Is one area of Maui better for ease of sight seeing, restaurants, beaches, weather?
Lahaina or Kihei
Thanks

In my opinion Lahaina is a historic port with many tourist attractions and a harbor. Kihei is a very developed commercial and residential area.

Kihei has better beaches. Lahaina has the food and action.

Here is a link to sites in Lahaina:www.jalc-axs.com/world/hawaii/citymap13.pdf
Suggest you pick up a copy of "Maui Revealed" guidebook.

I would say that Kaanapali Beach which is NEAR Lahaina would be the best. There are lots of restaurants and beaches in Kihei too, but Kaanapali is probably a little more upscale.

Please clarify. I assume that you mean the Lahaina area (i.e. West Maui - Kaanapali, Honokowai, Kahana, etc.) and not the town of Lahaiana. There are few places to stay in the town of Lahaina and no decent beaches.

JohnD, I don't think it is fair to say that Kihei is commercially developed compared to Lahaina town, which is completely jammed with stores, restaurants, shopping centres, and other commercial establishments.

Reply to Rusty: > What I said was "Kihei is a very developed commercial and residential area" because I could not remember any other distinguishing feature about the area, whereas Lahaina has a prominent harbor area. Also, I did not state that "Kihei is very commercially developed compared to Lahaina".
For the sake of sedonaweaver, please help yourself to "Maui Revealed" to learn more about these and other areas on Maui.

JohnD, your reply with a devil face suggests that you have a problem with anyone who politely disagrees with you. For some strange reason I assumed that you were trying to respond to the original question which asked for comparative information on Kihei and Lahaina.

Hey Rusty, I think you are playing quite the >and "why don't you clarify what is better about Kihei", since you have espoused what is undesirable about Lahaina. Furthermore, I stand on my Fodor's record of polite discussion over various subject matter.

Sorry to your record of polite discussion come to an end.

Sedonaweaver? If you haven't been scared away here is my opinion:

When we went to Maui we stayed in Kihei at the Maui Coast Hotel on a last minute special. It was really nice. We were right across from one of the three beaches in Kihei and a short drive from Makena and the Wailea (sp?) areas. It was also really convenient for getting up the Volcano and going to Hana (shorter distance) Now, having said that, Kihei is more of a "Condo" town. Although there are lots of places to eat out and shop, I think most people stick to their condos @ night. We found ourselves driving out to Lahaina quite often @ night to eat, shop, etc....Which became a bit of a pain. Keihi was good for us as a first trip because it was reasonable we wanted to hike and tour the island. If we get to do it again, I will pay a bit more and pick a hotel in the Lahaina area along Kaanapali beach. Hope this helps! What ever you pick, you will love Maui!

If money isn't important, by all means stay in Kaanapali Beach. Hotels and condos there cost more than Kihei because Kaanapali Beach is a great place in a wonderful location. If money IS a consideration, you may have to stay a couple of miles north of Kaanapali Beach - which they still call Kaanapali - and the beaches are nowhere near as good.

In summary, if you can afford it, stay on Kaanapali Beach!

Thanks all, this gives me a better idea, and I will be buying Maui Revealed after seeing the title come up a lot.