Staying at Barb's beautiful Kihei condo was a true delight. Her Maui home-away-from-home was clean, comfy, and stylishly decorated, with all the amenities one could hope for--from beach toys and basic snorkel gear to a sturdy blender to froth up a batch of pina coladas to sip on the garden lanai.

Barb's description of her condo was clear and honest, and, if anything, undersold its quiet, breezy charm and dynamite location. (Psst: The living room hide-a-way bed is the most comfortable thing ever for an afternoon nap.) Although the condo is only yards away from the complex's lagoon-like swimming pool, it was never loud or annoying. The walk from our front door right down to the friendly Kamaole Beach Park III was 7-10 minutes, tops.

We enjoyed Kihei's smaller town, local vibe; far less flashy (and expensive) than it's West Shore neighbors. Check out Nalu's South Shore Grill for poke and shortribs and don't miss Ululani's Shave Ice for tooth achingly sweet sno-cone awesomeness! That said, we also enjoyed being minutes away from the swanky resorts and stunning beaches at Wailea and Makena. We found an indispensable resource and fair prices at Kihei's Auntie Snorkel shop--staffers gave great, honest advice on beaches and activities for both kids and adults.

One of the great pleasures of our trip was actually talking to condo owner Barb. She took care of some minor issues at the condo at lightening speed, was super-communicative, and is pretty much the nicest person you could hope to rent from.

Bottom line: during our stay at Maui Kamaole, we felt like we were in our own home...if, you know, home happened to be in a lush paradise surrounded by warm waters and palm trees that you never wanted to leave.