Seeking advice from Maui veterans. My wife and I are going back to Maui in May - from Boston. This will be our fourth trip to Maui, and we%26#39;ve always stayed at Kapalua or nearby. Should we break with tradition and stay in Wailea or Kihei? Are the beaches as good? Is the snorkeling better anywhere on south coast than it is at, say, Honolua Bay? Is the golf better or cheaper? Thanks for any help! Robboston.
Where to stay in Maui - west or south?
I%26#39;d give Wailea a try, if only for a change. Sometimes %26#39;tried and true%26#39; gets %26#39;tired and blue%26#39;. LOL
Then YOU will become a Maui %26#39;veteran%26#39;, at least of the west side of Maui.
The good beaches begin at the Kamaole area of South Kihei and go through Wailea and Makena. These are good swimming and snorkeling beaches.
Golf isn%26#39;t cheap anywhere on Maui! South is usually less windy than north, though. It is also easier to get around Maui from the South, with its choice of pokey Kihei Road or Piilani Hwy.
Do you want a hotel (Wailea has four top resort hotels) or a condo (beachfront or oceanview)?
Where to stay in Maui - west or south?
I agree, we stayed west for quite a few years and then decided to try Wailea which we loved! The weather is fabulous. We stay in Kihei now and really enjoy the beaches and the sunshine!
There is excellent snorkeling in South Maui and I actually like the beaches better. The Kam beaches in South Kihei are excellent and Wailea is a string of great beach after great beach all linked by a walking path. Wailea is more expensive than Kihei and is a more scenic area as far as resort grounds go. Also more upscale shopping and dining. Kihei is sort of a campy beach town but we love it. We stay at Hale Pau Hana on Kamaole II beach.
Gold is about the same at the Wailea courses depending on which one you pick. My husband has golfed at Kapalua as well and likes them equally.
I would choose Wailea over Kihei.
We have been loving the west side for the last 9 years or so but will be trying out the south end this year. Where West Maui has a couple of great beaches for snorkeling, South Maui has almost a dozen. You%26#39;ll be able to snorkel a different beach every morning. Yes, try something new.
Many thanks for sharing your wisdom. I think we%26#39;ll give Wailea a try. My wife and I much prefer a high-end condo with a view over a $700-a-night hotel room. Any condo suggestions also welcome.
Robboston
we stayed at Elua Village and then Ekahi Village for a few years and liked it very much. The problem was the units are not close to the beach as the properties are very large. While we had a view it was not as close as we liked. Now we stay at Hale Pau Hana in South Kihei, there are lovely units there and everyone is smack on the ocean.
If you are dead set on Wailea try mauiownercondos.com for rentals by owner. There are some beautiful units and you can view the interiors.
If you are looking to stay in a very high end condo on Wailea Beach - give Wailea Beach Villas a try. You might also like Ho%26#39;olei at the Grand Wailea. WBV has been open about 1.5 years and Ho%26#39;olei is just starting to book condos. We have stayed a few times at WBV and love the units, location, amenities, etc. WBV shares the same beach as the Grand Wailea Resort and the 4 Seasons. Ho%26#39;olei is across the street from the GWR but if you book through the GWR you have full use of their facilities.
Also see: Polo Beach Club and Makena Surf. Except for Wailea Beach Villas none of the oceanfront resorts in Wailea are %26#39;new%26#39;, so it%26#39;s important to book a specific unit that has been refurbished.
Hale Pau Hana is beachfront and nice in South Kihei, as are Kihei Surfside and Mana Kai Maui. Across from the beach in Wailea are The Palms and Grand Champions. There are several condos across Kihei Road from the Kamaole beach parks. Some are: Kamaole Sands, Hale Kamaole, Maui Kamaole and Maui Hill.
To all:
This is great help! Thanks. This is my first experience with an online travel forum, and what great results.
I%26#39;m going to look at those condo complexes you all recommended. One other question, if I haven%26#39;t worn out my welcome: The Maui Prince Hotel has oceanfront rooms at $247-$273 a night, and hotel guests there can play there two golf courses for $115 a round. Those are rates well below Wailea hotels with golf. Is this deal too good to be true? Is Maui Prince and/or its golf courses inferior?
Thanx!
Bostonrob
Hi, I dont know abotu gold someone else can answer that. I am linking you a site -MauiHawaii.org. It talks about the different parts of he island. The Maui Prince has 2 of the best restaurants on Maui. Hakone is sushi and the chef is from Japan the real deal. They also have a brunch that is very popular but expensive. The Maui Prince is near Big beach,
Here is the site._______________________________
Which Part of Maui to Stay On
West Side Versus South Side
There are two major areas of Maui for you to pick from � West and South. And each of those two sides has two sections, one with mostly luxury hotels and the other with mostly less expensive condos.
I prefer the west (Kaanapali) side because it is more beautiful (lush green mountains), and is very close to Lahaina (fun historic tourist town with shopping, restaurants and boat harbor). In addition, the condo section of the west side (Kahana and Napili) has much less traffic than the condo section of the south side (Kihei), and most west side condos are right on the ocean while most south side condos are across the street from the ocean. However, the south side has the advantage of slightly less rain in the winter. And Wailea (the luxury area of the south side) is a quieter area than Kaanapali. A disadvantage of the west side is that it is only connected to the central part of Maui by a single main highway, which sometimes has very heavy traffic and occasionally is blocked by an accident.
The west side of Maui includes Kaanapali, Honokowai, Kahana, Napili, Kapalua and Lahaina.
Kaanapali Beach is my favorite area of Maui to stay on. This is the luxury part of the west side of Maui. There are several large hotels with elaborate pools, grounds and lobbies, plus a couple large luxury condos. All of these hotels and condos in Kaanapali are within walking distance of each other, and of restaurants, all beach activities, snorkeling, and the Whalers Village shopping center.
Honokowai, Kahana, and Napili are just north of Kaanapali Beach. They contain numerous large and small condo complexes that are less expensive than staying right on Kaanapali Beach, but they are not within walking distance of the big resort hotels and shopping and restaurants, and some of them do not have air conditioning or daily maid service. Most of these condo buildings are right on the beach.
Kapalua is at the far north end of West Maui. It has a few luxury condos and one hotel. But Kapalua gets more rain and wind than any other part of West or South Maui, so I would not recommend this area.
Lahaina is a small tourist town with lots of shops, restaurants, and history. If you stay in town, you will feel like you are spending your Maui vacation in the city, not on a beach in a resort area. So Lahaina is a great place to visit, but I wouldn�t want to live there. But don�t be confused by the mailing address of a hotel or condo. All of the hotels and condos on the west side of Maui have Lahaina mailing addresses, but almost none of them are in Lahaina. That�s just the closest post office. Traffic through Lahaina is often very congested, especially at rush hour.
The south side of Maui includes Wailea and Kihei.
Wailea has luxury hotels and condos. They are spread out a little more than the luxury hotels and condos on Kaanapali Beach, so some people like the slightly quieter atmosphere, but others don�t like the fact that you can�t easily walk to all the big hotels and restaurants and shopping center like you can in Kaanapali.
Kihei is north of Wailea. It has numerous large and small condo complexes that are less expensive than staying in Wailea. Many of these do not have air conditioning or daily maid service. And most Kihei condos (unlike most west side condos) are across the street from the beach, rather than right on the beach. Kihei tends to be congested with heavy traffic. Kihei does have many family restaurants.
Other parts of Maui:
Haiku, Kula and Upcountry are other parts of Maui you could stay in. They don�t have major hotels or condos, but they do have some B%26amp;B�s and other smaller places to stay. They are a long drive from the tourist areas that contain most beaches, restaurants and shopping.
Kahului is Maui�s big city and is the location of the airport where you will arrive on Maui. Kahului does have a couple small old hotels, but they are mostly for business travelers and are not well suited for vacationers who want to be on the beach in a resort atmosphere.
Now that you have decided whether to stay in a hotel or a condo, and have picked which part of Maui you�d like to stay on, you are ready to move on to these next two steps:
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