nancy1013

We have always gone in Sept. and Oct. and the burning is always going on then. We would never consider staying there when there are so many other options. Why take the chance. We drove down to visit a restaurant, and everything was covered in dust. We were told they always burn at night.

leelane911

hopingtotravel, you say "This will be our 8th trip to Maui. I can list all the negatives for the other areas of the island, believe me."

If you are intent on staying at Maalaea Bay because it's cheaper, then that's fine. However, don't give other readers the impression that other areas of Maui have comparable negatives. It is simply not true. Numerous guide books do not even mention Maalaea area as a place to stay because of all the negatives unique to that part of the island.

beanweb24

My parents stayed in Maalaea Banyans #218. The only thing nice they had to say about it was that they had a good view.

hopingtotravel

Beanweb, thanks so much, that's not the building we'll be in.
Leelane, 'cheaper' is not the reason we stay there. The weather isn't as hot and stifling. I'm sure Napili is about the same price if one wants to sit in bumper to bumper traffic and have more frequent rain showers.

offlady

Makani-A-Kai is a condotel, that is, a condo leased through a vacation rental program. It really depends on the individual unit and whether the owner has renovated and kept up the appearance inside the unit. It is an older development (which usually gets the better locations and views). I'd call the office on site and ask if they know the conditions and which unit was the last to be renovated.

dee_wallisany

Many of you are getting Kihei and Maalaea mixed-up. Kihei gets a lot of the smoke from the sugar cane burning. The Sugar Beach Resort is not in Maalaea, it is five miles from Maalaea. It is in Kihei!!! Also, please don't feel safe on the 2nd or 3rd floors and leave your sliders open. There have been a rash of "Cat burglars" who they suspect are on drugs so it makes them brave, breaking into 2nd and 3rd floor condos...when the people are there sleeping. They use the patio table on the first floor lania, stack a chair on it, and also use a friend to lift them up, and climb up to the 2nd floor. If it is locked, they repeat the process and climb up to the third floor. Sadly most of the sliders are unlocked. Funny that the first floors don't get burglarized because they always lock their sliders. Kihei's beaches near the "discharge" ditch running through Kalama Park out into the water are very dirty (warning signs). On your drive to Kihei on Hwy 31 the smell in the air is horrible, even though it lasts for only a few minutes you never forget it. The main street runs directly behind all the condos on the beach side. There is too much noise and traffic.

I've been going to Maui and the Maalaea area for 18 years. Maalaea is on Maalaea Bay. It is the area that starts at the Maalaea Harbor and runs along the beach for about 3/4 of a mile. Ten Buildings on Hauoli Street face Maalaea Bay. I've stayed at five of the ten properties at different times of the year. I return year after year. I've also stayed in Lahaina, Kaanapali, and (yuck) Kihei.

I love Maalaea. I'm glad it is "shunned" by people, because it will never become crowded. Those afternoon winds they talk about cool everything down. And yes you might get a little dust...just close the back windows and enjoy the air conditioning if it bothers you. Granted, I would not stay in the buildings near the Maalaea Harbor because of Boat engine noise and fumes. All the buildings are directly on the ocean. Seven buildings are on a rocky reef (but they nice views). Only three of the properties in Maalaea are directly on a beautiful white sands beach. The Kanai A Nalu, The Honi Kai and the Makanai Kai.

It is a beautiful beach. It is actually the other end of Sugar Beach, and it runs almost five miles to Kihei. But at the Maalaea end it is clean and private.

When I go to Maui, I want to be directly on the beach. Not 200 feet away or 90 feet away, but right on the beach.

Out of the three "Beach front" buildings, the Kanai A Nalu is the best. They have more condos that are only about 20 to 40 feet from the beach. At the Kanai A Nalu, I have stayed in three different condos over the years. There are two units that are my favorites. #117 and #118. Sadly #118 just had a $200,000.00 make-over and the rate went way up. #117 was also recently remodeled but still has good rates. Plus it is a corner unit so it really has great views. My sister-in-law is in a wheelchair and it can accommodate a wheelchair too.

A beach front condo in Maalaea is not cheap. Not for a really nice 2 br, 2 bath condo with air conditioning, views and you can swim in front of you condo. Maybe the people who wrote about Maalaea stayed in the $95 or $125 a night units. As they say "You get what you pay for. Rumor has it the management company at the Honi Kai has under paid cleaning people so those units tend to be dirty. ALSO DON'T USE A TRAVEL AGENT TO BOOK THERE. THEY DO THE "BATE AND SWITCH"...NICE PHOTOS, BUT WHEN YOU GET THE CONDO, IT ISN'T THE ONE YOU SAW IN THE PHOTOS.

I always book directly from the owners. It is cheaper and most have great web sites with lots and lots of photos. Some even have virtual tours.

P.S. Someone asked if Makanai A Kai is run down after all these years. So sorry to tell you, yes.

I just wanted to set the record straight on Maalaea.