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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Maui
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Colonized by transplanted New Yorkers, expat Brazilians, sundry Europeans, and international celebrities, Maui is a mix of advanced café civilization, luxe resort life, and soul surfer mecca, all situated around singular natural sights. Enclaves of newcomers, like the little town of Pa'ia, on Maui's North Shore, with cosmopolitan eateries and pricey boutiques, may make visitors wonder if there are any locals left at all. But if you know where to look—such as Wailuku, whose vintage "downtown" includes the classic bijou Iao Theater—you can still find traces of old Maui.
Attractions & Activities You're on vacation, but you still need to wake up before the crack of dawn one day to see the sun rise from 10,000-foot-high Haleakala, an extinct volcanic crater whose name means "House of the Sun." On this moonscape you might spot the nene, the flightless goose that is Hawaii's state bird. Haleakala National Park offers hikes led by naturalists, star-gazing programs, and camping (nps.gov/hale). On the eastern tip of Maui is the über-rural area of Hana. The spectacular—and grueling—drive to Hana from the middle of the island on the two-lane Hana Highway should take about two hours, but most people need more time because the waterfalls (such as Waikamoi Falls, at the ten-mile marker), forests, and lookouts demand frequent stops. You'll also want to go slow because along the way you wind through more than 600 curves and across 50 one-lane bridges. You don't make the trek for destination restaurants and nightlife. Hana is about recharging at places like Ohe'o Gulch, also known as the Seven Sacred Pools, a daisy chain of water holes leading down to the ocean. Peahi, more commonly known as Jaws, is the most famous big-wave break in the world. Located off the coast of Haiku, along the Hana Highway, it reaches its peak only half a dozen times a year, from November through January. Spectators drive through the pineapple fields to see the cliffside action, and big-wave conqueror Laird Hamilton lives here for easy access. Down the road, the world's best windsurfers launch at Ho'okipa Beach Park, dubbed the Windsurfing Capital of the World. Unless you're an expert, watch the action from shore: Strong currents and jagged coral make it a treacherous spot for novices. At Makena State Park, out past the moneyed, golf-resort enclave of Wailea, is Big Beach, the kind of wide white-sand stretch flanked by aquamarine water you expect in Hawaii. But the summer calm can give way to a pounding surf in winter. Hike over the rock at the north end of Big Beach and you're at Little Beach, Maui's famous nude beach, where the let-it-all-hang-out crowd is a mix of gay and straight. On Sundays at sunset, hundreds of people gather for a beach blanket bacchanal. Note: There are no toilet or shower facilities. In mid-June, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, in Kahului, is the site of the star-studded Maui Film Festival, as well as weekly first-run arty films at Candlelight Café & Cinema on Wednesday nights (808-242-2787; mauiarts.org). Wailuku, Maui's former commercial epicenter, became a near ghost town when the sugar industry lost its sweetness in the 1960s and '70s, but today it's experiencing a mini revival. The 1930s and mid-century storefronts on Market Street, the main drag, are retro photo ops and are filling with indie stores such as Maui Booksellers, where you can get new and used books and cool magazines (105 N. Market St.; 808-244-9091), Asian antiques dealer Brown-Kobayashi (38 N. Market St.; 808-242-0804), vintage Hawaiian knickknack emporium Bird of Paradise Unique Antiques (56 N. Market St.; 808-242-7699), and Sig Zane, with shirts and dresses in the bold Polynesian patterns of one of Hawaii's most pono (upstanding, culturally attuned) designers (53 N. Market St.; 808-249-8997). Residents from other islands end their Maui trips with a visit to Home Maid Bakery to buy the best manju, Japanese azuki-bean-filled flaky pastries. They make good omiyage—gifts brought back from a trip—a Japanese custom that has become a statewide tradition (1005 Lower Main St.; 808-244-4150). In the cool, misty up-country, you can take a tour of island celebrity chef James McDonald's verdant O'o Farm, where you pick your own ingredients for lunch and bring your own wine (808-667-4341), or the violet fields of Ali'i Kula, a lavender farm and store where everything from gelatin honey scrub to lavender coffee is made with the fragrant flowers (1100 Waipoli Rd., Kula; 808-878-3004). Lodging Four Maui hotels appear on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's best. Three of them are on the southern coast, in the genteel resort cluster of Wailea: the Fairmont Kea Lani, the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, and the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, all outsized, everything-you-need spreads right on the water. The fourth, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, is in bustling Lahaina. To see what it's like to drop out, stay in Hana. The most luxe choice is the Hotel Hana-Maui, a complex of old plantation-style bungalows right on the rugged shoreline. In the thick of the Wailea resorts, but costing a little less, is the Wailea Marriott Resort & Spa, which completes a $60 million renovation in the fall of 2006. Just south of Kapalua Resort, which is also undergoing a massive overhaul and includes a lavish new spa jointly developed by Arizona's famous Miraval, is Napili Kai Beach Resort. Around since 1962, the low-rise family-friendly retreat sits on its own little peninsula at Napili Bay, and its vintage 1970s feel is perfect for those who want a taste of Maui past. One of the island's best-kept secrets is the Inn at Mama's Fish House. While locals and tourists alike go to this seafooder for special occasions, in-the-know neighboring-island visitors go there to spend the night: You can get a taste of Maui living in its fully equipped island-style cottages on its own private bay. Dining Maui vies with the Big Island for the state's best produce. The result is great locally grown ingredients in the restaurants. Los Angeles's famous Spago opened a branch at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in 2001, and chef Cameron Lewark turns heads with his Asian-inflected fare (especially the seafood). Expect dishes such as locally caught mahimahi in tomato water and seared sea scallops in Chinese garlic-pepper sauce (808-879-2999; entrées, $35–$49). In Kapalua's Vino, master sommelier (and high-profile Hawaiian food-and-wine personality) Chuck Furuya shares his latest vineyard finds by the glass and the bottle. The contemporary Italian small-plate menu (featuring dishes like a warm caprese salad with fried mozzarella) is tailor-made to go with the grapes (2000 Village Rd.; 808-661-8466; entrées, $7–$18). At nearby Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Kapalua's other dominant restaurant, chef Ivan Pahk does great things with fish and local ingredients (600 Office Rd.; 808-669-6286; entrées, $16–$30). The arty crowd in Wailuku's old downtown gravitate to Café Marc Aurel, an espresso and wine bar where the jazz is cool and the panzanella excellent (28 N. Market St.; 808-244-0852; entrées, $3–$10). Nearby, at the Main Street Bistro, in the old Kato Dry Goods building, talented chef Tom Selman effortlessly makes what he calls "refined comfort food": slow-roasted beef brisket and spice-encrusted mahimahi served over greens (2051 Main St.; 808-244-6816; entrées, $6–$14). Chef James McDonald's side-by-side Lahaina restaurants Pacific'O (505 Front St.; 808-667-4341; entrées, $26–$38) and I'O (505 Front St.; 808-661-8422; entrées, $28–$38) set the bar high for Hawaiian regional cuisine. Fishermen walk straight up the beach from the ocean with their fresh catches for the waterfront restaurants, and most of the produce comes from McDonald's own organic farm. At the other end of Lahaina, newcomer Mala was an instant hit. Chef Mark Ellman, founder of the national chain Maui Tacos, returned to the kitchen to experiment with his favorite Mediterranean and Asian flavors, turning out dishes such as Afghan-style chicken wings with pomegranate molasses and moist opah (moonfish) topped with a jalapeño-spiked cilantro salsa. At sunset, try to snag a table on the deck overlooking the water for a glimpse of the sea turtles. The place is always packed, so reservations are strongly recommended (1307 Front St.; 808-667-9394; entrées, $12–$28). Pa'ia may be small, but it is chockablock with great casual cafés. Fresh-fish tacos with a vinegary slaw are the highlight at the Paia Fish Market, where the dining is communal and the servers international (110 Hana Hwy.; 808-579-8030; entrées, $7–$17). At tiny Café Des Amis, the food is Mediterranean and Indian: spinach and feta crêpes, and mahimahi curry (42 Baldwin Ave.; 808-579-6323; entrées, $8–$15). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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