Best Place to Stay on Maui Island

Hi,

Myself and my girlfriend are coming to Maui for 6 nights in early December this year..

What I am wanting to know is what area of the island is best to stay at and which hotels are reccommended...we are looking for a quiet area with a nice beach, shops etc. I was told Kaanapali was a nice area to stay but a bit busy and commercialised..are there any hidden treasures on the island that have great weather at that time of year...looking for some local knowledge??

Best Place to Stay on Maui Island

Wailea/Makena in South Maui is quieter and beautiful. Sunniest and driest of the resort areas; near Big Beach and good snorkeling all along the shore in Wailea and at the Maui Prince in Makena.

There are resorts and condos.

Best Place to Stay on Maui Island

I agree with Honu...for what you are after, Wailea would be my 1st choice and Kapalua (up by The Ritz) my 2nd choice. Outside of Kihei, Kaanapalli is the most commercialized but pretty tasteful overall. Kihei on the other hand is just a complete mass of condos and visually, it%26#39;s a mess IMO. It doesn%26#39;t seem any thought went into the planning of that area.

Another vote for Wailea and to get futher away even, stay at the Maui Prince....very low key, I think.

We love Kaanapali and don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s all that commercialized. We liked the green and flowers in the area. Wailea seemed more deserty to us and drier. For early December though, Wailea may have an edge. I would at least drive to WEst Maui so that you know how they compare for next time. There will be a next time!

I don%26#39;t know your ages but will tell you where we stayed last October. You can view pictures at stayonmaui.com. It is on the 12th floor of a very nice oceanfront condo unit that is close to the Kaanapali beach area. It has nice sand beach in front, but for swimming you need to walk to the north a bit. We watched kite surfing every night and in December you will most likely see whales swimming along. It is a busier area of the island, but when you walk into your ';home'; on the island, you will feel totally secluded. It is not a hotel room and we did not have maid service (I prefer that) but it gives back in spades with a kitchen, living room, separate bedroom and 2 bathrooms. The views looking our from the lanai are everything I would expect to pay 500 or more at a hotel. But I am in my 50%26#39;s so it was everything I was looking for. Just wanted to give you another option.

Do you want a hotel or a condo? Maui has something for just about everyone.

West Maui: The Kaanapali area was an early tourist development and reflects that era: high-rise, high-density. If you like to be around people, cruise the bars of Lahaina, shop in malls -- you%26#39;ll prefer Kaanapali. The beach looks great, but the area where there is good swimming and snorkeling only a small portion. Lahaina is a former whaling port that has morphed into a Front Street of bars and restaurants and ';shoppes'; -- much visited and open until the wee hours. Farther north is less expensive Kahana (condos), then Napili and (back to expensive) Kapalua. West Maui is really the NW lobe of Maui and gets more rain and wind in the winter/early spring -- usually not enough to be a problem, but there you are. West Maui is accessed via a single two-lane highway -- fine most of the time, but slow in rush hours.

South Maui: Maalea and North Kihei are the less expensive areas here. You can be oceanfront, but the beaches are not good for swimming/snorkeling. (Sugar Beach is OK.) South Kihei has three very good beaches -- Kamaole I, II, III. Wailea and points south are all very good beaches. Kihei has bars and restaurants. Wailea%26#39;s draw is Shops of Wailea (bars, restaurants, shops). This is a quieter area than Kaanapali/Lahaina and home to four 4-star resort hotels (and some nice condos). South Maui is accessed by either coastal two-lane Kihie Road or the upper Piilani Hwy. (four-lanes). As with all the Hawaiian islands, the southern parts get less rain and wind -- usually!

Maui isn%26#39;t all that large. You can cross the valley in 30 minutes and get from Wailea to Lahaina in an hour. Each area has its appeal; it%26#39;s a matter of taste. Between these two main tourist areas, I think Maui offers the best choice of lodgings in Hawaii.

Sheraton on Kanapali beach. Loved it. They upgraded our room from garden queen to ocean king for no charge. Atmosphere was unreal. Got a great price through a third party site and they still were happy to upgrade us.

Service was impeccable and would return again in a heartbeat. Didn%26#39;t feel it was too commercial. In fact, didn%26#39;t even know there was a small mall nearby until we walked off the property and down the beach.

The mall was a nice amenity b/c it allowed us to buy cheap breakfast foods since we were on a budget. Hope that helped.

The Sheraton was wonderful for us too. Since it is at the end of the beach, fewer people walk through the grounds than at some of the other resorts, but it has the best beach and is a good place to snorkle for free so the beach attracts people.