General Geographic Area: Central Maui

In a nutshell: Central Maui is the isthmus between West Maui and Haleakala. It is also where most business gets done on Maui. Visitors will pass through here several times, usually on the way to somewhere else.
Minuses: The Pu’unene Sugar Mill spewing smoke from its stacks into the blue sky sure is a buzzkill.
Sound-bite: “OMG, OGG!”

Central Maui is where Maui’s business gets done. The Kahului Airport and Harbor are where all our “stuff” (and people) come in. The Maui County government, Costco, WalMart, two protected wetlands and ‘Iao Valley…just to name a few of the many reasons you might end up in Central Maui on purpose. Like most of the island, there are also several absolutely spectacular beaches here – including the beach where kitesurfing was born.

Central Maui is comprised largely of the isthmus between West Maui and Haleakala. Kahului and Wailuku are the largest towns in this area. Most visitors will fly in to the Kahului airport.

While it is largely not a tourist destination in and of itself, Central Maui is a hub virtually every visitor will (and must) pass through several times. Traveling from either of the resort areas (West and South Maui) to any other region of Maui requires passing through Central Maui.

Central Maui has several main highways crossing through it, many of which you’re bound to find yourself on. Practically every visitor will take Airport Road, which turns into Dairy Road (Hwy 380) to the junction of 380 & 311. If you are staying in West Maui, you’ll continue on 380 (which becomes the Kuihelani Highway here) to the other side of the central valley. South Maui visitors will take the Mokulele Highway (Hwy 311) from the junction. If you happen to be one of the few lucky folks staying in on the North Shore, Upcountry or Road to Hana regions, you’ll be exiting Central Maui sooner, and by hanging a left onto Hana Highway (Hwy 36) at the K-Mart on Dairy Road.

Ma’alaia Harbor, the Maui Ocean Center and ‘Iao Valley are among the main tourist attractions in Central Maui – but many visitors will find themselves shopping at one of the big box stores, supermarkets or Central Maui’s only two-story shopping mall, the Ka’ahumanu Center. (Don’t be tempted to avoid trying to pronounce Ka’ahumanu by calling it the “Maui Mall” – especially if you’re asking for directions – there is a shopping center/strip mall just a bit down the same road with that very name.)

For more specific information on Central Maui, browse the Central Maui category.

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Insider source for Hawaii rental car deals.

In a nutshell: Insider/wholesale pricing on rental cars.
Minuses: Online rental process is not real-time.
Sound-bite: “Are you sure these rates are correct?”

Okay, this one of those situations where it pays to know someone local. Maui truly plays by its own set of rules – and those locally connected pay less than you will for many things. Rental cars won’t be one of them – it doesn’t get any less expensive. This small locally-owned business beats out discount sites like Orbitz, Priceline & Travelocity consistently. Frequently the difference in price will be significant enough that if you have been shopping around you might think these can’t possibly be current rates. Good news: the prices are current, and they are for real.

Car Rental Hawaii has an inside wholesale connection to the major in-airport rental car companies. Don’t mistake them for rent-a-wreck type places – even though the prices are in line with what you might expect to pay for a older car at a smal rental place, these are current model year cars from major in-airport rental car companies.

I’ve known about Car Rental Hawaii for several years now, and the truth is I have not ended up booking a single car with anyone since – and that is saying something. It definitely isn’t from being lazy or having cash to throw around – I am a habitual comparison shopper and bargain hunter, and can’t help but to keep everyone honest by cross-checking their prices every time. Don’t take my word for it – cross-check the rates for yourself. (They even have an iPhone app!)

The icing on the cake is these folks don’t even make you give them any credit card or ask you to commit. You’re free to cancel out should plans change – we’re not so used to that these days – you buy from Priceline or somewhere similar and you pay immediately for a reservation you can’t cancel – we’ve been told that is because the deal is so good, they need to be sure they get paid. But I guess that doesn’t actually makes sense – because if you truly don’t have to worry about anyone ever beating your price people are going to show up for your reservation every time.

So, the way to do this is to first is to go to their website at www.carrentalhawaii.com, submit the dates of your visit and the website will give you an estimate price along with a form to get a firm price quote. In the “cruise ship” field place “Maui Guidebook” (or if you’re taking a cruise ship use the airline field.) Submit the form and wait for an email from them. While you’re waiting, cruise around to all the other discount sites your heart desires to get that warm and fuzzy feeling of saving dough.

Key Info:
Location: Kahului Airport (OGG)
Phone: 866-300-7116
Web: http://www.carrentalhawaii.com/
Price: Typically $20-55/day or $130-260/wk depending on car type.

You may also be interested in:

• Spreckelsville Beach
• The Back Side of Haleakala (Kipahulu to Ulupalakua)
• Maui Coffee Roasters

Paragon II at Molokini

Rating: 4.85 out of 5 stars
^{*how we rate vendors}

Rated #1 Molokini Snorkel Boat

In a nutshell: These guys really know how to sail!
Minuses: Food is a lower priority than beer. (Maybe that’s a plus?!?”)
Sound-bite: “They raised the sails quickly and we were soon traveling at 20 knots!”

Location:		Maalaea & Lahaina Harbors
Phone:		808-244-2087
Website:		www.sailmaui.com
Price:		$50 - $150

Description:
Paragon has two high-performance sailing catamarans, Paragon I and Paragon II.

Paragon II, which sails out of Maalaea Harbor won our award for #1 Sailing Snorkel to Molokini. Both boats do a lot of real sailing, which sets them above the competition who mostly rely on motors to get around. I've got two friends who sail extensively that have both been on Paragon and both rave about their skill and enthusiasm. Similar sentiments are echoed from visitors.

Tours Offered:

Molokini during rush hour ;-) (Photo: Ron Garnett/HTA)

Molokini Snorkel & Performance Sail (Paragon II sailing out of Maalaea)
5-hour performance sail, snorkel and whale/dolphin/turtle watch. Breakfast & lunch are included.

Many vendors offer snorkel trips to Molokini Crater; the factors that went into rating them #1 are:

~ More personal size (read: you won't be herded around like cattle.)
~ They let you explore and don't have to force you to stay close to the boat.
~ You'll have a blast sailing instead of motoring.
~ Whale watching, dolphin & turtle sightings are a shared focus of the sailing portion, not an afterthought - so you'll stop, linger and enjoy when the show is good.
~ Maalaea harbor is less crowded and closer to Molokini than Lahaina Harbor.

Coral Gardens Afternoon Sail & Snorkel (Paragon II sailing out of Maalaea)
3-hour hour trip to a snorkel spot tucked inside the cliffs between Maalaea and Lahaina. Snacks are included.

Lana'i Snorkel, Beach Picnic & Sail (Paragon I sailing out of Lahaina)
7-hour performance sail to Manale Bay on Lana'i. The bay is a marine preserve and is well known for large quantities of spinner dolphins that often swim with people. Picnic on the beach.

Lahaina Champagne Sunset Sail (Paragon I sailing out of Lahaina)
2-hours sunset sail with drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Etc.
Whale watching is included in all trips in season. Unlimited beverages, including beer & wine, (and some trips Mai Tais) are included. Private charters are also available on either boat.

Other Reviews: ^{*ordered by accuracy}

Tripadvisor

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Yelp

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Google

You may also be interested in:

• Hawaii Ocean Rafting
• Trilogy Excursions
• Pacific Whale Foundation Eco Adventures

Maui Coffee Roasters

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
^{*how we rate restaurants}

Rated #1 Coffee Shop in Central Maui

In a nutshell: Reasonably priced fresh-roasted local coffee – and tasty food to go with it.
Minuses: One location, outside the resort areas.
Sound-bite: [the frothing sound of steaming cappuccino milk]

Location:   444 Hana Hwy., Kahului, HI 96732 Phone:   808-877-2877 Website:   www.mauicoffeeroasters.com Menus:   Not Available

Hours:   M-F 7am - 4pm; Sat 8am - 5pm; Sun 8am - 2:30pm Price:   Affordable Credit Cards:   Yes Views:   No Outdoor Seating:   Yes Entertainment:   No Booze:   No Reservations:   No

Description:
Maui Coffee Roasters has two things you'll rarely find side-by-side in Maui: Reasonably priced, and top-notch quality. Located in the center of Kahului, seriously consider skipping over the many Starbucks locations for something more authentically Maui. Just off of Dairy Road on Hana Highway, while it isn't located in the resort areas, the location is actually hidden in plain sight en route to many popular places, including the Kahului airport, Haleakala, the Road to Hana and Iao Valley.

Maui Coffee Roasters is our pick for #1 in Central Maui. The staff is friendly, and they're focused on helping you choose from a diverse choice of Hawaiian coffee selections - and they'll even grind a batch just right for your tiny hotel coffee maker if you ask. They have coffees from all around the world, but save the familiar Moka Java for the Seattle trip, and go with Hawaiian coffee when you're here. You'll have the option to sample the international coffees in every coffee house in every city, but you'll rarely have the opportunity to sample many of these local coffees elsewhere. (You can thank me later by sending me a gift box of your favorite Hawaiian beans!)

About the size of a Starbucks, even though Maui Coffee Roasters finds themselves on the "Best Of Maui" list year after year, this is actually still the only Maui Coffee Roasters location.

Besides coffee, MCR also has breakfast, wraps, salads and sandwiches that are surprisingly superior to your typical coffee shop fare. Maui Coffee Roasters also offers coffee and gifts to carry on the plane or ship. And they've got coffee packaged as gifts starting at five bucks. So, with that said, let me tell you a little bonus hint that has saved my okole more than once: if you buy Hawaiian coffee as gifts for your friends and coworkers, and then you totally space on your boss or mother-in-law, with a few clicks on the MCR website your can have a selection of coffee coming their way via second-day air. Combine that tip with a little white lie like "they had to roast a batch just for you and so I arranged to have them ship it" and you're golden! (Sheez...I really hope a certain someone doesn't read this!)

Wireless Internet, ambiance and book reading are a few other reasons folks come to a coffee shop, and they've done all of these right as well. Besides the obligitory wireless Internet, the place is decked out in colorful art and has abundant natural lighting. Honestly, the only thing wrong with the place is it is in a strip mall in Kahului - I tried to stuff the suggestion box with "Dude, set up on the beach in a in a tiki-bar motif" notes, but they're still hidden in plain sight behind a regular-old Kahului storefront.

Other Reviews: ^{*ordered by accuracy}

Google

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Yelp

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Tripadvisor

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Prime produce

In a nutshell: The best natural food store on Maui. Better food, selection & pricing than the chain supermarkets.
Minuses: Parking.
Sound-bite: “Absolutely the best Calamari salad I ever ate.”

What makes Mana Foods #1 is that they’re well beyond just being “the local natural foods store.” They carry the island’s widest selection of the highest quality fresh and healthy food. The icing on the vegan chocolate cake is their fair pricing – I come out of there with a consistently smaller receipt and a much healthier bag of groceries than I do at Safeway or Foodland.

Located on the North Shore in Paia Town, Maui’s old plantation town has a defining character all its own. In a trip through the isles of Mana you’re guaranteed to see more than your fair share of yogi’s, surfers, hippies, trust-fund babies and tourists. Mana Foods is a hub of the highly diverse North Shore Maui community.

Prepared Foods
Positioned between the vitamin room and the bulk foods are deli-cases of delicious freshly prepared foods. Cakes, pastries, raw, vegetarian, meat and seafood dishes. And unlike Down To Earth (yummy, but all veg, more $, less selection) they rotate the variety of prepared foods here endlessly. You can’t even compare the quality and taste to a supermarket deli. For real, this stuff is good.

Baked Goods
Mana Foods has a bakery on-site that makes unusual and tasty cakes, breads and other baked goods. (Marzipan fans must try the Princess Cake.) Everything is baked fresh daily. They also have several vegan cakes and pies (and I’m no vegan, mind you) that taste so absolutely non-vegan that I bet they’ve had to talk down their share of freaked out hippies. My two favorite baked treats in the place are both vegan: the mini pumpkin pie and the vegan chocolate cake – the latter of which is actually my number one favorite cake, anykind, anywhere. It is so freeking good I’m astounded they don’t use milk, butter or eggs in the thing.

Meat & Dairy
Mana foods also has a gourmet selection of local and fancy imported, organic and natural dairy products, meats and seafood. Regular items, and more exotic meats like buffalo, ostrich and venison are also stocked.

More than vitamins here...

Vitamin Room
The vitamin room is like a store within the store – it is also somewhat misnamed. Much more than vitamins, like the rest of Mana this room is packed with a very diverse selection of items. You can find everything from remedies, candles, incense and cosmetics to oils, lotions, tarot cards and clothing. The vitamin room also has its own dedicated staff who have specialized knowledge of the products.

Chocolates, Teas (& everything else)
Their tea and chocolate selections are legendary – with over 600 teas and a wall of 200 chocolates. Their website puts numbers on all the other stuff – like 75 nut and seed butters – these examples are representative of the kind of options and selection you’ll have throughout the store.

What Isn’t Going to be Spectacular
The huge selection crammed into the place also means that it can be hard to find stuff. (To their credit, staff is always present and very helpful.) Also, if you’re more impressed by glitz and high-end merchandising, then the old-school shelving and deli cases won’t impress you a bit. The isles are also so narrow that the Fire Marshall goes into cold sweats every time he sees an organic goji berry.

Parking is also in high demand around Mana. If this were truly paradise the lot next door would be twice as big. Fortunately parking does turn over rapidly, so five minutes of patience will typically pay off. If the lot is full and you’re not feeling patient, your best bet is to park in the dirt lot between Bank Of Hawaii and Charley’s (see the map below: blue box.) Note: you’re only supposed to use this dirt lot if you’re doing some shopping/browsing in the interesting (and worthy of a look) shops and eateries adjacent.

Key Info:
Location: 49 Baldwin Ave, Paia
Phone: 808-579-8078
Rating source: Maui Guidebook & Yelp
Web: http://www.manafoodsmaui.com
Price: As reasonable as Maui gets.

View Paia Town in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Anthony’s Coffee Co.
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Seasonal Price Range: $99-$269

Sleeps 2-15
1, 2 & 3BR (Up to 6 Bedrooms available total.)
Kings in all bedrooms; Futons in all livingrooms.

Amenities:
| Fully Stocked Kitchen | BBQ |
| Lanai | Ceiling Fans |
| Cable | Internet | Towels & Linens |
| Walk to Beaches, Shops & Restaurants |

THIS ARTICLE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Overview
These are all brand new fully gutted renovations on the footprints of two plantation houses. The remodels were done in a clean, modern, no-nonsense style. Vacation rental needs were clearly built into the design, no wasted space or clutter for things visitors simply don’t need. Furnishings are attractive and functional. All bedrooms have King beds, all living rooms have futons for extra guests. Kitchens and bathrooms are also functional and attractive. Tile and stone is used throughout, and combined with the original plantation design of the house and ceiling fans, these stay remarkably cool all day long without needing A/C.

Higher-quality construction; open and airy

Stone & tile floors, custom concrete countertops in the kitchen and bath.

Tip: the best local market on Maui is walking distance from your front door – I tell people to drive from the resorts to this market.

Paia Town
This is located right on Baldwin Ave in Paia Town.

Beaches
There are several beaches within walking distance, in order of distance they are:

Paia Bay (bring a picnic)
Paia Secret Beach (nudists)
Baldwin Cove (this one vanishes!)
Baldwin Beach Park (long sandy beach)
Baby Beach (scenic & great for keiki)

A short drive:
Tavares Beach (unknown to visitors)
Ku’au Cove (aka Mama’s Fish House Beach)
Ho’okipa Beach Park (windsurfing capital of the world!)

I choose to live on this side of the island – it is cooler, less commercial/touristy, and very central for active folks who plan on touring all around the island.

You’re also closer to Kahului, Haleakala, Road to Hana and Upcountry than the resort areas, while the resort areas are still easily within reach for day trips (an easy and very scenic ~25-35 minutes to Kihei and South Maui, about 45 mins to Lahaina and West Maui.)

Other Stuff

More Photos Below The Map

**MAP**

Click the photos for higher-resolution closeup.

Bedroom 3

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 1

Living Room Angle 2

Living Room

Living Room Into Kitchen

Open Casual Dining Area

Gas BBQ

Bathroom

Inquiry:

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You may also be interested in:

• Kokomo Hale
• Pa’ia Town
• Paia Bay

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