We had stayed all over Maui before we bought F307, but always for a week or so. The first winter we came for an extended stay, we learned what this end of South Maui is really like, and why we have never wanted to be anywhere else on the island.
The view
From the lanai you look out over Molokini and Kaho'olawe, across to Lana'i, and up the coast to the West Maui mountains. It faces west, so the sun goes down in front of you, and with nothing in the way. We made a rule that first winter of watching the sunset every night. We still do.
A winter of whales
It was whale season, and some days we hardly left the lanai. By the end of the stay we had become spoiled: a spout on the horizon didn't make us look up from our books anymore. It took a full breach or a mother and calf close in. You hear other guests cheering from their lanais when a whale puts on a show, which is half the fun. Humpbacks are here from about December to April, and January through March is the peak.
The beach and the pools
Po'olenalena is a quiet beach, good for a long swim, a nap in the sun or snorkeling with the turtles at the rocky ends. It's also a favorite place for weddings. On a busy evening we've counted four at once, spread out along the sand. Makena Surf has two pools, and the south pool is steps from our building. Our family rule was two swims a day, minimum.
Morning walks
Early morning, before the heat, is the best time to be outside. North of us, the paved Wailea Beach Path runs about a mile and a half along the water in front of the Wailea resorts. It's beautiful, and it's busy by mid-morning. Friends of ours who run went out at sunrise to beat the crowds. South of us there are no crowds at all, and Makena Beach State Park, Big Beach, is a five-minute drive.
Everything else
The Shops at Wailea are five minutes away, and Kihei, with its grocery stores, gas stations and snorkel and paddleboard rentals, is about fifteen. That's close enough for errands, and far enough that it stays quiet here.
We flew home from that trip already planning the next one. That hasn't changed.
Cindy wrote the first version of this in February 2015, halfway through that stay. We've updated it for 2026.