My husband won a RT ticket for two to anywhere in the US so we decided it only made sense to go to Hawaii to get the most out of it. You gotta do what you gotta do, right? We have to finish our travel by April 1 so I just booked our flights for March 5-14th. We will be in Maui the 5th-11th and then go to Oahu the 11-14.

We typically use the room strictly for a place to sleep so we're primarily looking for something clean and convenient. I was really surprised to find the Days Inn Ocean Front Maui in S Kihei, right on Keawakapa Beach, at only $80 a night. Reviews say the rooms are really small but they do have a fridge and microwave. Other similarly priced options are the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului for $84/night or a small bedroom in the Blue Tile Beach House B&B in Paia for $90/night.

We plan on going to Haleakala and walking the crater trail one day, maybe renting a bike and riding down the spine another day (but I'm not sure we want to go all the way up there a second day), drive to Hana one day, hike and snorkel along La Peruse Bay one day, drive the loop around western Maui one day. Then we'll toss in whale watching and snorkeling and whatever else we have time for. Although being right on the beach (especially for $80/night) is tempting, we don't plan on being at our hotel most of the time.

Looking at the map, it seems like staying in Kahului or Paia would have the same, or better, access to the bulk of things that we want to do but it's hard to turn down being right on a nice beach for so cheap. For any of you that are familiar with driving times around the island, would we save significant time by staying in Paia or Kahului over S Kehei?

Keawakapu is one of Maui's very best beaches. I am familiar with the small hotel there and would certainly chose it over either of the other options. One of the things I like about the location is that the beach is mostly lined with private homes; no big high rises or commercial development. You will be much closer to La Perouse Bay. It will add 15-20 minutes to your drives to Hana and/or Haleakala (compared to your other 2 choices) if you use the bypass Piilani Highway instead of slower Kihei Road.

Seaside Hotel is on a very busy road surrounded by city industry. It would be OK for 1 night if a person needed a hotel close to the airport, but not for an extended stay.

Blue Tile House is not on a very swimmable beach. Lots of coral and the ocean is usually much rougher on that side of the island than in South Maui.

Keawakapu Beach, which starts in the west at the Kihei/Wailea border (as does the Days Inn you are considering), is one of a string of crescent shaped beaches along that coast which have very good snorkeling in quite shallow water. There is also a view of the rim of Molokini, a sunken crater and two neighboring islands. Haleakala is to the rear. That is by far the best location of the three, though the hotel is not elegant by any means.

Enjoy your trip.

It would be bad idea to stay in Kahului or Paia when you have Kihei as a better location. Kahului is a commercial town and it has an industrial harbor, not a beach. Paia is inconvenient for what you are describing.

OK, you talked me out of the other places. BTW, when I asked the Blue Tile House about their license, they said they were working with the county to get one. Hm...that law went into effect some time ago.

Don't worry, I know Days Inn is not elegant. We're just not into resorts or fancy hotels. I've never understood how you can go to some cheap hotel and get free parking, free local calls, a microwave, a refrigerator and often times breakfast while the resort charges for all of those. And now they're tacking on mandatory "resort fees" whether you use their facilities or not! BTW, I read that the Days Inn has a $15 resort fee too, which is laughable, but I included that in the $80.

I'm still going to look around a little more tonight to see if I find some crazy deal somewhere else but you've talked me out of the other areas.

Duh...I just realized I don't have to stay at the same place the whole time! Since we won't be getting until fairly late the first day and we're planning on going to the sunrise on Halekala while we're still on east coast time, I'll see if I can find a licensed B&B near Paia for the first 3 days and then move over to Kehei for the last 3 days.

You might want to consider this licensed B&B:
www.haikuleana.net

With rate specials, you might find it affordable. Check the location on a map; it is a good location for the things you want to do on that side of Maui. Just up the road is one of my favorite restaurants:
www.colleensinhaiku.com
I love this lush, quiet, historic part of Maui. Personally, I would rather stay in Haiku or Makawao than in busy Paia.

Thanks Barbara! I found that one last night and emailed them. They have two rooms available but she didn't offer any special rates. If we drove up to Haleakala from there would we drive up Kokomo Rd or Baldwin Ave instead of the Haleakals Highway?
I was reading that freestyle bikers take that route to Haiku but I didn't know how it was driving wise.

Congradulations on making the decision to visit Maui. You should check the site www.nuiahi.com for some background on visiting Maui. It really does not make much difference +/- 15 - 20 minutes from anywhere to anywhere on this side of the island. Simply choose the place that you think is the best deal. One important thing is not trying to do too much on your first visit to the island. You will find that things run much slower on Maui; so called "island time". It takes some getting used to for mainlanders. Save some time each day to simply watch the famous Maui sunset.
Relax, enjoy the weather and the scenery and revel in just being on the island.

Yes, you would drive up Kokomo Road and cut over to Makawao, Pukalani, then up to Haleakala. You'll pass some lovely little farms and charming older houses on the way. I have not found the bikers to be much of a problem. I have also stayed twice at the Banyan Tree property outside Makawao. I thought it had gone downhill last time so hesitate to recommend. Love that part of Maui!

P.S. Be sure to ask politely if there might be any discounts available for your stay. My experience is that owner may not offer, but might come up with something if requested. I am successful about 70% of the time.