Added: 08/01/2005 |
Maui - Indescribable Sunsets, Water Sports, Multi-Colored BeachesMany destinations offer warm ocean waters and spotless sandy beaches, but nowhere else on earth can you find quite the same experience as in Hawaii.
Whichever explanation you prefer, magical Maui is known for its indescribable sunsets, water sports, multi-colored beaches, lush rainforests alive with waterfalls, quaint fishing villages, serpentine road to charming Hana, rolling hills with sprawling ranches, world-class golf and tennis, Haleakala crater, and historic Lahaina Town, the former government and whaling capital of Hawaii. Maui is also known for its spectacular resorts, where guests receive the finest in services, accommodations, and deluxe amenities.
Maui and its immediate neighbors offer probably the best scuba diving in the Hawaiian islands. The most popular spots are in the vicinity of Molokini Crater, off South Maui. Learners and inexperienced divers start by exploring the sheltered, shallow "Inside Crater" area, and eventually progress to the "Back Wall," with its huge drop-offs. There's also good shore diving at Black Rock in Ka'anapali and in La Pérouse Bay, while the most spectacular dives of all lie off southern Lanai, within easy reach of a day's boat-trip from Maui. A huge number of companies arrange diving excursions in the waters off Maui and Lanai, with the largest operator being Maui Dive Shop.
Parasailing, which is a bit like waterskiing, except you suddenly find yourself several hundred feet up in the air, has become very popular in the waters just off Ka'anapali and Lahaina in West Maui. To avoid disturbing humpback whales during their winter migrations, however, it's only permitted between mid-May and mid-December.
Surf aficionados rate several Maui sites as equal to anything on Oahu's fabled North Shore, with Honolua Bay on the northern tip of West Maui, and Jaws off Ha'iku in the east, as the greatest of all. You need to be a real expert to join the locals who surf at these kind of places, however - beginners would do better to start out at spots such as Lahaina and Ka'anapali beaches. The peak season is between November and March.
Choose among two pamous resort in Maui - Napili and Kihei.
The Napili Point Resort is a low rise, ocean front condominium resort located directly on the ocean and Honokeana Cove. The resort is located a few miles North of Lahaina and Kaanapali and just south of Kapalua Bay and Napili Bay. The beautiful Napili Bay white sand beach is just a short walk along an oceanfront path. There is excellent snorkeling at the resort (Honokeana Cove). Many turtles live in the cove and are a real treat to observe. From the lanai you can view the turtles and sometimes dolphins (and whales in season!). Snorkeling is also very good at Kapalua and Napili Bays, with-in easy walking distance. Golf and tennis are available at the Kapalua Resort.
Kihei Maui Vista Resort - World class Kamaole Beach I, (just across Kihie Rd.) is wide, white and sandy. The usually gentle wave action makes it ideal for playing, floating or swimming. Or a stroll at sunset. The ocean bottom is agreeably soft and sandy.
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