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Maui Island
Picture Hawaii Islands  From beach resorts, golf courses and art galleries to wind surfing, snorkelling and whale watching, Maui has something for everyone ... Click an icon in the Map of Maui for more pictures The modern tourist town of Kihei is lined with high rise condominiums, shopping malls and fast food restaurants but it does have a series of lovely State run beaches with year round life guards. This is a popular spot for families. The more deserted beach at Maalea, north of Kihei overlooking the hulk of West Maui. Maalea Bay is probably the best spot in Hawaii for watching humpback whales between November and May. To the south of Kihei is grand Wailea, an upmarket version of Kihei with luxury resorts and golf courses. Makena Beach, once a hippie enclave and today still retaining an air of freedom compared to the resort beaches further north. The volcanic cinder cone at the far end of the beach offers great views and beyond is the States unofficial nudist beach. Beachfront at the Maui Prince Resort just south of the exclusive resort town of Wailea. There are several excellent golf courses here. Molokini Island is a sea bird sanctuary with some of the best snorkelling in Hawaii in the protected crescent. During the morning, many small boats anchor here dropping tourists into the sea for a few hours. The stunning valleys of West Maui Mountains. This peninsula offers Maui's most popular stretch of tourist beachfront, all to the north of the alluring town of Lahaina. The historical whaling town of Lahaina offers excellent restaurants, boutique shops and some of the finest art galleries in the world. There's heaps of accommodation from luxury hotels to quaint inns. Hanakoo Beach in South Kaanapali with its gentle surf is lined with high rise exclusive beach resorts including Sheraton, Marriot and Hyatt. This region of West Maui, along with Kihei and Wailua along the sunny west coast are the most popular beach resorts outside of Waikiki. The black rock at the far end of the beach is good for snorkelling. The popular resort area of Kaanapali with its splendid views of the five distinct valleys that make up the West Maui Mountains. The nearby Whalers Village Mall offers good shopping and restaurants or its a 20-minute drive back to Lahaina Town. DT Fleming Beach Park is one of Maui's nicest beaches with good swimming in summer and pounding surf in winter. The nearby resort area of Kapalua offers upmarket resorts and some of the most challenging golf courses in Hawaii. The rugged scenery of West Maui's back end, a supposed no-go-area for tourist rental cars due to the dangerous narrow and winding road. Never-the-less, its a popular route with some splendid walking trails along the coast Picturesque Iao Valley inland from the rather bland Wailuku Town is a huge tourist attraction. There are only a few paved trails here but never-the-less there are swimming pools off the main trails where you can escape the tourist hordes. The historical cowboy town of Makawao in the refreshing air of upcountry Maui. The town is a popular spot on the way to Haleakula National Park and sees flocks of tourists on cyclists heading downhill every morning. The desert landscape of Haleakula National Park, the world's largest dormant volcano, lies 3000 metres high along winding roads into the heart of East Maui. Pineapple plantations in upcountry Maui. The beach at Hookipa, venue of some of the worlds great surfing and wind surfing competitions and close to the immortal Jaws, a 20-metre surfing break. Tranquil Hana Town is one of the few settlements on the wet east coast of Maui and offers a handful of guesthouses and inns. It makes a good base to explore the rainforest and waterfalls to the north and the secluded beaches to the south. Wailua Falls sits right beside the roadside beyond the wet tropical town of Hana. The road to Hana is a scenic twisting coastal road through rain forest. This delightful region offers many wonderful waterfalls, several of which are right on the roads edge. Oheo Gulch, a series of over twenty falls and bubbling swimming holes, was once a deeply sacred area but is now a tourist attraction with trails and lookouts. |
