Kaanapali

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Kaanapali is a high-rise resort community on Maui's western coast. The resort includes condominiums, two 18-hole golf courses, 40 tennis courts, a shopping center and six oceanfront hotels. Apart from the hotels, there is little of interest. You can see art at the Hyatt Regency. It has over $2 million worth of art in its lobby and grounds, including Ming vases, Balinese paintings and Hawaiian quilts. The lobby doubles as a tropical jungle, complete with cockatoos, while the gardens include waterfalls and ponds filled with swans and flamingos. The waters out front of the Hyatt are good for snorkeling. The best and safest spot for snorkeling is at the rocky lava promontory of Black Rock that protects the beach in front of the Sheraton. There you will find pristine coral, colorful tropical fish and eagle rays.

The Westin Maui hotel has free-form pools, rushing waterfalls and water slides. There are a lot of Buddha statues in the gardens, as well as vases and pairs of scowling stone animals.

The Whaling Museum is in the shopping center. It is small, but it has an excellent collection of photos from the whaling period. There are also models of whales, detailed interpretive boards and a variety of whaling paraphernalia.

Kaanapali is on Maui's western coast, some 135 km southeast of Honolulu.