Where to stay in Maui

July 9, 2005 5:43 AM

So it looks like it's going to be Maui, for about 10 days in early January. woot! Advice on lodging would be spectaculariffic. We'd like to split our time roughly evenly between the beaches and the mountains, with the goal of avoiding children and tourist traps.

Thanks to this thread and some other outside advice, we're going to get "Maui Revealed," but other insider tips would be much appreciated. Bonus for figuring out how we don't spend a whole hell of a lot of money in Hawaii in January.

posted by Saucy Intruder to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

I rented a condo here when I went. Excellent place - just over the road from the beach in Kihei.
posted by kenchie at 8:31 AM on July 9, 2005

I don't know specific hotels by name, cuz I was lucky enough to stay with a friend, but I'd second Kenchie's mention of Kihei. It's a pretty laid back and non-touristy area - all the big towering ritzy touristy resort hotels are either on the west side of the island around Kaanapali or farther south in Makena.
posted by dnash at 11:40 AM on July 9, 2005

We stayed for 7 weeks on a farm in Kula, which is an upcountry area kinda-near Makawao. Makawao, and the interior in general, are much cooler (temperature wise) than the beaches. The pace is more laid back and there are lots of cool restuarants, shops, and bars that cater to locals. Here's my fiancee's blog entries (scroll down for a bunch of adventures and fun trips).

Paia is a very very hippie-cool town. It's very close to Kahului, the big town with the airport and the Walmart (everything is VERY expensive in Hawaii, so stocking up on snacks and drinks can be a good idea).

Another great spot is Lahaina. It's the oldest white-man town on the Island (a whaling village from 1835). It's got a cute downtown and you can stay either in town or north in the ritzy areas.

The guidebook of choice for Maui is Maui Revealed. It's one of the best guidebooks I've read about anywhere and it's chock full of useful advice for adventures, low key stuff, which beaches to go to for which activites, and a ton of reviews of condos and hotels.

Aloha!
posted by zpousman at 12:21 PM on July 9, 2005

I 2nd or 3rd the Maui Revealed. We used their books for Kauai and the Big Island and they never let us down. I'm sure Maui Revealed is just as good.
posted by mmascolino at 12:44 PM on July 9, 2005

My wife and I stayed at the Huelo Point Flower Farm for a week last year. Don't let the crappy website turn you off. It was a great place to stay and we easily trekked out to beaches, the mountain, and the various waterfalls along the Hana Highway. We spent a great deal of time on the other side of Maui, too, and it wasn't too bad getting around.

The grounds are covered with organic fruit trees and guests are encouraged to pick whatever they want to eat. It's a small enough place that you have some privacy. Plus, all but one of the huts has a private jacuzzi and an ocean view.
posted by mds35 at 1:03 PM on July 9, 2005

Heulo Point is not the cheapest place to stay, but it's very reasonable compared to the resorts and plus you'll have your own kitchen and grill so you can save $$ by doing your own cooking. Plus you can help yourself to all the bananas, coconuts, limes, orange, mangoes, guava, star fruit, peaches, avocado, bread fruits, and other fruits you can eat while you're there.
posted by mds35 at 1:11 PM on July 9, 2005

This isn't a big secret, but going to the top of Haleakela was one of my most memorable experiences. We went for sunset and it was magical, it did get very cold after the sun went down though, so bring a jacket/sweater.
posted by jonah at 7:41 PM on July 9, 2005

We stayed at the cheapest place we could find, but one day we went to eat at the Four Seasons and spent the evening there just walking around through the gardens and seeing the fountains and everything. After that we realized that the fancy hotels have open grounds and they're nice places to spend your evenings if you're not doing anything. We only went back to our hotel to sleep.
posted by chickenmagazine at 7:50 PM on July 9, 2005

We stayed at the Aston Maui Lu Resort 4 nights and the Aston at the Maui Banyan one night in Kihei. We got really good rates on both hotels using the entertainment.com book. We really liked the Maui Lu, however, we made the mistake of parking our rental car in the south overflow parking lot where it was broken into. Thankfully, we had taken everything out of the car and nothing was stolen.

Note: apparently, break-ins on rental cars are really high. On Oahu, we watched two guys break into a car in broad daylight at a scenic location where the owners were 400 m away. Don't leave valuables in your car and, if you have to, drive to another parking lot, hide your valuables and then drive back to the lot where you'll park your car. Don't be an easy target for thief sitting in their cars watching you hide your stuff and walk away.
posted by KathyK at 6:55 AM on July 11, 2005