the slowest times of year when the beaches and roads are less crowded. The first two weeks in December, the two weeks before Memorial Day, and the two weeks after Labor Day. During those time don't hesitate to bargain hard for your room rate. The busiest time is the winter, roughly from Christmas to the end of April (spring break), and then again during the summer from mid June to Labor Day. Keep in mind that our rainy season runs from December through February, though that's relative, there are still plenty of sunny beach days during those months.
The whales are here from about December to April and put on quite a show, with January and February being peak whale watching time. But if we had to pick one time of year as being our favorite, it would be October. The summer heat has relented, the trade winds provide refreshing relief, yet October is still well before the start of the rainy season. The beaches and activities are less crowded than during the peak times on the island. As an added bonus, airfares and room rates are generally less from mid September to December 15th, excluding Thanksgiving.
Back to Top Where to Stay:
In general, Maui is an expensive place to visit. The plus to this is that accommodation standards are very good. Here are our favorites:
- Napili Kai Beach Club -- Located in West Maui, 9 miles north of Lahaina in the area of Napili. The property fronts beautiful Napili Bay, the best swimming bay on the island. Napili has a calm, unhurried atmosphere which is very refreshing when compared to Ka'anapali or Kihei. The trade winds keep Napili very comfortable. Rates run from $190 - $735 depending on room and season.
- The Mauian -- Directly next door to Napili Kai. Both are located right on the beach at the best end of the bay. The Mauian is not quite as fancy as Napili Kai, but it's rates are lower, $145 - $195. Check for their off season specials.
- Outrigger Napili Shores -- Located on the south end of Napili Bay. Not quite as nice as the two above, but still very good. Rates run $129 and up.
- Kapalua Bay Hotel -- A few hundred yards north in the neighborhood of Kapalua, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. This is a beautiful property located on Kapalua Bay. Rates go $360 - $4500.
- Kula Lodge -- Located in Upcountry Maui at 3000' elevation. We live in Kula and absolutely love it. This is a more rural area, insulated from the hustle bustle of tourist land below. Temperatures are 12 - 15 degrees cooler up here, the views are huge, and flower farms abound. Baldwin Beach is 25 minutes away by car. Rates are $115 - $175.
- Upcountry Bed & Breakfast -- Also in Kula. A brand new place. Doesn't have the restaurant that Kula Lodge does, however, the view is way better, one of the best on the island. And at $125 per night, a very fair price for Maui.
- Star Lookout -- Another Upcountry treat located in Keokea. If you really want to get away from it all, this is a neat option. $150 per night.
- The Grand Wailea and Kea Lani -- Both located in South Maui in the area of Wailea. These are cost no object world class luxury resorts with the Grand Wailea taking top prize. Rates start at $465 and go up, way up, topping out at $11,000. Both are not far from the wonderful beaches of Makena.
Kihei in South Maui is another popular area that provides a sea of hotels at a variety of price ranges. Deals can be found if you dig around. Kihei is a poorly planned community that has an unsightly urban sprawl quality to it. It can also be very hot in the summer and windy in the winter. In recent years Kihei has become more and more seedy, at least by Maui standards, and we generally try to avoid going to Kihei at all if possible. Ka'anapali, just north of Lahaina, is another major resort area featuring a very long beach lined with large resort properties. The standards and neighborhood are good, but we find Napili and Kapalua, 6 miles to the north, to be much more relaxed and inviting.
Camping is limited. There's Haleakala National Park, both near the crater and near the coast in Kipahulu (Hana) Also in Hana there's Waianapanapa State Park. Upcountry in Kula is Polipoli State Park, a beautiful area. Keep in mind that both Polipoli and the crater area are at higher elevations (5000' - 8000') and the temperatures are significantly cooler than on the coast. In the winter, the summit of Haleakala can potentially get a dusting of snow. I would recommend against trying to camp on the beaches. The ones near the resorts, where it's safe, will kick you out. The isolated ones are best to avoid at night.
Back to Top Where to Eat:
There are many good places to eat on Maui. Any decent travel guide book can give you a long list of restaurants for a variety of price ranges. Every book will mention the likes of Mama's Fish House in Paia, Longhi's and David Paul's in Lahaina, and Roy's of Kahana in Kahana (north of Lahaina). And those three are indeed very fine places to eat. Here is a list of moderately priced places that locals frequent which may not have made it in your guide book.
- Saeng's Thai Cuisine -- 2119 Vineyard, Wailuku, 244-1567. We love Thai food and this is the best Thai food we've ever had. That's saying something given we've been to Thailand twice. The coconut soup is yummy.
- A Saigon Cafe -- 1792 Main St., Wailuku, 243-9560. Very good Vietnamese food, a favorite with locals. On the weekends, be prepared to wait for a table. It's kind of hard to find. It's behind the now closed Ooka's market, sort of beneath the bridge. Ooka's is on Main St., just find it and ask directions.
- Fiesta Time -- 1132C Lower Main, Wailuku, 249-8463. A hole in the wall Mexican food restaurant. Inexpensive, large servings, and very good.
- Honokawai Okazuya and Deli -- 3600D Lower Honoapiilani Rd., 665-0512. West Maui in the 5A Rent-a-Space shopping center. Another hole in the wall serving a wide variety of island food. Fish, burgers, salads, plate lunch, lots of stuff. Their Mahi Mahi Lemon Caper is my favorite. This best take out in West Maui, perhaps the whole island.
- Gazebo Restaurant -- 5315 Lower Honoapiilani Rd, Napili, 669-5621. Located on the grounds of Napili Shores Resort. Feel free to park anywhere on resort property even if it says "for registered guests only." A very popular breakfast and lunch place which closes at 2pm. Perched right on the shore, every table gets a great ocean view. At any given time there can be quite a line to get a table. If you don't feel like waiting, you can go to the head of the line and order take out and go eat it on the nearby beach.
- Maui's Fresh Tamales -- Pukalani Terrace, same shopping center as Foodland, between KFC and Wei Wei BBQ. 573-2998. Inexpensive and very good, I eat lunch there once a week.
Back to Top What to Do:
The best activities on Maui are the ones that cost the least. What could be finer than relaxing at the beach and going for a swim or snorkel to cool off? Really, that's as good as it gets. Beyond that, a drive out to Hana is always worthwhile given it's one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Be sure and get an early start as it's a solid 2 hours from Kahului, assuming you don't stop for hikes in the rain forest. Better yet, stay over in Hana for a couple of days and taste a vanishing bit of old Hawaii. You can drive back via Kaupo which leads you through Kula. Be sure and check with locals before attempting the road to Kaupo, during the rainy season it can be dangerous, otherwise, it's great fun.
A drive up to the summit of Haleakala for a hike in the crater is also time well spent.
Ulalena is a very good musical playing at the Maui Myth and Magic Theater in Lahaina, highly recommended, as is the CD of the show. The Royal Lahaina has the best luau. As for other activities, it all depends on your personal interest, but there are lots of things to choose from.
Back to Top Favorite Beaches:
Here's a short list of our favorite beaches. That's not to say these are the only good beaches, just the ones we like:
- Big Beach -- Located south of Kihei and Wailea in Makena. Big Beach is just that, big, giving you lots of room to stretch out. This is a welcome relief, especially during the busy seasons, as most of Maui's well known beaches can become quite crowded. Big Beach has two public parking lots which are regularly patrolled by a neighborhood watch type organization. The first lot can get packed with cars, just drive a short ways down the road to the second parking lot, which usually isn't as crowded. Another nice thing is that there are no large resorts looming over you, just kiawe trees.
- Baldwin Beach -- In Paia / Spreckelsville on Maui's north shore, not far from the airport. Lots of local color at this beach. Also has room to spread out.
- Airport / Ka'anapali -- In West Maui, a few miles north of Lahaina. This is my favorite walking beach and the longest stretches of beach on the island. It's possible to make a great walk out of walking from Airport Beach to the Hyatt in Ka'anapali by cutting through the Sheraton along the way. Walk on the beach, or along the beach front sidewalk.
- Napili Bay / Kapalua Bay -- In West Maui. Two small bays right next to each other. Napili has great swimming thanks to it's relative deepness. Kapalua is good for snorkeling thanks to it's relative shallowness and reef. Both can get crowded in the busy season. Both will be listed on any map.
- Slaughter House -- North of Kapalua, between the Plantation Golf course and Honolua Bay. Locals call it by different names, none of which appear on the sign for the beach. Go along the road north out of Kapalua (Hwy. 30) past the Plantation Golf Course and eventually on your left you'll see a chain link fence and several parking spaces. Go down the steps and you'll find a lovely sheltered bay with no resorts in sight! A few miles down the road is a pull off that overlooks Honolua Bay. In the winter, this is one of the best right hand breaks in the world, great place to watch surfing if the surf is up. Feel free to drive into the pineapple field to get a better view.
Other Stuff:
I'll add misc. things to this section as they come up. For car rentals, we've found Hotwire to be consistently the best. A great web site for Maui weather is Maui Weather Today.
Back to Top Enjoy Your Stay!
| | |
