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MAUIby Jon Blum
Maui is the best. The best place in the world. I have been to Maui over twenty times, and now live there for part of each year. This paper contains my suggestions to help you get the most out of your trip to paradise. Here you will find loads of helpful hints about the many wonderful sights and activities and restaurants and hotels on Maui.
You can read or
print the latest version of this Maui info paper, as well as find links to other
Maui information, on this web site, which is at Print out this entire paper from the PDF format version at www.mauihawaii.org/MauiPDF.pdf. Use it to help plan your trip, and take it to Maui for reference. Make copies for friends going to Maui. Don’t leave home without it!
Or if you don’t
want to print it and you don’t want to read it all in one long document like
this, then go to the home page of this website at
CONTENTS: I can’t give you page numbers, because this paper prints out on different numbers of pages, depending on how you downloaded it from the Internet, and on which program you used to print out the file. But here are the major sections of this Maui information paper, in the order you will find them:
Introduction
Where to stay
The first things you need to know
Sights and activities
Restaurants
Additional information
Reference:
INTRODUCTION:
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO GO TO MAUI: It’s ALWAYS a good time to go to Maui. In the winter, there is more chance of rain on Maui than at other times of the year. But this is still the best time to go to Maui because you can escape from the terrible winter weather back home. And it usually only rains for a couple hours, once or twice per week. There are parts of Maui that get more rain (such as Hana and Kapalua), and parts that get less rain (such as Wailea). But Kaanapali Beach, my favorite part of Maui, does not get much rain either, and an hour or two of rain sure beats a week or two of snow back home. And winter is the only time to see the whales. Christmas to New Year is the most crowded time and the most expensive time to go to Maui. Hotels can charge their highest prices this week, because they are usually completely filled with families traveling during the time school is out. Summer is the hottest time on Maui, and the least rainy. It’s a good time for many families to bring the kids while school is out. Spring and fall are the least crowded times to go to Maui, so you can get the best package deals on hotels and condos, the easiest time getting into any restaurant, and the least traffic on the roads. For a detailed chart showing the temperature and rainfall for each month of the year on Maui, see the Weather page of my Maui website at http://www.mauihawaii.org/maui-weather.htm
OVERVIEW OF MAUI: Maui is composed of two half‑islands (east and west), joined by a wide valley. Maui is 48 miles long and 26 miles wide, or six miles at the narrowest point of the valley between the bays (728 square miles). The population is 127,000 residents, plus 42,000 tourists. The largest city is Kahului (population 20,000). Maui is the second-largest Hawaiian island. Over 2 million tourists come to Maui each year. The airport you will come in at is in Kahului, in the northeast corner of the central valley. Unfortunately, nobody will give you a flower lei when you arrive in Hawaii unless you bought it in advance as part of a package tour. But you can buy leis at a shop in the airport main terminal, or you can buy them cheaper another day at a grocery store. [The code-letters for the main airport in Kahului are OGG, which honors an aviator named Hogg. There is a smaller airport in West Maui (Kapalua), but it only handles propeller shuttle flights from Honolulu. The code-letters for that small airport are JHM, which stands for John Henry Magoon, a pilot who was the president of Hawaiian Airlines when the Kapalua airport opened.] The Hyatt Regency, Westin, Sheraton, Kaanapali Beach, Royal Lahaina, Maui Kaanapali Villas and several other hotels and condos are on Kaanapali Beach, north of the town of Lahaina, on the west side of WEST Maui. Three of those hotels are much older than the others, and so are less expensive but also much less luxurious: Royal Lahaina opened in 1962, Maui Kaanapali Villas in 1963 and Kaanapali Beach Hotel opened in 1964. (The Sheraton originally opened in 1963, but was completely rebuilt, not just remodeled, in 1996, so is now the newest hotel on Kaanapali Beach.) The Ritz Carlton Kapalua is about 20 minutes north of Kaanapali Beach. The Wailea Marriott (formerly Outrigger and before that Aston Wailea and formerly Intercontinental), Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani and Prince are the main hotels in the Wailea area, which is the other popular modern hotel section, and is in the southwest part of EAST Maui (often called SOUTH Maui). (The Renaissance Wailea, formerly the Stouffer, closed in September 2007, was torn down, and a new Baccarat hotel and condos is to be constructed on that site, opening in 2011.) The above paragraphs list hotels, but there are also many very good condos to stay at on both sides of Maui (west and south). So if you prefer a condo over a hotel, see the “Hotels & Condos” tab of my Maui website at www.mauihawaii.org for detailed information about many condo choices, including photos of specific hotels and condos buildings, rooms, pools and beaches. The roads you will drive on (between airport and hotels and restaurants) are excellent, modern, well‑maintained and well‑marked. The drive from the Kahului Airport to your Kaanapali Beach hotel is 30 miles and takes 50 minutes. The driving distance between the two main resort areas, Kaanapali and Wailea, is 36 miles and takes about one hour. There are only a few roads on Maui, so it's easy to follow the map you get from your car rental agency, and you will learn your way around.
UPDATES: 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 the Internet at the end of every April. The version you are reading was posted in April of 2008, based on information I learned during my trip to Maui in February of 2008. If your trip to Maui will be later than the end of April of 2009, then you should read this version for now, but you should also download the next version of this file, from my Maui site, http://www.mauihawaii.org again, after the end of April, 2009.
TRAVEL AGENTS AND VISITORS BUREAU AND MAP: See your travel agent or shop the internet, for package deals that may include airfare and hotel and/or rental car. Compare those package prices with the price you can get by booking directly with the hotel or condo and with the airline.
Suggested Maui travel agent to help you pick and reserve where to stay (which hotel or condo), or reserve your boat rides and luaus and other activities, reserve restaurants, reserve golf, buy tours, arrange guides, and arrange for any special requirements you may have: Kay Ryan (“Maui Kay”) of Maui Vacation Consultants. Email her at kay@mauikay.com or see her web site at www.mauikay.com (You can call her at 1-808-669-0451, but email is best.) For an amazingly low fee ($35), Kay will email back and forth with you before you arrive, send you a packet of info brochures about Maui, book activities in advance before you arrive if desired, meet you in your hotel or condo, spend an hour with you highlighting maps and answering questions and orienting you to Maui, and allow you to call her any time during your stay on Maui with more questions. Another special service that Kay offers, is finding exactly the right condo or hotel for you to stay in. Since she lives on Maui and does this every day, she is very familiar with the many choices available, and will discuss your needs with you, to reserve the place that best fits your own needs and budget. This service costs you nothing, since Kay acts as a travel agent and gets her commission from the hotel or condo. Tell her you heard about her on Jon’s Maui Info website, and you can be sure she will give you great service.
To reserve your
own activities for your Maui visit (luau, boats, tours, helicopter, whale-watch,
horseback, etc.) or to get info about discounts on those activities, see the
Maui Activities section of this website at
For more information before you go, or after you arrive, call the Maui Visitors Bureau at 1-800-525-MAUI or 1-808-244-3530 or see their web site at http://www.visitmaui.com. For other islands as well as Maui, call the Hawaii Visitors Bureau at 1-808-923-1811. For Lahaina events, call 1-888-310-1117 or see http://www.visitlahaina.com
While on Maui, stop in for info at the Lahaina Visitors Center, in the old courthouse behind the Banyan Tree in Lahaina. It’s open every day 9-5. Phone 667-9193.
You can get a free map of Maui (and big informative color booklet) before you go, by ordering the Maui Vacation Planner from the Maui Visitors Bureau at 1-800-525-MAUI or 1-808-244-3530 or on their web site at http://www.visitmaui.com
To find out what
special events will be going on during the dates you will be on Maui, call
For schedules of
free entertainment in the two tourist shopping centers in the two main resort
areas:
FREQUENT FLYER POINTS: Be sure to sign up for Northwest or United or American or Delta Airlines "Frequent Flyer Club" (or whatever airline you are flying) before you go. It's free. Both husband and wife should join. And speaking of that long and cramped and boring flight from home to Hawaii, always remember this: Getting to Hawaii from the east coast or the midwest isn't a lot of fun but the hassle will fade to a distant memory when you wake up in paradise the next morning.
YOU NEED A CAR: Be sure to reserve a rental car before you go. You will need a car to get around on Maui. Ask about AAA discount or AARP discount on your car rental, if you belong to AAA or AARP. Ask your travel agent about hotel or condo packages that may include a rental car. For lots of tips on how to get the best price on a rental car in Hawaii (or anyplace) see the Car Rental Deals page of this website at http://www.mauihawaii.org/carrental.htm
THE VIEW FROM THE PLANE: On the flight from the mainland to Hawaii, 50 minutes before landing time, look for the Hawaiian Islands out the left side of the plane. First you'll see the Big Island, then Maui. Fifteen minutes later, see Oahu on the right side of the plane. Waikiki Beach is on the right just before landing. If you are changing planes in Honolulu, also see the brief section about Oahu on about the third page from the end of this paper.
WHERE TO STAY:
WHICH SIDE OF MAUI TO STAY ON: There are two major resort areas on Maui – West and South. The west side includes Lahaina, Kaanapali, Honokowai, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua. The south side includes Wailea and Kihei. I prefer the west (Kaanapali) side because it is more beautiful (lush green mountains), and is very close to Lahaina (fun historic tourist town and boat harbor). However, Wailea has the advantage of slightly less rain in the winter, and is a quieter area than Kaanapali because the major hotels are not quite as close together.
Just north of Kaanapali, there are many smaller condo complexes in Honokowai, Kahana, and Napili. They are less expensive than staying right on Kaanapali Beach, but they are not within walking distance of the big resort hotels and shopping, and some of them do not have air conditioning. Kihei is the major condo area on the south side. Kihei has many family restaurants. Instead of luxury resorts like in Kaanapali and Wailea, Kihei has less expensive condos. These condos are mostly across the street from the beach, and that street tends to be congested with heavy traffic. Traffic is also congested and slow in and around Lahaina (west Maui), especially during rush hour.
CONDO OR HOTEL: There are about 15 major hotels, and more than 100 condos, for you to pick from on Maui. The advantages of a hotel are: consistent quality of rooms, more elaborate grounds and pools, shops and restaurants in the building, more service (such as room service and bellman service). The advantages of a condo are: more space, larger rooms, kitchen for you to do some of your own cooking, and usually lower prices. Bear in mind that the quality of condo rooms varies widely, both from one condo building to another, and from one unit to another within the same condo building. In addition, some of the cheaper condos do not have air conditioning or daily maid service, so be sure to ask about that. Most condos will not let you reserve a specific room to be sure you are getting one of the nicer units. But if you book your condo through Maui Kay at Maui Vacation Consultants (email her at kay@mauikay.com) then she can usually recommend and reserve a specific unit that she knows is one of the best in whatever building you and she select. (Tell her you heard about this special service on Jon’s Maui Info website.)
Wherever you stay, at the end of your visit you may run into the problem that checkout time is in the morning (often around 11AM), but your flight back to the mainland does not depart from Maui until that evening. If so, ask your hotel or condo whether they have a “courtesy room” where you can shower or change clothes to get ready for your flight out later in the day, after your morning checkout from your own room.
SOME HOTEL & CONDO SUGGESTIONS: Do not pay “rack rate” (= list price) at any hotel or condo on Maui, or anyplace else! Always ask the hotel or condo, and your travel agent, for discounts, seasonal specials, weekend rates, holiday rates, AAA discount, AARP discount, and any other lower rates. Check with the hotel itself (calling directly to the hotel on Maui), as well as through the hotel chain’s national toll-free phone number. Check that hotel’s (or that hotel chain’s) web site for discounts. Join the hotel chain’s Frequent Guest program (usually free, like airlines’ Frequent Flyer programs), and ask about discounts for members of that program. Ask about package plans that include hotel and rental car and airfare. Also call Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays at 1-800-242-9244 to ask what air/land packages they have available for the hotels and condos you are considering. For special service and help choosing the condo that best matches your own personal needs and budget, book your condo through Kay Ryan (see the paragraph above), and tell her you heard about this service on Jon’s Maui Info website. For discounts on many Maui condos, book online from Dave Williams at http://royalhawaii.com or email him at info@royalhawaii.com or call him at 1-888-722-6284 and tell him that you heard about his discounts on Jon’s Maui Info website.
For more details about selecting the best hotel or condo for your stay on Maui (including PHOTOS of hotel and condo rooms, buildings, pools and beaches), see the Hotels & Condos section of this Maui website at http://www.mauihawaii.org/hotels-condos
These are my favorite places to stay on Maui (see below for other choices). The webpage link listed for each of these has more details including pictures of that specific hotel or condo.
Hyatt Regency
(808) 661-1234
Grand Wailea
(808) 875-1234
Kaanapali
Alii (808) 667-1400
Sheraton
(808) 661-0031
Other excellent choices:
Westin (808)
667-2525
Whaler (808)
661-4861
Four Seasons
(808) 874-8000
Ritz Carlton
(808) 669-6200
Mahana (808)
661-8751
Fairmont Kea
Lani (808) 875-4100
If you want someplace less expensive than those above, there are dozens of other good condos and hotels to choose from. They are less luxurious, or older, or not in as good locations, as those listed above. But they offer good value, and best of all, you are still on Maui! Here are just a few of the possibilities:
Kaanapali Beach
Hotel (808) 661-0011 or toll-free 1-800-262-8450
Maui Kaanapali
Villas (808) 667-7791 or ResortQuest toll-free 1-800-922-7866
Hololani condos
(808) 669-8021 or toll-free 1-800-367-5032
Papakea condos
(808) 669-4848
For more details
and many additional hotel-condo choices, plus photos, see the Hotels-Condos
section of this website at
The excellent book, Maui: The Most Complete Guide to Family Fun and Adventure by Aluli, can help you decide where to stay, especially if you want information about condos and smaller places that are not listed on my website. That book has information about each of 200 hotels, condos, and B&B’s on Maui. It includes descriptions, rates, and toll-free reservation numbers. More information about this and other Maui guidebooks is on my books page at www.mauihawaii.org/mauibooks.htm
You can get a free color brochure with small photos and basic information about each of about half (about 100) of the hotels and condos on Maui from Maui Accommodations Guide at 1-800-221-6118 or www.mauiaccommodations.com
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 87, 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 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 Maui Prince 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
At 7:45 AM Monday-Friday, watch the Maui weather forecast on TV, on Channel 12 on East Maui, or channel 55 on West Maui.
Hawaii weather web site: www.hawaiiweathertoday.com Maui weather web site: www.mauiweathertoday.com
The sun is intense here at about 20‑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 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 (661-8889 in Lahaina), or Activity Warehouse (667-4000).
For information
about discounts and advance reservations for the activities for your Maui visit
(luau, boats, tours, helicopter, whale-watch, horseback, etc.), see the Maui
Activities section of this website at
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. Ekahi Tours (877‑9775) is moderate, with 13-passenger vans and mid-range prices. Polynesian Adventure (877‑4242) has 25-passenger vans and is often the cheapest of these three tour companies.
When you are in
the city of Lahaina, there are activity‑arranging 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
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.
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 Star 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 Info website. Why? Because you only go there once, but the readers of this web site 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 Info website.
I do not accept any money to list any restaurants, hotels or attractions on these pages. 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.
OTHER STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Hawaiian words
and place‑names:
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). Free tours on Wednesdays.
While driving in your rented car, flip through the stations to find Hawaiian music to listen to on the radio. Try FM 93.5, 102.3, or 105.1, and AM 900.
Two munchies to
try on Maui:
When leaving Maui, sit on the left side of the plane, for a possible view of Kaanapali Beach just after takeoff.
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
PLEASE SEND ME A POSTCARD FROM MAUI. Address it to:
Jon
Blum
I would also appreciate it if you could fill out the questionnaire on the last page, and mail it to me. THANKS!
SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES:
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), Star 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 a couple very good restaurants (Hula Grill and 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 lots of pictures, on the Kaanapali Beach page of this Maui website at http://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. Park on Kai Pali Street, just off of Front Street.
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 http://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 sides of Maui. It’s ¾ of a mile long, with not one hotel or condo in sight. It’s south of the Maui Prince (the southernmost hotel at the end of Wailea).
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.
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
Cassette 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 a tape
recording or CD that tells you what to see along the way. You play the tape or
CD in your car while you drive to Hana. You will see twice as many wonderful
sights if you take this guide recording along. 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
The day before you drive to Hana, call the Maui police at 244-6400 (or the Hana Branch at 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 Lahai |
