my road to travel…the road “more” traveled

You’re facing a dilemma.  On one hand, you want to do everything you can to ensure that your vacation in Maui will be a dream-come-true.  On the other hand, you don’t want to return from your Maui vacation having spent so much money that it will be a very long time before you can afford another visit.

The ideal Maui vacation will be a combination of relaxation and adventure, but even lying on the beach at Maui comes at a significant cost.  When you add in other expenses like sightseeing tours, snorkeling or horseback riding, a visit to the Maui Ocean aquarium, a traditional luau–any of the things which will make your Maui vacation and unforgettable one, you’re almost certainly looking to economize where you can.  One of the most obvious places to economize is on your Maui accommodations.  Maui vacation rentals are never cheap, but there are nonetheless ways for you to ensure yourself the best deal when you find a place to stay.

You’ll have your choice among hotels, condominiums, and private homes for rent.  Because Maui is such a magnet for tourists, there may be stiff competition for beachfront hotel rooms from other vacationers who realize that this may be the only visit they have to Hawaii and want to enjoy themselves to the hilt.  Should you decide to join them and pay for a top-of-the-line luxury hotel suite, you’ll be guaranteed outstanding service and pampering during your stay.

The large number of vacation rentals in Maui, however, also means that you will have an opportunity to find accommodations which put less of a strain on your budget.  The cheapest way to vacation in Maui, without a doubt, is to take advantage of the many campsites located throughout the island in all sorts of settings.  You can camp on the beach, in an open meadow where you can wash each morning in a waterfall, in the middle of a rain forest, or sheltered from those afternoon rainstorms by a grove of trees.

Some of the camping areas in Maui offer cabin rentals, and while the cabins are primitive, they do solve the problem of lugging around tents and sleeping bags.  Cabins in Haleakala National Park, for example, cost $75 a night and have room to sleep as many as twelve people.  If your idea of the perfect Maui vacation is one that is spent in the saddle, you won’t do better than to rent the vacation home available at the Mendes Ranch in a Kahakuloa in the West Maui Mountains. 

For more traditional Maui vacation rental alternatives, think about staying in a condominium.  Maui is famous for its condo resorts, and condos are ideal lodgings for family vacations or if you are traveling with a group of friends.  Many condo resorts offer access to a variety of attractions for an extra fee.  You may find one which has golfing or tennis privileges, and almost all condos have pools and shuttle service to the beach.  Choosing a Maui condo for your vacation rental will also save you money on your meals, because you’ll be able to prepare your breakfast and a snack to take with you during the day, and splurge at one of Maui’s outstanding restaurants for dinner. Another advantage of using a condo as your lodging is that it will probably have laundry facilities.  You can reasonably expect to spend between 100 and $300 a night for a condo depending on its size and location, as well as the time of year.

No matter how, or where you spend your time in Maui, you are guaranteed the vacation of a lifetime.

The Maui Beaches are the most diverse of all the Hawaiian Island beaches.  They range from serene and secluded sandy shores, sheltered by graceful palms and bordered by ocean waters as clear as bottle glass, to striking black and red lava sand beaches at the base of dramatic cliffs where the surf pounds at the shore and the sunsets seem to reflect the fire of the volcanoes themselves.

While all of the beaches on Maui are public beaches, you will have plenty of opportunities to sneak off to a secluded cove and escape from the noise and bustle of Maui’s touristy side.  Along the west shore of Maui you’ll find the sunniest and quietest beaches, and if you arrive at one of them early enough in the morning, you might mistake the warm water for your morning shower!

The West Maui Beaches lie between Lahaina and Kapalua, with the most developed of them being the three-mile length of Ka’anapali Beach.  This is the place to go if you want to see and be seen, or if you’rea  water sports enthusiasts needing a place to surf or hit the water via a  catamaran.  Black Rock, at the northern end of this beach, offers excellent snorkeling.

Perhaps the best of Maui’s western beaches, and even one of the best beaches in an the entire world, is Kapalua Bay Beach.  The waters off this beach offer outstanding swimming and snorkeling, with plentiful schools are brilliantly-hued reef fish.  Its location in a sheltered area means that the ocean remains calm late into the day.  

Explore the wonders of Maui Beaches

The beaches of South Maui will be the least crowded on the island.  They extend from the beaches of Kihei at the northern end of the South Shore to the Makena beaches at its southern tip.  If you’re like most people, you’ll find that the beaches get better as you travel further south.  One of the best of them is Keawakapu Beach, with its stunning views of the volcano’s crater and its endless stretch of golden sand fronting on a stretch of ocean ideal for swimming.  The best time to visit this beach is in the morning, before the winds have a chance to build up.

There is no better beach in Hawaii than the one at the Makena Beach State Park.  While there are no amenities like restrooms available at this beach, you’ll probably forget all about your need for them as you stroll along the shore and watch dolphins and sea turtles frolicking in the waters.  If you stay around long enough to witness a sunset, you’ll be grateful for the rest of your life!

Kaihalulu Beach in East Maui is more often referred to by its more descriptive name, the Red Sand Beach.  There is nothing like it in terms of remote and surreal beauty.  You’ll have to make an effort to find it, but there will be no mistaking it when you do because you’ll simply stop and stare in amazement.  With your first glimpse of its deep red cliffs looming above and a deeper red sand beach set against the backdrop of a sparkling turquoise lagoon, you’ll immediately want to join the swimmers who are splashing among the shore formed by volcanic boulders.  Schedule an overnight stay near the Red Sand Beach if you can, because the best way to enjoy it is early in the mo1rning when there’s no else around!

No matter which beach you visit in Maui, you’ll be captivate by the sure beauty and splendor that each beach offers.

Yes, you can have a fantastic time during your Maui vacation without ever getting behind the wheel of a rental car.  Most of the popular Maui resorts provide their guests with free shuttles to transport them to airports, golf courses, beaches, shopping, and other attractions.  But if you truly want to know Maui, the only way to do it is to explore by car.

Car rental fees in Maui vary just as they do on the mainland, and the cost of your rental vehicle will depend not only on its make and model, but on the number of days you’ll be keeping it, the time of day when you’ll be picking it up or dropping it off, and of course the season of the year.  Demand for rental cars is at its peak between June and August and again in December, and the rental car companies raise their fees accordingly. 

As a general rule of thumb, however, you can expect to pay about $30 a day, plus taxes for a car.  You can book your car in advance by telephone or over the Internet, taking advantage of travel sites like Travelocity or Expedia to try to lock in a discount.

Another way for you to ensure that you’ll have Maui car rental available during your vacations is to book one of the Maui vacation packages.  These vacation packages include the cost of everything from your airfare and accommodations to your luggage transfers, and your rental car.  Before you book a package, see if you qualify for even more discounts through your membership in a business Association, frequent flyer club, or even AARP.

If there is no Maui car rental in your vacation package, you’d be wiser to reserve a car on your own instead of trying to rent one after your arrival.  You won’t be required to make a deposit up front, and you won’t be charged a cancellation fee.  There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t lock in your car several months in advance of your departure and then just cancel the booking if other circumstances arise.  It’s exceptionally easy to book your Maui car rental for your vacation over the Internet.

You’ll be pleased to know that if you intend to spend an entire week on Maui, you may be offered the final day or two of your car rental at no charge.  This is a common practice among the island’s car rental agencies.  One aspect of car rental in Maui of which you should be aware, however, is that most agencies will charge you extra for every hour you miss your scheduled drop-off time.  You must be careful to schedule your daily activities so that they are finished in time for you to return the rental car to the agency to avoid those fees. 

You may not realize that the Maui car rental companies located at the airport itself have to pay concession fees to the airport management company, and will pass those costs on to you.  You can save even more money if you book your Maui car rental through an agency located outside the airport.

We hope these few Maui car rental vacation suggestions help you decide if you’ll need a Maui car rental, and if you do, how you should best go about getting one.  You’ll never know Maui until you know it from behind the wheel of a car.

You should not dream of leaving Maui without spending at least a few hours at the Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii’s amazing cutting-edge 3 acre aquarium which also happens to be the largest tropical aquarium in the entire United States!  The Maui Ocean Center on Ma’alaea Bay deserves its favorable comparison to California’s spectacular Monterey Aquarium.  Known simply as ” the Hawaiian Aquarium,” the Maui Ocean Center has over 60 active exhibits, including a touching pool where you can have a one-on-one encounter with magnificent sea stars and curious helmet shells.
 

Visit the Maui Ocean Center

One star exhibit at the Maui Ocean Center, however, is the coral display, which also happens to be the largest of its kind in the United States.  Called “The Living Reef”, it contains displays of all forms of Hawaii’s coral, from those which live in the shallows of the rocky surge zone to those which inhabit the waters of the deep reef.  You’ll be astonished and delighted with the fantastic shapes, textures, and colors of these mysterious animals!

Like its coral, all the marine creatures living in the Maui Ocean Center are native to Hawaii, and that includes the marine plants.  A visit to the Ocean Center is as close as you can get, without getting completely soaked, to having personal encounters with all of these wonderful life forms.  Graceful octopi, stingrays, and moray eels; magnificent sharks and green sea turtles; bizarre sea jellies and dazzling tropical fish are all waiting for your admiration. 

Because the Maui Ocean Center believes in letting its inhabitants live in as natural an environment as possible, there are no scheduled feeding times or shells like you’ll find at other aquariums.  But you’ll still enjoy presentations scheduled throughout the day during which experts on different aspects of the aquarium’s exhibits will be happy to answer your questions.

The highlight of your visit to the Maui Ocean Center is certain to be your trip through the 54-foot-long tunnel of the 750,000 gallon Open Ocean saltwater aquarium.  Almost 2000 fish, as well as countless stingrays, turtles, and sharks will be watching you with as much interest as you watch them.  Only the acrylic walls of the tunnel will come between you..  It’s a great place to retreat to should you get caught in one of Maui’s afternoon rainstorms!

The Maui Ocean Center, however, has plenty of outdoor attractions as well.  Both the Turtle Lagoon and Hammerhead Harbor will let you enjoy Maui’s sunshine while you’re visiting the aquarium, which is situated in a complex of shops and restaurants.  For a quick bite, you can grab a sandwich or salad at the Reef Café.  If you’re ready for something with a  gourmet flair, opt for the Seascape Ma’alaea restaurant with its breathtaking views of the ocean and the Maui coastline, with Haleakala looming in the distance.

Finally, pick up a souvenir of your happy outing at the Maui Ocean Center Store, with its terrific selection of ocean themed clothes, toys, art and home decor, and jewelry.  If you’re a real connoisseur, you can also find museum-quality items here! A trip to the Maui Ocean Center is guarunteed to leave you with fond memories of Maui.

The stunning scenery and splendid climate of Maui have made it one of the world’s top golfing destinations.  Imagine yourself driving the ball over not a simple hazard, but a bay, a series of lava outcroppings, or a section of rainforest canopy.  You won’t be bored as you wait for the foursome in front of you to hole out, because you’ll be drinking in the ocean views and the scent of salt air.  Even those who shoot the worst rounds of their lives while enjoying Maui golf vacation packages return home with happy memories of their hours on the links!

While many of Maui’s top-tier courses are connected to its top-tier resorts, and will cost extra for anyone not a resort guest, part of the advantage of Maui golf vacation packages is that any additional greens fees are usually included in the total package price.  There are twenty private and public courses on the island of Maui, and even the public courses are breathtaking. 

Visit The Most Breathtaking Golf Courses On The Island Of Maui

When you enjoy one of the many Maui golf courses, you may get the feeling that the courses included are eerily familiar. Familiar they may be, because Maui’s championship courses, like that at the Kapalua Resort, make frequent appearances on nationally-televised golf tournaments.  The PGA tour, in fact, kicks off each January with the Mercedes Championshipsat the Kapalua Plantation Course.

If you love the challenge of a large, undulating green, you’ll be in heaven if a round at the Kaanapali Golf Resortis included in your Maui golf vacation package.  The rolling  greens at this course average a monstrous 10,000 square feet!   Large greens are also a hallmark of the Arnold palmer-designed Bay Course at Kapalua, where your tee shot at the par-3 fifth hole will have to clear a portion of Onelua Bay if you want any chance of making par!

Choosing one of the Maui Golf Vacation Packages which has you staying at one of the six hotels of  the Wailea Golf Resortwill give you access to not one, but three (the Emerald, Blue, and Gold ) championship course, each with its own striking ocean vistas from every hole.  The wide fairways of the Emerald course make it a ladies’ favorite, while course designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr. referred to the Gold course as the “masculine” one.   The best senior golfers in the world gather at the Wailea Gold Course each February for the Senior Skins Game.   Shots across lava outcrops and ravines are “par for the course” at the Gold Course!

One of the most attractive futures of a Maui golf vacation package is that, while you are out on the links, your traveling companions can enjoy all the other remarkable attractions available in Maui, from water sports to hiking, horseback riding, or cycling through some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth! All this, and daytime temperatures which are consistently in the 75-80°F range all year long!  Shorts are perfectly acceptable on the courses, but jeans may not be.

Almost all travel agencies which offer trips to Hawaii have Maui Golf Vacation packages.  Simply do a bit of advance research to determine which are courses are right for you and talk to you travel agent about making it happen!