Living in Kihei, Maui

Kamaole Beach III beach access

I’ve lived in the town of Kihei in South Maui for more than 10 years. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else on Maui. One time I tried. I went as far as to go meet a landlord to sign a lease on a downstairs Ohana in Kahana on the West Side of the island. When I arrived some pipes had leaked above and soaked the ceiling and drywall to the point that the ceiling collapsed and floorboards were soaked. My husband and I knew right then that we had made the wrong decision and went online and found a nice place to live in Kihei.

Kamaole Beach III

Kihei has everything I want in an island town. It has a small town feel most of the year. Besides 3-4 months of heavy tourism, the rest of the year isn’t as congested. I can normally drive freely up and down South Kihei road without any serious traffic. Other times of the year, I can walk to stores or restaurants or drive my bike. With warm year round weather, evening time is often the most comfortable to be outside when you live in Kihei.

Charlie Young Beach

Kihei is basically all beaches. A lot of the north end beaches may be narrow but they still have soft sand and extend for miles. Starting with Charley Young Beach and heading south through the Kamaole beaches and Keawakapu beach, these are all world class beautiful beaches with sunset gatherings happening every night.

North Kihei Beaches

If you ask around you can find some really great spots on the water that have well manicured grass almost right up to the water so you can watch the sunsets at the beach without even getting sandy. The location in front of Kihei Surfside is one of my favorite locations. I love going to these places with my family and even my dogs to enjoy the ocean and all its beauty as the sun sets over the horizon. Many mornings I walk these gorgeous beaches, one to the next. Often times I see whales breaching during the winter months. During these walks is when I get to reflect on the incredible town that I get to call home. It’s a great way to start the day when you live in Kihei.

“Grassy Knoll” in front of Kihei Surfside

Just a few minutes away in Wailea you have the resort life. I’ve stayed many nights in Wailea hotels that are all less than 15 minutes from my house. I enjoy occasionally dining at their world class restaurants. The beaches are just as beautiful as the Kihei beaches but Wailea does have some fantastic snorkeling. Makena is another 15 minutes away with even more beautiful beaches and incredible snorkeling. Let’s not forget the Kihei restaurants. In the time I’ve lived here there are quite a few restaurants I frequented. Many are still around; some have went out of business for a variety of reasons. In their place is always something new and fresh. There’s always a well rounded variety of high quality affordable places to eat in Kihei. We’ve even added a brewery and some brew pub style restaurants.

Akamai Coffee in Kihei

The last quality that makes Kihei a great place to call home is its proximity to everything. Maui is rated the #1 island year after year by many travel magazines, websites, and blogs. Kihei is 25 minutes from the Kahului airport and all the big box stores where you buy home building materials, toys, groceries, and other home goods. There’s a 4 lane highway getting you to and from Kahului unlike the 2 lane road going to the west side where traffic gets much more congested at times and often causing people to miss their flights. As I mentioned above, Kihei is home to world class beaches, dining, and water activities which is why you want to live on Maui in the first place.