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Welcome to the February 2005 newsletter! In early December, we visited Maui for the first time, and enjoyed the Valley Isle. In this issue, we'll bring you the second half of our trip, including South Maui and Western Maui (Kihei, Wailea, Lahaina, etc.). This month we also have another great article from Don & Ray on Palm Springs - thanks, guys! Innkeepers - write us an article about your area, and we'll include it in a future issue of this newsletter with credit and links to your website and email addresses. Contact wheretostay@purpleroofs.com for more details. Late Availability/Special Offer Accommodation Notices As always, we also have our Late Availability & Special Offer notices (148 offers in 20 countries/regions) all at http://www.purpleroofs.com/lateavailability.html, or just check your favorite destination page - these notices are also right there on the regular listings. Innkeepers - Add Five Pictures to Your Listing With Us - Just $50 for 15 Months We have our picture listings on sale this month for just $50 - save over 40%, and give our visitors a look at your little piece of paradise. Go to: http://www.purpleroofs.com/pl.html Seen Our Real Estate and Wedding Sections Lately? We've been beefing up our realtor, mortgage lender, and wedding vendor listings over the last several months, and now have over 770 real estate professional listings in 46 US states and Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. And we have over 380 Wedding Vendor listings in 38 US states, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, and Europe. Check out our real estate professional listings here: http://www.gayrealtynetwork.com That's it for this issue - see y'all next time! :) Mark & Scott, PURPLE ROOFS |
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Maui, Hawaii - The Valley Isle click on the map below, or just scroll down
Last month we chronicled the first half of our trip to Maui in December 2004. In this issue, we'll cover South Maui and West Maui below, 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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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.
Maui Sunseeker (& Wailana Inn) 551 South Kihei Rd., 808-879-1261, 800-532-6284 Click On Any Picture To See More
The new combined resort sits in the northern part of Kihei, right across from the beach. The rooms in the Sunseeker property are all on the ground floor, and face out over the ocean. The Wailana Inn rooms are on two levels - those on the top floor have gorgeous ocean views, while the bottom floor rooms look out onto the courtyard. The Sunseeker's clientele is about 50% gay/lesbian and 50% straight; the Wailana Inn is about 90% gay/lesbian, 10% straight.
The California King bed was very comfortable - and while the resort is on Kihei Road, so you will get some traffic noise, it's nice to keep the windows open at night to hear the sound of the waves. There are two 1 bedroom suites and two junior suites in the Sunseeker part of the property.
The front of the Sunseeker has slate-covered lanais facing the ocean and a manicured, open lawn landscaped with beautiful tropical foliage - this is a great place to see some fantastic sunsets (and we have the pictures to prove it).
We can't wait to see how this comes together - this is going to be a fantastic resort getaway for gay and lesbian travelers.
The rooms here have been redecorated in a similar fashion to the Sunseeker's rooms, giving the whole property a more cohesvive feel. And the bathrooms in the Wailana, with their slate-covered walls, are simply gorgeous. The Wailana rooms also feature Cal King Beds, and some have stunning Pacific Ocean views from the second story. There are six hotel rooms and six junior suites in the Wailana side.
The resort also features a Clothing Optional private sundeck with jacuzzi, and BBQ grill. It's a great place to meet other guys who are staying at the hotel, and to get a little well-deserved Hawaiian R&R.
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 the nerw Maui Sunseeker will only get better. A quick update on the property (January 11th 2005) from the Sunseeker guys: "The gardens in between the buildings have just been completed. They are beautiful. The gingers, bird of paradise and the lilies are all blooming. Just wonderful. And the garden in front of the Wailana building right at the street is quite spectacular. We love it a lot and are getting many positive comments from the community.We have also had the whole property re-keyed with a new master key system. Now guests only have to keep up with one key. It opens their room along with all the perimeter gates. We have the plans drawn for reworking our back patio area behind the office along with the office itself. If all goes well, it will be completed within 90 days. We will have an enclosed guest coin laundry area and consolidation room of our maintenance, hotel laundry and cleaning supplies. Guess that is back office and not noticeable to guests, but it will make us a lot more productive in servicing our guests. The office is being reconfigured for multiple work spaces along with a prominent office entrance from the garden. Our hope is this area will then become a destination on the property in preparation for the pool sometime later this year."
Wailea, 808-879-7099, 877-STAYMAUI The first of two properties we visited in Wailea, Dreams Come True is owned by Tom and Denise, a very friendly straight couple, and sits above most of Wailea in a quiet residential neighborhood. The property is a beautifully landscaped half acre, with Mango, Papaya and Banana Trees and a quiet screened-in gazebo with a waterfall and several birds to provide a tropical atmosphere. It features both a private cottage rental (at the base of the driveway, complete with ocean view and a wide private deck) and two b&b rooms in the main house. One of the B&B rooms has a screened in deck, and also a kitchenette. The property also features an outdoor shower, and an outdoor kitchen and barbeque that sit on a wide deck in front of the main house overlooking the ocean. There's a big-screen TV for guest use in the common room. This is a great choice for folks who want to stay in Wailea and enjoy the great year-round weather of the south shore - close to Little Beach, Maui's premier nude beach.
Wailea, 808--874-8687; 800-598-9550 The other property we visited while in Wailea was Two Mermaids - the only lesbian-owned property we visited on Maui. This B&B is just down the hill from Dreams Come True, and features a terrific pool in the private back yard. Judee and Miranda are life partners, and were first married in British Columbia, Canada. Altho we didn't get to meet Judee, Miranda was a wonderful host. The property has several different rooms and rental configurations - larger groups can rent out a joined space, or couples can rent a smaller configuration. Judee and Miranda welcome kids, and one of their rooms has a nautical theme that children will really enjoy. The owners are still relatively new to the property, and have extensive plans to continue to add to and upgrade the b&b over the next several years. This is a great place for folks who want a comfortable, homey atmosphere close to all of South Shore's sights.
Sarentos On The Beach 2980 South Kihei, 808-875-7555 This was our favorite place to eat on the South Shore. The beach views are terrific, and the food was excellent. The meal was a bit pricey (almost $100 for two, not including any alcoholic beverages) but this one's a great choice for a romantic dinner on the beach while you're on-island. A minor quibble - several friends commented, and we also noticed, that they tend to hover over you here. We timed it, and the longest it took for an empty sugar packet to be removed from the table was 45 seconds. The service is great, but they might want to try to back off just a little. But don't let that stop you - Sarentos is an excellent choice.
Fairmont Hotel, 4100 Wailea Alanui Dr., Wailea, 808-875-4100 The Fairmont Hotel, while fairly new, was built to look like a classic Hollywood Hotel. The grounds are fantastic, and the Polo Beach Grill sits above them with great poolside and ocean views. The food is overpriced (though not bad) - typical resort fare. But it's a great place for people watching, and the resort atmosphere is hard to beat. Marco's Grill & Deli 1445 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, 808-874-4041 We had breakfast at Marco's - it's right on Kihei Road, and is in a gorgeous Itallian style building, but there's no real view here. The food was fair but overpriced, and the service so-so. Sansei Restaurant Kihei Town Center, Kihei, 808-669-6286 The folks at the Maui Visitor's Center suggested dinner here, and we're glad they did. The decor is stylish and fun, and the food was very good. Service was excellent, and although we didn't have sushi (not one of our favorites), we hear the sushi dishes are among the most inventive and well-done on Maui. There's also Karaoke on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Kihei location. If you're in Kapalua, try the Sansei's there. A great choice for a reasonably priced, flavorful dinner.
The Shops at Wailea 3750 Wailea Alanui, Wailea, 808-891-6770 One of the nicest shopping centers on Maui is the Shops at Wailea. Built around a beautiful central courtyard and fountain, the Shops at Wailea features the kind of stores you'd expect on Fifth Avenue in New York or in downtown Beverly Hills, with a bit of an Island Flavor. You probably won't find much to buy here unless you have a rather large pocketbook - but hey, it's fun to look. |
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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.
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.
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.
127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, 808-661-0577 This plantation town style inn boasts one of the best lodging locations in Lahaina - right in the middle of town, right across the street from the Ocean. With 10 rooms and two suites, all with bath ensuite, this is a charming old-world inn, furnished with beautiful antiques. Each room has a deck that looks out on the ocean (the ocean is to your right, so you do have to look over the pther decks unless you get the end room) and the people watching a floor below is fantastic. All rooms also have A/C, important in the land of the "cruel sun". The inn is run by Debbie and Toni, two sisters - Debbie has been in Maui since April, and Toni has been there for 20 years. Both are very friendly, and will welcome you with open arms - they love their gay clientele. You're walking distance to all of Lahaina - this is a great place to stay if you want to be close to everything in town.
67 Kaniau Rd., Lahaina, 808-661-8800, 800-939-3217 Appearances can be deceiving. Garden Gate B&B is in a quiet, unassuming neighborhood just north of downtown Lahaina, and the house itself is rather plain from the front. But walk through the front gate into the hidden courtyard, and the place is transformed into a tropical wonderland. The long courtyard is filled with tropical plants, and is lit at night with beautiful white lights. The two newest rooms are on the top floor, with great ocean views and an expansive feel. The rooms have oversized closets, a small refrigerator, A/C, and luxurious bathrooms. These two units share a wide deck. Breakfast is served in the courtyard, and consists of fresh juices, fruits, and coffee, and the innkeepers are happy to spend time with you chatting about island life in general and Lahaina in particular. A great choice for fokks who want to be near Lahaina, but want a bit of privacy.
730 Front St., Lahaina, 808-661-0700 Great food, reasonable prices, great view - what more can we say? Plenty, apparently. Located on the second story just across from the Seawall, BJ's is right in the middle of Lahaina, and has fantastic views of the waterfront and the ocean. The decor is great too - there's a beautiful mural along one wall, and the place is fun and inviting. And the deep dish pizza is one of the best (if not the best) on the island. We ate here twice - and got out for about $30 total for the two of us each time. Great for lunch or an easy dinner.
505 Front Street, Lahaina, 808-667-4341
But the views are great, and you have a choice of indoor or outdoor eating. We didn't eat at I'O, but it offers similar views. Also here is the Feast at Lele - Lele was the old Hawaiian name for the area - again, we didn't try it, but it's a smaller beachside Luau, and looked quite good. There's also good surfer watching here, too. :)
2435 Kaanapali Parkway, Bldg P. (Whalers Village), Kaanapali, 808-667-6636 Probably our favorite Hawaiian restaurant experience on Maui. While the restaurant offers a very nice indoor dining area, we sat outside: on the beach, with our feet in the sand, palapas rustling above us in the light breeze while blocking out the sun, listening to live Hawaiian slack key guitar music. It doesn't get much more relaxing than this - and the food was great too. For two, $26, no alcohol. Well worth the trip from Lahaina (just 5 minutes) on a beautiful afternoon.
505 Front St., Lahaina At the southern edge of Lahaina, this center features Pacific 'O, I'O, and the Feast at Lele, mentioned above, as well as the Maui Nei Headquarters (see the Maui Walking Tour info below) and a number of other shops.
Nestled in the middle of Lahaina, the Lahaina Marketplace is the kind of place you should visit after dark. No, it's not seedy - it's just that, like the International Marketplace in Waikiki, they light this place up at night, and it's just gorgeous. There's also a movie theater here. If you're lucky, you may see one of the locals making some beautiful wood carvings at the front of the center.
900 Front St., Lahaina The Lahaina Center is at the northern end of Front Street and Lahaina - and is home to one of our favorite Hawaiian stores - Hilo Hattie (their other store is in Kihei), and to the Warren & Annabelle's show as well. Also here is Hale Kahiko - kind of a miniature version of Kamokila, the demonstration village in Kauai - it's a free look at Hawaiian life, with several hawaiian houses, a canoe, and free weekly hula shows - see the website for schedules. |
Section 1: EDITOR'S NOTES
