Maui Review

Two weeks ago, I spent four beautiful days in Maui with my boyfriend, his brothers, his brother's girlfriend, and cousin. I have visited Maui at least a half dozen times, however this visit was the most productive and enriching of them all. We stayed at the Maui Sunset in Kihei, a well known tourist town facing the south shore. I've stayed in Kahului, Ka'anapali, and Kihei, and would recommend to a first time visitor to stay on the Ka'anapali western shore simply for its jaw-dropping beachfront views.

Kahului is the main city, where the airport is situated, and the crossroads between most other major cities and sites. We spent our first day grabbing a bite to eat in Wailuku (about 10 minutes west of Kahului) at a small breakfast joint called Tasty Crust, known for their fried rice and pancakes. We returned back to Kahului to do shopping at the most popular shopping center in Maui, the Queen Ka'ahumanu Shopping Center. They have stores like Oakley, Wet Seal, Macy's, and Sears, as well as small kiosks of t-shirts, soaps, and gift items. We also took a pitstop to the Tropix store on Dairy Road in Kahului, best known for their authentic line of Maui Built products. Maui Built is a line of clothes, decals, and accessories that the locals sport left and right. You cannot walk a mile in Maui without seeing one person with a Maui Built shirt or Maui Built bumper sticker on their car, I assure you. Once we stocked up on local merchandise, we returned back to the apartment for a quick recharge. That evening, we absorbed the night life in Kihei at the Tiki Lounge, a bar/club just a few blocks from the apartment and called it a night at 2am.

The next day, we visited 'Iao Valley State Park in Wailuku, known for its 'Iao Needle and a former battleground for the Hawaiians. The Nature Center just a mile down the road from the State Park has beautiful Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese gardens on display. Waterfalls secretly await you in this valley offering you a moment of peace and catharsis. We hit the road to the wonderful city of Lahaina, Maui's second tourist town located west of Kahului/Wailuku and took a stroll down Front Street, a stretch of road that contains jewelry shops, art, water adventures, and restaurants. For dinner, we ate at the Aloha Mixed Plate Restaurant and gobbled up some 'local kine grinds'--Lau Lau, Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon, Haupia, and Chicken Long Rice. Winnahs! On a sidenote: If you visit Lahaina during the winter season, you just might want to treat yourself to whale watching. The Humpback whales migrate here with their calves annually for the warmer climate and feeding grounds, however we did not do it this trip because we had seen them years before.

Day Three- Maui Ocean Center is rated one of the best aquariums in the world, well known for its eye-popping sharks and rays exhibit and water tunnel. It is located in the town of Ma'alaea, the only road connecting the southern Kihei coast to the western Lahaina coast. We toured the Ka'anapali coast, took a dive in the crystal blue ocean, ran on the white sandy beach, and soaked in the pure island sun. Whaler's Village, a shopping area in Ka'anapali, had a few nice stores like David and Goliath, Tiffany, and Sunglass Hut. Back in Lahaina, we decided to purchase tickets to see the performance 'Ulalena, a wonderfully crafted, theatrical performance depicting the Polynesian history and culture. I would highly recommend this show to anyone fascinated with similar artistic styles like Cirque du Soleil or The Lion King. We had treated ourselves to the VIP Producer's package--choice seats, free drinks, and a post-show, intimate moment to take pictures with the cast and "talk story", as we locals say for having good conversations. This was the highlight of the trip, and I would definitely see this show again when I return to Maui.

Day Four- We woke up at 3 am to take a 30 mile drive up Haleakala (meaning "House of the Sun"), a dormant volcano known for its one-in-a-million sunrise view, endangered species of Nene geese, and the rare Silversword plant. Although it was a cool and comfortable 74 degrees in Kihei, expect to freeze your booties up Haleakala as it dropped to a bone chilling 37 degrees at the summit. I was not prepared at all--with flip flops on my feet and no face/hand protection, I was a walking icicle! The view was gorgeous of course, but be sure to wear warm clothes with shoes! Taking the ride down the volcano, we stopped by at the Tedeschi winery in 'Ulupalakua to sip on free tastings of Pineapple-infused wines. Their limited label, the Plantation Red, had only 500 cartons put into production and is a blend of syrah and cabernet sauvignon. Across the street was Ulupalakua Ranch Store where I tried my first elk burger, the only elk burger in Hawaii! DELICIOUS! Just a few miles north was the small town of Kula. Hidden jewels of lavender fields are tucked away at the Ali'i Kula Lavender farm, and what a treat it was to see cows roaming freely and the subtle smells of lavender enveloping the senses. This was a nice way to end the vacation and ride back home feeling relaxed and purified.

We did a lot in the four days here, but don't feel pressured to do everything. Take some time to relax, sip a Lava Flow on the beach, walk down Lahaina without a care in the world, and you too will see why Maui truly is No Ka Oi...