maui !! (Kahului, Kihei, Lahaina: rentals, condos, hotels)

[jaiko]

Can anyone please help with tips or ideas for going to Maui?
Kahului, Kihei, or someplace else?
HELP PLEASE?

[leilaniguy]

Well jaiko, since you live on Oahu, why not take the ferry?

[jaiko]

Thats what im planning to do.I know the ferry port is in Kahului so I cant decide whether to stay there or in Kihei or maybe in some other part of the island?
Any help is appreciated! thanks

[whynot?]

Aloha, jaiko! I replied to your earlier thread here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/5656552-post2.html

If you have other questions, let us know. You might also try searching -- there's lots of Maui advice posted here.

[jaiko]

I tried looking, maybe im not using the search engine the right way?
ANyway, I typed in Kihei.
mostly its about people moving there and not really about what there is to do.
and i still have questions about other parts of the island,
like hana and kahului.
we have no clue where the best (as well as inexpensive) place to stay is.

[JuliaHuff]

it depends on what you want to do. definatly not Kahului-there is nothing there. Kihei is nice-if you want beach, if you want waterfalls and to hike-then Hana. if you want more life-Lahaina

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by jaiko

I tried looking, maybe im not using the search engine the right way?
ANyway, I typed in Kihei.
mostly its about people moving there and not really about what there is to do.
and i still have questions about other parts of the island,
like hana and kahului.
we have no clue where the best (as well as inexpensive) place to stay is.

Try this for your search:
Click Search above.
Click Advanced Search
In the Search in Forum(s) section, select Hawaii
Put Maui in the Keywords box.

Read, read, read.

Here's my take - as one who has lived on Oahu on and off for fifty years, and visited all the islands (stayed in West Maui twice and Hana once):

West Maui is the most touristy part of the island - Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kihei. Lots of condos. Kahului is the closest thing to a city. Less expensive condos, harbor, airport, big box stores, commercial area. Hana is a very small town (one store - the "Hasagawa General Store" of the song - an expensive hotel, tiny airport) at the end of a Loooooooong drive on a VERY winding road.

You say you're looking for both the best and inexpensive place to stay. "Best" is probably in West or South Maui, "inexpensive" is probably in Central, where you won't find the scenery, restaurants, "things to do".

To make your own decision, I would go to the maui page of VRBO.com, here:

Maui Vacation Rentals - VRBO® is Vacation Rentals by Owner Maui - Maui Hotels, Maui Lodging, Maui Travel and Tourism

and pick some condos at random in the West, South, Central and East areas.

Then I would look at lots of photos for each of these condos. You will find that condo owners often include photos of the area around their condo, and from those photos you can get an idea of what the area is like.

Hank

[jaiko]

thanks for all the tips,
any suggestions for activities?
i know theres some kind of boat that goes from maui to lanai?
and as for my hotel, i want to stay in a city that i can walk around and explore during the day, and maybe and night as well.
is that dangerous?
i just wanna really feel the culture and absorb as much of it as i can