We're planning a honemoon for the end of October and will have 6 days/5 nights on Maui. We can't decide if we want to stay all 5 nights in the same town (probably Kihei or Wailea) or spend the first 3 nights in one of those towns and the last 2 nights in Lahaina or Ka'anapali. We thought that might give us a chance to try a couple different hotels and maybe splurge on one of them for a really 'fancy' place for our last couple of nights. And I thought about trying to Priceline some of it and thought we'd have a better chance trying to get 2 or 3 nights per location instead of all 5. It would also save us from having to drive back and forth so much (not that it's that big of an island). Any thoughts on this?

Congrats chemgirl!

I am an advocate of staying in one place, so you don't have to take time out of your vacation to pack and move. That said, I can understand wanting to get the most our of the experience by staying in two different locals.

IMHO, Lahaina is overrated and touristy. I call it the Cheeseburger in Paradise type atmosphere. I have friends who love it, so it is really based on what you like in a vacation. I like to get away from it all so I stay on the north shore.

Ka-anapali and Wailea are both really lovely if you are looking for luxury resorts and beautiful scenery.

Kihei is great if you want a reasonably priced condo, lots of stores and restaurants in strip mall like configurations (but with palm trees and flowers around them for a tropical vibe) and access to lots of beaches.

One of the pleasures of Maui, for me, is driving around looking at the beautiful scenery everywhere, so I don't mind driving all over the island to explore different beaches. I'm from an area with crazy traffic at all hours, so the driving/traffic in Maui is no biggie to me.

I also highly recommend taking a day to drive around upcountry and do some hiking (if you are into that.) The different eco-systems are cool, and it is nice to have some lower temps and shade.

Another piece of advice: A friend did the two cities thing in Maui and really enjoyed it, but wished she had put the splurge/luxurious place second, because their second (bargain) place was dissapointing after their splurge.

With only 5 nights on Maui I would stay in one place. Although it being your honeymoon I can see why you would like a splurge. At the end of October, I don't think Lahaina will be as crazy as peak season. I personally like it, although there was an early August evening where it was too crazy for me. Then there was a beautiful sunset which made it all better!

Have to say that BlueSwimmer has given pretty good advice. We actually prefer the beaches in South Maui to those in West Maui, but the fact is, both areas are great and it really comes down to a personal preference. I would stay in one place, but you do make a decent arguement for moving between the two, so I say, go for it!

Ken

Good point about doing the splurge last, I could see how that might make the last place a let-down otherwise.

We'll be flying into and out of Honolulu for sure. If we stay in 2 cities on Maui we could fly into Kahului and out of Kapalua to & from HNL, or vice-versa. It's so hard to decide but what a great problem to have!

I've stayed in two different areas in Maui in 5 days, and it wasn't that difficult. Maui Prince and Ritz Carlton. Both very nice, in different ways. It allowed me to enjoy both areas without having to drive all over.

We also did two locales, but had 7 days. With only 5, I'd stay put in one base location with check-in times being late, it really does pretty much eat up a day to switch.

Sorry about the run-on sentence. Opps!

Congrats on your upcoming marriage, chemgirl! We went to Maui for our honeymoon also. With only 5 nights, my personal preference would be to stay in one spot. Personally, I like to really settle in and relax and don't want to spend more time checking in and out. Maui is fairly small and getting around was pretty easy. When we went to the BI, we moved around because it was so huge and involved so much driving.

We stayed in Wailea and can't recommend it highly enough. It's a very romantic area. We visited the west side, and it seemed over commercialized to us, but we're the types that like to get away from it all. It all depends on your personal preferences. Whatever you decide, you will love Maui. You've made a great choice.

Check the Four Seasons. At that time of the year, they usually have a 5th night free or their mountianside promotion that can provide a little better value for that splurge urge.

My daughter just returned from Hawaii, spent four days in Kaanapali, visited friends in Wailea, and wishes she'd stayed there. She's been to Lahaina and Kaanapali several times and said it's just too crowded for her anymore.

Paris, London, New York, Chicago, Moscow, Rome, and Madrid are cities. Maui is very pretty, but there are not two cities there.