Kihei, Kuleana or Where???
 

We are looking for a reasonably priced hotel/condo ($100 pn) for one week in March 2004. I looked at the Maui Vista in Kihei and then at a condo in Kuleana. I have read good and bad about both and it is so hard to know. We like the beach, but were attracted to Kuleana because of the quiet. With so many differing opinions I am getting more confused!! Now I am reading comments like "Kihei is the armpit of Maui" which doesn't sound like a dream! Any advice would be appreciated!
Lin

Just driving on the main road south into Kihei we were assulted by terribly bad smells all along the beach. I'd stay away from this area unless I had special information from a close friend that I could trust.

Poor Kihei, always getting bad press. Kihei just doesn't appeal to the Ritz Carlton crowd.
South Kihei, near the Kamaole beaches, is a somewhat crowded strip mall and condo environment with lots of restaurants.
It also has beautiful swimming beaches and excellent snorkeling.

I agree with the poster about the foul smell in Kihei...
Try vrbo.com you can find some good deals there...I also have used classified ads in my local paper and found good deals on vacation rentals.
Personally ... Kaanapali is my favorite mainly due to the easy transit between lahaina and the other resorts.

Check out my July posting "Maui trip report--action packed with details"...it talks about the Kihei area...yes, it has minimalls, but I was equally offended by the tackiness of Lahaina, and the mad crowds of Kaanapali. Gimme a break, I still don't see the difference between Kihei and Lahaina--neither reminds you you're in Hawaii.

We stayed at the Kihei Surfside on Keawakapu beach, right at the start of Wailea, and a few minutes away from the Kihei madness, a quiet area. A great condo, very reasonably priced, also discussed in the report. Personally I would stay in south Maui, the beaches and especially the snorkeling there are great--and uncrowded. Also, you'll feel better in Kihei if you get a condo ON the beach, not across the road....I felt sorry for the people I saw trudging across the busy road to get to the beach, must've really detracted from the tropical feeling. You can definitely do Kihei without feeling like yr in an armpit. And like I said, oy vey, Lahaina.

love
roxy

We stayed at Kahana Reef that is just north of Kaanapali and found it to be quiet as well - all have balconies that look out towards Lanai and Nihei (sp?); nice enough beach and if you have a car, the beach hopping will take you anywhere you want to go; next trip we stayed south of Wailea at the end of the road near the Prince hotel - again, quiet. Maui is getting overly commercial anyway so you'll have to search out the quiet places.

Where's Kuleana?

Also, Maui Revealed identifies a long stretch of beaches along S. Kihei road as "foul" because of pollution and runoff. But from a little north of the Kamaole beaches in Kihei it's fine. We never noticed a smell, except for the wonderful ocean air coming in our condo.

And yes, one of the great things about staying in either south or west maui is the views of the neighboring islands--between the views at the Surfside condo and Keawakapu beach we could see Kahoolawe, Molokini, and Lanai, which was especially beautiful in the morning.

love
roxy

There seems to be such a difference of opinion about this whole Maui 'where to stay thing'! I guess I posted initially because I'm not keen on a condo amongst strip malls and miles of other condos - I can get that in Florida! I think I'd rather have a bit of tranquility and drive to the beach.

Roxy - thanks for your input - Kuleana is north of Kaanapali.

Read your great trip report Roxy. Will be using it as a reference next March.
Cheers!
Lin

Sounds like you might want to consider Kauai instead of Maui!!!

I dunno Groundhog!
Some people seem to think Maui is heaven on earth while others say it is getting far too commercialized. "Foul beach odours because of run-off" does give one second thoughts. We are spending a month in Waikiki, to eascape winter - then a week each on Maui and BI. Haven't been to Hawaii for 25 years so much will have changed. Guess we'll just have to check it out!

Well, I avoided the beach sections Maui Revealed said to avoid, and all the water we were in was clean and clear and wonderful. Yes, Maui is very commercialized in the resort areas...but Maui really is beautiful, and we spent our days seeking out serene places, and found them. And Hana/Hana Hwy areas are incredibly peaceful with no development at all.

You have to understand though that Maui is nothing near a desert island type experience. There is solitude to be had, but unless you're in Hana, there's a mass of infrastructure you have to spend your days getting away from (although it's not TOO hard, you just have to know where to look, get a feeling for it). And as wonderful as Maui was, we're looking into off the beaten path places in the South Pacific now because we recognize that we really do want to be far away from it all. But if you're not desperate to feel truly alone, Maui really is a lot of fun.

love
roxy

Check out the Inn at Mama's Fish House in Paia. Might be a little more money than you have budgeted but I think you will appreciate the secluded beach but central location. Read the reviews on tripadvisor.com:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ui_Hawaii.html