We spent 14 days on the beautiful island of Maui. The first week we stayed in the south portion of the island, and the second week we stayed in the north. So what part of the island is better, the north or the south? Well, it depends. 

The south has better weather, and more affordable accommodations in Kehei. The north is more scenic, has better snorkeling, and a better selection of restaurants.

During our first week in Maui, we had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Champions condominiums in the resort community of Wailea. We rented our unit directly from the owner. (The hyperlink above links to her website)

The Grand Champions are not on the water, but they are very nice 2 bedroom condominiums that are affordably priced. (Especially for Wailea) We recommend Grand Champions if you want to stay in Wailea for a reasonable rate. 

Our unit did not sit directly on the golf course, but we did have a limited distant ocean view from our balcony.

The unit was nicely decorated and fully stocked. This was not your typical rental. It felt like you have the opportunity of staying in someone's home. 

The unit had a master bedroom with a walk in closet and walk in shower. The second room was much smaller with 2 double beds and a bath/shower combo. But each room had its own bathroom.

The kitchen was fully stocked. A huge assortment of spices, dishes, cooking supplies, etc. The only request was that you replace what you use. 

Hale Mahina Resort

Honokowai, Maui

During our second week we stayed in the northern part of the island at the Hale Mahina Resort in Honokowai. We rented the 3 bedroom penthouse and it was magnificent. 

Hale Mahina is in the town of Honokowai, which is just north of Kaanapali. The penthouse was on the top floor and directly on the ocean. It was a pretty amazing place.

The penthouse has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The upstairs bedroom has a sheltered loft, walk in closet, and a walk in shower. The picture to the right shows the view from the master bedroom on the ground floor. The master bedroom also has a large bathroom with a walk-in shower.

The unit also had a nice large balcony. There were two chaise lounge chairs and a full set of patio furniture. The balcony was a great spot to watch the whales frolic in the sea. 

The third bedroom was downstairs toward the back of the unit. It was rather small, but it did have a nice view of the ocean. Hale Mahina sits on a small beach. But the property has a lot of nicely maintained grass which makes for a great place to lay in the sun....

We recommend the Hale Mahina Penthouse. The only negative to staying in Honokowai was that it seemed to be windier than other parts of the island. 

But the ocean front property makes for a relaxing place to stay on vacation.

Kimos

One of our favorite places on Maui is Kimo's in Lahaina. The fish wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but the location and service is still excellent. 

Make sure you end the evening with the "Hula Pie". Save room because it is huge!

Nothing better than having a few drinks and some Hula Pie with friends at Kimos!

Bubba Gumps

We had lunch a few times at Bubba Gumps in Lahaina. The location is great, the prices are reasonable, and the food is OK. This is a nice casual restaurant on the beach. 

The restaurant seems "very touristy", but we still like it.  If you like real Margaritas, then try their "Medal of Honor Margarita". It was muy bueno!

Sea Watch Restaurant

One day after golf we ate at the Sea Watch. The Sea Watch is a nice little place that is located at the Wailea golf courses. The food was good and the view was awesome. This is a great place to grab lunch!

Sea House

The day we spent at Kapalua beach, we grabbed lunch at the Sea House restaurant at Napili bay. This is a nice little casual restaurant that is located directly on Napili bay. 

The picture to the left shows a Mai Tai and a Lava Flow.  (It must be 5 o'clock somewhere?)

Milagros

One day we visited Paia and had lunch at Milagros. The food was very good and the prices were also very reasonable. The service was bad. In fact, most of the people in town were walking around in a daze. :>)

Milagros is located on a main corner so if you get an outside table, it is a great place to "people watch".

If you get a craving for cinnamon rolls, then head on over to the Cinnamon Roll Fair in south Kehei. The rolls were awesome. 

This place is located at the Kama'ole Shopping Center.

One night we had dinner at the South Shore Tiki Bar. This was a nice little find. They make homemade sausages. The pizza was muy excellente! It is a little hard to find though. It is tucked away behind the little swap meet in Kehei.

We also had lunch at the Blue Marlin at the Maalea harbor. We had nachos and calamari and a few drinks. The food is always pretty good here and we really like the atmosphere.

While we stayed up north, we had a take out dinner at China Boat in Kahana. It was your standard Chinese food fair.

We also bought take-out at the Honokowai Okazuya Deli. This is a little hole in the wall place that has some pretty good plate lunches. The food was pretty good and the prices were very reasonable.

Because this was a two week trip, we spent a lot of our evenings making our meals in the condos.  The picture to the left shows a true Hawaiian breakfast made by Carroll and Ken. It included some Eggs, Potatoes, Spam and Pineapple. 

If you would like the luxury of a true Hawaiian breakfast, I'm sure Carroll and Ken will provide the service, as long as you provide airfare, and room and board. :>)

We went on two whale watching cruises during our Maui vacation. Both cruises were on the Pacific Whale Foundation boats. PWF did a great job. The cruises were not expensive, the boats were nice, and you definitely get to see whales! Do you have to take a cruise to see whales on Maui? Absolutely not. 

But these tours are a great way to get a much closer view of the humpbacks.

Our first whale watching cruise was a early morning cruise out of Lahaina. The water was nice and calm and the scenery was beautiful. The whales were not very active, but it still turned out to be an enjoyable morning.

Our friends Jon and Jan having a ball on the cruise. Carroll and I also loved the peaceful morning cruise.

We also took the "sunset whale watch" cruise. This was a little more expensive but it included two drink tickets and some pupus. 

The water was much rougher than the morning cruise, but the whales were much more active. We saw much more whale activity on the sunset cruise. It was also nice being on the water to watch the Maui sunset. We recommend the Pacific Whale Foundation tours!

Pacific Whale Foundation Web Site'

The Feast at Lele is an upscale dining and entertainment experience! This is not a typical luau. If you want to see a true luau, then we recommend the Old Lahaina Luau. 

But if you want to have a wonderful dinner on the beach, with wonderful service, and some nice entertainment, then the Feast at Lele fits the bill.

The first course was Hawaiian. It included Kalua Pork, Fern Shoots salad, and Seared Island Fish. The Kalua Pork was awesome!

After each course, there was entertainment from the corresponding island. The performances had the beautiful sunset as the back ground.

The next course was from New Zealand. It included Sea Bean Duck Salad, Kuku Patties, and roasted mushrooms with potatoes. 

All of the food was nicely prepared and tasted great.

The third course was from Tahiti. It included steamed chicken in taro leaves, marinated fish, and scallops on the shell. It was very romantic to be served continental food while watching the entertainment from each of the islands.

The fourth course was from Samoa. It included grilled steak, fresh shrimp with avocado, and breadfruit cooked with coconut cream. 

The Feast at Lele is truly a "feast". The food is very good and the entertainment was equally as impressive. This is an event where you are pampered. The waiters were very good. 

No need to stand in any buffet lines, each group had their own table, and the dinner felt very intimate because they only have room for about a hundred people.

This is an expensive evening, at around $100 a person, but we think it was well worth it. The evening included dinner, entertainment, and drinks. (Our favorite drink was the "lava flow".)

Makena North Course

During the first week I played the Makena North golf course. Because we stayed at the Grand Champions at Wailea, the green fee was only $135. (Yikes!) I rented clubs at the course. 

Originally I was going to rent from a golf shop I saw online called "The Maui Golf Shop", but what a joke. The clubs looked 10 years old! I think I could do better by going to garage sales!  I do not recommend renting from this shop.

The "upper holes" were truly spectacular. It was hard to concentrate on the game because the views were so beautiful.

The Wailea courses looked much more "manicured". I would describe this course as "natural beauty". 

Dunes at Maui Lani

The second course we played was the Dunes at Maui Lani. This course wasn't as expensive, it was only $110. The course was not nearly as scenic as Makena North, but I thought it was actually fun to play. Not many ocean views, but the course was very challenging. This is a links style course.

If you play the Dunes, play early in the morning. The 18th hole is a real challenge in the wind. The wind blows every straight shot, right into a huge lake. But overall this is a great course. If you rent clubs, you'll be treated to some nice Calloway clubs!

Big Beach

Maui's beaches are both beautiful and varied. One of our favorite beaches is "Big Beach". The official name is Oneloa, but is is also referred to as Makena. This is a large somewhat isolated beach which is south of Wailea. The shore break is very rough so it isn't the best swimming beach, but it is one of the most scenic beaches on the island.

Little Beach

Around the "point" from Big Beach is Little Beach. Little Beach is frequented by nude sunbathers and snorkelers. We were planning on snorkeling the beach but the surf looked too rough.

Po'olenalena Beach

Po'olenalena Beach is a nice little hidden beach that not many people know about. To find the beach, make the first right, toward the beach, after the turn to the Wailea Golf Club. Then walk around the point to the right. This is a beach that is great for sunsets.

Palauea Beach

We spent a full day on Palauea Beach. This is an easy beach to find, and it seems that it is pretty well unknown. Follow the signs to the Kea Lani. Then turn left and you'll see the beach through the trees. It is also known as White Rock. Very nice beach with lots of shade.

Keawakapu Beach

Another nice beach that is close to Kehei is Keawakapu Beach. This beach is lined by condos, and it was fairly busy, but it was also a very nice looking beach. In the morning there is plenty of shade.

Kapalua Bay

Probably our favorite beach on the island is Kapalua Bay. Kapalua has it all. Great beach, great snorkeling, and protected from the wind. The beach parking lot only holds about 20 cars and it fills up early. You'll have to get to the beach by around 9:00 AM to be assured a parking spot. Plan to spend the day at this beauty.

Napili Bay

The next bay over from Kapalua is Napili Bay. Napili doesn't have the snorkeling that Kapalua has, but it is just as pretty and less crowded. You'll have to park in the same Kapalua parking lot to visit this one. Go left from the parking lot, through the hotel and you'll see the beach!

One of the highlights of the trip was attending a Keali'i Reichel concert. What a treat. Each year, around Valentine's Day, Keali'i gives a local concert. The show was fabulous. 

The concert was full of authentic Hawaiian entertainment. If you get a chance, you should try and catch his performance.

We found out about the concert via the web. Here is a link to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Iao Needle

The Iao Needle is always a nice place to visit. It is an easy walk from the parking lot, so if you want to see some scenic beauty without driving to Hana, then we suggest a trip to the Iao Needle. Plan on spending a little time here..

Maui Swap Meet

Another staple for "things to do" in Maui is the Maui Swap Meet. The Swap Meet is on Saturday mornings from 7:00 AM to Noon. The entrance fee is only $.50 a person. This is a great place to pick up some veggies, flowers, and other goodies.

Oh yeah, you can also relax in a lounge chair and watch the beautiful Maui sunsets.......