Kahana Beach on Maui
 

My girlfriend and I are staying for two weeks in August in a condo right on Kahana Beach in Maui. After booking, I'm starting to find that the beach might have issues with algae, and seaweed, and that the weather in this area is typically cloudy and rainy. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

I stayed at Royal Kahana right on Kahana Beach, last June. NO problems with seaweed, etc, in the water, and the beach was very clean. I too had read about problems (in a particular commonly used guidebook--that's the trouble with some guidebooks: their "facts" and opinions and info become gospel).
The weather was PERFECT. I think the only difference in August might be fewer breezes and hotter temperatures. The few mornings there were early morning clouds, they cleared by midday. I love the Kahana area, think it is the best place to stay in Maui, much better than the big manicured tyoe resorts like Kaanapali, which are a few miiles to the south. A few miles to the north is the start of a wonderful road that goes along the coast to nr Kahului. Don't miss it--the drive to the little village of Kahakuloa, and the stands where you can by gifts and hear the music of one of Maui's great singers, Richard Ho'opi'i, whose wife sells his CDs from her little roadside stand! You'll be a lovely world away from the resorts on other parts of the island. Any questions, please feel free to email me [email protected]

CaliNurse: Did you find the road going around the coastline of the West Maui Mountains (from Kapalua to Kahului) to be okay in a car without 4 wheel drive? I beleive a portion of that road is not paved...what were the road conditions like? Thanks for your thoughts.

The Pali Road is paved. There is a four mile stretch of unpaved road in east Maui, between Kipahulu and Kaupo; perhaps it this of which your thinking.

The road is one lane and in many places you may find yourself in a situation where you are face-to-face with another vehicle and one of you must back up, sometimes for quite a distance. Here is where having a rented Jeep can be a problem if you are not used to driving such a vehicle. I take my truck to east Maui but I never drive my truck around the pali; the road is tight and I feel much more comfortable in my little car. Think European--the people who cruise around there in rented mini vans and SUVs scare me the most.

Hi ForkinMouth and others,
NO problem doing the road in the compact car we rented.
No unpaved portions. However, at one time that may have been the case, as rental car companies warned against the drive.
The first portion of the drive out of Kapalua is along the ocean; the part leading down and through the village of Kahakuloa is tropical.
The first stand you come to is run by Mrs. Ho'opi'i. If she is selling the CD of local artists, called "HoloHolo Maui" get it ; you'll always have a memory of the island.
(No, I don't work for them!!!, lol). The next stand you come to as the road winds up and out of the village toward Wailuku is the one that sells banana bread (and smoothies if I recall right).One well-known guidebook says the bread is the best in the world (though i beg to differ). In Wailuku ( adjacent to Kahului but with a very different feel) check out the French bakery for pastries and other yummy food, and walk around--there's an open air (but covered )market area where you can get wonderful banana bread and all kinds of local goodies. You can take the side road to Iao Valley from Wailuku. It's a wonderful day out when you're ready to get away from the resort areas, a great way to get a sense another side of Maui.

Thanks CaliNurse and others. You've help to set my fears at ease. We're staying at the Valley Isle Resort. We're really looking forward to it. Thanks for all of your help and thanks to others for helpful tips.