Great half price (but still pricey) appetizers and happy hour in an elegant location. Great mai tai’s and coconut shrimp.
It’s too far to walk from Maui Vista unless you’re a real hiker. Located at the north end of Keawakapu Beach at 2960 S. Kihei Road, it’s a short drive south toward Wailea.
VERY POPULAR – arrive early to get a table without a long wait (well before 5:00 PM – earlier still if a Friday or Saturday).
Before you head out to the store for the first time, check the cupboards, freezer and frig to see what might already be there. This may save you from buying things like salt and pepper, butter, paper products, detergents and more. Since Maui banned the plastic bag in 2010, you will need to bring some of the cloth bags supplied in our condo. I also ALWAYS bring the cooler (located in the hall closet) and ice packs from the freezer.
Foodland is the closest grocery store to Maui Vista. (See map below.) You can walk there in ten minutes – ok if you’re not carrying too much on the way back. Convenience comes at a price – literally. Most things at Foodland cost more than other grocery stores and we think the choices are more limited and the produce not always the freshest. If you go to Foodland, be sure to bring the Makai card attached to the condo key in order to get the sale prices.
Safeway is the best bargain for everyday items (except produce). It’s a short drive just off the Piilani Highway at Pi’ikea Street.
Times Market, a couple of miles north of Maui Vista on South Kihei Road, often has good specials. Look for fresh fish and produce. But don’t expect to save money on everyday items. Check out the sale items that look good and then finish your grocery list at Safeway.
A drugstore for groceries? See the bakery items at the front of Long Drugs. Then, go to the very back and there, between the pharmacy and the booze, is a small section of produce and Maui raised beef. The beef is organic and grass-fed. If you’re making hamburgers, get the 85% lean – we think the extra lean is too dry. Also, local growers drop off produce on the way to the farmer’s market several days a week. The prices are about half that of Safeway and the quality is usually top notch.
Life’s a Beach has good bar food, billiards and drinks. It’s a ten minute walk north of Maui Vista on South Kihei Road just before the Foodland grocery store.
Five dollar lunch is always worth a try. Happy Hour all day on Mondays and from 3-6 other days. Home of the $6 carafe’ of Happy Hour Mai Tais. Live entertainment many afternoons and evenings…including Karoke some nights.
Get an outside table and watch the world go by – from Massaratis to jallopies; mopeds to Harleys; skateboarders to strollers in swimsuits and bikinis – never a dull moment!
You’ll see families with young children at Life’s a Beach during the days but you probably want to leave the kids at home at night.
Almost everything is expensive on Maui. Check out our tips on grocery shopping, affordable restaurants, souvenir shopping and taking advantage of the many “extras” in our condo which can save you LOTS of money.
Local families (even some tourists) fish almost every day by the rocks at the north end of Charley Young Beach across the street from our condo at Maui Vista 2418.
When people fish from the beach, as brother and sister Shelly and Rodney are getting ready to do in the picture to the right, the hook is baited, weighted, and cast far out in the surf. The fishing rod is then posted in the sand with a bell on the rod. Everybody sits back, relaxes, chats with friends, reads a book, catches some rays – whatever they want to do. When the bell rings, everybody jumps up to see what’s on the line. If it’s a big fish, a crowd will gather.
Want to try it? In Hawaii you don’t even need a license to fish!
Check out this beauty Shelly caught!
Welcome to Maui 