THE MAUI UPDATE Vol. 27, No. 2 – Spring 2011
LAHAINA — A twist on a long-time favorite Lahaina restaurant is the new Cafe Longhi. Stop by and enjoy casual streetside dining at Cafe Longhi seven days a week. They’ll offer the regular delicious Longhi breakfasts 7:30-11:30 am daily downstairs and then the traditional lunch menu plus cafe items including pizza. The theme is organic and dishes made in-house using freshly grown veggies for toppings. Pizza is also available to go! Upstairs you can savor Longhi’s mastery of fine dining.
KAANAPALI — Down on the boardwalk at Ka`anapali we recommend enjoying an early dinner at one of the many great restaurants and then heading down to the beachfront (near the towel desk) in front of the Westin. From 8-9:30pm each Wednesday they offer an open-air astronomy experience. A telescope and an expert on the topic share the secrets of the night sky! And yes … it’s free!!!
KAPALUA – Many were taken by surprise with the recent announcement of the foreclosure on the Ritz Carlton Kapalua Resort. Sounds like the auction is set for early May. The sale will not alter the plans for the 30th Kapalua Wine and Food Festival. This is Hawai`i’s longest running wine and food event and returns for “A Toast to 30″ at the Kapalua Resort June 9 – 12th. This year the Grand Tasting “Maui Grown Gala” will be held on Friday, June 10th and feature wines from around the world and showcase Maui’s prime agriculture. On Sunday, June 12th, you can enjoy the ever-popular Maui Seafood Festival featuring the island’s top chefs and best restaurants competing for “The Best of the Fest” prize. Visit www. kapalua.com or call 1-800-KAPALUA.
WAILUKU — It’s the happening place for good grinds at great prices. However, because most of the restaurants serve area businesses, few are open on the weekend, and many are just lunch service. 
One restaurant is on wheels and you’ll find Amigo’s Express van under at the Banyan Tree Park in Wailuku. On Mondays and Tuesdays enjoy tacos for $1 and daily specials for about $5. They are open 10am-4pm weekdays.
Maui Bake Shop and Deli opens at 6am, Monday through Saturday at Vineyard near Church and serves a nice breakfast menu all day.
Vineyard Foods is open weekdays from 10am-3pm and features anything but the usual local plate lunch. A full offering of classic salads and daily specials will keep you looking forward in anticipation to lunch every day. Sandwiches ($7-8), soups, and home made baked goods all add up to this being the first stop on my next trip to Maui! Also on Vineyard is the new Four Sisters Restaurant, which we’ve mentioned briefly in the previous newsletter. Their daily $10 buffet is 10am-2pm and each weekday features a special ethnic theme. On Sunday they offer a brunch buffet that includes an omelette and waffle bar!
And last but not least is Ohana Karaoke Cafe & Grill which is open for lunch and dinner 10:30am-9pm at 740 Lower Main Street.
MISCELLANEOUS — Alaska Airlines is adding more direct flights to Kahului, this time from Oakland and San Jose, California. Flights will begin in early June.
Plans have moved ahead rather quickly for the new Maui Outlet Center. It will be located on acrerage adjacent to Kihei High School. The complex would be on two sides of Kaonoulu Street which has been designated to become, in the distant future, an alternative route from Kihei to Upcountry. Look for an opening date in June!
The old Chez Paul is now in the hands of Michael Moore, partner in the company which operates the Old Lahaina Lua`u as well as Star Noodle in West Maui.
Something different for shoppers! The ‘new’ trend in a depressed economy is to shop at thrift stores. On Maui there are a number of choices and it can be a gold mine for summer wear, but don’t be surprised if you find winter wear too! Add these on your stops as you tour around Maui! Hours are limited so plan ahead!
WAILUKU – Habitat for Humanity, Maui’s Re-Store, 970 Lower Main Street. (808) 986-8050. Monday to Saturday 9am-4pm. They carry used and new construction materials. St. Anthony’s Thrift Shop, 1627B Mill Street. (808) 242-7785. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8am-1pm.
KAHULUI – Savers is a traditional thrift store with a wide range of items. 380 Dairy Road (not far from the airport). (808) 871-7244. Monday thru Saturday 9am-9pm and Sunday 10am-6pm.
UPCOUNTRY – St. Joseph’s Thrift Shop, 1294 Makawao Avenue. (808) 572-9150. Tuesdays and Thursdays and second Saturdays from 9am-1pm. Kala Iki Thrift Store, Kula Hospital, 204 Kula Highway. (808) 878-1221. Open the second and last Saturdays and third Tuesday of each month, 9:30am-1pm.
PUUNENE – Maui Friends of the Library, Used Book Store. Located behind the old school in Puunene. (808) 871-6563. Tuesday to Saturday 9am-4pm (hours are flexible)
KIHEI – Salvation Army, 35 Hale Kuai St., Suite 314. (808) 875-8065. Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm.
LAHAINA – Salvation Army, 131 Shaw Street. (808) 661-8829. Monday to Saturday 9am-4pm.
HAIKU - Keiki Kokua Thrift Store, 810 Haiku Road, Suite 157 in the Haiku Marketplace. (808) 575-5393. From January to April, hours are Mondays to Saturdays 10am-5pm. May thru December they are also open Fridays 10am-6pm.
HERE IS A NEW ONE! Local Motion at the Lahaina Gateway Center is starting a new event. The First Sunday of each month, Local Motions hosts the place where people on Maui can come to buy and sell surfboards! The event is currently 4-6pm. Check with them by email for current information. lahaina@localmotioninc.com
MISCELLANEOUS — Check Sierra Club’s website for hikes that residents and visitors can join. Registration is required and limited. For example, one hike is to the top of the Pali along a part of the trail that used to be traveled by ancient Hawaiians between Lahaina and Wailuku. The trek is six miles and goes from sea level to 1,500. www.sierraclubhawaii.com
Zagat has released their Hawaii restaurant survey for 2011. The “Most Popular” restaurants on Maui, in order, are Mama’s Fish House, Hali`imaile General Store, and Sansei Sushi. “Top Food” went to Mama’s Fish House, Hali`imaile, Spago, Gerard’s, and Merriman’s. Spago got the top notch for decor followed by Son’z at the Westin, Mama’s Fish House, Feast of Lele, and at the Grand Wailea Humuhumu. “Top Service” went to Gerard’s followed by Spago, Son`z, Lahaina Grill, and Banyan Tree. The “Best Buys” should interest folks looking for a good food value and Aloha Mixed Plate took top honors for this category followed by Gazebo, Cilantro Grill, Maui Tacos, and Kihei Caffe. The survey covered 289 restaurants throughout the state of Hawai`i and 2,942 avid local diners participated in the report. The average number of meals out per week declined from 3.2 in the last survey to 3.1 this year and 21% of all diners report eating out less. The average meal in Hawai`i calculated out to $37.66 which is more expensive than Seattle ($29.33), L.A. ($34.85), and the national average ($35.62). Most diners completing the survey cite service as their main complaint. The numbers, however, show service is improving with complaints down from 77% to 57% since the previous report. Tipping improved this year to 18.7% (up from 18.4%). No surprise that 74% of those surveyed think that it is important that their food be locally sourced, organic or sustainably raised and 62% are willing to pay more for it! “Green” restaurants on Maui that received the nod were Gannon’s - A Pacific View in Wailea, and D.K. Kodama’s Cane and Taro in Whaler’s Village at Ka`anapali.
LANA`I — Vacations are never long enough but if you’d like to get off Maui and do some exploring then even a half day is enough time to visit Lana`i! Expedition is the ferry system that services the Maui to Lana`i connection and currently they leave from Lahaina Harbor. They did add a Ma`alaea to Lana`i during the busy summer months last year. (Maybe it will return summer 2011 but no announcement.) The cost is $60 for the round trip to Lana`i. Check their website for current daily schedule. During whale season you may spot a spout or even see dolphins along the Lana`i coastline. We took the 12:45pm ferry from Lahaina, Maui which gets you to Lana`i at 1:30pm. Just in time for a cocktail and late lunch by the pool of the Manele Bay Hotel. After lunch we headed to the beach for some sunning and snorkeling. The walk from the harbor to Manele Bay is an easy five minutes and it isn’t difficult to take a folding sand chair, snorkel gear, beach towels or a picnic lunch if you’d prefer not to have a sit down meal. It’s a beautiful beach and crowds …well they aren’t here! If you aren’t in beach mode, or the weather doesn’t cooperate, there are plenty of other options. First, you can take the shuttle from the ferry to the hotel and purchase your $10 all day island shuttle pass in the gift shop. From there you can use the shuttle to go to Lana`i City or Lodge at Koele. The word “city’ may be a stretch! The shuttle schedule is hourly on the half hour from 7:30am – 4:30pm and every 30 minutes from 5pm – 10:30pm. Then the reverse from the Lodge back to Manele. In Lana`i City and there are some cute and interesting shops and fun affordable dining. It is a bit of a walk from town to the Lodge at Koele but if you’re in walking shape it is doable. Lots of folks do an early morning ferry and take advantage of a round of golf at “Challenge at Manele.” Ocean views are offered from every hole! The “Experience at Koele” golf course was closed briefly last year when the course became too dry. They have now reopened for golf enthusiasts Wednesday-Sunday. If you are on Lana`i for a longer day, you can rent a car from the lone car rental company although prices are steep. Any off-road driving, which is to many of the island’s natural sights, will require 4-wheel drive. Dollar rent-a-car does not offer pick up at the ferry so you would have to pay the $10 shuttle fee through the hotels to get to the car rental. Our experience was it took a good long time to get a car rental picked up and it certainly would not be worth it for a short day trip. Even as a non-hotel guest you can check with the Manele Bay Hotel concierge about other activities you might choose to select. However, some activities might be difficult to fit into a day trip. Trilogy Excursions does offer snorkel, sail, snuba and scuba! They do have the Lana`i Pine Sporting Clays were you can receive an introductory lesson and experience clay shooting, archery or air rifle. Horseback riding is available at the Stables at Koele and there are also helicopter tours available. A private tour is also available of their luxury residential communities! Plenty of hiking options but you’ll need a rental car for that. Dining options in town are quaint and fun and both the Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay Hotel invite you to dine in one of their many restaurants. For your short day trip we’d recommend the Ocean Grill, poolside at the Manele Bay or if you are curious about just seeing the island choose from a number of cute and quaint eateries in Lana`i City.
Dollar Rental Car on Lanai – www.dollarlanai.com (808) 565-7227
Trilogy Excursions – www.sailtrilogy.com (808) 661-4743
Expedition Ferry service – www.go-lanai.com 1-800-695-2624
Island of Lanai Properties (808) 565-4800
Lana`i is a part of Maui County so check the Maui Visitor Bureau website and click on “Lana`i” for more information. http://www.gohawaii.com/maui
KAHULUI – Folks are a-buzz with excitement for the soon-to-be expanded Costco! The biggest news is their addition of a gas station! Think how long those lines will be!
UPCOUNTRY – Hana Hou Cafe in Haiku is now a great stop for breakfast, daily except Tuesday from 8am – 11am.
WAILEA – The Monkeypod Kitchen has opened under the direction of chef Peter Merriman. The new restaurant is located at Wailea’s Gateway Center. They specialize in local foods that can be enjoyed with 35 crafted beers as well as a full wine and cocktail list. Open daily from 11:30am- 1:30pm. Reservations, take out and catering. www.monkeypodkitchen.com
Subscriptions to the MAUI UPDATE newsletter are $15 per year or $10 for the email version. Quarterly Newsletter published by PARADISE PUBLICATIONS
PARADISE PUBLICATIONS
8110 SW WAREHAM CIRCLE
PORTLAND, OR 97223
(503) 246-1555
Loading...
