Pricey Maui offers some affordable treats
A woman walks on the red sand beach at Kaihalulu Bay in Hana, Hawaii.
Windsurfers crowd the waters at Ho’okipa outlook, near Paia, Maui Hawaii.
KAANAPALI, Hawaii – The perception of Maui as a destination for the rich is only partially true.
Flights and hotels can be pricey. The only down season is for about two weeks at the start of December. But the island has many affordable options for food, lodging and entertainment, and some attractions – the beach, beautiful drives – are free.
“There’s such natural resources around that it’s easy to enjoy yourself without spending a lot of money,” said Keli’i Brown of the Maui Visitor’s Bureau. “There are lots of opportunities, a lot of ways to save.”
Here are a few ways to take an affordable trip to Maui.
Maui is known for its world-class beaches. Enjoying them usually doesn’t cost anything, except for a few in resort areas that have pay parking lots.
The island has 81 beaches and 120 miles of coastline, with sands of gold, black, green, red and white. Kaanapali and Wailea beaches are in resort towns and tend to be the most popular. Other beaches are less crowded, like Big Beach in Makena State Park on the south shore.
The water is spectacular for snorkeling, filled with colorful tropical fish and majestic sea turtles. Equipment rental for a week is typically inexpensive – around $20 – and some hotels offer free gear when you stay there.
Ho’okipa Beach on the north shore is one of the world’s best places to watch windsurfers, too.
Hawaii is known for luaus, traditional feasts usually accompanied by live entertainment. But those can be expensive, many starting at $90 or more.
An easy way to get a taste of Hawaiian culture without paying a big price is to find local performers around hotels and resort areas.
The Lahaina Cannery Mall has free hula shows and offers ukulele lessons weekly. Many hotels along Kaanapali Beach have nightly performers in bar areas, including Whaler Village and Kaanapali Beach Hotel. Performers also occasionally show up along the walkway between the hotels and nearby beaches.
The road to Hana is one of the most famous scenic drives in the world, a winding 52-mile road along the north shore that has 54 one-lane bridges and is lined with waterfalls, incredible tropical foliage and lava shores.
Another option is to take Highway 340 between Kahului and Kapalua around the rugged northwest end of the island. The narrow, winding road is a little more dangerous than the Hana Highway, though is certainly manageable if you drive with caution.
The trip is worth it, filled with spectacular views of the coast, fruit stands set up by the locals and along the way, a blowhole where water spurts up through a rock formation. Watch out for the free-range chickens.
Maui is crisscrossed by hiking trails, from easy strolls to strenuous climbs.
Some trails pass through rainforests that have waterfalls and plunge pools for swimming. The trails at Haleakala Crater, a national park that requires a fee, takes hikers through a lunar-like landscape. There also are plenty of hikes near the coast. Or just start down the beach and see how far it takes you before turning back.
Maui has song birds that are found nowhere else in the world and a dazzling array of colorful tropical flowers, so there’s plenty to hear, see and smell while hiking.
Watching whales on Maui is seasonal, running from November to May, when humpback whales fill the waters between the southern shores and the islands of Molokai and Lanai.
Paying to ride in a charter boat will get you closer to the whales, but they are easily visible from the shore as they leap or raise their enormous tails out of the water.
Maui is known for five-star restaurants and for good reason, with some of the best dining anywhere.
But there are also plenty of inexpensive, often hole-in-the-wall choices.
The Kihei Caffe has a nice mix of American and Hawaiian breakfast food. Taqueria Cruz has tasty seafood tacos on its menu. Lahaina has several good-and-cheap options, including Ono Tacos, CJ’s Deli and Diner and Star Noodle.
Hotels in Maui can be expensive, many starting at $300 nightly to much, much higher.
There are a few properties that are clean and have reasonable rates, including Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Maui Coast Hotel in Kihei and Napili Kai Beach Resort.
Another option is to rent a condo. Those may cost a little more, but will save in other areas. Most have kitchens, so you can cook and save on eating out. A condo with a washing machine even means packing less to save on luggage fees.