We spent six nights at Mei and Iris’s place and couldn’t have been happier. We took our granddaughter to Maui for her first college spring break as we’d promised a trip for her graduation that twice was thwarted by covid-19. Here are some of our observations:
1. Location - Sugar beach is a couple of miles north of the main area of Kihei, but that was what we wanted. The beach is wider and less crowded than in town and quieter. We walked up to and beyond the Kealia Pond wetlands preserve every morning which was a fantastic start to each day. The boardwalk also sits above the wetlands area and makes for a nice stroll.
2. The condo and condo development - we can’t speak highly enough of how well this condo development is managed. The property manager Steve is on it! There is a wonderful grilling and eating patio adjacent to the lounge area, and the pool is kept at a really comfortable temperature. The unit itself is comfortable and spacious, and worked out perfectly for our needs. We took the bedroom in the living area which allowed our granddaughter to sleep in as her en-suite was completely self-contained. The kitchen is functional, and we’ll equipped. There are also grill tools in the bottom right cabinet. The place was clean and very well maintained. We found we didn’t need the A/C at all as just popped the windows and slept to the sound of the ocean and breeze. The noise level does pick up in the morning as people leave to head to work, so the main road generates some traffic noise.
3. Transportation- we opted not to rent a car as we didn’t plan on driving everywhere (this would be very different with young kids or infirm elders in tow). We downloaded the Maui Bus app at figured out routes really easily. For only $2 pp ($1 for oldies like us) each way it was an easy trip into Kihei or up to Maalaea to catch the boat for the sunset cruise. We had some great conversations with locals at bus stops (everyone has a story) and the drivers were incredibly gracious every time.
4. The Island - to be clear, 6 nights/ 5 days is nowhere near enough time to really explore Maui which means we’ll have to come back for a couple of weeks. We needed time to just “be” as we’re all Covidexhausted, so didn’t want a packed itinerary. We booked a tour for the Road to Hana and so glad we did. Our guide was amazing and gave us some rich history of the actual history of Hawaii and Maui, not the whitewashed version. It was incredibly educational and provided for a greater appreciation for the incredibly rich culture of the islands. She also dropped us off to see the sea turtles clambering ashore at dusk which was an unexpected bonus.
Just do the road to Hana - you won’t be disappointed!
We also did the sunset cruise on our last evening on the island where we got to experience humpback mothers and calves as well as the last pods of males performing in a desperate bid to attract a female they could escort back to Alaska, and this wasn’t a whale watching cruise! With a staff of only four people (including the skipper) they manned the bar, served food and gave us a wonderful snippet of various dances, instruments and the history of each. Fun time and a great end to our vacation.
We will be back, and can only ask that others tread lightly, be respectful, and absorb Maui.
Mahalo Mei and Iris and we send six shakas to you from the three of us.
Ohana.