When we first went to Maui, we went separately. (Not on purpose—we just didn’t know each other then!) Sharene stayed in West Maui—Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kahana, Napili and Kapalua—and Harrison stayed in South Maui—Kihei, Wailea and Makena. (We’ll give you a pronunciation guide when we go into details.) We both found great accommodations, spectacular white sand beaches, fun-to-funky-to-fabulous restaurants, and we both explored the entire island.

The point of this story is that it really doesn’t matter whether you choose West Maui or South Maui. Both have much to offer of the same wonderful amenities: tropical scenery, activities, and places to stay in a wide range of prices. If you’re a golfer, you’ll find world-class courses in both West and South Maui. The areas have far more similarities than differences. And no matter where you stay, Maui is small enough that you can choose to see the rest of the island while you’re there, or you can hang out at the beach and relax. Either way, you will always find something to discover.

With that overview, click on the links below for our brief description of West Maui and South Maui and the towns you’ll find there.

You may be wondering, “What’s in all those other places on the map you haven’t mentioned? Are they places where I might want to stay?” Good question.

Kahului (ka-hoo-loo'-ee) and Wailuku (wy-loo'-koo) in Central Maui are the commercial and government centers. Kahului has the main airport, the large vessel harbor, and the major shopping centers; Wailuku is the Maui County seat. Kahului has a couple of modest hotels, but we don’t recommend them for vacation stays.

Paia (pa-ee'-ah) is a fun little town, and the ocean off Paia is famous as one of the world’s windsurfing meccas. Definitely worth a visit if you like watching the sport. The areas of Haiku (hy-koo'), Makawao (ma'-ka-wow)and Kula (koo'-la) are known as Upcountry because they lie on the slopes of Haleakala (ha-lay-ah-ka-la'), which make them a bit cooler than the towns at sea level. Upcountry is an interesting mix—working families, artists, ranches with cowboys, even a winery. You can find some vacation rentals in all of these areas but no hotels or condos.

The other towns on the map are all on Maui’s north shore, most of which is lush, tropical, very scenic and very green. Why? Because it rains a lot here. The northeast tradewinds blow moist ocean air up the slopes of Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains, where the air cools and turns to rain. Oh, and you get a lot more wave action in the water, so the surfers (experienced ones) love it. For beach bums and sun lovers, not a good choice. We love the north shore, we just don’t recommend you stay there unless you really know the area.

The famous Hana Highway from Paia to Hana is one of the most scenic roads in Hawaii, or anywhere for that matter. We highly recommend you take the drive, which will take the better part of a day. Hana (ha'-na) has a number of vacation rentals and one luxury hotel, the Hotel Hana-Maui. We suggest you go to Hana for a day trip first to see if you would like to stay longer. Our favorite part of the drive is the part beyond Hana, all the way around East Maui and on to Kula. You get an incredible range of terrain and microclimates, from rainforest to near desert.

The last town on the map is Kahakuloa (ka-ha-koo-low'-ah) on the north shore in West Maui. Kahakuloa was about as remote as you could get on Maui until a few years ago when they improved the road from Wailuku and laid out a subdivision there. Not a place for vacation stays.