While we lived in Kaua'i for a year, we've never been to Maui before, and it was with great excitement that we looked forward to our first visit to the Valley Isle.

We thought we knew what to expect. "Maui is bigger than Kaua'i." "Maui is more developed than Kaua'i." "Maui is very expensive." "Maui is all strip malls." "Maui is the best of the islands." We heard all of these things from friends and acquaintances in the past. And so we were surprised to find that Maui was all of these things, but also none of these things.

Maui has a bit of a split personality. The island sits in a cluster of five islands in the middle of the Hawaiian Islands chain - Lanai, Molokai, Molokini, Kaho'olawe, and Maui. Each of the outer islands was once part of Maui, but time and erosion have melted away the land bridges or valleys that once connected these five islands. And now the last big valley connects two peaks - Haleakala and Pu'u Kukui - to each other across a wide flat valley filled with sugar cane. More about that later.

But first, let's take each of the myths above and explore them:

Maui is bigger than Kaua'i: Maui is bigger than Kauai, physically - about one and a half times as big. And it has about twice as many people. But most of them are concentrated around Lahaina on the west coast, the south shore, Wailuki/Kahului, and Upcountry, The heart of the west side is utterly uninhabited, filled with steep-walled valleys and magnificent vistas. The center of the island, the valley, is filled with sugarcane, owned by HC&S. And most of the eastern part of the island is taken up by Haleakala, a magnificent 10,000 ft high volcanic peak riven in half by a huge, desolate valley. So although the South Shore (Kihei and Wailua) and Kapahuli have a fair population, there's not a big city on the island, and much of it ls lightly inhabited.

Maui is more developed than Kaua'i: See above. Lahaina is mostly a cute little plantation town, with one major north south street and five exits off the freeway. Wailuku/Kahului is a working town - here you'll find Home Depot, Costco, Kmart, Starbucks, Borders - all the things you may need when on island. Kihei is a quintissential beach town - lots of motels and small rental properties and a Safeway, while nextdoor Wailea is a big resort town with one upscale shopping center. Upcountry is essentially the bedroom community for Kahului/Wailuku. Beyond these areas, you can go for miles without seeing a house or shopping center. And the road to Hana is like the North Shore of Kauai, minus Princeville, and extended about four times the distance - so if you want solitude, Maui may also be the place for you.

Maui is very expensive: Ok, so this one is basically true. It's very easy to spend $50 for lunch at any beachside cafe, and gas here was running $2.68 a gallon for regular. Resort rooms here at the Four Seasons, Fairmont or Grand Wailea can run you $350-$6,500 a night in low season. And there were new, oceanfront condos offered here for $20 Million Dollars... and selling. But you can keep your costs down while visiting. Buy the cheapest gas you can find - it's not your car. Get a copy of 50 Thrifty Maui Restaurants from Watermark Publishing (see our Reads section at the end of this article for more info) and try some of the less expensive restaurants - as a typical rule of thumb, the farther they are from the beach, the cheaper the meals are (of course, do treat yourself to at least a couple really nice meals while you're here - you did come for the ocean views, after all). Take advantage of whatever coupons you can find - Hilo Hattie gives out some of these, as do many of the rental car companies. And pick up some fresh fruit and have it for breakfast in your room, or stay at a place that includes a free breakfast,

Maui is all strip malls: There are many shopping centers here - Kihei has its share of strip malls, and this is probably where Maui gets the reputation. But there's a nice mall in Kahului, and upscale shopping centers in Wailea, Ka'anapali, Ma'alea, and Kapalua, and cute downtown shopping districts in Lahaina and Pa'ia.

Maui is the best of the islands: Well, each island has its plusses and minuses. On the plus side, Maui has some great shows (in Lahaina - reviews below) wonderful restaurants, that small town feeling, and the amenities of a large town (all the basics in Kahului). But Maui also has some areas that are subject to strong winds, a fair amount of traffic in the high season, and high octane prices. If you want a quiet, more natural vacation, consider Kaua'i or the Big Island. For lots of nightlife and a "Los Angeles on an Island" feel, pick Oahu. But if you want world-class resort amenities and a mix of the natural and nightlife, Maui may have the right mix for you.

We'll cover each of the major areas of Maui below - The Hana Road, South Maui, West Maui, Central Maui, and Haleakala, including accommodations we visited and stayed at, restaurants we ate at, and the many activities and sights we took in while on-island.

Thanks to Roxanne and Keli'i at the Maui Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitmaui.com) for helping to set up many of the activites for us on-island.

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Ok, so there are a lotta myths about the Road to Hana too. Here's the real story.

If you've been to any of the other islands, especially the warm, lush parts, you've seen most of what you'll see on the road to Hana. The drive is absolutely gorgeous, but it is basically a lot of green on a loooong, winding road.

That said, it is probably worth the drive, once. If you can, plan a night in Hana - that'll take the edge off the long drive. But be aware that Hana is the place to go to relax - there are very few shops and restaurants there, so don't expect a fantastic resort atmosphere or a great shopping mall. Just lots of green, lots of ocean, and lots of quiet.

If you start out at Kahului, count on about three hours. Start out really early, or late morning, to avoid the swarms of cars that take this fabled route mid-morning.

On the way, you'll go through Pa'ia, a cute two street plantation town with an eccentric cast of characters. Pa'ia is kind of the Berkeley of the island - a little hippie, a lot colorful. In Pa'ia, there's a great computer cafe called the Livewire Cafe - stop in here to check your email.

Rates are reasonable and they provide the computers, so you don't have to lug a laptop around if you don't want to.

But they also have wifi and ethernet plug-ins, so if you need your laptop, you can connect here with it as well.

Also here is Jacques - half sushi bar, half open-air restaurant. The decor here is beach-kitsch - and it affords great people watching. The food was good, and reasonably priced - this is a good choice if you're in Pa'ia, or in Haiku or Huelo Point and want something good, close.

On past Pa'ia, and you start to pass out of town and into the jungle. You'll pass the outskirts of Haiku, abd bit by bit the houses start to drop away. Huelo Point is probably the last of the little inhabited areas (though there are pockets of houses here and there on the way from here to Hana) and we visited two Purple Roofs properties here - Cliff's Edge and Huelo Point Flower Farm.

Cliff's Edge

Huelo Point, 808 573-2986, 866 772-5642
http://www.cliffsedge.com
jonhendo@aol.com

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At the very edge of Huelo Point lies Cliff's Edge, a beautifully manicured property run by Jon Henderson & Susan Farina. They've been on island now for several years, after moving from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jon and Susan are wonderful hosts, and great folks to get to know. Susan welcomed us to Cliff's Edge with a big hug, and Jon joined us later for drinks at Jacques (see above) in Pa'ia.

They've put together a beautiful property. The main house is separated from the bluff by only the pool, a kidney-shaped tropical oasis surrounded by a neatly trimmed, beautifully green lawn. Palm trees sway gently overhead, and there's an in-ground jacuzzi to enjoy as well. There's a wooden deck out on the edge of the bluff for sea watching - take a tropical drink out here and settle in with a good book for the afternoon.

The property is also a great location for a Maui Wedding - they're not legal yet in Hawaii for gay and lesbian couples, but you can have a ceremony here to mark your commitment to one another.

There are three rental units in the main house. Two of these are downstairs, and open into the pool area, each with a lanai in front facing the ocean. Look for the fun shower curtains - you feel the aloha just walking into the room. :)

But our favorite (so far) is the penthouse suite. The suite features a large bathroom, a full kitchen, a huge shower overlooking the sea, a sitting room with a dining table, comfortable tropical couch, and TV, and a bedroom with full floor to ceiling windows looking out over the water.

Watching sunrise out of these windows was nothing short of amazing (the sun rises to your left, so you don't actually see it, but you see the sky change colors). The bed was really comfortable, and the unit had a terrific, tropical decor.

There's also a more private guest cottage on the property with a separate driveway off the main drive.

We stayed here overnight - in the morning, Susan brought us a wonderful fresh fruit breakfast, complete with pineapple, papaya, star fruit, strawberries, and kiwis.

Jon and Susan are working on another great surprise - their Bali Cottage - due to open in the spring, this unit will offer upscale amenities, including marble floors, granite countertops, a private jacuzzi on the deck, and amazing water views. Perfect for couples seeking privacy and romance.

Huelo Point is just 15 minutes outside Pa'ia and 25 minutes from Kahului, making it a great quiet getaway on the lush north shore, but close to everything.

Jon and Susan are very welcoming of the gay and lesbian community, and have been listed on Purple Roofs for a number of years. Cliff's Edge is a great choice on the road to Hana. And if you stay here, you're already a third of the way there!

Huelo Point Flower Farm

Huelo Point, 808-572-1850
http://www.mauiflowerfarm.com
huelopt@maui.net

Another great choice on Huelo Point, this property is literally right next door to Cliff's Edge, and shares the same fantastic views. Doug and Guy own this property, and they built it from the ground up - when they bought the property in 1987 it was just a flat, empty parcel with a single tree. Now it's a lush tropical oasis, filled with thousands of plants, many of them fruit bearing. Go out and pick your own breakfast in the yard if you want, and wander under the breadfruit trees and through a banana orchard.

There are three houses and a cottage here, including a top floor carriage house suite (with loft bedroom) and a great glass cottage - glass on three sides, giving you ocean and garden views (this cottage is a lot of fun - they packed it with amenities, including a small kitchenette, tv/vcr, and bathroom behind a closet-like sliding mirror - and of course an outdoor shower). It's like sleeping in the middle of the jungle, but with the bugs all locked outside. Finally, the property has three hot tubs and a stand-out tropical pool - rent the main house and you'll have a private deck overlooking this pool, plus knock-out ocean views. Another great choice - and for sale, if you're in the market for a prime tropical B&B property.

After Huelo Point, there's little in the way of civilization. If you get the Maui Revealed book from Wizard Publications (more info at the end of this article) youll get the skinny on all kinds of natural wonders you can see on the way from here to Hana. But we'll cover just a few here:

Ke'anae Peninsula

The first is Ke'anae Peninsula. This flat peninsula is visible from the highway, and is accessible via a narrow road that leads down to sea level. This is the rough end of a historically recent lava flow. The story here is that one of the Hawaiian Chiefs had his people cart down dirt by hand to the peninsula to make it suitable for living and farming.

The peninsula today is home to a small community - the original town was demolished in the early 19th century by a tidal wave in 1946, except for a small stone church that still stands in the middle of a green field.

The waves here crash upon the black rocks in a powerful rhythm, sending up huge streamers of sea spume. This was one of the most awesome sights we found on the entire Eastern Coast - and maybe on the whole island. The sound of the surf, the feel of the sea spray on your skin, just the sense you get here of the power of the sea - it's well worth the stop.

Also found here is the best Banana Bread on the Eastern Coast - at the Ke'anae Landing Fruit Stand. Served warm, it's a little slice of heaven. Banana Bread seems to be a BIG THING on Maui - why, we can't say, except they gotta do something with all those Bananas. Chalk it up to another Islands mystery.

Wailua Valley State Wayside

A little ways past the Peninsula turnout, we stopped at the Wailua Valley State Wayside (just before the 19 mile marker) - here you'll find great views of the land and water below, and the Ko'olau Gap above, one of three erosion valleys that descend from the Haleakela Crater above.

There's a short staircase that climbs up to the lookout point. The parking lot is small and there's not a lot of visibility around the turn on the highway, so if you can, turn the car around when you park here so you can easily enter the highway again.

Nahiku

A little farther on, another turn-off takes you to Nahiku - what our Maui guidebook described as the place plants go when they die. It's lush and beautiful, but to our minds not so much more so than the main highway that it's worth the extra drive. The narrow road winds all the way down to the beach at a nice enough spot, but if you're already getting tired of driving the highway, you can safely skip this turn-off.

Keep in mind that you're sharing the road with lots of tour buses, and they make frequent spots - some of the best little places along the way may be (or may be about to be) swarming with other tourists.

Eventually, we reached Hana itself. Hana is a small town with just two main streets, and there's little here besides a couple restaurants, a few inns, and some nice beaches - oh, and lots and lots of green. There's a really nice little tropical hotel resort here, not listed on Purple Roofs, but they have a restaurant with a great view, and it's a good place to stop for breakfast or lunch before starting back (or continuing on around the island).

Past Hana are the seven sacred ponds and the edge of Haleakala National Park where it comes down from the mountain thru the Kipahulu Gap - we didn't stop here, but were interested to hear that Charles Lindburgh was buried here, in a private ceremony with just a few family and friends as onlookers.

Just past the park, we came upon our most remote innkeepers on the island, at Ala Aina B&B:

 Ala Aina Ocean Vista

SR 184 A, Kipahulu, 808-248-7824, 877-216-1733
http://www.hanabedandbreakfast.com
ala-aina@maui.net

Ala aina is the place for folks who want to get away from it all. Accessible only by the Hana Highway from the north (3 hours from Kahului) or the back road from the west (2 hours), it's literally in the middle of nowhere, and because of this, the property is private. And quiet. There's a zen sort of feel to the grounds, both because ofthe tranquil out-of-the-way atmosphere and because of the wide expanse of simple, elegant lawn and the buddist statuary that dots the property.

There's only one rental unit here, and it has a wonderful sunning deck with an ocean view. Or relax on the lawn below. The property is surrounded by beautiful tropical plants, including a banana orchard, and is self sufficient, producing its own electricity and ground water. If you want to just relax and let all of civilization's stress drop away, consider Ala Aina for a couple nights or longer.

On past Ala Aina and Kipahulu, the road narrows and runs about 10 miles as a gravel and then often patched single lane paved road. At worst, it's a twisty, narrow gravel and firm dirt trek around blind corners close to sea level, but that's a fairly short span. For the rest, it's just mostly bumpy. This is the faster way back, and takes you through the drier south side of Haleakela. If you're lucky, look north around mile marker 40 and you'll see a tropical valley with lots of waterfalls.

As you enter the drier area, you'll find a very different Hawaii - it has a harsh beauty that's hard to describe. There are few "sights" here, but it's an amazing place nonetheless. You'll see a lava arch, an erroding gully filled with lava rocks, wide open expandes of wind-eroded cliffs, and an amazing emptiness - other than a couple other cars, the only civilization we saw was a little jewelry stand on the side of the road, and even that was before we reached the drier part of the drive.

Eventually the road swings around the southwest corner of Haleakala, and turns northward into Upcountry Maui. At this point, you're just a couple miles from the South Shore resorts, but there is no road connecting the two. This struck us as one of the strangest things about Maui - they have a very innefficient highway system. Everything runs through Kahului up on the north shore - to get from anywhere to anywhere, you usually have to pass by the airport.

In this case, there's a landowner who owns a lot of property between the shore and upcountry. The owner once allowed access across their land, by way of a private road that connected the two highways. But liability issues forced them to close the road, so now you have to drive about 20 miles north, then another 20 south, to traverse the two mile or so distance between the highways. In a way, this is probably a blessing, as it limits development of this area of the island. But it's a little maddening to be able to see the place you want to go right in front of you, and then have to detour 40 miles to get there. :::think good Hawaiian thoughts... think good Hawaiian thoughts:::

Driving north, you'll pass through Keokea, Kula, and Pukalani - we didn't spend much time up here, but the Maui Revealed book will clue you in to things to do in the middle of Maui.

Another long drive on Maui is the road up to the Summit of Haleakela. There are many myths and stories told about this place - this is where Maui lassoed the sun to slow it down and extend he length of the day for the Hawaiians.

From Kahului, allow a couple hours to make it from the sea to the 10,000 foot summit. Wear long pants, socks and shoes and a sweater or jacket - we went up on a warm day, and it was probably in the mid forties at the summit. Also take lots of water, as it is easy to dehydrate at that altitude, and also take sunscreen - you burn a lot faster too at 10,000 feet.

There are several companies that offer biking tours from the top - they haul you up, and you ride down. But beware, as these rides are not for the faint of heart - you ride at about 20 mph, and many turns don't have guard rails. You also won't see much of the scenery (tho the tours do stop at several spots coming down the mountain) because you'll be busy watching the road ahead of you. As a driver, be aware that these tours start early, and come down at about 10 minute intervals.

We also saw a horseback tour at the top of the mountain.

There are several endangered species to be aware of here - the Nene is a descendent of the Canadian Goose, but is flightless, and is an accomplished beggar. They also have very little fear of humans, so do not feed them - this will only encourage them to frequent the places where people stop to see the views. And, unfortunately for the Nene, they're not particularly bright, and have often been run over by cars as they back up out of the parking lots up here, so be very careful.

There's also the silver sword, another mainland plant that evolved here in Hawaii - these look like yucca plants - small succulents with a silver sheen. These bloom just once in 50 years, and then die, and were almost harvested to extinction i if you see one in bloom, consider yourself lucky - we saw two. There's not a very large fine for harming one of these endangered plants.

The drive up the mountain starts at the Haleakela Crater Highway in Kula - from here, the road traverses the mountain side in a series of switchbacks covering about 20 miles.

Leleiwi Lookout

There are many turnouts where you can see spectacular views of the valley below, West Maui, and the four neighbor islands in the distance. But the hands-down best place to stop is the Leleiwi Lookout - there's a full parking lot here. Park the car, and then (carefully) cross the highway at the crosswalk. You can see clearly up and down the highway, so you should have ample notice of any approaching cars.

The trail is not paved, but is well maintained, and as you drop below the road level, you may notice something you're probably unaccustomed to - absolute silence. When there are no cars passing by above, the trail can be astoundingly quiet - you don't realize how much white noise there is around you all the time until you find a place like this.

Follow the trail around the hillside and take some great pictures of the valley below. But save some film for the view as you cross over from the valley to the crater side. All at once, the whole central crater is laid out before you.

There's a sheltered lookout here, but you can also step around it to see the unfiltered view. The landscape below you is so stark and desolate, it's hard to reconcile it with the Hana Highway that rings this mountain crater.

Thanks again to the Maui Revealed book - it told us the story of the formation of this natural wonder. The dormant volcanic peak eroded into several valleys over thousands of years, eventually meeting one another in the middle and splitting the original mountain in half. Then the mountain awoke, and lava flows filled up these central valleys, building them up into a wide, flatter valley inbetween the two ridges. You can still clearly see one of the last lava flows from this vantage point - a stark, black river against the volcanic sands around it.

The valley has little to no plant life, just harsh volcanic flows, cliffs, and softer dunes of volcanic sand in reds, greys and blacks - it reminds you of nothing so much as a place on another planet - perhaps Mars.

Shortly after this you'll enter the park itself - theres a $10 entrance fee, good for a week, if there's an attendant there to collect it. There's a visitor's center just inside the park with restrooms; there's another three miles farther up the road with better views, and a small gift shop with books for sale about the mountain and Maui in general.

Just before you reach the second visitor center, you'll see an observatory perched on the edge of the mountain. This is Science City, and while it's not open to the public, you can find more info on it here.

We stopped at the second visitor's center, and the views here were also impressive - looking down the valley instead of up it. We also saw a horse riding tour readying to depart here. And there are cabins to rent down in the crater itself, but they are assigned by lottery, so contact the Park Service early.

As we drove the last mile or so from here to the summit, the clouds started to race in across the top of the mountain, and it seemed to drop another 10 degrees or so in temerature.

The summit (at 10,023 feet) is accessible from the parking lot by both an ascending staircase and by a long ramp suitable for wheelchairs. There's nothing at the top but a viewing room and a handrail-protected loop, but the views are enough.

Coming back down from the summit, take your time - it may be tempting to rush back down the hill to get to the next thing, but remember two things - the switchbacks can be extremely dangerous at highjer speeds, and you're on aloha time - slow down. Otherwise, you may do a Thelma and Louise re-enactment, but without the accompanying fame and cultural icon status.

Every one of the major islands in Hawaii needs a place that has all the practical things - groceries, furniture stores, hardware stores, and everyting else folks living here need in their day-to-day lives. Wailuku and Kahului provide these things. As the county seat, Wailuku has the government buildings, and Kahului has Home Depot, Costco, Kmart, Starbucks, Borders Books, the Mall, and the airport.

You'll see a lot of Kahului as you criss-cross the island, because all the highways converge either here or at the southern end of this Central Valley. As mentioned above, most of the valley is taken up by the sugar plantation. Wailuku and Kahului hug the north shore, though neither makes particularly good use of their waterside location. The Sugar Plantation also burns the cane fields periodically - they set fire to a field to clear off all the extra plant matter, then harvest the sugar cane that's left behind. This is a bit messy, and much of the central valley is covered in smoke for a few hours - if this happens, flee to the south, east or west to get out of the smoky air, but don't worry - it clears fairly quickly.

The Maui Tropical Plantation is also here, nestled against the West Maui mountains overlooking the central valley - more information below.

This is also where the cruise ships dock for the interisland cruises.

Ma'alaea Ocean Center, Ma'alaea, 800-300-6067

http://www.handmade-soap.com/store_maui.html

One of our favorite Hawaiian stores, thes stortes can be found on most if not all of the islands. We had one in Kilauea, just a few milles from our home on Kauai. They have a great selection of tropical soaps and candles, and very friendly staff. They can ship for you, or you can take their delectable scents with you on the plane home. There are a few other shops in this center, along with the Ma'alaea Grill (see review below).

We did have dinner here at a great little restaurant called Manana Garage (that's actually a Spanish word - threw us off a bit too at first <grin> with Keli'i from the Maui Visitors bureau, and Jim, his partner. It's a cute industrial-looking restaurant with a great menu - serving nuevo Latino cuisine, and we highly recommend it. No view, but reasonable prices, fun atmosphere, and great food.

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Just below the central valley, hugging the coastline, is the South Shore - Kihei to the north, and Wailea to the south.

Kihei is a beach town. The city higs the coast, its two main drags running parallel to the water. Kihei is filled with motels and small boutique hotels, along with apartments and a few small shopping centers. This town is all about the beach, and everywhere in Kihei is either across from the water or just a short walk to it.

Kihei also boasts one of the two Hilo Hattie stores on the island, a must-stop for every visitor, if only for those inexpensive but oh-so-comfortable sandals they sell and the obligatory Macadamia nuts. There's also a Safeway here to provision your snack bar with back at your room, several starbucks, and a wide variety of places to eat.

Just to the south, Wailea is about one thing - luxury. One of two main resorts on-island (the other is on the west side), Wailea has the Four Seasons, the Grand Wailea, and a beautiful shopping center. Wailea also has some of the most expensive housing costs on Maui - while we were here, they were offering an ocean-view condo for $20,000,000 (yes, million). The area is well watered and lushly tropical, in sharp contrast to the dry hills above. The South Shore gets its abundance of water through an underground pipe from the northern part of the island.

This is the largest gay and lesbian property you'll find on the island. It's extremely clean, well-maintained, with a great location and a very friendly staff, and with the changes coming in 2005, we expect Hale Lehua will only get better.

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West Maui starts at the mountains above Wailuku (technically, the Iao Valley is in West Maui, but since the only access is from the Central Valley, we included it there). The ancient heart of West Maui was Lele, at one time the Royal Capital of the islands. Lele was the site of a great fishpond called the Mokulua, and was where the royal family lived. When the Europeans came, the diseases they brought with them decimated the local population, and the fish ponds were covered over in an effort to eradicate the mosquitoes in the area. Lahaina (Cruel Sun) grew up in the area where Lele had once flourished, and is now a tourist mecca on the west shore. For more on the area's history, see the Maui Nei tour section below.

Lahaina has a certain charm that comes from its colonial roots - it's still a small town, but with many places to shop and eat, and a number of shows and other activities for visitors to enjoy.

One of the great natural wonders on Maui is also here - the huge, multi-trunked banyan tree that sits in front of the Lahaina Harbor - come here on the right day, and you may find vendors selling a variety of Hawaiiana.

It takes about 20-25 minutes to get to Lahaina from Kihei, and the drive is mostly along the oceanside.

You'll see Lana'i Island across the water, as well as some beautiful mountain vistas and maybe even a cruise ship coming into Lahaina - there's no landing here big enough for these ships, so visitors are ferried ashore in small boats.

Just north of Maui are Kaanapali and Kapalua, which together make up the other major resort area on Maui. Kaanapali has some of the tallest buildings on Maui, and a great shopping center as well.

Kapalua has some beautiful (and expensive) resorts, as well as the homes of many wealthy and famous folks, including Kelsey Grammer (Frasier). It also has a Hawaiian burial ground and an intricate lava flow called the Dragon's Teeth - more on all of these below.