Overlooking Whalers Village and Kaanapali Beach at the Island of Lanai

Lahaina, Maui Information
by Tom Ogg

Language and Currency
What is Lahaina, Maui Like?
What is the Weather Like?
Where Does the Ship Dock?
Where is the Shopping?
What is There to Buy?
What is There To Do?
Is There Anything of a “Don’t Miss Quality?
Are There Any Great Restaurants or Bars?

Lahaina, Maui Port Reviews

Language and Currency

The official language of Lahaina, Maui is English and the currency is the U.S. dollar

What is Lahaina, Maui like?

Lahaina is GREAT! If you are a beach person, you will absolutely love Lahaina and Kaanapali Beach. Lahaina is an old whaling village turned into a tourist Mecca yet it still retains the flavor of a south seas town. Lahaina is the main town on the west side of Maui and serves the residents and visitors alike for miles in either direction.

What is the weather like?

The weather is GREAT! Lahaina enjoys dry days with lots of sunshine. Being right in the lee of the West Maui Mountains, Lahaina enjoys perfect weather with constant trade winds and a temperature in the high 70s and low 80s..

Where does the ship dock?

The Norwegian Wind Anchored off Lahaina, Maui
(Taken from the Lahaina Yacht Club)

Lahaina is a tender port and the ship anchors up off downtown Lahaina. It is a good distance from the ship to the tender wharf and it can be bumpy. The entrance to the harbor is cut through a reef so that you can watch the surfers just on your left as you make the passage. Once at the pier, there are only two tender spots and traffic can become hectic if there is more than one ship in port requiring the tender to wait to enter the pier. .

Where is the shopping?

Lahaina's Waterfront from the Ship

The tender wharf is located directly in front of Lahaina's historic Pioneer Inn. It is here where the shopping starts. The Pioneer Inn offers dozens of shops selling everything under the sun. Behind the Pioneer Inn lies Front Street that continues for blocks along the ocean. Directly across the street is a three story mall with more shops and if you turn north (to your left) on Front Street you will see store after store on the right hand of the street with the ocean on your left side. About three blocks up the street there are stores on both sides of the street and the inland areas become populated with more shops and a large shopping center. In Lahaina alone there are hundreds of boutiques, shops, specialty stores, restaurants, fast food outlets, bars and so on. You could spend a week in Lahaina and not see everything. Just north of downtown Lahaina is the Lahaina Cannery Mall. A fully air conditioned enclosed shopping mall, Lahaina Cannery Mall features dozens off local specialty stores as well as more orthodox retailers as well.

A few minutes north of Lahaina in the heart of Kaanapali Beach is Whaler's Village. This complex offers more fine boutiques, shops and stores offering excellent merchandise. There are also some excellent restaurants located here as well 

What is there to buy?

Everything under the sun! Of special note is the resort wear that can be found in stores throughout the area. Tommy Bahamas has a huge store in Whaler's Village (as does Reyn Spooner) Local art from Maui is wonderful and there are dozens of art galleries in all the shopping venues. Hawaiian products, foodstuffs and crafts are abundant as are Hawaiian tee shirts, aloha wear, sandals, surf products and so on.

What is there to do?

Wonderful Kaanapali Beach on Maui

First and foremost, are the beaches. Kaanapali Beach is miles of crystal blue water and pure white sand. The temperature of the water is absolutely perfect as is the air temperature. Without a doubt, Kaanapali Beach is one of the World's best. If you want to snorkel, simply go to the Sheraton Maui Hotel and right in front of the hotel is some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii, right off the beach. It is a sandy beach entry and you can snorkel against the lava that juts out into the water.  This is also a reasonable dive spot as well. There are local tour operators in Lahaina offering an incredible array of tours and cruises. Taking the catamaran to the Island of Lanai is an awesome experience. Flight seeing over to Molokai's cliffs and the Kalaupapa Peninsula is another wonderful option as is flight seeing Mt. Haleakala's crater by helicopter. Sailing, fishing, diving, surfing and water skiing are all options within reach with just a limited time in Lahaina. A great snorkeling tour is to run out to the small island of Molokini (a volcano that barely reached the surface of the ocean) and snorkeling in its submerged crater.  Even though you are in the middle of the ocean, Molokini snorkelers enjoy shallow water and a huge variety of sea life to view.

Lanaina Town, Maui

If it is your first visit to Lahaina, I would suggest that you walk and shop Lahaina and then take a taxi to Whaler's Village (about $5 one way). Stop for lunch somewhere (I especially like Leilani's on the Beach in front of Whaler's Village) Spend some time on Kaanapali Beach and then walk all the way south to the Hyatt Regency Hotel along the beach walk. You can walk around the hotel (there are more shops in the hotel selling high quality specialty Hawaiian items) and then take a taxi from the hotel back to Lahaina for a cocktail. Many folks like "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" on Front Street once owned by Jimmy Buffet.

If you have a rental car you can go north all the way until the road ends just beyond Honolua Bay (one of Hawaii's best winter surfing spots) or you can go south all the way around to La Perouse Bay stopping where you want. There are many wonderful  beaches in both directions.

Is there anything of “Don’t Miss” quality?

Yes, I would suggest everyone see Kaanapali Beach. While very touristy, it is a beautiful setting and a wonderful beach.

Are there any great restaurants or bars?

Yes, there are several excellent restaurants and bars both in Lahaina and also in the hotels at Kaanapali Beach and beyond, but one doesn't stand out as really exceptional.

Lahaina, Maui Port Reviews
(Click on the Review you are Interested in Reading)

Kimberly Harding; Lanai Wild Dolphin & Snorkel Excursion
Ronald Epstein; Shopping and a Rental Car
Philip M. Haggerty; Independent Haleakala and Snorkel Tour
Don Jones; Snorkel Trip to Lanai   
Nancy Norris; Extensive Island Overview 

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