Best Barbecuing Beach Kamaole III Kama’ole Park III, aka Kam 3, is more than picturesque. The rolling grassy park is perfect for an afternoon of grilling and family fun. That’s why you’ll always find at least five kids’ birthday parties there at any given time. The location, weather and atmosphere can’t be beat. It’s ideal […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Playground on Maui: Giggle Hill
Best Playground Giggle Hill Giggle Hill’s Kalakupua Playground is the one playground to rule them all. Seriously, it is like a castle for small children. But as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. This playground took a few years of planning, designing, fundraising (it cost around $240,000) and finally construction, and relied on […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Hike on Maui: Bamboo Forest
Best Hike Bamboo Forest Hikers, nature-lovers and photographers fall in love with this hike on a regular basis (and if Maui had pandas, they would, too). The trail winds through a forest of the spindly, graceful and hollow bamboo trees. Along the way, you will find a few waterfalls with pools for swimming and cooling […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Bike Shop on Maui: West Maui Cycles
Best Bike Shop West Maui Cycles Every time I bike up hill, lumbering like some giant prehistoric wheeled reptile, one of those sleek, wasp-thin cycles, rider clad in high-tech material designed to reduce wind drag by .001 percent comes sprinting up from behind me. My face burns with embarrassment when they offer up a terse […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Swimming Beach on Maui: Big Beach
Best Swimming Beach Big Beach Big Beach is pretty straightforward. It’s a big beach. The biggest beach on Maui, in fact (almost two-thirds of a mile long and 100 yards wide). But that’s not the only reason why it’s the best swimming beach: the crystal blue water and endless golden sands make it quite a […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Spa on Maui: Spa Grande
Best Spa Spa Grande When MauiTime readers need restorative and therapeutic spa time, they head straight to Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea for some me time. Maui is lucky enough to have one of the most incredible spas in the nation right at the base of Haleakala, with over 50,000 square feet dedicated to […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Snorkeling Spot on Maui: Black Rock
Best Snorkeling Spot Black Rock, Kaanapali You know that Black Rock out in Kaanapali? Yeah, it’s cool to jump off of. You can even get a jumping-off-of-rocks-into-water Facebook profile pic out of it, so people will know how adventurous you are. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Black Rock is a snorkeler’s dream. It has […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Public Pool on Maui: Kihei Aquatic Center
Best Public Pool Kihei Aquatic Center Competitive swimmers and kids trying to escape the South Maui heat alike are patrons of the Kihei Aquatic Center. With an Olympic-sized pool for swim meets, a training pool for warm-up laps and a kiddie pool for keiki, the Center is great for cooling off and/or practicing your backstroke. […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Yoga Studio on Maui: Island Spirit Yoga
Best Yoga Studio Island Spirit Yoga Something about Maui attracts yogis. You can find them literally all over the island, and there are plenty of studios to meet their yoga needs. But only one studio can be the best, and that is Island Spirit Yoga in Lahaina. They offer over 25 classes seven days a […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best County Park on Maui: Keopuolani Park
Best County Park Keopuolani Park Located next to the Boys & Girls Club in Wailuku, Keopuolani offers one of the best skateparks on the island. “The park features a multi-level concrete street course with various banks, quarter-pipes, ledges, stairs and rails,” states the County of Maui website on the park. “The street course has a […]
BEST OF MAUI 2012: Best Maui Sports Activities Parks and Recreation Revealed
Best Scholastic Athlete Nick Wright Nick Wright can swim. He broke all kinds of Maui County swimming records while competing for Baldwin High School and Seabury Hall High School, as well as the Hawaiian Swim Club (whom he swam with for a few years). This past March, he placed first in the 100-meter fly at […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best High School Spirit on Maui: Lahainaluna High
Best High School Spirit Lahainaluna High Fun fact: Lahainaluna is the oldest high school west of the Mississippi. Isn’t that cool? It’s not surprising they have a lot of school spirit, they’ve been working on it since 1831. They’re so proud, they even put a huge red and white “L” in the side of a […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Children’s Activity on Maui: Valley Aisle Gymnastics
Best Children’s Activity Valley Isle Gymnastics The coaches at Valley Isle Gymnastics are some of the best in the state and region, exemplified by their recent State Championships for Maui youths Jonathan You, Makena Derby and Shyanne Sheldon. Coach and owner Rusty Gage says the secret to their success at the gym is “that gymnastics […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Activity Company on Maui: Pacific Whale Foundation
Best Activity Company Pacific Whale Foundation One of the advantages of living on an island in the Pacific Ocean is the vast number of sea critters that you have for neighbors. Get up close and personal with them with the help of the Pacific Whale Foundation. They can hook you up with a whale watch, […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Gym on Maui: Powerhouse Gym
Best Gym Powerhouse Gym There are few things worse than a bad gym. It’s dirty, sweaty, has maybe one elliptical and yet you’re paying to be there. But there’s hope! Powerhouse Gym pulls out all the stops when it comes to getting you healthy and happy. One of the perks: each of the 21 cardio […]
MauiTime Best of Maui 2012: Best Local Grom on Maui: Jackson Bunch
Best Local Grom Jackson Bunch This is a grom who is a pro-surfer in the making. And he’s eight years old. Coincidentally, the same age I was when I developed a deathly fear of seaweed. But this kid, Jackson Bunch, clearly fears nothing. He’s out there tearing up waves with style and technique far beyond […]