Perfect Hawaiian Vacation
If you think that you might want to stay on the south side of Maui, for its sunnier and drier climate, sparkling, mostly calm surf, and white sand beaches, your main choices are to stay in either Wailea or Kihei. Kihei is definitely a quick jaunt from the airport which is either a good or a bad thing, depending on how far you plan to get from civilization.
Kihei’s shoreline is dotted with vacation rental condos, beaches, and a hefty sprinkling of restaurants, surf shops and strip malls- all of which account for the traffic that you will encounter Read the rest…
Maui From the Air
Though air tours over other islands, especially Kuaui and the Big Island, shouldn’t be missed (flying over an active volcano is just so cool), flights over Maui are more expensive and may not be as big of a priority. If you can get around the island by car, consider skipping the pricey tours. If you’ve got your heart set on one of them, though, you’ll still have a great time.
A couple of companies run four similar tours over Maui. The best views are probably over West Maui and the Molokai sea cliffs. You’ll get to see the incredibly lush Read the rest…
Sunset on top of Haleakala is one of the most popular activities for tourists who come to Maui
Upcountry Maui has some gorgeous sights, but maybe you don’t want to sit inside of a car and watch as they go by outside your window. There’s too much to see to hike it all, and who has the time for that on an island with so many other things to do?
Bicycle tours outside Haleakala National Park take you from 6,500 to 2,000 feet in the span of a few hours. But tours aren’t run like they used to be—the park no longer allows bicycle tours to start in the park, but must begin at the park’s entrance at Read the rest…
Upcountry Maui, which encompasses the towns of Pukalani, Kula, and Makawao, is a bucolic wonder. Ever daydream of rolling green pastures encircled by cloud garland and dotted with cattle, sheep, horses and wildflowers? Imagine a place where grapes are grown for wine, and exotic flowers of paradise such as orchids and protea fragrantly bloom and are harvested.
Upcountry Maui
Norman Rockwell might have wept at the sight of upcountry Maui’s pristine, lush pastoral beauty against the backdrop of the distant Pacific Ocean. If you are coming to Maui, it goes without saying that you will want to visit upcountry. But would you Read the rest…
Scenic Lāhainā oceanfront
Lahaina was once Hawaii’s wildest port. In the 1800’s whaling ships brought whalers to the boisterous town, which catered to the appetites of the sea faring men with brothels and booze. The missionaries who lived on Maui at the time were appalled by the hedonism of the whalers, and by the willingness of the native Hawaiian women to entertain them. (It is said that the native Hawaiian women often swam out to meet the boats, and their inhabitant sailors, when they arrived in Lahaina’s port.
This whaling/missionary era has been preserved through the efforts of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation whose Read the rest…