Maui West Side - A Day Trip to Lahaina and Kaanapali

Today I'd like to share with you another article by our friend,Travelin' Pat, who just spent a week with us here in Maui.

Floating along in our gi-normous white 96 Cadi, tropical air blowing in our faces, excitedly we made our way toward Lahaina. On one side the ocean sparkled brightly, car pullouts appear here and there, a perfect view stop for the tourists keen to see a glimpse of whales or have a good look at distant islands. On the mountain side an ancient lava rock wall defines the old road to Lahaina, inviting us to drift back in time and imagine what it must have been like for the old Japanese fellow who travelled daily from Wailuku with his truck loaded with produce. Quite the journey on a rough road with the dust trailing behind and air conditioning still a thing of the future.
Lahaina, once the centre of the 19th c. whaling industry, still retains the flavor of days past. After poking through the shops we climb up to the Cool Cat Café, a 50s themed diner where we luck out with a perfect view seat enabling us to not only see the water but also to gaze down at the gigantic banyan tree that shades the always interesting weekly local arts and crafts bazaar. 

Next off we go to one of my favorite beaches at the Kahekili Beach Park. We wind our way on our sea- side ramble past the luxury open-air hotels, and past all the ensuing action along the way. Talk about lots of things to do! We pass windsurfing lessons, condo sellers, water sliders, bathing beauties, exercisers, massage therapists, paddle boarders, scuba divers, snorkelers, golfers, (breathe Pat) whale watchers, sun bathers, divers, walkers, shoppers, and runners. The area tries so hard to cater to their guests that they even have (cough cough) outside designated smoking areas. I had a twinge as I ambled past the Castaway Café wishing maybe I had waited a bit longer and eaten my lunch there feeling the ocean breeze and relaxing by the water.

 We end up at the Hyatt hotel and pay our respects to Roger the resident Parrot, procure a wave from him and make our way back to the park. Back in the cadi fed up, shopped out and exercised nicely we head home. Another fabulous day in Maui.

Make a Maui Vacation Rental your base for exploring Maui West Side.

Favourite Maui Beaches

It is a fact that Maui beaches are rated among the best in the world, and water sports are unsurpassed. Kaanapali Beach is one of our favourite beaches, and here you can either walk for miles on the sand, or take a leisurely stroll along a pathway, which extends from the Hyatt, through Whaler's Village and ends up at the Sheraton Hotel. Black Rock, a popular snorkeling spot with a nice sandy beach is directly in front of the Sheraton. If you cut through the Sheraton, the walkway continues and goes to Kahekili Beach Park (formerly called airport beach). There is good reef just to the right, in front of the Maui Westin Resort. Here we have seen green sea turtles, lots of colourful fish, octopus and moray eels. The nice thing about this beach, is that because it is a state park it has washrooms, showers, picnic tables, BBQ pits and a large parking lot.
A couple of other West Maui beaches worthy of note, are Kapalua (see photo), and Napili, both great family beaches and snorkeling spots. Napili is terrific for boogie boarding, and our kids still have great memories of the fun they had playing in the waves.

Charley Young Beach - Kihei

Kihei, on the south side of the island, also boasts some outstanding beaches. As you make your way south along South Kihei road, you will come to attractive Charley Young Beach, just across from the Maui Vista.

After that you will come to the Kama'ole Beaches I, II and III. These beaches are very family friendly, with life guards, showers, and lovely golden sand.

The last and perhaps nicest Kihei beach just before turning up to Wailea is Keawakapu. Here you will find a wide expanse of beautiful sand both on the beach and in the water, making it perfect for swimming, walking or building sand castles.

Wailea Beach Walk

A beautiful beachwalk, similar to the one in Kaanapali starts at Ulua Beach, and goes all the way up to the Fairmont resort. This makes for a wonderful morning or sunset walk and a great place to spot whales. As you make your way along the walkway you will cut through beautiful Wailea beach in front of the Grand Wailea hotel. If you walk in the evening you may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the luau entertainment going on at a few of the hotels.

Big Beach in Makena is one of Maui's better known and most popular beaches, with its wide expanse of sand and great conditions for swimming, snorkeling, sun bathing and playing in the waves.

Black Sand Beach in Hana

There are of course many more lesser known Maui beaches which also have merit, including a black sand beach in Hana.
I didn't go into all the snorkeling places in this blog and will save that for another time.

If anyone has a favouite Maui beach to share with us, please do leave a comment on this blog.

If you are coming to Maui and need a place to stay, contact us about our Maui Garden House.