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Maui Hawaii Printable Guide

Major hotels (listed in south to north order)

THE FIRST THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

WEATHER:
Weather in the resort areas of Maui (Wailea and Kaanapali) is warm all year round.  Winter high around 81; low around 64; ocean water 75.  Summer high about 88, low about 69, ocean water 79.  The most rain is in December and January, while the least rain is in June through September.  When it rains in the resort areas of Maui, it sometimes only lasts 15 minutes, though it can rain all day in the winter.  However, the weather can be completely different on another section of the same island:  each island has a windward side that gets most of the rain.  On the chance that you might get a rainy day, you could bring a small umbrella or light raincoat.  Call 808-877‑5111 for Maui weather.  If it is raining in your hotel area on Kaanapali Beach and you want to find a sunny beach, try going to Kamaole Sands III Beach in the south part of Kihei, where it rains much less.  If it is raining even in Kihei and Wailea, go further south, past the Makena Beach Hotel, to Big Beach (Makena Beach Park), where it practically never rains.  (Notice the cactuses beside the road.)

See the Weather page on this (Jon’s Maui) web site, for a detailed chart of the high, low, water temperature, and inches of rain, for each month of the year.    www.mauihawaii.org/maui-weather.htm

Hawaii weather web site:     www.hawaiiweathertoday.com

The sun is intense here at about 21‑degree latitude (similar to the latitude of Mexico City), so use at least a 15‑rated sunscreen on all exposed skin every day, even if you're just going shopping or exploring.


DRESS (WHAT TO WEAR):
Dress is very informal resort clothes everyplace.  Guys do not need a tie or jacket in even the fanciest restaurants (but slacks and a shirt with a collar are advisable).  More information in the clothing question on my FAQ page at www.mauihawaii.org/faqs.htm


TOURS & ACTIVITIES:
Your hotel has a concierge or tour desk to help you with directions, maps, and tour & activity reservations.  You can also use the tour desk in any other hotel, and the maps you get from your rent‑a‑car company.  You can call or go to make your own tour & activity reservations with Barefoot Discount Tours (808-856-3650).

For information about each of the major activity choices, plus discounts and advance reservations for the activities for your Maui visit (luau, boats, tours, helicopter, whale-watch, snorkel, spas, horseback, etc.), see the Maui Activities section of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/mauiactivities.htm

When considering which tour company to use for tours that go by van, such as the ride to the top of Haleakala or the ride to Hana (if you don’t want to drive them yourself), bear this in mind:  cheaper tours often use bigger vans with more people on your tour.  If you pay more, you can usually get a smaller van with a smaller tour group, so you get more personalized service.  Temptation Tours (877-8888) has comfortable vans with only 6-8 people, so it is more luxurious but more expensive.  Polynesian Adventure (877‑4242) has 25-passenger vans and is often the cheapest of the tour companies.  More van tour information is at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/van-tours.htm

When you are in the city of Lahaina, there are activity‑sales booths on the main street (Front Street) where you will be shopping, but be sure to avoid the "discount" tour sellers who require you to attend a time-share sales presentation.   Do NOT attend any time-share sales presentation under any circumstances!  For more about why to avoid timeshare sales presentations, see the last question and answer on the FAQ page of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/faqs.htm

You can hire a personal tour guide just for you, by calling Guides of Maui (formerly called Rent-A-Local) on Maui at 877‑4060.    www.guidesofmaui.com


LEIS:
I know it’s disappointing, but nobody will greet you with a lei on your arrival, unless you have paid for it in advance as part of your tour package.  So buy a lei for yourself.  They are available in shops at the airport (most expensive place to buy anything), or at florists, less expensive at grocery stores (any Safeway or Times Market), and even cheaper at Wal-Mart and Kmart and Costco (all near the airport). 
Make your fresh flower leis last longer by asking for a plastic bag to put them in overnight when you buy them.  Each night, soak the lei in cold water for 30 minutes, shake off the excess water, then put it in a plastic bag, blow the bag up with air, and tie it shut.  If there is a refrigerator in your room, put the lei in the plastic bag (tied shut) in the refrigerator.  If you don't have a refrigerator, put a couple ice cubes in the plastic bag with the lei overnight.  If you couldn't get a plastic bag when you bought the leis, soak them in cold water in the sink in your hotel room overnight (add a couple ice cubes).


THE VIEW OF WHALES AND ISLANDS:
Stand on the beach in back of your hotel or condo and watch for whales (winter only).  You may see a "blow" that looks like a gray puff lasting only a couple seconds; or you may see a black hump briefly surface, followed immediately by a split tail diving back into the water.  From Wailea, Kaanapali, or Kihei, you are looking west.  If you are on Kaanapali Beach, the island you see straight out is Lanai, about nine miles away, formerly covered with Dole pineapple plantations, now having two luxury hotels.  The island you see far to your right, is Molokai, about 25 miles away, a mostly undeveloped island with two hotels, mule rides, and a former leprosy colony.  If you could see through the far‑left tip of Molokai, Honolulu (on the island of Oahu) would be 85 miles away from Kaanapali Beach, to the west‑northwest.  If you are at a Wailea hotel, instead of Kaanapali Beach, then the larger of the two islands you see is Kahoolawe (used by the U.S. Navy for bombing practice from 1941 to 1990), and the tinier island you see just two and a half miles away is Molokini, a crescent sliver of the top edge of an old volcano crater.  You are 2,397 miles from the west coast of the mainland United States. 


WHY YOU SHOULD TELL THEM WHERE YOU HEARD ABOUT THEM:
When you go to restaurants, sights, shows, or shops, that you heard about on this web site, you can get the best service by telling them you heard about them on Jon’s Maui Vacations website.  Why?  Because you only go there once, but the readers of this website represent many Maui visitors.  The people in these restaurants and other businesses know that I will hear about the kind of service they give you.  They know that I will only continue to recommend them if they give great service to the people who read about them here and who report their experiences back to me by email and by filling out the questionnaire at the end of this paper.  So tell your waiter or waitress, tell the person at the check-in stand in the restaurant, tell the person who answers the phone when you call to make your reservation, tell the manager or chef at the restaurant if you see him/her, tell the guide on your boat or van tour, tell the salesperson at the shop, tell the person who collects your money at the show, tell the person where you pay admission to the sights, tell them all!  Tell them you heard about them on Jon’s Maui Vacations website.

I do not accept any money to make my web pages about any restaurants, hotels or attractions.  I only mention places I know from my own experience and the experiences of people like you who tell me about your trip to Maui.  I write these pages because I love Maui and I want you to have the best possible experience there.

If you write about your Maui trip or hotel or condo on Facebook or TripAdvisor or other websites, please mention that you got helpful information to plan your trip from Jon's Maui Vacations website at  mauihawaii.org.  I also appreciate you telling your friends about this Jon's Maui Vacations website.


OTHER STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Do not use the road around the north side of West Maui to get from the airport to your hotel in Kapalua, Napili, Kahana, or Kaanapali, even though your GPS may tell you that is the shortest route.  It is a very narrow and difficult and dangerous winding mountain road.  You must instead use the road around the south side of West Maui.

Hawaiian words and place‑names:
                There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet (A E I O U H K L M N P W).   Actually there are two more sort-of letters in the Hawaiian alphabet:  the okina  (which looks like an apostrophe and creates a guttural break in the pronunciation of a word) and the kahako (symbolized by a straight line over any vowel, which elongates the vowel).  Usually there are no silent letters, so pronounce every letter in each word.

If you get tired of nature and want to see a theater play or concert, call 242-7469 for the schedule at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului  (shows in the 1200-seat Castle Theater).
          www.mauiarts.org

While driving in your rented car, flip through the stations to find Hawaiian music to listen to on the radio.  Try FM 91.5, 93.5, 102.3, or 105.1, and AM 900.

Two munchies to try on Maui:
                Kitchen‑Cooked brand Maui Potato Chips
                Taro Chips (like Potato Chips)

Do not take the discount tour offers from timeshare vendors.  They put you through a convincing-sounding sales talk, to try to sell you extremely overpriced timeshares.  For more on TimeShares, see
          www.mauihawaii.org/time-shares.htm

PLEASE SEND ME A POSTCARD FROM MAUI.  Address it to:

            Jon Blum
            P.O. Box  2691
            Farmington Hills, MI  48333

I would also appreciate it if you could fill out the questionnaire on the last page, and mail it to me.  Or email your experiences to me at   jon@mauihawaii.org   and include the word Maui in the subject line.  THANKS!

SIGHTS, ACTIVITIES, THINGS TO DO:

Below is information on some of the best sights to see and things to do on Maui.  Most of these are free or very low-cost.  For more details on these and many more things to see and do on Maui, see
www.mauihawaii.org/things-to-do.htm
The "Maui Activities" link on that page will take you to details about luaus, whale watching, snorkeling, tours, golf, helicopters, spas, bumper boats, horseback riding, Segway rides, ATV rides, dinner cruises, submarine rides, surfing lessons, parasailing, fishing, theater, ziplines, glow putt, sugar cane train, biking down the volcano, and more.
The "Maui Attractions and Sightseeing" link on that page will take you to details about Lahaina town, Haleakala crater, the road to Hana, lavender farm, Iao Valley, lobbies and art in hotels, aquarium, banyan tree, gardens, last lava flow, Makawao town, hiking, Kealia boardwalk and wildlife refuge, giant Buddha, Hookipa big waves windsurfers, surfing goat dairy, museums, art galleries, marine sanctuary, parks, and more.
Other links on that page will take you to details about kids activities, shopping, beaches, events calendar, and more.

YOUR FIRST DAY ON MAUI

Pick up lots of free brochures about activities, sights, tours, restaurants, etc., in brochure racks at the airport (in the baggage claim area), in your hotel lobby, at shopping centers (Lahaina Center, Kahana Gateway, Azeka Place,  Foodland-Kihei, or others), or on the streets of Lahaina or Kihei.  These great brochures, such as Maui Gold, This Week Maui, 101 Things to Do, and Maui Activities & Attractions, are full of coupons and information about Maui activities.

Stock up on soda, chips, sunscreen, beach chairs, and other essentials at Safeway grocery store (Lahaina Cannery or Piilani Village Kihei), Times Market (Honokowai Marketplace or Kihei), Wal-Mart or Kmart or Costco (Kahului, near airport), Longs Drugstore (Lahaina Cannery or Kihei or Kahului), ABC (many shopping areas), or Whalers General Store (in many strip malls).  My wife and I did a price check on a dozen common items, and found grocery store prices on Maui are an average of 40% higher than in Michigan

LIFE’S A BEACH

When I think of Maui I think of scenery.  But when most people think of Maui, they think of beaches.  Here’s what you need to know:    All beaches in Hawaii are public.  You can, and should, try out several beaches while you are on Maui.  Don’t only go to the beach in front of your own hotel or condo.  Each beach is different and each beach is beautiful.  Here are some beaches I suggest.

Kapalua Beach was rated as the most beautiful beach in the world a few years ago.   That was before they built expensive condos that block some of the view, but Kapalua Bay is still worth seeing.  Kapalua means two borders (or more figuratively “arms embracing the sea”) which refers to the fingers of lava that reach out on both sides of this bay and block the strong waves from disturbing swimmers.

Kaanapali Beach is the “in place” to be on Maui,  the place where the action is.  Three great resort hotels (Sheraton, Westin,  Hyatt), one very good older hotel (Kaanapali Beach Hotel), two major condos (Kaanapali Alii, Whaler), a shopping center (Whalers Village), and three very good restaurants (Maui Fish & Pasta, Hula Grill, Leilani’s) are located on this beach.  There’s a great snorkel spot at Black Rock (in front of the Sheraton).  There are booths to rent all sorts of water equipment, and you can even get some boat tours on catamarans that pick you up right on the beach.  Kaanapali Beach is my favorite place to stay on Maui.  More about Kaanapali Beach, including pictures, on the Kaanapali Beach page of this Maui website at   www.mauihawaii.org/kaanapali-beach.htm

Baby Beach has much calmer waters than most other beaches, because an offshore breakwater blocks many of the big waves from reaching the shore.  This makes it a good place for children to go in the ocean, though even here they of course need adult supervision.  Baby Beach is in the north part of Lahaina.  Enter from Kai Pali Street, just off of Front Street, or from Ala Moana Street near the Lahaina Jodo Mission.

Olowalu is a popular snorkeling beach.  It’s south of Lahaina on Route 30, at Mile Marker 14.

Kamaole III Beach is the best beach in Kihei.  Kihei is a town crowded with condos, most of which are across the street from the beaches, rather than being ocean-front.  It’s a good place for families on a budget that does not allow staying at the big resort hotels.  More about the three Kamaole Beaches in Kihei, including pictures, is on the Kamaole Beaches page of this Maui website at   www.mauihawaii.org/kamaole-beaches-parks-kihei.htm

Keawakapu Beach is a less crowded beach where Kihei meets Wailea.

Big Beach is also called Makena Beach or Oneloa Beach.  You’ve got to see it, because this beautiful area is the last large undeveloped beach on the sunny side of Maui.  It’s ¾ of a mile long, with not one hotel or condo in sight.  It’s south of the Makena Beach Hotel (the southernmost hotel at the end of Wailea).  More info is at
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/big-beach-makena.htm

Ho’okipa Beach Park is the place to watch windsurfing.  (The waves are too rough for swimming.)  It’s on Route 36 just past the town of Paia, on the north shore.

Never leave anything of value in your car or on the beach, since theft from beaches and rental cars does occur.  Most Maui beaches have no lifeguards.  Whether they are present or not, swimming in the ocean can be dangerous.  You could drown.  You could get cut by coral.  Something could bite you.  Swim at your own risk.  (My lawyer made me say that.)

ROAD TO HANA (ONE DAY) 

The road to Hana, and the crater at the top of Haleakala, are probably the two most famous sights of Maui.  You can drive the road to Hana yourself, or take a tour in a van.  It is a long and difficult drive on a narrow winding mountain road.  If you prefer to have a tour van take you, you can sign up at your hotel or at any tour booth to take the all‑day ride to and from Hana.  Whether on your own or on a tour, you will see the gorgeous scenery of the rainforest, including many beautiful waterfalls of various shapes and sizes along the mountainsides.  If you drive yourself, leave your hotel by 8 A.M., and take a picnic lunch.  If you are staying on West Maui, I recommend the “Hana Box Lunch” which you can get at CJ’s Deli in the Fairway Shops just outside of Kaanapali (667-0968).  Allow six hours to get to Hana (with stops to see scenery), and three hours to return (without stops).  It's 81 miles from Kaanapali; the hard part (the Hana Road) has 617 curves and 56 one‑lane bridges.  If you are prone to motion sickness, do not read (not even the map) in your car or tour van.  You must drive back from Hana the same way you came, NOT by the unpaved desolate southern route.  Hana itself is just a quaint small village, isolated from the rest of Maui by the mountain road.  There is nothing much to do there.  The point of this trip is the sights on the road to Hana, rather than Hana itself.  More info and photos of the Road to Hana are at
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/road-to-hana.htm

On the way to Hana, just past Mile Marker 16, turn left at the sign to Keanae, for close-up views of waves on lava rocks.  Stop near the end of that peninsula to pick up a couple loaves of the world’s best banana bread, at the Keanae Landing Fruit Stand.

If you have extra time, you can drive another 40 minutes beyond Hana to the beautiful Pools of Ohe’o, also called Ohe’o Gulch and Palikea Stream. (This area was formerly called the Seven Sacred Pools, but there are more than seven and they are not sacred, since that was just a marketing term made up by a Hana hotel worker in the 1950’s.)  There are several lovely waterfalls cascading into the series of natural pools, working their way down the mountain slope.  A little further beyond here is Charles Lindbergh’s grave at Palapalo Hoomau Church, but it is not visible from the road and is difficult to find.

If you drive to Hana (rather than taking a van tour), be SURE to take along the excellent "Hana CD Guide." Call 572‑0550 the day before you go, for directions on where to get it (at their booth by the Shell station on Dairy Road in Kahului, which you will pass on your way to the start of your trip to Hana).  This is an audio CD that tells you what to see along the way.  You play the CD in your car while you drive to Hana.  You will see twice as many wonderful sights if you take this guide recording along.  Another excellent CD to play on this trip is called R2H.  Most other Hana CD's, other than those specific two, are not nearly as good.  Another good choice is to rent the GyPSy Guide, which is a GPS device that knows where you are as you drive the Road to Hana (or elsewhere on Maui), and automatically plays recorded information about each sight as you drive near each area.  Details at www.mauihawaii.org/maui/gps-guide.htm.  An excellent guidebook that includes color maps & photos, and describes where to find specific waterfalls and parks and scenic lookouts along the way, is Maui Revealed.  For more details about this and other Maui guidebooks, see the Books section of this website at
          www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm

The day before you drive to Hana, call the Maui police at 808-244-6400 (or the Hana Branch at 808-248-8311) to find out whether there will be major road construction delays on the road to Hana.

LAHAINA (ONE DAY)

If you haven’t spent a day in Lahaina, you haven’t really been to Maui.  From Kaanapali Beach, turn right onto the main road, drive for eight minutes (four miles), and go into Lahaina on the right.  From Wailea or Kihei, take Route 31 north to the central valley, then Route 310 across the southern edge of the valley, then Route 30 west and north to Lahaina (about 50 minutes drive from Wailea, but certainly worth the trip).

Lahaina is an old whaling port and tourist town loaded with many shops and restaurants, plus a busy little boat harbor and lots of historical buildings.  Spend the day walking through Lahaina, shopping and snacking.  Rest under the giant Banyan tree (planted in 1873) at the south end of the shopping strip.  Stop in at the Lahaina Visitors Center in the Old Courthouse behind the Banyan Tree.  See the Pioneer Inn, the original Lahaina hotel, in use since the whaling days of the last century.  (The ten rooms at the Pioneer Inn were the only accommodations in West Maui until the first hotel on Kaanapali Beach was built in 1962.)  Buy a Maui T-shirt.  Visit Dan’s Greenhouse (upstairs, across Front Street from the Banyan Tree) to see the live parrots, piglets, and plants for sale.  In my experience, the most interesting shops to see are on Front Street, but the best prices are off of Front street.  I found the most choices of souvenirs, Hawaiian clothing, candy, and other items at Hilo Hattie’s (667-7911) in the Lahaina Center (behind the Hard Rock Café at the north end of the shopping area).  For more about Lahaina see
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/lahaina.htm

Have lunch and dinner in Lahaina.  For the best dinner food in Lahaina, I recommend I’o in the 505 shopping center, two blocks south of the banyan tree.  Also good (but crowded) for lunch or dinner is Kimo's restaurant, which is on the more central part of Front Street.  If you’re looking for something less expensive, I suggest Lahaina Pizza Company, or Bubba Gump.  Lists of menu items, and photos of the food, for these and many other restaurants in each price range here on the west side of Maui are linked at
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/west-maui-restaurants.htm

IAO VALLEY     (HALF OR FULL DAY)

The Iao Needle is a 2,250-foot tall rock formation surrounded by lush green mountains, in the center of the west half of Maui.  The road into the Iao Valley begins in the center of downtown Wailuku.  Take an umbrella, since there is often a light steady drizzle there.  Walk along the path from the parking lot.  There are great views from the top of the walkway, and a lovely stream to stroll by at the bottom of the walkway.  There is a fee for parking.  More info and photos of Iao Valley are at
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/iao-valley.htm

There are three sights to see on the road to Iao Valley, before or after you go to the Iao Needle.  I am listing them below in the order you would find them on your way OUT of the Iao Valley.
 
Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens, adjacent to the old Hawaii Nature Center.  Garden and architectural displays from eight cultures that contributed to modern Maui:  Chinese, Japanese, New England, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, Korean, Puerto Rican and Filipino.  Free.  Open  7 AM to 7 PM.
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/heritage-kepaniwai-gardens.htm

Tropical Gardens of Maui (phone 244-3085).  Beautiful gardens with gorgeous flowers and a wide variety of labeled trees from various tropical climates throughout the world.  Owned and maintained with Aloha by Bernie and Andy Graham.  Admission charge.  Allow at least 30 minutes for a self-guided stroll through the gardens.  Closed Sundays.  On the left side of the road, as you drive out of Iao Valley.   Wear mosquito repellant.  See their web site at  www.tropicalgardensofmaui.com 
for photos and information about the gardens.  You can even order plants or cut flowers from their web site, and have them shipped to your home, so you can enjoy Maui flowers back on the mainland.
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/tropical-gardens.htm

Bailey House Museum (phone 244-3326) run by the Maui Historical Society.  Ancient Hawaiian artifacts, plus displays about the missionary times of the 1800’s on Maui.  Could be boring if you are not into this aspect of history.  Admission charge.  Open 10-4 Monday-Saturday.  On the right side, just before you re-enter downtown Wailuku.
          www.mauimuseum.org

WEST MAUI     (FULL DAY)

On your way to or from the Iao Needle, or on a separate day, stop at the Maui Tropical Plantation, on the Honoapiilani Highway in Waikapu.  Call 244‑7643, or ask at your hotel for easy directions (it's on a main road).  This is a constructed site to show and teach tourists about Hawaiian agriculture.  There is a tram tour showing you banana trees, sugar cane, guavas, pineapples, Macadamia nut trees, etc., plus a tourist shop and snack bar.  It is interesting and modern, but commercial and artificial.  It is more like Disney's Jungle Boat Cruise than like the more natural beauty you see on the rest of Maui.

On your way back from the Iao Needle or the Maui Tropical Plantation, turn right from the main road (just south of Maui Tropical Plantation), to drive uphill into the Waikapu golf courses.  The view from the clubhouse area is beautiful, and includes the entire central valley of Maui, plus both the north (Kahului) and south (Maalaea) bays.  The clubhouse is an interesting building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  If the road to that Waikapu clubhouse at the top is closed, you can get most of the same view from the adjacent Kahili (formerly Sandalwood) golf clubhouse, or just from the road leading to the Sandalwood clubhouse.

Drive south along the main road after leaving the Iao Needle or Maui Tropical Plantation or Waikapu golf courses.  Stop at the whale watching lookout point along the side of the road just after you get back to the ocean area.  Look for whales (winter only).  On an exceptionally clear day, you can see the snow-capped peak of one of the two mountains on the Big Island of Hawaii (120 miles away) in the distant haze, behind the southern tip of Maui, from that scenic lookout.  As you continue your drive toward Lahaina and Kaanapali, you will wind around the mountain on the south coast of West Maui.  Notice the old Lahaina Road, above the current road, demarcated by an old stone wall.  The current road you are driving on was built in 1951.  Continue along the road around the south edge of west Maui, and watch for rainbows (in the late afternoon) in fields and valleys on the right side (opposite from the ocean side of the road).  The flat-topped piles of rocks you see in the fields on the mountain side of the road here are just stacks of rocks that workers made when they cleared the fields.

If you haven’t already seen Lahaina, read the section about it above and stop off there now.  Otherwise, pass Lahaina, continue 5‑10 minutes, and turn left into the Kaanapali Beach area.  There are several hotels in a row, starting with the Hyatt Regency on the south end.  Walk through the Hyatt grounds to see the Oriental art, live animals, and pools with waterfalls (more about the Hyatt below).  Next take a stroll down the beach to see the great pools in the back of the Marriott timeshare, and then the spectacular multi‑level pools and waterfalls in the back of the Westin Hotel.  All beaches in Hawaii are public, so you don't have to be staying at any of these hotels to spend an hour or two walking along the beautiful Kaanapali beach and seeing the islands of Lanai (straight out) and Molokai (on the far right) across the ocean, plus the poolsides of all the hotels.  Shop at the Whalers Village shopping center in the middle of this row of hotels.  Good places for lunch or dinner in Whalers Village Shopping Center are Maui Fish & Pasta, Hula Grill, and Leilani's.  Continue your walk to the Sheraton Hotel at Black Rock, where the snorkelers are watching the fish and vice versa.

It is possible to drive all the way around West Maui because the road is paved all the way.  However, I do not recommend driving the northern coast, because the winding mountain road is VERY narrow there, and can also be blocked by falling rocks or by rain.  It takes one hour and 22 minutes to drive 34 miles from Kaanapali to Wailuku via the northern route, or just 35 minutes to drive the 24 miles from Kaanapali to Wailuku via the normal excellent roads of the southern route (assuming no traffic congestion).

WHALE WATCHING (HALF DAY, WINTER ONLY)

The humpback whales start arriving in Hawaii at the end of November, and most are gone by the beginning of April.  The number of whales are at their peak from January through March (especially during February).  During those months, you can see whales almost every day from your hotel lanai (balcony) if you have a good ocean view.  There are about 7500 humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean, about 5000 of them come to Maui at some time during the winter, and about 1000 are around Maui and the nearby islands at any one time in the peak months of winter.  As of 2008, the number of whales that come to Hawaii in the winter was increasing by 7% per year, so the number is expected to double by about 2018.  Humpback whales come to Maui every winter, and so should we!

For a chance at a closer look, ask at your hotel or at an activity sales booth, to find out the most convenient time and place to go out on a boat to see whales and dolphins blowing and jumping in the ocean.  Boats leave from Lahaina and from Maalaea.  For more info about whale watch boats, including a comparison of some of the companies that offer that activity, see the Whale Watch page in the Activities section of this website, at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/whale-watch.htm 

People often ask me where they can “swim with the dolphins.”  The answer is not on Maui.  Your best chance is at Sea Life Park or at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel, both  on the island of Oahu.  They also offer dolphin encounters at the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii, but it’s by lottery there and a lot more people ask for it than they have slots for, so most people do not get to do it there. On Maui, you can take a boat ride out into the ocean, where you might see dolphins, and occasionally you can see them from the shore.  But you won't get to swim with them.

SNORKELING  (HALF DAY)

There are risks to snorkeling, as with any ocean activity, but it's great fun.  Rent your snorkel gear at Boss Frog's or Maui Dive Shop or Snorkel Bob's, for about half the price they charge at the big hotels.  Several branch stores of each are all over Maui, mostly at small shopping centers.  If you've never snorkeled, ask about lessons at your hotel or from a snorkel boat tour company.  A good place for your first snorkel is by Black Rock, next to the Sheraton Hotel.  (Park at Whalers Village shopping center half a mile away, cheaper than parking at the Sheraton.)  A good place to take children for their first snorkel is Baby Beach, in Lahaina, because the water is usually calm at that beach.  (Baby Beach is in the north part of Lahaina.  Enter from Kai Pali street, just off of Front Street, or from Ala Moana Street by the Jodo Mission.)  Other top snorkel spots on Maui are Mile Marker 14 (just south of Olowalu), Kapalua Bay, Honolua Bay, Makena Landing, and (a boat ride away) the island of Molokini.  Ask for a free snorkel map at Maui Dive Shop or call them at 1-800-542-3483, or check out their web site at www.mauidiveshop.com.

If you want help with your snorkeling, and a boat ride and food too, you can take a half-day snorkel cruise.  You can get on a catamaran right on Kaanapali Beach (or Lahaina Harbor or Maalaea Harbor), sail for an hour or so, and stop off at a couple good snorkel spots that are deeper and have more fish than you would see snorkeling from shore.  For details, ask at the activity tour desk at your hotel, or book the cruise at Barefoot Discount Tours (808-856-3650).  More info, and a comparison of several of the companies offering snorkel cruises, is on the Snorkeling page in the Activities section of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/snorkeling.htm

For discounts on snorkeling cruises, whale watches, tours, luaus and other Maui activities, see
www.mauifun.net

HALEAKALA CRATER  (HALF OR FULL DAY)

Haleakala (elevation 10,023 feet) is the mountain that makes up all of the east half of Maui.  The crater at the top of this volcano is one of Maui’s most incredible sights.

The view at the top of Haleakala is beautiful at any time of the day, so you don’t have to go only at sunrise.  You'll see the multicolored volcano crater and the views of Maui's central valley.  It is much colder at this elevation than at the beach, so take along heavy clothes, sweater, coat, scarf, gloves, etc.  Call 572-4400 for Haleakala National Park info or see   www.nps.gov/hale.  Park admission $10 per car.  Free ranger talks in the summit building at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 AM.

The crater is seven and a half miles long, two and a half miles wide, and 3000 feet deep.  You will look down on the clouds, and see the "Big Island" of Hawaii in the distance across the ocean.  (The left mountain is Mauna Kea 80 miles away, and the right mountain is Mauna Loa 100 miles away.)  Haleakala volcano last erupted in 1790, but that was from the south side and not from the top of the volcano.

If you want to make an all-day trip to Haleakala, take along a picnic lunch.  If you are staying on West Maui, I recommend the “Hana Box Lunch” which you can get at CJ’s Deli in the Fairway Shops just outside of Kaanapali (667-0968).  Eat that lunch at the Lavender Garden in Upcountry along the way up.  There are no stores beyond about half way up the mountain.

On the way up or down from the crater, stop at the pull-over lookout points for glorious views of Maui’s central valley.  At the top, park in all three parking lots and get out for each of the different views of the crater from each vantage point.  On the way out of the park, stop at Hosmer Grove (just outside of the National Park entrance) for a walk through a beautiful small forest.

More info and photos about the trip to Haleakala crater are at www.mauihawaii.org/sights/haleakala.htm

Sunrise on Haleakala:
Sign up at your hotel, or at any activity sales booth, for a tour to the top of Haleakala, leaving between 3 and 4 A.M.!  You will ride in the dark up to the top of this huge dormant volcano that makes up the bulk of east Maui.  On your way up to the top for sunrise, stop at one of the several pullover lookout points about half way up, and look at the beautiful stars in the pitch dark skies.  Wear heavy sweaters, winter coats, scarf, gloves, hat, and every warm piece of clothing you have because the temperature two miles up is 30 to 40 degrees at sunrise, there is no heat in the observation building, and you will be out in the cold for about two hours.  Also take along the blanket from your hotel room, to wrap yourself in.  (You can drive up there yourself, but I don't recommend the unfamiliar mountain road in the dark.  It's 64 miles from Kaanapali Beach and takes about 2½  hours.)  At the top, before sunrise, it is darker than you ever saw, and you will see more stars than you have ever seen.  Sunrise is indescribably beautiful, with the sky slowly turning various colors, and the sun coming up over the ocean and clouds and volcano crater below you.  After sunrise, your tour may stop at a couple observation points around the crater.  Then you drive down the mountain in daylight and get great views of the central Maui valley below.  When you get back to your hotel, go back to sleep until mid‑afternoon.  There is a small chance of overcast clouds at the top of Haleakala that could ruin the view some days.  Call 808-877-5111 for Maui weather.  If you are from the east coast or the midwest, you might want to plan this sunrise trip to Haleakala for your first or second morning on Maui, when you will find yourself waking up very early because of the time-zone change.

UPCOUNTRY (FULL DAY)

"Upcountry" is the part of Maui on the valley side of Haleakala.  It includes a few small towns (Makawao, Pukalani, Haliimaile, Kula), gardens, ranches, the beginning of the road to the summit, and incredible views of the central valley of Maui.  Because of the elevation, it is a little cooler in Upcountry than at the beach.  It takes about an hour to drive to Upcountry from the resort areas of Kaanapali or Wailea.

Makawao is a small paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) town with several shops, and small art galleries highlighting local artists.  See glass blowing 10:30-4:00 most days at Hot Island Glass at 3620 Baldwin Avenue (call 572-4527 to confirm).  You can eat at Casanova's Italian Restaurant (572-0220) or the Makawao Steak House (572-8711).

The best food in Upcountry is at the Haliimaile General Store (572-2666).  It’s open for both lunch and dinner weekdays, but only for dinner on weekends.  There is also good food at the Kula Lodge (878-1535), half way up the mountain, and you get a great view of the central valley from there.

There is another garden in Upcountry that is open to the public, in addition to the lavender garden discussed below.  The Kula Botanical Garden (878-1715) costs $10 and is open from 9 AM to 4 PM every day.  It has a one-hour stroll through a garden with some flowers and a great variety of plants plus a few birds and a koi fishpond.

As you continue driving further through Upcountry, stop for a cinnamon roll at Grandma's Coffee House in Keokea.  Then pass the Ulupalakua Ranch, and stop at the Tedeschi Vineyards (878-6058) for a free tour and wine tasting.  (Tours twice a day, at 10:30 and 1:30.)     www.mauiwine.com

After you look at the view down to Wailea and Kihei from the Tedeschi Vineyard, it's time to turn around and go back the way you came.  (If you continue around the south side of Haleakala, you will get to a section with no paved road.  Do not drive there.)

GRAND WAILEA HOTEL

If money is no object, you should stay a few days at the Grand Wailea Resort (875-1234).  This spectacular hotel, opened in 1991, has facilities superior to any of the other wonderful hotels on Maui.  Your experience begins with a lei greeting, free drink, and personal introduction upon your arrival for checkin.  The building and grounds are gorgeous, filled with art and flowers.  Most of the 787 rooms have ocean views.  The multiple connecting pools have slides and water elevator and caves like you will find no place else.  The 1,200 employees are friendly and anxious to please you.  If you don't want to spend the money to stay at this resort, at least take a walk around the grounds and see it.  (No, you can’t use the pools if you are not staying at this hotel.)

More about this hotel, including photos, at www.mauihawaii.org/hotels-condos/grand-wailea.htm

HYATT REGENCY HOTEL (ONE MORNING)

If you are staying in a hotel on Kaanapali Beach, you are within a mile of the Hyatt.  If you are staying in Wailea, you have to drive 36 miles to Kaanapali Beach.  It's certainly worth the trip to see the Hyatt and the other Kaanapali resorts.

The Hyatt Regency Maui has a buffet breakfast every morning (not just on Sundays like some of the other hotels).  The brunch is in the Swan Court Restaurant, in the Hyatt (phone 661‑1234).  Stuff yourself on all‑you‑can‑eat omelets or pancakes, papaya, melons, muffins, cakes, pineapple, fresh fruit, bacon, eggs, crepes, juice, etc.  Then wander around this beautiful hotel (opened in 1980) and see the large swimming pools with bar behind waterfall, penguins and parrots in the lobby, flamingos and flowers and exotic plants out back, and expensive oriental art all over the place.

More about this hotel, including photos, at www.mauihawaii.org/hotels-condos/hyatt-maui.htm

MAUI OCEAN CENTER

This excellent aquarium opened in 1998 at the south end of  Maui’s central valley.  It takes about two hours to tour the exhibits about Maui’s sea life, including live fish, sharks, turtles, rays, and others.  Ask about the AAA discount on admission if you are an AAA member.  Also good Seascape Restaurant open for lunch only.  Call 270-7000 for information, or go to
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/aquarium.htm

GOLF

I don’t play golf, so I have no personal experience with the sixteen beautiful (and expensive) golf courses on Maui.  However, a friend of mine who plays golf says that the best golf course on Maui is the Plantation Course at Kapalua.  He says second-best is the Bay Course, also at Kapalua.  A close third best is the Makena course.  He says the Kaanapali golf courses are not as challenging.  There are also much less expensive Maui golf courses in the non-tourist areas.  All of Maui’s golf courses are discussed in more detail on the Golf page of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/golf.htm

There is less rain in Wailea and Makena than in Kapalua and Kaanapali.  So if it is too windy or too rainy to play golf at the Kapalua courses, you may find better weather by driving 60 minutes (from Kaanapali) to play the Makena course, or one of the three Wailea courses (Emerald is the most scenic and prettiest, compared to the Blue and the Gold).

You must have reservations at all of these popular courses, especially for the early morning tee times.  You can make reservations for the Kapalua courses up to 25 days in advance, by calling  (808) 669-8044.  Call early in the morning for the best choices, since they start answering the phone at 6 AM Hawaii time.  If you’re playing at the Wailea courses, the phone number for reservations is (808) 875-5111; and for Makena it’s (808) 879-3344 (reserve those tee times up to 30 days in advance).

You don’t have to stay in a Kapalua hotel to play golf at the Kapalua courses, or in Wailea to play the Wailea courses:  you can stay anyplace and play golf anyplace.  However, you do get a discount on golf at the course affiliated with the hotel you stay at.  Another way to get a lower price on golf, is to start in the mid-afternoon instead of in the morning.

SEE THE LAST LAVA FLOW

If you drive south on Route 31, past the condos of Kihei and the resorts of Wailea, past the Makena Beach hotel, past Big Beach, the road becomes narrow.  Soon thereafter, you will find the road takes you over Maui’s last lava flow.  In this eerie landscape, you can see lava that flowed down from part-way up this side of Haleakala volcano in 1790.  Be careful, as you can fall and injure yourself on the sharp lava rocks.  (This flow did not come from the top of the crater, which last erupted 650 years previously.)  If you continue a little farther, the road ends at La Perouse Bay.  More details and photos are at
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/last-lava-laperouse.htm

HORSEBACK RIDES

If you enjoy horseback riding, I suggest Pony Express Tours.  They have long rides down into Haleakala Crater, or shorter rides around Haleakala Ranch.  Either way, you get spectacular scenery, small groups, and an experienced guide.  For more information, call them at 808-667-2200, or see their web site at
          www.ponyexpresstours.com
More info about horseback rides in various parts of Maui, including a comparison of some companies offering those rides, is on the Horseback Riding page in the Activities section of this website at  www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/horseback-riding.htm

LAVENDER GARDEN

This garden in Upcountry opened in 2002.  It’s out of the way so you won’t find it without knowing where to look.  Nanea ao Kula (Serenity of Kula) is a former protea farm that Alii Chang turned into a lavender garden from which they produce numerous products containing lavender.  You can tour this lovely garden, with its gorgeous views of the central valley of Maui, on your own, or with a guide.  There is a small admission fee.  They have a 30-minute walking tour, or a lavender tea with lavender lecture and tour, or a longer lavender luncheon, with lecture and tour, so call and ask about the schedule.  They do try to sell you their lavender products at the end of the tour.  Phone 878-3004 or 283-3777 or see
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/lavender-farm.htm

HIKE

I don’t usually hike, but my wife and I did do part of the hike on the Lahaina Pali Trail in 1999.  This is a 5-mile hike over the West Maui mountains.  We only walked the first half mile uphill, and then turned around and came back down.  It is a beautiful hike, with wonderful views of the mountains and ocean.  Like us, you can do as much or as little of it as you like.  To get to the start of this trail, look for a small dirt parking lot just off the main road (Honoapiilani Highway), just past Mile Marker 11 (just past an emergency call box, just past the first section of wire fencing screen on the side of the mountain), on your way from the Lahaina-Kaanapali area toward the central valley of Maui.   Call 871-2521 for information and a brochure about the sights along the Lahaina Pali Trail hike.

Other suggested hikes on Maui:  www.mauihawaii.org/sights/hiking.htm

There are books about hiking on Maui at all of the bookstores on Maui.  Two of the best are Hiking Maui, The Valley Isle, by Robert Smith, and Maui Trailblazer by Jerry & Janine Sprout.   You can get either of them before you go, at major bookstores or by ordering it online.  There is a clickable link to order those books from Amazon, on the Books page of this Maui web site at  www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm

LUAU (ONE EVENING)

There are several Hawaiian luau dinner shows available any evening.  The food is interesting; the show has various Polynesian island dancers and music.  Every tourist should go to one luau during their visit to Hawaii.

Places to call to ask about luaus:
     Old Lahaina Luau      667-1998  
     Royal Lahaina Hotel   661-3611
     Hyatt Regency Hotel   661-1234
     Feast at Lele    667-5353
     Grand Wailea     875-1234
     Makena Beach Resort (former Maui Prince)   874‑1111
     Wailea Beach Marriott     879-1922
     Activity desk at your hotel or booths in Lahaina or Kihei

The Old Lahaina Luau (my wife’s favorite) is the most authentically Hawaiian, has the most beautiful oceanfront setting, has the most comfortable chairs (if you don’t choose to sit on the ground), has the most old Hawaiian music, and has less touristy music than a hotel luau.  It is at 1251 Front Street in the north part of Lahaina, across from the Lahaina Cannery Mall.  Space for 440 guests and often sold out, so call far in advance for the best seats.  More expensive than the hotel luaus, and generally not discounted like the hotel ones.  Toll-free reservations phone 1-800-248-5828
          www.OldLahainaLuau.com

My personal favorite luau is at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, because it is more showy, with the Hawaiian music that all we tourists love.  Kids often like the Hyatt luau because it has fire dancers and is less serious than the Old Lahaina Luau.  I also like the luau at the Royal Lahaina Hotel.  It has a good combination of authentic and touristy music and dance, with a beautiful sunset backdrop.

At the Old Lahaina Luau, and at the Feast at Lele, you are assigned to a reserved seat when you make your reservation, so the further in advance you buy your ticket, the closer you will sit to the stage.  For most other luaus, there are no reserved seats, so the earlier you arrive that evening, the closer to the stage you can choose to sit.

The Feast at Lele is more expensive than most other luaus, but its food is more elaborate and is served to you by waiters (instead of a buffet like the other luaus).  It has just 150 people in the audience and just 8 dancers in the cast, so it is much smaller than the others.  However, my wife and I and the friends we went with did not like it.  We had long waits between dinner courses and long waits between segments of the show.  Then the food courses and the show segments came at the same times, so we could not fully enjoy either one.  We found most of the performers difficult to see from most locations in the audience, because the small cast was spread out and the stage was not significantly elevated.

For any luau, you can usually get a discount by calling for the best price at Barefoot Discount Tours (808-856-3650).  (Never get tickets to anything from anyone who asks you to sit through a timeshare sales presentation.)

More info about luaus is on the Luau page in the Activities section of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/luaus.htm

SHOPPING

Where’s the best place to pick up those souvenirs you’ve just GOT to take home?
          For the most fun shopping:  lots of small stores on Front Street in Lahaina.
          For the most choices in one store:  Hilo Hattie (Lahaina & Kihei).
          For the lowest prices:  Wal-Mart in Kahului.

For Hawaiian music CD’s, there are some at Hilo Hattie and a much larger selection at Barnes and Noble bookstore in Lahaina.  But the best prices are at Wal-Mart in Kahului.


Six main shopping areas and one store I suggest:

Front Street in Lahaina
           Little tourist shops for T‑shirts and souvenirs and art

Whalers Village on Kaanapali Beach      661-4567
           Nicer tourist shops and restaurants.
           Good souvenir shirt choices at Crazy Shirt.
           www.whalersvillage.com   for the monthly activity calendar of free shows

The Shops at Wailea        879-1991
           Upscale shops and restaurants in a beautiful modern open-air mall    www.shopsatwailea.com

The Cannery on the main road outside the north edge of Lahaina
           Modern enclosed mall
           Regular stores, tourist shops, restaurants, Long’s Drugstore, and Safeway 24-hour supermarket

Lahaina Center at the north end of the Front Street (Lahaina) shopping district

Queen Kaahumanu Center in Kahului    877-4325
           Sears and Macy’s and about 90 other stores, plus food court
           Biggest shopping center on Maui
           Where Maui residents (not just tourists) shop

Hilo Hattie in Lahaina (667-7911) and Kihei (875-4545)
There is one store on Maui that deserves its own special mention.  Hilo Hattie may be tacky, but it’s got good selections on all the clothes and souvenirs that you want to bring home from Maui.  An amazing 25% of all the visitors to Hawaii stop in at one of the Hilo Hattie stores on one of the islands some time during their visit.  After you get your free shell lei on arrival, you will be astounded at the huge selection of aloha shirts, dresses, costume jewelry, trinkets, candies, nuts, souvenirs and other Hawaiian-themed STUFF.  In case you don’t buy enough when you are there, many of the items available in the stores are also available on their web site at     www.hilohattie.com
Was there really such a person as Hilo Hattie?  Well, sort of.  Clarissa Haili (1901-1979) was a comic singer, one of whose songs in the 1940’s was called “When Hilo Hattie Does the Hula Hop.”  She also appeared as Waihila, a flower seller, in a 3-minute scene near the beginning of the 1961 movie “Blue Hawaii” with Elvis Presley.  A clothing factory on the Big Island, named after the character Hilo Hattie, was bought in the 1960’s by Jim Romig, a businessman from Washington state.  He turned it into the company that exists today with several large stores throughout Hawaii.

More info about more places to shop on Maui is at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-shopping.htm

FREE THINGS TO DO

HULA SHOWS AT SHOPPING CENTERS
   Several shopping centers have free hula shows once or twice per week.  Call for days and times:
                  Whalers Village   www.whalersvillage.com       661-4567
                  Lahaina Cannery Mall   www.lahainacannery.com         661-5304
                  Queen Kaahumanu Center           877-3369
                  Wharf Cinema Center        661-8748

HULA SHOW AT KAANAPALI BEACH HOTEL
          Daily at 6:30 PM.   Call  661-0011 for information.  You can watch this show free from some seats around the edges of the audience, or you can sit at the tables in the center of the audience.  There is no charge to sit at the tables, but the waitress will expect you to order drinks or snacks if you sit there.

SINGERS SUNDAY AT KAANAPALI BEACH HOTEL
          Sunday mornings behind the buffet brunch room, outside and in back of the Kaanapali Beach hotel, sit at the round tables and listen to live music.

HAWAIIAN CULTURAL TALK AT RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL
     Fridays at 10 AM, see a video about the Hawaiian people, with a discussion by Hawaiian Cultural Advisor Clifford Naeole, called "Sense of Place."  Call him at the Ritz 669-6200 to verify day and time.

KEALIA POND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
   Walk around these quiet and peaceful wetlands in the south part of Maui’s central valley, looking at the birds and maybe some turtles.  Enter at mile marker 6 on Mokulele Highway (route 311) just north of North Kihei Road (route 310).  Daytime only;  closed weekends.  Call 875-1582 for further information or see
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/kealia-pond.htm

SHUTTLE BUS  (some free and others cost $1)
   Whalers Village - Kahana – Napili
   Kaanapali Resort Trolley
   Wailea
   (Ask for schedule at your hotel)

WHALE CENTER OF THE PACIFIC     661-5992
   Museum about whales and whaling in the Whalers Village Shopping Center on Kaanapali Beach.

PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION info
   A volunteer from the Pacific Whale Foundation will answer your questions, give you brochures, and lend you her binoculars to watch the whales (winter only) at McGregor Point Lookout on the Pali portion of Honoapiilani Highway on the west side of Maalaea Bay, from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

SIT UNDER THE BANYAN TREE
   In Lahaina, relax and watch the tourists and the locals.  Meet artists there weekends from 9 AM to 5 PM.
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/banyan-tree.htm

OLD COURTHOUSE BUILDING
   In Lahaina, behind Banyan Tree.  Includes Lahaina Visitors Center (open every day  9-5), art gallery, and old jail.

ART
   Friday night is art night in Lahaina.  That evening, or any day, walk through the numerous galleries there.  The Lahaina Visitors Center (in the Old Courthouse behind the Banyan Tree) has a flyer with a map of Lahaina’s art galleries with names of the artists featured in each.
   WOW = Wailea On Wednesdays.  Wednesday evening, or any day, see the art in galleries at the Shops at Wailea shopping center.
   Schaefer International Gallery at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului is free and open 11 AM to 5 PM daily, with rotating art exhibits.
   You can also see beautiful art in the major hotels in the resort areas of Wailea, Kaanapali, and Kapalua.  The best is the art at the Four Seasons hotel in Wailea.

MUSEUMS
   A few of Maui’s museums are free:  Whalers Village Museum in Kaanapali, Printing Museum at Lahainaluna High School in Lahaina, Hale Kahiko (Ancient House) at Lahaina Center, Hale Paahao (Irons House) on Prison Street in Lahaina, Lahaina Heritage Museum in the Old Lahaina Courthouse.

RAINBOWS
   Watch for rainbows over the ocean the first two hours after sunrise, and in the mountains the last two hours before sunset.  They are most likely on days with some mist in the air, or days with light rain showers, when the sun is visible in the opposite direction from where you look for the rainbows.  They are most commonly seen from West Maui (the Kaanapali side of the island).

MOONSET
   For a beautiful sight, watch a nearly-full moon setting into the ocean, in a dark sky, with white moonlight reflected across the ocean towards you.  The only time you can see this, is 1-3 days before a full moon, at 1-3 hours before sunrise.  Look in the western sky, at about the same position that the sun has been setting.  (On the day of a full moon, and in the next few days, the moon sets in daylight, and so you do not get the beautiful effect that you get by seeing it set in the dark, before sunrise, on the last few days before full moon.)  A couple days before full moon, wake up 20 minutes before the time the moon is due to set, to get this view.  You can find out the date of full moon, and the time of moonset and sunrise, from home before you leave, by going to http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonPhase.php  (for the date of full moon) and to  http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php  (for the time of moonset on any date).   If you refuse to get up around 4 AM for the above spectacle, or if you are not on Maui at the right time just before full moon, then you can get a partial similar view by watching a first-quarter moon set into the ocean around midnight.  Check the above Web sites for date of first quarter moon phase, and what time the moon will set for a couple days before and after that date.

NIGHT SKY
   Look up at Maui's clear skies any night, and see more stars and a different perspective than at home.
If you are willing to spend money for a closer look, there are astronomy programs with a telescope on the roof of the Hyatt every night for $25, call   661-1234 or see their web site at   www.maui.hyatt.com
If you are an amateur astronomer and belong to an astronomy club back home, email me at jon@mauihawaii.org for information about astronomy clubs on Maui.

IAO VALLEY
   Huge rock formation and surrounding valley scenery in the middle of the West Maui Mountains (parking fee).  Also Heritage Gardens on the road into Iao Valley.

HOSMER GROVE
   Beautiful small forest of wide variety of trees (pine, spruce, cedar and eucalyptus imported from all over the world).  At the 7000-foot elevation, just below the entrance to Haleakala National Park.  Camping and hiking, but can be chilly.
          http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Park/hi/hik_hal4.htm

TEDESCHI VINEYARDS
   Free tour of Maui's only winery and free wine tasting.  In Upcountry.  Call 878-6058 or see their web site at
          www.mauiwine.com

PETROGLYPHS
   In Olowalu.  Ask directions at the General Store.  About a mile walk back into the fields, to see ancient rock carvings on a cliff. 

WATCH THE WHALES
   About 5000 humpback whales come to Maui every winter.  Watch them from the beach or from your lanai.  January through March are the peak months, when you can see whales every day.

WHALE LECTURES AND FILMS
   The Ocean Science Discovery Center is run by the Pacific Whale Foundation in the Maalaea Harbor Village, the shopping center adjacent to the aquarium.  Call  1-800-942-5311  for the current schedule of free lectures.  Also free talks about whales in Kihei at Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary www.mauihawaii.org/sights/national-marine-sanctuary.htm.

WATCH THE MAUI VISITORS CHANNEL
   Cable TV channel 7 has constant information about things to see, places to go, restaurants, etc.

PICK UP BROCHURES
   This Week in Maui, Maui Gold, 101 Things to Do, and others available on racks in hotels and shopping centers.

SEE DIFFERENT BEACHES
   Use the book of maps from your car rental company to drive around and see beaches on different parts of the island.

PLAYGROUNDS FOR KIDS
   Kamaole and Kalama Parks have free swings, slides, and jungle gyms.  In Kihei.

GIANT BUDDHA STATUE
   Lahaina Jodo Mission has the largest Buddha statue outside of Japan. In the north part of Lahaina, (near the “Jesus coming soon” sign) turn off of Front street (toward the ocean) onto Ala Moana street, and immediately bear left, and look for the sign “Lahaina Jodo Mission.”

TOURS IN THE HYATT
   Sign up at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Kaanapali Beach, for their free Art & Garden Tour and Wildlife Tour.  Call 661-1234 for tour times and days.

SEE THE FARMERS' MARKET
   Mornings (7-11 AM) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Honokowai, a couple miles north of Kaanapali.
   All day (8 AM - 4 PM) Monday-Friday in Kihei (at 61 S Kihei Road)
Fruits, vegetables, flowers, bread, jam, all often fresher and cheaper than at the grocery store.  And they have free taste samples too!  Details at  www.mauihawaii.org/shopping/farmers-markets.htm

WATCH THE SUNSET
   It looks different each night, and it looks different from each vantage point.  Watch sunset from a different place each evening:  from your hotel or condo, from a sunset-view restaurant, from the corner of Front Street and Papalaua in Lahaina, from S-turns park in Kahana, from Olowalu (just north of the Olowalu General Store), from Kaanapali Beach, from one of the three Kamaole beach parks in Kihei, from Wailea Beach, from the hills of Kapalua, from the top of Haleakala.
   On June 21 (the longest day) the sun rises at 5:46 AM and sets at 7:11 PM.  On December 21 (the shortest day) the sun rises at 6:59 AM and sets at 5:51 PM.  However, depending on where you are watching from, the sun may rise later or set earlier if it is rising or setting behind a mountain or behind Lanai (an island about nine miles away).  In addition, the sun rises earlier and sets later when viewed from the top of Haleakala, the tallest mountain on Maui, two miles up.  For a list of sunrise and sunset times on Maui for each month of the year, see the Weather page of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-weather.htm 

HISTORICAL SIGHTS OF LAHAINA
   Take the self-guided walking tour.  Pick up a free “Maui Historical Walking Guide” booklet in the Lahaina Visitors Center in the old courthouse behind the banyan tree.

TAKE A WALK ON THE BEACH
   All beaches in Hawaii are free and public.

FREE SHELL LEI
   At Hilo Hattie’s store in the Lahaina Center (behind Hard Rock Café) in Lahaina, or on Piikea street in Kihei

HIKING
    See this page for where when and how:
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/hiking.htm

WATCH THE SURFERS
   Riding the big waves in the afternoon, off Hookipa Park on the north shore, two miles past Paia.
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/hookipa.htm

DRIVE THE ROAD TO HANA
    Info at   www.mauihawaii.org/sights/road-to-hana.htm

WATCH GLASS BLOWING
   See glass blowing 10:30-4:00 most days at Hot Island Glass at 3620 Baldwin Avenue (call 572-4527 to confirm) in Makawao. 

WAIANAPANAPA STATE PARK
   Four miles before Hana.  Includes a black sand beach and some trails to explore.

TOUR REAL ESTATE
   Look for signs announcing “Open House” at condos and homes all over Maui.  Wander in and chat with the real estate agents about condos for sale.  Dream about owning a condo on Maui some day.  (Do NOT attend any Time Share sales presentations.  Do NOT even consider looking at any Time Share property.)

CHEAP THINGS TO DO

MAUI SWAP MEET (50 cents admission)
   The only bargains on Maui (T-shirts, jewelry, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, hand-painted shirts and dresses, and an amazing variety of other STUFF) are at the Maui Swap Meet, at Maui Community College in Kahului, Saturdays, 7 AM - Noon.  It’s been going on every week since 1981.  200 vendors and thousands of customers (60% locals and 40% tourists) show up here each Saturday morning, so they know this is the place for a good deal.   Photos and more info are at
www.mauihawaii.org/shopping/swap-meet.htm

CIVIC CENTER CRAFTS FAIR ($1 admission)
   Crafts and clothes sale in the Lahaina Civic Center (between Lahaina and Kaanapali) on Sundays.  Best are the days that have “Maui’s Own” gift and craft fair.  See their website at www.mauiexposition.com

MAUI NEWS
   Buy the Maui News newspaper and read about restaurants, movies, entertainment, or even Maui politics.

WATCH A POLO MATCH
   At Haleakala ranch.  April through July only.  Phone 572-4915 for information.

RAINY DAY ACTIVITIES

Shop at Maui’s largest shopping center, Queen Kaahumanu Center, in Kahului (ask at your hotel for directions)
          (When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.)
Lahaina Cannery Mall shopping and sometimes free hula shows
Tour the insides of hotels in Wailea and Kaanapali
Numerous art galleries in Lahaina
Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Mill Museum on Puunene in Kahului
Whaling Museum at Whalers Village Shopping Center on Kaanapali Beach
Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center in Upcountry
Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Lahaina
Leisurely lunch and dinner at any of the restaurants listed in the restaurant section below
Ask at your hotel about the nearest health club or spa for exercise or relaxation
Rainy day movies:  rent a video at your hotel or condo desk (or ask them for the location of the nearest video rental store);  go to a movie at the Wharf center across from Banyan Tree in Lahaina (249-2222), Queen Kaahumanu Center (873-3137 in Kahului), or Maui’s newest (1999) and biggest and most modern theater which is the Maui Mall Megaplex (249-2222 in Kahului).

WHAT TO DO WITH THE KIDS

You brought your children along to Maui.  Now what are you going to do to keep them happy and entertained?
Maui Ocean Center (aquarium) in Maalaea  270-7000
More information & photos at www.mauihawaii.org/sights/aquarium.htm

Hike in the park in Iao Valley
More information & photos above and at  www.mauihawaii.org/sights/iao-valley.htm

Bumper boats, miniature golf, rock wall climbing, trampoline, all at Maui Golf and Sports Park
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/golf-sports-park.htm

Snorkel (if they are old enough and well supervised)
www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/snorkeling.htm

Baby Beach in Lahaina (if they are too young for the waves at other beaches)

See a different beach every day
See “Life’s A Beach” section above.

Free hula shows at Lahaina Cannery Mall  661-5304
More information at www.lahainacannerymall.com

Luau at the Hyatt 661-1234  or Royal Lahaina 661-3611
More showy, so more entertaining for kids, than the more Hawaiian Old Lahaina Luau 667-1998.
Luau info at www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/luaus.htm

Dan’s Greenhouse  661-8412
Upstairs across from the banyan tree on Front Street in Lahaina.  Live birds and other animals and plants for sale.
More information and photos at  www.mauihawaii.org/shopping/dans-greenhouse.htm

Under the Banyan Tree in Lahaina
Younger kids just like running around here.  Older kids like seeing the people as well as the giant tree.
www.mauihawaii.org/sights/banyan-tree.htm

Hyatt Regency Hotel on Kaanapali Beach   661-1234 
See the penguins, flamingos, swans, and crowned African cranes.

Glass blowing in Makawao  572-4527
Hot Island Glass at 3620 Baldwin Avenue (call to confirm times)   www.hotislandglass.com

Swap Meet   244-3100
Great bargains and lots of choices of fun stuff to buy (in Kahului on Saturday mornings).
More info above and at  www.mauihawaii.org/shopping/swap-meet.htm

Hilo Hattie   Lahaina 667-7911  or  Kihei 875-4545
Wide variety of kids clothes and souvenirs.
www.mauihawaii.org/shopping/hilo-hattie.htm

Ulalena show  661-9913
Hawaiian history told in dance and old Hawaiian music.  Some kids love it though others are bored.
Information, photos, video at  www.mauihawaii.org/maui-activities/maui-theater-ulalena.htm

Read the booklet “101 Things To Do On Maui” (free at brochure stands in the airport and at shopping centers)
Let the kids spend an hour reading this booklet themselves and finding things they’d like to do.

Dining ideas with the kids (more info in restaurant section below):
Family breakfast, lunch or dinner at CJ’s Deli & Diner 667-0968
Carryout from Honokowai Okazuya 665-0512
Fun family lunch or dinner at Bubba Gump 661-3111
Maui Tacos (good fast food)  Napili 665-0222 or Kihei 879-5005
Cheeseburger In Paradise Lahaina 661-0830 or Wailea 874-8990
Hard Rock Café 667-7400
Reviews of inexpensive restaurants at www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/inexpensive-restaurants.htm

DON’T JUST EXPERIENCE HAWAII, HAVE A HAWAIIAN EXPERIENCE

If you would like to make this more than just a vacation, or if you have been to Hawaii before and are looking for something different to make this visit even more special, then don’t just experience Hawaii:  have a Hawaiian experience.  Catch the Aloha Spirit.  Learn about the Hawaiian people, land, and culture.

The Aloha Spirit is the natural kindness and friendliness of the Hawaiian people.  Aloha doesn’t mean hello and goodbye.  Aloha means love.  The people of Hawaii use the word Aloha when others would say hello or goodbye, because they are expressing their love of all people.  The people of Hawaii are the most warm and friendly people I have ever met.  They are kind and polite.  They are happy to see you and to help you.  They don’t push in line or act rudely or toot their horn or cut you off in traffic.  They take their time, take it easy, relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.  Return that attitude and behavior toward the people you meet on Maui.  While you are visiting their island, catch the Aloha Spirit.  Learn a little of their ways and their lifestyle.  Take that spirit home with you.  When you are back home, and you are taking the time to be kind to everyone you meet, remember that you learned about this Aloha Spirit during your visit to Hawaii.  In this way, your Hawaiian experience will last the rest of your life.

Before you come to Maui, read a little about the history of this land and people, such as the book “A Concise History of the Hawaiian Islands” by Dr. Phil Barnes.  While you are on Maui, learn about the people and about this wonderful land in which they live.  Attend the cultural talk by Clifford Naeole at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua.  (It’s free to everyone on Fridays at 10:00 AM, but call him at the Ritz 669-6200 to verify day and time.)  Pick up the free “Maui Historical Walking Guide” booklet at brochure racks or at the Lahaina Visitor Center behind the Banyan tree, and read it as you walk to each of the historical sites in the old whaling town of Lahaina and elsewhere on the island.  Look at the exhibits in the free whaling museum in Whalers Village.  Take the free Kaanapali Beach history tour offered two mornings per week (661-3271).  Attend the all-Hawaiian theatrical experience of the live Ulalena show at the Maui Theater in Lahaina (661-9913).  Learn about the ocean environment at the Maui Ocean Center in Maalaea (270-7000).  Use the words aloha (greetings or love) and mahalo (thank you) at least 5 times every day, and try to learn a dozen additional Hawaiian words (aina = the land, alii = royalty, anuenue = rainbow, hale = house, honu = turtle,  mauka = toward the mountains, makai = toward the ocean, keiki = children, kokua = cooperation, ohana = family, ono = delicious, pau = finished).  When you buy souvenirs, look for things that are made on Maui.  When you go to a restaurant, order a local fish instead of a steak or burger.  At local restaurants and grocery stores, sample more local foods such as guava juice, pog, Maui chips, lomi-lomi salmon, shave ice, Kona coffee, Maui onions, plate lunch, kalua pig, poke, saimin, and maybe even poi.  Try the “Native Hawaiian Combination” dinner (fern salad, steamed fish in lau lau, poi) at the Tiki Terrace at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel (661-0011).  During whale season (winter) stop off at the whale-watching lookout near Maalaea, and learn from the guide at the Pacific Whale Foundation van about humpback whales.  If you do the things in this paragraph, you'll come home with a far better understanding of Hawaii than the usual tourist.  Your family will have a wonderful new respect for Hawaii and its people.  But even in this land so different from home, remember that back home is “on the mainland” and not “back in the states.” 

RESTAURANTS:

RESTAURANT TIPS

Many of the top restaurants on Maui serve a type of food  called Pacific Rim Cuisine.  This consists of a mixture of Asian and California styles of cooking, stressing seafood.  A good choice at many Maui restaurants is "catch of the day."  This is generally a fish with a Hawaiian name, such as Mahi‑Mahi (dolphin‑fish), Uku (gray snapper), Opakapaka (pink snapper), Ahi (yellow‑fin tuna), or Ono (wahoo, like mackerel).

When you go to restaurants that you heard about here, you can get the best service by telling them you heard about them on Jon’s Maui Vacations website.  Why?  Because you only go there once, but the readers of this website represent many Maui visitors.  The people in these restaurants know that I will hear about the kind of service they give you.  They know that I will only continue to recommend them if they give great service to the people who read about them here or who report their experiences back to me by email and by filling out the questionnaire at the end of this paper.  So tell your waiter or waitress, tell the person who greets you at the restaurant, tell the person who answers the phone when you call to make your reservation, tell the manager or chef at the restaurant if you see him/her, tell them all!  Tell them you heard about them on Jon’s Maui Vacations website.

Many of Maui’s best restaurants in all price ranges are described in more detail, with menu lists and photos of the food, on the Restaurants section of this website at
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants.htm

There are about 350 restaurants on Maui, and I have tried to find the most wonderful of them for you.  (It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.)  It is a good idea to make reservations a couple days ahead, especially if you are on Maui during the busiest times of the year (around holidays or school breaks) or if you want to eat supper at the busiest times (7‑8 P.M.).  Don't think a restaurant isn't good just because it's in a hotel or shopping center. 

Restaurants and other businesses on Maui are opening, closing, and changing every day.  I only go there once per year, and unfortunately cannot try every one of these restaurants every year.  About 100 restaurants on Maui open, close, or change ownership per year.  Therefore, some of the restaurants and other businesses listed on these pages may be gone, or may have changed, by the time you get to Maui.  Call before you go.  Email me jon@mauihawaii.org  if you find any changes or updates.

You can save money on your Maui restaurant expenses with the following suggestions:
Share an entrée (many restaurants have generous portions, enough for two people).
Have an appetizer as your entrée.
Cut your entrée in half as soon as you get it, then eat only half of it and take the other half back to the condo to have for dinner the next evening.
Eat out for lunch instead of dinner.
Some restaurants have “early bird specials.”  Call ahead to ask how much you can save by eating dinner early.
Carry out dinner from the Honokowai Okazuya & Deli (665-0512) on the west side, or from Eskimo Candy (891-8898) on the south side.  The fish entrees here are as good as at many of Maui’s top restaurants, for about half the price.
If you are staying at a resort hotel that has its own restaurant, ask when you make your hotel reservation whether they have a package that includes free breakfasts.

Here are my favorite Maui restaurants, my opinion of the best ten in each price range:

THE VERY BEST RESTAURANTS ON MAUI
I only have space in this "Printable Guide" to describe my ten favorite restaurants in each of the three price ranges (expensive, moderate, inexpensive).  But on the rest of this Maui Vacations website, there are more complete reviews and menu lists and food photos of over 130 Maui restaurants in all price ranges, including more details of the ones listed here and many others.  See 
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants.htm
for links to all of those reviews.


EXPENSIVE (Fine-Dining) RESTAURANTS:


ROY'S KAANAPALI   669-6999      Kaanapali
     At the entrance to Kaanapali, in the golf course clubhouse.  In my opinion, the tastiest food on Maui.  For great service, ask for the manager, Justin, and tell him Jon and Rosie sent you.  Pacific Rim Cuisine.  Great chocolate souffle for dessert. 
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/roys-restaurant-maui.htm

I’O  661-8422     Lahaina
    In the 505 shopping center in Lahaina.  Very tasty unusual preparations of several kinds of fresh fish, as well as other great entrees.  Beautiful indoor décor, or sunset-view outdoor dining by the ocean.  Same owner and chef as Pacific O, which has similar food.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/io-maui.htm

NICK’S FISHMARKET  879-7224     Wailea
    In the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel in Wailea.  Excellent service:  the best of any restaurant on Maui.  Excellent food (great seafood, with some chicken and beef available as well).  Even the salad course (their own Maui Wowie salad) made me say “Wow!”  Beautiful open-air room.  Very expensive.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/nicks-fishmarket.htm

AMASIA  875-1234     Wailea
    In the Grand Wailea Hotel.  Many good dinner choices by chef Alan Wong.  Excellent food in small or larger plate sizes.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/amasia.htm

HULA GRILL 667-6636 OR 661-3894     Kaanapali Beach
     In Whalers Village shopping center.  Good view of ocean and sunset.  Excellent dinners, including fish and meats, in the main dining area (not the casual area on the sand floor).  Very good lunch (salads, pizza, sandwiches).
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/hula-grill.htm

HALIIMAILE GENERAL STORE 572-2666      Haliimaile
      Creative preparations of delicious seafoods and meats.  In upcountry area, a one-hour drive from Kaanapali or 45 minutes from Wailea, but worth the trip.  Open for both lunch and dinner on weekdays, but weekends are dinner only.  
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/haliimaile.htm

LAHAINA GRILL 667-5117       Lahaina
      The food is innovative Pacific Rim cuisine and the service is excellent.  A couple examples of their unusual and beautiful preparations:  Reconstructed California Roll (appetizer stack of crab, avocado, and rice);  Maui Martini (a salad, not a drink, in a martini glass).   It's in the center of Lahaina, just off Front Street, on Lahainaluna Road.  Very expensive.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/lahaina-grill.htm 

PINEAPPLE GRILL    669-9600     Kapalua
       In the clubhouse of the Bay golf course.  Large picture windows look out on the golf course (and the ocean in the distance), while you enjoy delicious foods beautifully presented.  Wonderful Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert.  Be sure to look up at the ceiling of the bar on your way in or out of the restaurant.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/pineapple-grill.htm

WATERFRONT 244-9028       Maalaea
        In the Harbor Shops near the aquarium.   Six different fresh fish, each made as any of nine different preparations.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/waterfront-maalaea.htm

GANNON’S    875-8080       Wailea
     At Gold and Emerald golf courses in Wailea.  Great food, beautifully presented, beautiful views. 
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/seawatch.htm

The above are my ten favorite fine-dining (expensive) restaurants on Maui.  But there are many more that are also excellent.  Links to reviews, menu lists, and food photos for the above, plus all the rest of the best fine-dining restaurants are at
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/fine-dining.htm




MODERATE PRICED RESTAURANTS:

(Note:  These are "moderate" only relative to the even more expensive restaurants in the above section.  Compared to back home, these are expensive.)

CAFÉ O’LEI   891-1368    Kihei
     Upstairs in the Rainbow Mall at 2439 South Kihei Road.  Lunch and dinner.  Good variety of seafood, beef, flatbreads, sushi and more in a beautiful atmosphere.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/cafe-olei.htm
Also just as good are Cafe O'Lei restaurants in Napili and at the Dunes golf course in Maui's central valley.

KAHANA GRILL   669-4000   Kahana
   Upstairs in the Kahana Gateway shopping center, about 10 minutes north of Kaanapali Beach.  Delicious lunches and dinners designed by chef Alex Stanislaw.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/kahana-grill.htm

THREE'S   879-3133     Kihei
     In Kihei Kalama Villages at 1945 South Kihei Road.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night.  Excellent food at moderate prices.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/threes.htm 

CUATRO   879-1110    Kihei
     In Kihei Town Center at 1881 South Kihei Road.  Fine-dining dinner at moderate-dining prices.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/cuatro.htm

MAUI FISH & PASTA   662-0668     Kaanapali
     In the middle of Whalers Village shopping center, serving the best breakfast, lunch and dinner in that shopping center.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/maui-fish-pasta.htm

CASANOVA  572-0220        Makawao
     In Makawao (Upcountry). Large servings of delicious pasta, pizza, and Italian entrees.  Much lower prices than the restaurants in the resort areas.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/casanova-maui.htm

LEILANI'S 661‑4495      Kaanapali Beach
     In the Whalers Village Shopping Center, on the beach.  Good seafood and steaks in the main dining area (dinner only) upstairs.  Limited less expensive menu in the more casual bar area (lunch and dinner) downstairs, including my favorite fish tacos.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/leilanis.htm

SANSEI  669-6286       Kapalua
      On Office Road near the Ritz Carlton Hotel.  Excellent sushi and similar foods.  Try their two “Taste of Lahaina Award Winners”  Mango Crab Salad Hand roll with Peanuts and Thai Vinaigrette  or  Asian Rock Shrimp Cake with Crusty Chinese Noodles & Ginger-Lime Chili Butter & Cilantro Pesto.  Call to ask if they still have their 25% off everything special price for all food ordered between 5:30 and 6:00 PM.  (If you go for that Early Bird pricing at 5:30, avoid Sundays and Mondays, when they are extremely crowded with Maui residents getting an even bigger discount.)
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/sansei.htm

KIMO'S 661-4811       Lahaina
     On the ocean in Lahaina.  Good for lunch or dinner.  Several fish choices, prepared several different ways, for dinner.  Save room for their famous Hula Pie (a large ice cream dessert specialty).  One of the few places that stays open late in Lahaina, often with late night happy hour and music.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/kimos.htm

BUBBA GUMP  661-3111     Lahaina
     On the ocean side of Front Street in Lahaina, good lunches and dinners, themed after the movie Forest Gump.  Lots of tasty shrimp preparations.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/bubba-gump.htm

 
The above are my ten favorite moderate-priced restaurants on Maui.  But there are many more that are also excellent.  Links to reviews, menu lists, and food photos for the above plus all the rest of the best moderate restaurants are at
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/moderate-restaurants.htm




INEXPENSIVE RESTAURANTS:

ESKIMO CANDY   891-8898    Kihei
    Wai Wai Place at corner of Halekuai.  Delicious carry-out, and a few small tables to dine in.  Excellent fish lunches and dinners.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/eskimo-candy.htm

PENNE PASTA CAFÉ   661-6633       Lahaina
    Small restaurant on Dickenson Street, a couple blocks back from Front Street, in Lahaina.  Lunch and dinner every day.  Good variety of pasta, interesting pizzas, plus some salads and sandwiches.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/penne-pasta.htm

CAFÉ DES AMIS     579-6323    Paia
     At 42 Baldwin Avenue in Paia.  Very tiny restaurant, but with large plates of super-tasty Mediterranean and Indian food.  From morning through evening they have crepes, curry wraps, breakfast crepes, salads, Indian curries and sweet crepes.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/cafe-des-amis-paia.htm

GAZEBO  669-5621       Napili
     Breakfast and lunch in a little open-air gazebo, on the ocean, behind the Napili Shores condos, in Napili.  While you’re waiting in line to get in, walk down a couple steps toward the ocean behind the restaurant, and take a look at the beautiful view of Napili Bay and beach to the right.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/gazebo.htm

CJ’S COMFORT ZONE DELI & DINER   667-0968     Kaanapali
     On the main Honoapiilani Highway, in the Fairway Shops (a small strip shopping center just north of the entrance to Kaanapali).  Delicious sandwiches, salads, and entrees, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Also very good carryout box lunches to take along with you on the Road to Hana or for a picnic anyplace on Maui.  Get their yummy “Hana Bar” for dessert.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/cj.htm

HONOKOWAI OKAZUYA & DELI  665-0512       Honokowai
     At 3600 Lower Honoapiilani Road, in a small strip shopping center, a couple miles north of Kaanapali.  Excellent take-out food.  Their most expensive fish entrees here are just as good as the much more expensive fish dinners in the most expensive restaurants listed above, even though this place has less atmosphere than McDonalds.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/okazuya.htm

DA KITCHEN   871-7782  Kahului
     Delicious giant plate lunches with kalua pork or chicken or beef.  Lunch or dinner M-F, lunch Saturday, closed Sunday.  In the Triangle Square shopping center near K-Mart in Kahului.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/da-kitchen.htm

PITA PARADISE  879-7177   Wailea
     Uphill from the Shops at Wailea, in the Wailea Gateway center.  Excellent Mediterranean cuisine in a modern setting.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/pita-paradise-wailea.htm

LAHAINA COOLERS   661-7082       Lahaina
     On Dickenson Street, a couple blocks back from Front Street, in Lahaina.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Salads, pasta, tropical pizza, tortillas, burgers, fish.  Great fish tacos.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/lahaina-coolers.htm

THAI CHEF   667-2814  Lahaina   and   874-5605  Kihei
     Two locations:  in the Old Lahaina Shopping Center behind Front Street, and in the Rainbow Mall at 2439 S. Kihei Road.  Very tasty, over 80 menu choices, including 19 vegetarian dishes.  Same menu lunch & dinner.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/thai-chef.htm

ULULANI'S HAWAIIAN SHAVE ICE     609-5678 Lahaina  and   Kihei
     Not really a restaurant, but I'm fitting it in here beside my ten favorite low-priced restaurants above.  This is a stand with the best shave ice on Maui, at 819 Front Street, in a courtyard just north of the seawall, in Lahaina, and at 61 South Kihei Road in the north end of Kihei.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/ululani-shave-ice.htm

The above are my ten favorite inexpensive restaurants on Maui (plus my favorite shave ice).  But there are many more that are also excellent.  Links to reviews, menu lists, and food photos for the above plus all the rest of the best inexpensive restaurants are at
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/inexpensive-restaurants.htm




PLACES FOR GOOD PIZZA:
        Round Table Pizza    Fairway shops in Kaanapali,  and 207 Piikea in Kihei
        Pizza Paradiso   Honokowai Marketplace in Honokowai
        Lahaina Pizza Company in Lahaina
        Shaka Pizza, Kihei



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SUNDAY BRUNCH   (On the seventh day the chef created brunch):

MAKENA BEACH HOTEL (former MAUI PRINCE)   874-1111        Wailea
          Maui’s most expensive and most bountiful variety Sunday brunch.  32 kinds of salad, 8 kinds of bread and rolls, 6 kinds of cheese, 2 soups, 8 hot dishes, 16 desserts, and more.  Champagne, Caesar salad, garden salad, anchovies and numerous other salad toppers and dressings, capers, olives, onions, seaweed, artichokes, pea salad, noodle salad, lomi salmon salad, shrimp salad, smoked salmon, sashimi, California rolls, sushi, papaya, melon, strawberries, other fruits, shrimp, crab claws, pancakes, crepes, omelets made to order (choice of numerous fillers including caviar), eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, breads, rolls, lavash, breakfast cakes, sweet rolls, juices, beef, chicken, fish, rice, Maui onion mashed potatoes, salmon Alfredo, steamed vegetables, dim sum, crème caramel, cheesecake, bread pudding with three topping choices, eclairs, tarts, cakes and pies.

TIKI TERRACE at KAANAPALI BEACH HOTEL    667-0124        Kaanapali Beach
       Less expensive than the other Sunday buffet brunches on Maui, but still a huge variety of very good food.  Cold foods include 22 kinds of salads, salmon, sushi, fruit, soup, bagels, rolls.  Hot foods include carved beef and ham, kalua pork, chicken, mahi (fish), crepes, potatoes, rice, chow mein, waffles, omelet station.  Desserts include 20 kinds of pies, cakes, petit fours, and more.  No ocean view, but choose to eat at the outdoor tables so you can see and hear the live music.



DAILY BUFFET BREAKFASTS  

For a good buffet breakfast or brunch any and every day (not just Sunday), go to any and all of the following.  (Try a different one every day.  Call ahead to be sure they still have a buffet every day.)


SWAN COURT RESTAURANT IN THE HYATT REGENCY HOTEL    661‑1234       Kaanapali Beach
          A wonderful daily buffet breakfast, including many hot and cold breakfast items, made-to-order omelets, plus rice, and potatoes.  Beautiful view of swans and waterfalls in pond.  Great artwork in the lobbies.
www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/swan-court.htm

SHERATON HOTEL     661-0031     Kaanapali Beach
           Excellent sweet rolls on the cold buffet, ordinary eggs and breakfast meats on the hot buffet.

WESTIN HOTEL    667-2525    Kaanapali Beach
          Ask for an ocean-view table in Tropica for a better setting than the pool-view tables in Ono.

DUO at the FOUR SEASONS     874-8000     Wailea

RITZ CARLTON KAPALUA   669-6200

WAILEA MARRIOTT     879‑1922

GRAND WAILEA ‑ Grand Dining Room    875‑1234


......................................................................................................................................................

RESTAURANTS WITH GOOD SUNSET VIEWS:

   Plantation House  669-6299       Kapalua
   Hula Grill  667-6636       Kaanapali Beach
   Sarento’s on the Beach  875-0001       Wailea
   I’O  661-8422       Lahaina
   Pacific O  667-4341       Lahaina
   Mala   667-9394     Lahaina
   Honu   667-9390     Lahaina
   Humu at the Grand Wailea hotel  875-1234      Wailea
   Gannon’s   875-8080       Wailea
   Seahouse at NapiliKai Beach Club  669-1500       Napili
   Bubba Gump  661-3111      Lahaina
   Castaway Café  661-9091       Kaanapali Beach
   Lahaina Fish Company   661-3472       Lahaina
   Kimo’s  661-4811       Lahaina
For sunset (and sunrise) times for each month of the year on Maui, see the FAQ page of this website at  http://www.mauihawaii.org/faqs.htm

NIGHT LIFE

I’m usually back in my condo by 9:00 P.M., but people younger than me who stay out later have told me that you can have a great time drinking, dancing, and meeting the Maui residents, after that time.  Places they have told me are worth checking out:
            Three's Bar & Grill in Kihei
            Lahaina Coolers in Lahaina
            Longhi's in Lahaina
            Kimo’s in Lahaina
            Moose McGillycuddy's in Lahaina
            Hard Rock Café in Lahaina
            Lulu’s in Kihei and Lahaina
            Dollie's in Kahana

For more details and longer lists of live entertainment on Maui, buy the Thursday issue of the Maui News, which contains a special entertainment section called “Maui Scene.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

BOOKS:
Suggested books to buy at home before you go:

Maui Revealed by Andrew Doughty and Harriett Friedman (fifth edition, 2010) has details and sights that I didn’t know about, even though I have been to Maui over 30 times.   Good photos, good maps, good directions, good index.  If it’s not in your bookstore, you can order it on the web from Amazon.com with the clickable link from the Books page of this Maui web site at www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm

Driving and Discovering Hawaii:  Maui and Molokai by Richard Sullivan (Montgomery Ewing Publishers, 2007) has beautiful photos and good maps, to help you drive around to all the best sights on Maui.  If it’s not in your bookstore, you can order it on the web from Amazon.com with the clickable link from the Books page of this Maui web site at www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm

For information about the other Hawaiian islands, as well as Maui, I suggest Eyewitness Travel Guides Hawaii (published by DK) for loads of info & maps and color pictures throughout the Hawaiian islands. This too can be ordered online from Amazon with the clickable link from the Books page of this Maui web site at www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm.


UPDATES TO THIS INFORMATION ABOUT MAUI:
Please send comments or questions via email to Jon@mauihawaii.org.  Please include the word Maui in the subject line of your email, so I can separate your email from the junk and spam emails.
I post an updated version of this file onto this website at www.mauihawaii.org every April.  The version you are reading was posted in April of 2013, based on information I learned during my trip to Maui in February of 2013.  If your trip to Maui will be later than April of 2014, then you should read this version for now, but you should also download the next version of this “Printable Guide” from my website,      www.mauihawaii.org       again, after late-April, 2014.

NOTE:  This Printable Guide contains only a fraction of the information available on the website  mauihawaii.org.  See that complete website for many more pages of facts and reviews and photos of many more Maui hotels, condos, restaurants, sights, and activities.  For the most up-to-date information about Maui, subscribe to our free email Maui Newsletter, using the blue box adjacent to the menu on any page of the Maui website at www.mauihawaii.org.   You can also get up-to-date information about Maui by Liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jonmaui.

WEDDINGS:

If you are planning on getting married on Maui, you can get the information you will need from these sources:
Maui Weddings page of this Maui website at  www.mauihawaii.org/wedding-honeymoon/hawaii-weddings.htm.

Email me jon@mauihawaii.org for recommended wedding planners.
Free information booklet and directory from Maui Wedding Planners:  Maui Visitors Bureau  1-808-244-3530.
Free directory of wedding planners from Maui Wedding Association   mauiweddingassociation.com
Six pages of wedding and honeymoon information (pages 27-33) in this guidebook: the 2005 (11th) edition of the book, Maui:  The Most Complete Guide to Family Fun and Adventure by Aluli.



REFERENCE:

PHONE NUMBERS (all in area code 808):
Activity Warehouse 667-4000
Airlines:
   American  800-433-7300
   Hawaiian  800-367-5320
   Delta   800-221-1212
   United  800-241-6522
Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel  875-4100
Four Seasons Hotel  874-8000
Grand Wailea Hotel 875‑1234
Hana CD Guide 572‑0550
Hyatt Regency Hotel (Kaanapali)  661‑1234
Kaanapali Beach Association  1-866-386-6786
Kaanapali Beach Hotel 661-0011
Lahaina Events Hotline recording  1-888-310-1117
Lahaina Visitors Center  667-9193
Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel  875-4100
Maui Arts and Cultural Center box office  242-7469
Makena Beach Hotel   874‑1111
Pacific Whale Foundation   879‑6530
Polynesian Adventure Tours   877‑4242
 Restaurants:
      See the preceding pages.  More at www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants.htm
Ritz Carlton Hotel  669-6200
Royal Lahaina Hotel  661-3611
Sheraton Hotel 661-0031
Snorkel Store  669-1077
 Tour companies:
   Maui Vacation Consultants  669-0451
   Barefoot Discount Tours 856-3650
   Polynesian Adventure 877-4242
   Temptation Tours  877-8888
Transportation:
   Kaanapali Resort Trolley 667-7411
   Lahaina Express Trolley 661-8748
   Kahana Shuttle 661-4567
   Wailea Shuttle 879-2828
   Alii Cab Company 661-3688
   Kaanapali Taxi 661-5285
Wailea Marriott Hotel   879‑1922
Weather  877-5111
Westin Hotel 667-2525
Whalers Village Shopping Center 661-4567

SOME QUOTES ABOUT MAUI

             
Maui is where people are sent when heaven is overbooked.

Here today, gone to Maui.
You go your way, I'll go Maui.|
The sun'll come out to Maui.
Happily Mauied
The more the Mauier.
Eat, drink and be Maui.

Whykiki?  (when you can Maui)

I am going to the island of the valley,
To Lahaina, Lahaina Luna.
Where the mountains are green, you will find me.
In Lahaina, Lahaina Luna.
They say that "Maui no ka oi"
And I agree.
Maui no ka oi‑‑‑
It's the only place for me.
That's why you'll find me
Down by the seaside,
Watching the moonlight,
The twinkling starlight,
The golden sunrise,
The evening sunset,
In Lahaina,
Lahaina Luna.

I'm going to Maui tomorrow
To marry Tamara Malone.
Nothing could be finer
Than to live in Lahaina
And make Tamara my own.
I am going to the island of the valley
To live a life of delight.
I'm going to Maui
To marry Tamara tomorrow
Unless I get lucky tonight.

"The loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean"
     (Mark Twain, 1866)

"I'd rather live one day in Maui than a month in New York."    (Charles Lindbergh)

MAUI NO KA OI   (Maui is the best)
The unofficial motto of Maui, “Maui no ka oi,” was made up by Rev. Samuel Kapu in 1897 when he wrote words to the song “Maui Chimes.”

My feelings about Hawaii mirror those of Mark Twain, who wrote in 1889:
     "No alien land in all the world has any deep strong charm for me but that one, no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and waking, through half a lifetime, as that one has done.
     "Other things leave me, but it abides; other things change, but it remains the same.  For me the balmy airs are always blowing, its summer seas flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its surfbeat is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore, its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud wrack;  I can feel the spirit of its wildland solitudes, I can hear the splash of its brooks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that perished twenty years ago."

ISLANDS WE HAVE VISITED

(In order of our preference)

MAUI

   
Valley Isle.  Built up enough with hotels and towns with plenty to do, but not crowded with immediately adjacent hotels and solidly packed tourists on the beach like Waikiki.  728 square miles, population 155,000.  Had 2.1 million visitors in 2005, of which 12% were from outside the USA.  According to an article in the Maui News 1-12-06,  43% of Maui adults were born in Hawaii, 37% in other U.S. states, and 20% in other countries. 
More statistics on Maui visitors, from the Annual Visitor Research Report for 2003 from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism:
54% of Maui visitors came only to Maui while 46% also visited other Hawaiian islands. 
36% were first-time visitors to Maui, 64% were repeat visitors.
62% stayed in hotels, 29% in condos, 8% in timeshares, 6% with friends or relatives (some stayed in more than one place so the total is over 100%).
The busiest month is July, with 51,000 visitors present on an average day.  Next busiest are August and June.  The least busy month is September, with 33,000 visitors on an average day.  Next least busy are October and May.  The December average visitor count of 46,000 can be misleading, because there are very few visitors in early December averaged with extremely high visitors during Christmas week (by far the busiest week of the year).
38% of U.S. visitors to Maui come from California.  Next highest are Washington 7%, Texas 5%, Illinois 4%, New York 3%, Oregon 3%.
For the 12% of Maui visitors who come from outside the U.S., the most come from Canada, followed by Japan, and then England, Australia, Germany.


OAHU
   
Honolulu.  Most populated and built up island.  Waikiki Beach area (suburb of Honolulu) has several big hotels on each block, and crowded beach.  Lots of good restaurants and shows and stores.  953,000 residents.  Had 4.8 million visitors in 2005, of which 42% were from outside the USA.
Polynesian Culture Center.  Pearl Harbor.  Ala Moana Shopping Center.  Aloha Tower.
Waikiki Beach (on Oahu) has over 100 hotels and condos, but is the same size as Kaanapali Beach (on Maui), which has 13 hotels and condos.

You can usually get a magnificent view of Waikiki from your plane, if you request to sit on the right side (seat F or K, whichever is by a window) when coming in to Honolulu Airport, and on the left side (seat A) when taking off from Honolulu.


KAUAI

Fern Grotto.  Beaches, canyons, cliffs, great sights to see.  No real cities, but very small towns and large open spaces.  Choose a hotel in Lihue or Poipu areas.  Population 66,000.  Had 1.1 million visitors in 2005.


HAWAII
     
"The Big Island" ‑ largest Hawaiian island by far.  Two huge dormant volcanic mountains, one of which has snow on top all year round.  Some still active volcanic areas.  Black sand beach on one area.  Big ranches.  Cities of Kona on the west (sunny) side of the island, and Hilo on the east (rainy) side.  Population 185,000.  Had 1.5 million visitors in 2005.


LANAI
    
Formerly covered with pineapple plantations.  141 square miles, 3200 inhabitants. Had 150,000 visitors in 2005.  Two luxury hotels opened in 1991 (total of 363 rooms):  Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay Hotel.  Expensive hotels, expensive excellent restaurants in the hotels.


MOLOKAI

Very few condos and hotels, and no luxury resorts.  Nothing to do, and no great restaurants, but some interesting sights to see.  Old leper colony.    260 square miles, 7400 residents.  Had 150,000 visitors in 2005.


LOIHI
    
New island.  Haven't really been there yet.  Eighteen miles southeast of the Big Island of Hawaii and 3,000 feet below sea level, is a new island being formed by an erupting underwater volcano.  In only 50,000 years, this new island will rise above the surface.  Better make your reservations soon.


OTHER ISLANDS

Although Hawaii is best known for its eight main islands (Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai, Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Niihau), the state actually includes 132 islands, reefs and shoals that stretch 1,523 miles, from Kure Atoll to underwater seamounts off the southeast coast of the Big Island. 

FLIGHTS

There are 20-40‑minute flights on full‑size jets, from each of the four major islands to each other, every hour or so.  Hawaiian Airlines flies Boeing 717’s between the four major islands.   To the minor islands (Molokai, Lanai, and others) you have to take a much smaller plane or a boat.

A LITTLE GEOLOGY

The earth’s tectonic plates, moving westward slowly (3 inches per year) over a “hot spot” of lava deep in the ocean, plus millions of years of erosion, account for the fact that the islands on the eastern end of the Hawaiian chain are the largest (newest), while those toward the western end are very tiny (old and eroded).  The largest island is Hawaii, on the eastern end of the chain, formed about 300,000 years ago, and still enlarging as fresh lava pours into the ocean.  The second-largest island is Maui.  The newer (eastern) half of Maui is the larger side, called Haleakala volcano, which formed about 750,000 years ago, and last erupted in 1790.  The older (western) half of Maui is the smaller side, the West Maui Mountains, which formed 1,300,000 years ago.  The next islands, as you move westward along the chain, are smaller because they have had more years to erode.  In parentheses is the approximate age of each of these islands, in millions of years:  Kahoolawe (1.03), Lanai (1.3), Molokai (1.5), Oahu (3), Kauai (4).  Farther west are over a hundred much smaller and older islands, many of them eroded down to sea level or below.






                       ALOHA!
                             
P.S.  Please send me a postcard from Maui (see page 10).




Updated April 2013

                                              QUESTIONNAIRE   
  

I would greatly appreciate it if you would answer the questions below.  Please mail this page (or your answers on a separate note) to:

                Jon Blum
                P.O. Box  2691
                Farmington Hills, MI   48333

or send email to  Jon@mauihawaii.org
Please include the word Maui in the subject line of your email, so I can separate your email from the junk and spam emails.


What did you like best on Maui (whether it was on these pages or not)?






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This copy was last updated:  April 2013

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