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A resort pool on a beach lined with tall palms
A beachfront pool under tall palms (illustrative)

Americas · United States, Hawaii

Maui

Coconut palms brought by canoe, a sunrise volcano and whales in the channel every winter.

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Maui is two volcanoes joined by a valley, with dry, sunny beaches on the west and south coasts and a rainforest road to Hana on the east. Winter brings humpback whales into the channel by the thousand, summer brings calm seas and long days, and the top of Haleakalā at sunrise is above the clouds in any month. It is far and it is expensive, and it is the palm island most people dream about first.

The palm: Coconut palm

The Polynesians brought the coconut palm across the Pacific in their canoes as one of the plants they could not live without. Hawaii’s only native palms are the loulu fan palms, most of them rare, and the coconut groves at Kapalua and Hana are the planted descendants of that first voyage.

When to go

°Crainsea January: 27°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 24°C27°February: 27°C by day, 8 rainy days, sea 24°C27°March: 27°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 24°C27°April: 28°C by day, 8 rainy days, sea 25°C28°May: 29°C by day, 6 rainy days, sea 25°C29°June: 30°C by day, 5 rainy days, sea 26°C30°July: 31°C by day, 7 rainy days, sea 26°C31°August: 31°C by day, 6 rainy days, sea 27°C31°September: 31°C by day, 5 rainy days, sea 27°C31°October: 30°C by day, 7 rainy days, sea 27°C30°November: 28°C by day, 9 rainy days, sea 26°C28°December: 27°C by day, 10 rainy days, sea 25°C27°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Typical daytime highs, rainy days per month (one drop is about four days) and sea temperature. Green bars are comfortable months, amber bars are hot or wet or cool, and the darker bars mark the best time to go.

Sights

Haleakalā sunrise

Reserve a spot, drive up in the dark and watch the sun rise over the crater at 3,000 metres.

Road to Hana

Six hundred bends and fifty bridges through rainforest, waterfalls and bamboo groves.

Whale watching

Humpbacks breach off Lahaina and Kihei from December to April.

Molokini crater

A crescent of volcanic rock offshore with snorkelling in a hundred feet of visibility.

Beaches

  • Kaanapali

    Three miles of sand on the west side with the Black Rock snorkel and resorts behind.

  • Wailea

    A string of calm, sheltered beaches on the south shore.

  • Hamoa Beach

    The crescent of grey-gold sand near Hana that Michener called the most perfect in the Pacific.

Events

  • Feb

    Maui Whale Festival

    Talks, a run and a whale day in Kihei during peak season.

  • Jun

    Kapalua Wine and Food Festival

    Chefs and winemakers on the west side in June.

  • Nov

    Makahiki season

    The Hawaiian season of peace and games from November to February.

For remote workers

Internet4/5

A comfortable month: about €3,800

Maui is the most expensive place on this map to live and one of the most rewarding to work from for a month: reliable fibre in Kihei and Lahaina, a time zone that fits an early European evening, and the ocean at the end of every street. Visa rules for foreigners are the same as the mainland.

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For families

Calm water4/5
Shade3/5
Medical care4/5

The leeward beaches at Kaanapali, Wailea and Kihei are calm in the mornings and pick up wind after lunch. Turtles at Ho’okipa, whales from December to April, the Road to Hana and the sunrise on Haleakalā keep every age busy. The hospital in Kahului is good.

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Three things to know

  1. April, May, September and October avoid both the winter surf and the summer rates.
  2. Rent a car, book Haleakalā sunrise online in advance and start the Hana road by seven.
  3. Poke from a fish counter, shave ice in the afternoon and a plate lunch of kalua pork are the local staples.