Kaanapali Villas on Maui??

JW · Since 28 Jan 2006 227 Posts portland Stoked

Has anyone stayed at Kaanapali Villas on Maui? Is it any good and close enough to kiting? If not, any recommendations?

tonyb · Mon Jun 07, 10 8:08 pm

Haven't stayed but most things in Kanapalii are nice. A little far for kiting. (45 minutes +) Look at Kihei but try to stay towards the north end for quickest access to Mokulele Hwy. Best kiting on the island is on the north shore. But Kihei can be awesome when the wind is right.

Try not to go Wailea or Makena. Too far south and it takes forever to get up to the highway to cross the island.

There are some places near Hana that are nice but I can't remember the name.

Tony

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

we stayed in Kihei- 25 minutes to the north shore. stay away from kanapali unless you want first class tourist spots. Kihei is way mellower and a much better relaxing vibe in my opinion. I was there in march but I hear summer can be when the winds blow in kihei etc. Houses,rentals are cheaper in kihei plus it has the best sushi bar on the island. happy hour every day = half price on all your food and drinks. no better deal when food is not cheap!!!!!

JW · Since 28 Jan 2006 227 Posts portland Stoked

thanks for the suggestions - we've stayed on Kihei and like it - heard from my wife's co-worker about the other place and wanted to see what other kiters thought of it, since it's on the beach and lots of activities for kids, etc w/o having to drive. Any good cheap condos on the beach in Kihei you'd recommend?

A.K. · Since 01 Jul 2006 190 Posts Stoked

"maui no ka oi"

A.K. · Since 01 Jul 2006 190 Posts Stoked

finally, I am no longer a kook online. That last maui style post put me over! I was wondering when that was going to happen. A card carrying member since 06', thats old school braddah.

-kook-tastic Twisted Evil

Vladiator · Since 06 Jun 2009 252 Posts Napels FL Obsessed

Kihei is the spot!!!! Vary chill !!! 20 min from kite beach!!! Just got back 3 weeks ago, I loved it!!! Maui is the best!

MasViento · Since 03 Mar 2009 235 Posts 97031 Stoked

I have been over to Maui a bit and kited on both sides of island. North shore good but Kihei can be nice also.
A few times we drove over Kihei way to get some nice Kona winds and ended up kiting at either the whale preservation site near the park or behind these condos on south Kihei rd. called Maui Sunset.

http://www.sunsetmaui.com/

Now mind you I have never stayed at the condos nor do I have any financial interest in them, but I hear from other folks that they have nice pool and amenities, and grounds are very well kept. some of them have been remodeled , some are kind of dated.
We always parked at a small lot behind these condos and kited from the park right behind the condo building.
There is a shallow beach with a super big grassy lawn to get all your kite paraphenalia assembled and get your kook on. Beach was calm and part of Waipuilani Park . You could also downwind a few miles to Kalepolepo park.

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/beaches/WaipuilaniPark.htm

There were always a few windsurfers launching but they mostly kept to themselves and worried about how the shallow reef was gonna break their fins. No issues for me ever with our little nubbins. Beach not very wide but I still could self launch and land without issues.

There is also one other beach that you can kite from before you get to Maui Sunset called Kalepolepo park , more real estate to launch from. Be careful for a big ass tree that seems to be down in middle of beach about 10 yrds. off shore.

Here is link to Map (hope it works : http://www.mapquest.com/mq/4-1_mPbgJ2zEkB

However if you want a place on the North shore near kite beach I would call Lindsay at Island Style Vacations : http://www.islandstylevacations.com/
-Only placeI know of to kite from backyard and have a cool beach for your kids and wife on north shore is Sugar Cove. Ask her about that place. It has a killer little beach away from all the nuttiness at Kanaha where you can launch and land most times by yourself. lots of Honu be careful they always have right of way.
Hope this helps. Maui Nō Ka ʻOi
Peace
e

Hope this helps.

marina · Since 16 Jan 2006 150 Posts California coast Stoked

contact Mark Godley (kitelauncher.com) for his two bedroom condo in paia. Very reasonably priced with full amenities. Check it out
http://kitelauncher.com/mauirental.php

Bettyboarder · Tue Jun 08, 10 7:09 am

Mark's place is nice in Paia cause you can walk to town for coffee in the morning or dinner.

Last time we stayed in Maui Sunsets in Kihei...each unit is different so look at a few. The one Rollo rented was a sick place....free bbq's, pool and hot tub. Plus if the wind is right you can kite right out front

Dave and Susie from Action Sports Maui also own a place they rent out...I haven't been there but I heard it's pretty nice.

matt99eo · Since 12 Jun 2008 72 Posts

+1 for Paia town.

- Pa'ia fish market!
- Chillin beaches
- 10 min to Ho'kipa
- 10 min to Kite beach
- I won't say there are no tourists but there are sure a lot less it seams hangin in Pa'ia.
- No big ass yuppie resorts

rich · Since 30 Nov 2005 306 Posts portland Obsessed

we were in Kanapali in december. One kiteable day at the beach right in front of the resort. Great kiting every day out by the airport. There was a cool little 'tourist break' right in front of the hotel in kanapali that was fun to kook surf on. Kids dug it all too

mystrygrl · Since 07 Sep 2006 95 Posts PDX/HR - What day is it?

Used to stay at Kaanapali Villas all the time... mostly during the pre-kiting era. As others have mentioned, Kaanapali is nice... can be a bit touristy for some... but especially nice if you have non-kiters on the trip with you, since there are nice beaches with lots of activities, shopping, and a range of restaurants right there. It is somewhat far from kiting beaches... about 40-45 minutes... but not neccessarily a deal breaker I suppose.

Maui Kaanapali Villas are just north of the main string of hotels which end at Black Rock... so it is a bit quieter than then typical Kaanapali resort. They are individually owned condos that are rented out via a central reservation company... so there is some variability in the condition of each condo. But most of the large 1 BR units in the main building were nicely furnished and more than met our needs. The onsite restaurant has really really good breakfasts and pretty decent dinners too. Couple of pools (the largest right off beach), a convienence store, and place to rent beach equipment on site too.

Beach there has a pretty aggressive shore break at some times of the year, but there is SUPER snorkeling just south of there at Black Rock, as well as just north of there at this public beach park... makes going to Molokini or South Maui totally unneccessary... it was actually some of the best snorkeling on the island in my opinion.... turtles, rays and all kinds of fish ... all the time right off shore.

On rare occasions we have seen (and actually tried) kiting on that side of the island... but definitely do not count on that happening.

Anyway... we have stayed all over the island over the years... so feel free to PM me for more info.

kurtm · Since 18 Nov 2006 5 Posts Kook

Just got back from Maui on Tuesday. Stayed at the Maui Sunset. Kited 3 days right at the condo and 3 days on Kite Beach. The wind comes up later in the day at the Maui Sunset (Kihei), like at 1 or 2 PM as apposed to 11 AM at Kite Beach. The water in front of the Maui Sunset is flat unless you get a south swell, then it can turn into some great surf conditions.

Great place to stay for kiting, walk to the beach right in front. You'll roll into your unit by late afternoon on the first day and be on the water by 3:30 for your first session. Then hop over into the pool and hot tub for some relaxing post session. Watch the shallow water on either side but directly in front of the park seems slightly deeper. It's amazing that nobody kites over there in Kihei much, spent the 3 days kiting there with a few other kiters and a couple of windsurfers.

The beach in front of the Maui Sunset is not a nice beach for walking or swimming so if you are looking for that, stay somewhere else. It is a good place to launch for kiting only but the pool and lawn completely make up for a lack of nice swimming beach.

Kurt