South Maui
Kihei
Go to Safeway or Longs Drugs down the road for grocery shopping. You can study Safeway’s Ad online a couple days before you leave home and have your shopping list ready to go. Hawaiian Moons is a nice place for health food, fresh produce and a healthy buffet. Maui Taco is a good place for something quick. Moose McGillycuddy’s or Fred’s Mexican below it, if you have time to sit, or just for a beer.
Elleair Maui Golf Club is a nice and reasonably priced course in Kihei or so I’ve heard. Snorkel Bob’s is a good place to rent snorkel equipment if
Kihei should be your home base. Aside from the beaches which are wonderful, you can find just about anything you're looking for there. Convenience stores, dive shops, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, souvenir shops, etc.
ABC is the place if you need only a few provisions.
The Pi’ilani Village Shopping Center has a bunch of national and local chain stores, including the Safeway Supermarket, Starbucks, Outback, Cold Stone Creamery and Ross to name a few.
you didn’t bring your own. Kihei Caffe is the best place for breakfast. Nice outdoor seating. Banana-Mac Pancakes!! Maui Clothing Company is a good place to buy a quality Aloha Shirt, swim suit and much more. Huge selection, nice prices. If you'd like some fresh caught seafood to put on your grill, it's Eskimo Candy.
I’m probably forgetting a few things, because there is just so much.
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Update: These are all great, if you need something close to your condo. However, you should do the bulk of your shopping at Costco in Kahului, near the airport. If you don't have a membership, buy one. You save that, and then some. Food, oven-ready meals, liquor, beer, beach towels, snorkel equipment, even Hawaiian shirts for $19.99!! Go shopping there as soon as possible after your arrival (within a day or two). If you go after you've already been on Maui for a week, you'll be afraid of not using up the larger items before you go home. PRO TIP: Tommy Bahama Cooler/Backpack Chairs. These are awesome. A lot of condos will supply these. A lot won't. Check with your host and ask specifically about these. A regular beach chair will suffice. But, these are the Cadillac. You can rent them by the day or week from most dive/snorkel shops for $20/week. OR....Buy your own at Costco for $33/ea. Do the math. If you're there for 2 weeks you're already saving money. You can even sell them to a dive shop for $10/ea. So, you're only paying half the rental price. Or, leave them in your condo for the next renter. (We also gave one to a homeless man, who was very grateful.)
Definitely, without a doubt, not to be missed, is Maui Brewing Co. in Kihei.
They've also added a restaurant since this video was taken.
Wailea
This is the Rodeo Drive of Maui. In fact your best chance to spot a celebrity might be here.
The hotels, golf and shopping are just what you’d expect. Expensive.
Here is a list of Maui Golf Courses including the Wailea Courses.
The Shops at Wailea are all high end retailers,
a nice place to walk around and maybe treat yourself to something.
Above is the Grand Wailea Hotel, whose grounds are beautiful and open for you to explore. Don’t miss the walkway that runs between the hotels and the beaches. It’s really beautiful, especially at sunset.
If I haven’t mentioned yet, all the beaches in the state of Hawaii have public access. It’s the law. But, find the little blue and white signs along the roadways. Don’t cut through someone’s yard.
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Here's a great place to take a morning walk, or a sunset stroll, as we've done many times.
It's a paved pathway which runs between the beach and resorts in Wailea.
Maluaka Beach is someplace we just stumbled upon this past year. I felt it was a great find, not too busy, great parking, nice snorkeling and nice facilities.
Makena
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Note:
You need to reserve your mornings for beach/ocean related activities,
because the wind picks up in the afternoon, making the water choppy.
Makena is home to some of the best snorkeling on the planet. There are a bunch of beaches and snorkel spots here. Refer to Maui Revealed for their exact locations.
My number one recommendation for snorkeling has to be Ahihi Cove.And, if you want a huge unspoiled beach, it’s Big Beach. Just over the hill from there is one of only two nude beaches on Maui, called Little Beach. FYI, public nudity is illegal here. But, the cops don’t bother them here because it takes a little effort to climb over the hill enroute to the beach. At the end of the road lies Laperouse and the lava fields at the spot of the last eruption, Kalua o Lapa. Don’t worry, that hasn’t happened since 1790.
Pa'ako Beach (Secret Cove)
But, before you get there, YOU MUST STOP and see this incredible spot. This little slice of heaven is my favorite in all of Hawaii. Pa'ako Beach, or Secret Cove is just to the south of Big Beach in Makena. Once you get to the 2nd entrance to Big Beach, it's 4/10 of a mile on the right. You'll see a lava rock wall along the right. Just as you crest a small hill and the road straightens, you'll see a yellow raised crossing sign. Look for the gap in the wall right there. It's easy to miss. But, you'll see other cars there (it isn't so secret). Parking is limited and you may have to walk down the road a bit. But, trust me, it's worth it. You can either make it a short stop for a few pics, or pack your Tommy Bahama beach chairs and a cooler and make a day of it. You can snorkel here if it's calm enough. If it looks rough, don't do it (That's pretty much the advice for snorkeling anywhere). Don't be surprised to see a wedding taking place here. It's THE most popular on the island for that. Some actually call this Wedding Beach. This should be a quiet spot. Practice Aloha, and try not to disrupt everyone's special day here by playing music out loud.
Laperouse Bay-
One of my goals is to hike Kings Trail, which starts at Laperouse and heads south (map on right). We've never done it, because by the time we usually get there, we've already been snorkeling for an hour or two at Ahihi-Kinau. So, we usually just drive to Laperouse Bay and try to spot some dolphins from shore. We're also starving by that time, and can't wait to sink our teeth into a fish taco. I think we're going to have to make it the focus of one of our mornings, maybe on a horse, which can be rented nearby.