This condo was lovely, with a fully equipped kitchen, wonderful bathroom, and the sweeping ocean view I wanted. I very much appreciated the four slice toaster. It would have been useful to have a microwave safe dish with a lid, but we were able to make do with one of the glass mixing bowls and plastic wrap.
It was nice to be in a central location that provided a fairly easy drive to/from the airport, Kihei, Makena, Lahaina, Kaanapali, and up country Maui. It was nice to be just down the street from the Maui Ocean Center and the Pacific Whale Foundation. This would be a good spot for anyone who is planning to take a lot of activity cruises leaving early in the day from Ma'alaea Harbor. Haycraft Park just down the street the other way has a nice sandy beach which is sheltered from the wind as long as you stay to the north of the breakwater.
HOWEVER, there are some caveats people should be aware of.
1. Ma'alaea is at the end of the "wind tunnel" valley of The Valley Isle (aka Maui). As such, the wind NEVER stopped blowing. I'm not talking a light tropical breeze here. I'm talking blow you over, shut the car door wind levels. Walking into the building itself was like walking into a focused wind tunnel. The entrance hallway is extremely narrow; I don't think it would fit two adults walking side by side - the wind almost took your breath away walking through the hallway to get to the elevators. The windmills atop nearby Kealaloloa Ridge were a dead giveaway this must be a reliably wind swept area. I was quite naive regarding the amount of wind and the exhausting effect it would have on the two of us.
2. Ma'alaea is a sleepy little area with almost no traffic. The nearest grocery stores are a 15 to 20 minute drive away in Kihei. I never had the chance to check out the Ma'alaea General Store because I didn't realize it was only open until 3 pm. I think it might have even only been open on the weekend during our stay.
3. While the condo has a wonderful sweeping ocean view, it does not face in the direction of either sunrise or sunset. This is good for the lanai, which is always shaded, but bad if you were expecting to see these from the condo.
4. The window type air conditioner is very loud. I often had to use my ear protection whenever I was sitting out on the lanai to have a modicum of peaceful quiet with which to enjoy the wonderful view.
5. The bedroom was very hot. My husband ended up sleeping on the sofa in the living room for our entire week long stay. While there is a window in the room, it faces into the ever blowing wind, so we never opened that window. The bedroom does have a ceiling fan, but it doesn't really help all that much.
6. The bed was extremely soft. My husband tried to take a nap on it one afternoon, but it was just way too soft for him. I'm a side sleeper so it wasn't that terribly bad for me, but it could be a big problem for non side sleepers.
While the condo was fine, I don't think I would stay in Ma'alaea again due to the unceasingly windy conditions.