diffference between wailea and lahaina?

does anyone know what the difference between wailea and lahaina is? are they far from each other? is one more desirable than the other? thanks!

diffference between wailea and lahaina?

Wailea is a resort area with lots of upscale hotels, restaurants and shops. (Four Seasons, Grand Wailea and Fairmont are all here). Great beach.

Lahaina is an old whaling town ... a little village, a main street that fronts the water, but no beach in town. It%26#39;s very touristy, but quaint, too. Lots of restaurants of all sorts, tons of shops, from tacky tshirts to upscale galleries. No resorts here ... a few condos.

Wailea is about a 30 min drive from Lahaina.

Kaanapali is the resort area closest to Lahaina -- about 10 min driving. It also has a great beach, lots of mid-range hotels (sheraton, westin, etc) and restaurants, etc.

What is more desirable depends more on you than the area ... they are all great places to visit.

diffference between wailea and lahaina?

Aloha santokkie,

Lahaina ~ have you been to San Francisco? Lahaina reminds me of a HOT San Francisco Pier area. A lot of touristy shops, crowded parking, etc. It has its attractions, don%26#39;t get me wrong, but it%26#39;s not one of my choice destinations. It is in West Maui, south of the Ka%26#39;anapali Resorts.

Wailea is in south Maui, in a resort area, but the pace is slower in Wailea than Lahaina.

I don%26#39;t know which would be more desirable for you. If you go north of Lahaina, there are beautiful places in Ka%26#39;anapali and further north that are comparable to south Maui. I don%26#39;t know that I would stay IN Lahaina. But it%26#39;s not what floats my boat, but what floats yours :)

jc

About 21 miles. Lot and lots of money versus lots of money. Depends what you are looking for. Lahina almost always crowded/touristy. Wailea, although a lot of resorts there, does not feel crowded.

I would say it is a lot closer to a 45 minute drive from Wailea to Lahaina and even longer if there is heavy traffic. Wailea Beach and Kaanapaili Beach are both really beautiful beaches.

You might find this info useful:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29220-c67800/Maui:Ha鈥?/a>

Ken

wow, thanks, everyone! this is very helpful information. looks like i will be looking more carefully into the kaanapali and wailea areas then.

Glad we could be of help. Any other questions, just feel free to ask.

Maui is a terrific place. Though Kauai is my personal favorite among the Hawaiian Islands, Maui is (in my opinion) the most well-balanced of the islands - providing a great mix of a lot of different accomodations, environments and experiences.

Ken

Most visitors choose between West Maui (NW lobe) and South Maui (SW coast).

West Maui lodgings are in Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kahana, Napili, Kapalua -- going south to north. Lahaina/Kaanapali are touristy, buzz-y, the only place on Maui where you will pay to park to shop. Napili and Kapalua are quieter, with beaches and Norfolk pines. Kapalua is about as far from the rest of Maui as you can get. Only Hana is more remote.

South Maui lodgings go from less-expensive areas of Maalea and North Kihei to the Kamaole area of S. Kihei to Wailea%26#39;s condos and posh resort hotels. Makena is the farthest south -- largely residential. Great beaches from Kamaole to Makena. (You may pay to valet park at the resort hotels.)

I have seen Ka%26#39;anapali listed under Lahaina, so be careful. Some people, websites and guidebooks lump them together. There are few places actually in Lahaina to stay. 10 to 12 miles to the north is Ka%26#39;anapali - a spacious resort area, and shuttles run between the two.

I think Lahaina is much, much nicer (and certainly smaller) than Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf ... which has really gone to the dogs, lately. Anyway - Lahaina is fun (and they have 2 Starbucks!).

Anyway - if you do a search of Wailea and/or Ka%26#39;anapali you will find oodles of information on both -- folks certainly have their favorites.

I think that one main difference is that Wailea is far more upscale. Several of my friends buy ';pool jewlery';...John Hardy type stuff to wear at the pool. In Lahaina (Kaanapali) you can really walk around in t shirts and bathing suits. Personally I prefer being more casual. I do not need to shop at stores (or in mall type places) that I can find at home. (OK...Whaler%26#39;s Village does have Tiffanys and Louis Vuitton...but you don%26#39;t have to go in...). As far as desirable: if you want a very upscale experience with fewer people go to Wailea...the Four Seasons is magnificent...the Grand Wailea fun...Kaanapali has become more crowded (darn)...but Lahaina is just more funky....