We are coming to Maui not only to see the island but to see some great NCAA basketball in November. If I were to chose between Marriott hotels close to Lahaina or in Wailea area, which would you suggest - not only for convenience but for the hotel and area as well. Tournament is located, I guess, at Chaminade University as they are the host school.

The games are played in Lahaina; Chaminade campus is in Honolulu.

We had a great stay at the Marriott Ocean Resort in Kaanapali. Near the Whalers Village which has shops and restauarants. Also that stretch of beach is nice down to Black Rock where snorkeling is good. Kaanapali is much closer to Lahaina than Wailea is. Traffic along the main road is pretty bad during at times.

thnks for the info, Gone2Maui, I just thought since it was the host that Chaminade was in Maui. Suzie or Gone2, if I stay in Wailea about how long would the commute to Lahiana be. I guess we will stay at the games for 3-4 hours each day for Monday,Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then tour before or after. BTW where would you recommend as the best restaurant on the island? Thanks.

Depending on time of day, day of week, and just general uncontrollable traffic factors, I always allow an hour to get to Lahaina from my house, which is about a mile from the resorts in Wailea. Usually 45 minutes is about average. Best restaurant? Man, is that a subjective question. We have so many great dining options here, from inexpensive to casual. Lots of fresh fish, local grown beef, world class chefs.

You'd be better off staying on the west side (Lahaina/Ka'anapali area). Depending on the hour you travel, going from Wailea to Lahaina is about 45 minutes. That's with no traffic in Kihei and/or Lahaina. And no road closures like yesterday. When there's an accident (unfortunately a fatal one yesterday) the police shut down the road.

Well, not all our time will be at basketball games. I could stay at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club. I know that must be much closer, but how is it compared to the Wailea Beach area. Still a resort and beach area type hotel?

I got the Sheraton Maui Hotel for $140 a
night. Check biddingfortravel.

Is Lahaina a farily small area? In between the basketball games can we just walk around Front Street ane have several good restaurants to select from, or will we need to get back in our car and spend time travelling around.

Lahaina is just a small town (pop. 9000) and you can easily walk anywhere in town. The Lahaina Civic centre, site of the Maui basketball tournament, is just outside of town, about 2-3 miles from downtown Lahaina. The Civic Centre is midway between Kaanapali Beach and Lahaina so Kaanapali would be a good place to stay.

thanks, Rusty, I gathered that from earlier posts that staying in Kaanapali might be better than in Wailea. I got scared off tho because of comments about construction at the Marriott there. I want to stay at a Marriott tho. Any advice?

Larry, call the Marriott and ask them about the construction.

If your primary reason for going to Maui is to see the basketball then you should stay in Lahaina or Kaanapali. If being on a great beach is important then stay in Kaanapali. If shopping and nightlife (and basketball) are more important then stay in Lahaina. There are no decent beaches right in Lahaina.