Maui
Your best resource for
everything Maui:
www.visitmaui.com
Some fun things to do on Maui:
Golf
Maui
is golf heaven, with 16 courses scattered around the island.
The Dunes at Maui Lani,
Kahaului, (808) 873-0422.
Elleair Golf Course,
Kihei off Piilan Highway, (808) 874-0777.
Kaanpali North Course,
north of Lahaina, (808) 661-3691.
Kapalua Bay Course,
north of Kaanapali, (808) 669-8044.
Kapalua Plantation
Course, (808) 669-8044.
Kapalua Village Course,
(808) 669-8044.
Makena Resort North
Course, South of Wailea, (808)
879-3344.
Makena Resort South
Course, South of Wailea, (808)
879-3344.
Pukalani Golf Course,
upcountry, (808) 572-1314.
Sandalwood Golf Course,
Hanoapiilani, Wailuku, (808) 242-4653.
In Wailea (www.waileagolf.com):
Wailea Blue Golf Course (808) 875-7450; Wailea
Emerald Course (808) 875-7450; Wailea Gold Course
(808) 875-7450.
In South Maui
Enjoy
a “Hawaiian Canoe Experience” — for free — at the
Fairmont Kea Lani Maui. Taught by
Kimokeo Kapahulehua, a respected Maui community and cultural
leader, this 45-minute program teaches you the basics of
paddling, as well as the history of the outrigger canoe and its
importance to Hawaiian heritage. The only complimentary program
of its kind on Maui, it is open to hotel guests and the general
public. Weekday mornings. Reservations required at the hotel’s
Concierge Desk at 808-875-4100, extension 290. In Wailea. (808)
669-8044.
www.fairmont.com
Experience the excitement
of an oceanfront Lu’au at the
Wailea Marriott, considered the best and most authentic
lu’au in Wailea. Features a lavish buffet of traditional
Polynesian cuisine — your chance to taste poi (taro), lomi
salmon, haupia (coconut jello) and pork baked all day in an imu
(pit lined with banana leaves — and hula show including world
champion fire knife dancer Ifi So’o. Four nights a week. Wailea Marriott Resort.
http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=39
Aloha
Craft Fair. Maui artisans display and
sell their handcrafts. Every Friday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Lobby
promenade.
Wailea Marriott Resort.
The Shops at Wailea at
www.shopsatwailea.com
A gorgeous, very
upscale shopping mall, featuring such high-end retailers as
Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, Celine, Tiffany, Gucci plus
Hawaiian fashion and lifestyle shops like Tony Bahama’s
Tropical Café and Emporium, Maui Waterwear and Noa Noa. Fine
dining at Ruth’s Cris Steak House, Longhi’s and Cheeseburger,
Mai Tais & Rock-n-Roll. Nine art galleries including:
Elizabeth Doyle Gallery, featuring
spectacular glass installations by Seattle-based Dale Chihuly,
who’s work is on the leading edge of glass sculpture.
www.elizabethdoylegallery.com
Wyland
Galleries, featuring the amazing
bronze whale sculpture and paintings by famed marine-life
artist Wyland.
www.wyland.com
In Central Maui
Swap Meet.
Maui’s biggest flea market. Puuene Ave (across from
McDonald’s). Saturdays, 7 a.m. – noon. Admission $0.50.
(808) 877-3100.
Alexander
& Baldwin Sugar Museum. A fascinating
journey through the history of Maui’s sugar industry and
plantation life. 3957 Hansen Rd., Pu’unene. (808) 871-8058.
www.sugarmuseum.com
Bailey House Museum,
a missionary home and ancient Hawaiian site.
Located at the mouth of the Iao Valley, Wailuku.
(808) 244-3326.
Iao
Valley State Park.
Hike through the lush splendor of one of the wettest places on
earth. Look for the Iao Needle,a stone pillar jutting 1,200 ft.
above the valley floor. Take Highway 320 from Wailuku.
In West Maui
Ma’alea
Maui
Ocean Center. Absolutely marvelous
facility, both educational and inspirational. Largest tropical
reef aquarium in the Western hemisphere. All animals are found
in Hawaiian waters. View sharks, stingrays, sea jellies, moray
eels and thousands of tropical fish. Turtle pool, sting ray
pool, reef pool, touch pool (where you can pet sea cucumbers,
which feel like wet velvet, feel the texture of sea stars,
urchins and other sea creatures) and a 50-ft.-long tunnel
inside a 750,000 gallon pool, where you can look rays and
sharks in the eye, and vice versa! Fantastic humpback whale
exhibit. Open daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Ma’alea Harbor Village.
(808) 270-7000.
www.mauioceancenter.com
Lahaina
Take
a self-guided walking tour of historical Lahaina, once
the royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, with a free copy of
the Maui Historical Walking Guide.
He U’i Cultural Arts
Festival, featuring Hawaiian music, cultural talks, arts and
crafts displays in Banyan Tree Park, Lahaina, first and
third weekends of every month. Look for artist Bryan DeBris
and his original “sfumato” drawings, done by scorching paper
with a candle. See his work on
www.swisscafe.net
Lahaina offers a full
calendar of festivals throughout the year, from an Ocean
Arts Festival to celebrate the annual migration of Pacific
humpback whales Mar. 15-16/03 to the Aloha Festivals
Ho’oleaule’a. showcasing Hawaiian food, music and dance on Oct.
19/03.
www.visitlahaina.com
Upcountry Maui and the Road to Hana
Don’t drive through Keokea
without stopping at the Keokea Gallery, featuring the
artwork of four local artists including the whimsical
dreamscapes of of the Halawa Valley, (www.janetdavis.com)
and the comptemporary impressionist canvases of Rik Fitch
(www.rikfitch.com).
Open 9-5, seven days a week. (808) 878-3555. It’s right
next to Grandma’s Coffee House, a popular spot for fresh
baked goods, breakfast and lunch, and of course, a great
selection of espresso and other coffees. (808) 878-2140
www.grandmascoffee.com
Sample four complimentary
wines at the Tasting Room at
Tedeschi Vineyards, Maui’s only commercial winery, on
the Ulupalakua Ranch, 2,000 ft. above sea level. Try
Maui Splash!, a pineapple wine with passion fruit,
Ulupalakua Red, from Carnelian grapes grown on the
property, or any of the half dozen other wines and champagnes,
and then take home your favorites from the well-stocked store.
Take a complimentary tour of the winery (9:30 a.m. and 2:30
p.m., daily, weather permitting), visit the fascinating History
Room, and/or picnic on the lovely lawn beneath century-old
trees. Open daily. (800) 878-6058
http://www.mauiwine.com/
Visit Haleakala National
Park. The $10 entrance fee covers both the summit of the
dormant volcano and the Seven Sacred Pools in the Rain Forest
at Kipahulu (past Hana).
www.nps.gov/hale
Where to stay on Maui:
Owned
and operated by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, a family-owned
company with a strong commitment to all things Hawaiian, the
Wailea Marriott Resort is “Hawaiian at Heart” with an
award-winning Hawaiian cultural program for adults and
children, plus island-inspired menus and decor. Set on 22
beach-front acres straddled by two beaches. 1-800-292-4532.
http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=39
Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort.
A 345-room gem on 15 beautifully
landscaped, oceanfront acres. 1-800-992-4532.
www.renaissancehotels.com
Grand
Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa
is set on 40 landscaped acres, with spectacular
pools, waterslides, a kids’ pool with sandy bottom and a
20,000-sq.-ft. Camp Grande for kids. Its Spa Grande is
the largest, most luxurious spa in the Hawaiian islands.
1-800-888-6100.
www.grandwailearesort.com
Four
Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.
On 15 oceanfront acres on Wailea Beach, this resort features
exceptional service, luxurious, spacious guest rooms, a new
spa, and complimentary children’s and teens’ program.
1-800-332-3442.
www.fourseasons.com
Diamond
Resort. This tranquil all-suite
resort on 15-acres on the hillside overlooking Wailea is one of
the best-kept secrets on Maui. Frequented primarily by Japanese
tourists, it offers guests the ambience of a Japanese inn,
including deep soaking bathtubs in each of the 72 suites, and a
Japanese-style spa complete with an onsen (mineral bath)
where you can soak and watch the sunset. 1-800-800-0720
www.diamondresort.com
Fairmont Kea Lani Maui.
Mediterranean-style architecture, a play of white arches, domes
and curves, this resort on 22 beautifully landscaped acres on
Polo Beach features 413 one-bedroom suites and 37 private
oceanfront villas, each with gourmet
kitchen, private lanai with plunge pool, washer/dryer
and other amenities. Full-service spa, fitness centre, 3
swimming pools, four restaurants, year-round children’s program
and full wedding coordination. A delightful establishment! In
Wailea. 1-800-441-1414
www.fairmont.com
Silver
Cloud Ranch, a charming12-room
B&B in the Kula uplands, is the perfect spot to unwind.
This 9-acre pastoral property, complete with dozens of roaming
chickens, and other barnyard animals, carved out of the
500-acre former Thompson ranch, whose riding stable at the end
of the driveway will take you out on horseback excursions. The
B&B is just an hour by road to Haleakala Crater.
1-800-532-1111
http://www.maui.net/~slvrcld/
Hotel
Hana-Maui at the Hana Ranch.
Truly heavenly! 66 units, many in semi-detached plantation
style cottages, with large private decks, some with their own
hot tub. Quiet, serene and pastoral: no TVs, radios or clocks
in the units. (Large screen TV and Internet in the Club Room
for common use.) Sixty-seven acre oceanfront property carved
out of the working 4,500-acre Hana Ranch, with wellness center
and spa. Complimentary activities — yoga, aqua-exercise
classes, tennis, snorkeling, 3-hole pitch and put, surfing,
biking, social activities — including a regular shuttle to
nearby salt-and-pepper Hamoa Beach, dubbed “the most beautiful
beach in the Pacific” by author James Michener. Jogging trail
cuts through pasture with grazing cattle. Warm, friendly
service including welcome juice, lei and refreshing cool towel.
An utterly delightful place.
Hana. (808) 248-8211.
http://www.hotelhanamaui.com/
Pioneer Inn.
Built in 1901, and one of the oldest hotels
in Hawaii, this charming 45-room inn captures the ambiance of
Maui’s plantation days. Quiet inner courtyard with pool and
garden. Located in the very center of Lahaina, overlooking
Banyan Tree Park.
1-800-457-5457.
http://www.pioneerinn-maui.com/
Westin
Maui. This 759-room newly
renovated, hotel on beautiful Ka’anapali Beach has five outdoor
pools, two watersides and a swim-through grotto. The lobby
opens onto a waterfall and huge pond with flamingos, exotic
swans, ducks and koi — a popular spot for weddings. Ka’anapali.
1-800-667-2525.
www.westinmaui.com
Ka’anapali
Beach Hotel. Dubbed “Maui’s most
Hawaiian hotel,” this unpretentious friendly resort is an ideal
place for the whole family to spend time together experiencing
and learning about Hawaiian culture. Complimentary activities
include hula lessons, lau printing classes, haku-style lei
making, singing, lectures and more. The hotel’s award-winning
Hawaiian cultural program that educates both staff and guests
in the culture of aloha makes this hotel a very special place
indeed. 1-800-262-8450.
www.kbhmaui.com
The Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono.
Hawaii as it used to be at the multi-award winning, restored
1924 “Queen” of Wailuku residences. 2199 Kaho'okele St.,
Wailuku. 1-800-305-4899 and (808) 244-5897
www.mauiinn.com
Great places to eat on Maui:
Hula Moons Restaurant.
Outstanding breakfast and dinner buffets, with a Wed. night
prime rib and Mahi Mahi buffet and a Fri. night seafood buffet.
Contemporary Hawaiian cuisine featuring fresh local
ingredients, panoramic ocean views and a lavish décor of
Hawaiian woods, original island artwork and period pieces from
the early 1900s. Don’t miss the signature dishes developed by
local executive chef, Romeo Paet: his sugar baked Brie
(served as an appetizer during cocktail hour at the Mele
Mele Lounge) or his three-time award winning guava
chiffon cake.
Wailea Marriott Resort. (808) 874-7800.
The Class Act,
a restaurant run by students at the Maui Culinary Academy.
Gourmet four-course luncheons cooked and served by students,
whom you grade at the end of the meal. A delightful experience
and a steal at $15/per person. Reservations can be made up to
two weeks in advance. Reserve early because places are limited
and much sought after. At Maui Community College, Kahalui.
(808) 984-3280.
Palm Court
at the
Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort. Spectacular breakfast
and dinner buffets. This our favourite dinner buffet in
Wailea. Dinner buffets feature a prime rib station, shrimp,
crab, sashimi, a huge selection of salads, hot dishes, plus a
large mouth-watering variety
of French cakes and pastries, fruit mousses, lots of
fresh fruit and berries, top-quality chocolate and cheeses.
Friday night seafood buffet, plus Pacifc Rim, Asian and
Mediterranean themed buffets on other nights. For informal
dining, try the resort’s delightful poolside Maui Onion,
famous for its Maui onion rings and burgers. For an intimate
and interesting cocktail hour, try the Sunset Terrace’s
martini pool, its signature pour — a martini served in
an etched crystal glass from your personalized shaker or its
signature drink — the Wailea Mai Tai served in an oversized
etched glass goblet, yours to take home ($10).
Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort. (808) 879-4900.
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a
at the
Grand Wailea Resort. Unforgettable ambience in this
open-air, thatch-roofed Polynesian-style restaurant floating on
its own lagoon stocked with over 50 species of tropical fish.
Offers an array of Polynesian/Hawaiian cuisine. Choose your own
spiny lobster from the traps in the lagoon or fish for your
own. We highly recommend: as appetizers, the ahi lemon grass
traps — tempura fried tuna stuffed in lemon grass — and the
coconut prawns; as a main course, the fresh Pacific spiny
lobster — an absolute must! (808) 875-1234 ext. 4900.
The just reopened
Ferraro’s Restaurant by the pool of the Four Season’s
Resort, Maui at Wailea, serves a four-course cucina
rustica — traditional cuisine — from Northern Italy using
only the finest of imported Italian products. Many of the
recipes, including the Tuscan bean and pasta soup, come from
the kitchen of chef Matteo Mistura’s mother in Italy. Pizza
oven. Open for lunch and dinner. (808) 874-8000.
www.fourseasons.com
Taiko.
Japanese and Western cuisine, sushi bar, open
for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Le Gunji: a dinner
restaurant serving a selection of set menus blending French and
Japanese Teppanyaki styles, developed by Gunji, a resort chef.
Both at Diamond Resort, Wailea. (808) 874-0500.
www.diamondresort.com
Sansei Seafood
Restaurant & Sushi Bar, serving
Maui’s most creative sushi and seafood preparations, has won
praise and high rankings in travel and gourmet magazines. In
Kihei (808) 879-0004,
Kapalua - The Shops at Kapalua (808) 669-6286,
and Honolulu (808) 536-6286.
www.sanseihawaii.com
Mañana Garage.
Fabulous neuvo latina food, festive and fantastic
“industrial chic” decore and live Latin entertainment. 33 Lono
Ave. (corner of Ka'ahumanu Ave.), Kahului (808) 873-0220.
Pacific'O.
Fresh fish and extraordinary presentation. Chef James McDonald
was voted “Maui’s Best Chef” in the 1998 Maui News
readers’ poll. 505 Front St., Lahaina. (808) 667-4341
www.pacificomaui.com
I'o.
Lahaina’s hottest dining spot with décor as eye-popping as chef
James McDonald’s presentations. Travel + Leisure
magazine’s “Table of Choice” 2000. 505 Front St., Lahaina.
(808) 661-8422 website -
www.iomaui.com
Moloka’i
For
a truly Hawaiian experience, there's no better island than
Moloka’i, where no building stands taller than a coconut tree,
where there are no traffic lights or shopping malls. Birthplace
of the hula, Moloka’i boasts the world’s highest sea cliffs,
the longest waterfall and arguably some of the friendliest
people. Check it out on
www.molokai-hawaii.com
Fun things to do on Moloka’i:
Visit the Moloka’i
Coffee Plantation, where you can take a complimentary
walking tour of the estate and taste a variety of its locally
grown java, including its famous Muleskinner blend. In
Kualapu’u.
www.molokaicoffee.com
Take
the Moloka’i Mule Ride down the trail to the isolated
beauty of the Kalaupapa Peninsula, site of Father Damien’s
ministry to the leper colony. 1-800-670-6503.
www.muleride.com
From
the golden beach of the Halawa Valley, hike ancient
trails to two silver waterfalls and a blue swimming lagoon.
This lush valley was one of the first valleys on the island to
be inhabited by Polynesian voyagers.
For a complete listing
of activities and tours,
visit
www.molokai-hawaii.com
Where to stay on Moloka’i:
Sheraton Molokai Lodge & Beach Village
Stay at the exquisite
ranch-style country lodge, 1200 ft. above grazing horses and
the ocean, or in a luxurious “tentalow” at the beach. Stay at
one, play at both. This resort is situated on the working,
54,000-acre Molokai Ranch. Features a wide-range of guided
activities, from mountain biking, snorkeling, kayaking and
horseback riding to hiking and cultural activities.
1-877-726-4656.
www.molokai-ranch.com
Hotel
Molokai This Polynesian-style retreat
on Kamiloloa Beach is just 1.5 miles from the quaint town of
Kaunakakai. (808) 553-5347.
www.hotelmolokai.com
For
condo rentals, contact Diane Swenson at Swenson Real
Estate, 1-800-558-3648.
http://island-realestate.com
For
a complete listing of resorts, private cottages,
condominiums, B&Bs, call (808) 800-6367 or visit
www.molokai-hawaii.com
Lana’i
Formerly
a pineapple plantation, this quiet, 141 sq.-mile, privately
owned island has been transformed into an exclusive tourist
destination, with two five-star resorts — Manele Bay Hotel
and the Lodge at Koele — and two championship golf
courses. Movie stars and celebrities come to Lana’i to relax in
comfort and relative isolation.
www.islandoflanai.com
Fun things to do on Lana’i:
Sail
to Lana’i on the Trilogy catamaran from Lahaina Harbor
(Mon.-Fri., 6:15 a.m. – 4 p.m.). Whale watch along the way,
snorkel in Hulopo’e Beach and enjoy an escorted van tour of the
island and the former plantation town of Lana’i City. Breakfast
aboard and delicious BBQ lunch at the new Hale O Manele
Pavilion on Lana’i included. Trilogy Tours.
1-888-MAUI-800.
www.sailtrilogy.com
Golf
one or both of the championship courses: the Experience at
Koele, designed by Greg Norman and architect Ted Robinson, with
a signature hole featuring a 250-ft. drop to a gorge below; and
the Challenge at Manele, designed by Jack Nicklaus, featuring a
signature hole played from a cliff 150 ft. above the surf
requiring a 200-yd. tee shot across the ocean.
