Maui Honeymoon Help!

aloha! i%26#39;m in the midst of planning our honeymoon to hawaii - last 2 weeks of july 2007 (yay! cant wait!) we are flying from NYC into maui and home out of honolulu. my plan as of now is 5 nights in maui, 5 nights in kauai, and then one night in oahu before our 10:40pm flight home.

my question: which part of maui to stay on? west maui, or kihei or wailea?

we live on long island and are huge beachgoers, so swimmable beaches are key. we want beautiful beaches with all the amazing hawaiian scenery, yet don%26#39;t want to be completely surrounded by people. that being said - we will have the second part of the trip on kauai which i know will be a lot more quiet, low key and relaxing. we definitely want to hit the highlights of maui, while also enjoying the beaches.... so if we want to explore the different parts of the island (road to hana, sunrise on the crater, lahaina, whalers cove, etc), is kihei my best bet, being that its pretty centrally located? realistically how far of a drive is it from kihei up to ';where the action is'; up near kannapali and lahaina?? we don%26#39;t totally mind driving, since we%26#39;ll have the top down and a lot of gorgeous scenery, and we do live in new york and are used to lots of traffic :)

this is the most fun homework i%26#39;ve ever done and i know it will be an amazing trip no matter where we end up, and that everyone has different opinions, but still cant help wanting it to be perfect!!

any help appreciated!!

Maui Honeymoon Help!

Wishing you happiness and a wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii.

South Maui is one long beach, broken up by some lava outcroppings and hotels and condos. You can use pokey costal Kihei Road ( 2 lanes, 25 MPH) or Piilani Hwy. (4 lanes, 40 MPH).

The better lodgings are in Wailea and South Kihei, which is low-rise, low density, and home to four posh hotels. Bargains are available in North Kihei and Maalea.

West Maui is actually the NW lobe of Maui, accessed by a single 2-lane road. You can usually get to Lahaina in West Maui in about 30 minutes from South Maui, but it can take hours if there%26#39;s been an accident. The Lahaina/Kaanapali area is where the ';buzz'; is on Maui. (Not that it is anything like nightlife in any big city; it isn%26#39;t.) This area has a lot of high density, high rise buildings.

It%26#39;s just easier to get to the rest of Maui from South Maui.

Maui Honeymoon Help!

Aloha!

I LOVE West Maui.

I would stay at the Sheraton for the BEST beach.

West Maui has many fine restaurants and shops, plus you have some nightlife options. While on Maui, go and see Warren and Annebelle%26#39;s Magic Show and Ulalena...you will enjoy them...they are lots of FUN. I think you will enjoy the Sheraton...great beach, good snorkeling, nice pool, pretty grounds!

Bryan Brown

bbrown9825@aol.com

Kihei caters to a young crowd.... less expensive accommodations, a small town with condos and small beach hotels. Most of the resorts are on the mountain side of the busy Kihei road and you must cross the road to get to the beach..... the farther South you go, the more exclusive resorts have been built along the coast with south Kihei between.

West Maui has Lahaina for shopping, bars, entertainment and residential areas. Just North of Lahaina is Kaanapali, with its oceanfront condos and hotels (no more than 12 floors) and the Whaler%26#39;s Village (shopping and restaurants) midway on the walkway that parallels the ocean and passes all seven resorts and hotels on the beach. Great beach opposite the Sheraton for snorkeling, parasailing, boogie boarding, etc.

It is just a short drive into Lahaina to ';where the action is';.....I would also recommend Ulalena and Warren and Annabelle%26#39;s for an evening out. Warren has a special spot for newlyweds up front... Ulalena is a Broadway style show put on by the Cirque de Soleil folks.

This question is a common one on the Maui forum. People love where they own condos or return every year or so. Both areas have their positives and negatives but remember, Maui has some of the best beaches in the state of Hawaii... both on the South AND West Maui.

If you want it quieter, maybe Wailea is for you, or even Kapalua. If you want to go to a more active area, maybe Kaanapali with Lahaina just a few minutes away.(or a 20- 30 minute jog) Both are great areas to stay in. It really depends on what you want. Just remember to stop each evening and enjoy the sunset!

Congratulations on your honeymoon. Enjoy your planning, I know that the end of July is a great time to be in Maui, that%26#39;s when we go every year!