"BlueCollar's Maui" Maui by BlueCollar

We hiked to this somewhat secluded place above Pua‘a Ka‘a State Park — again. We had it all to ourselves but, with the threat of flashflood, we did not linger. Click on the Hana, US link in the box above (and to the right) for details

Ahhh... Maui

So you want to go to Maui - right? Yep. It's just you and about 175,000 other visitors every month making that same decision. That makes Maui the second most visited island in the state yet, still, it has less than one-half the total monthly visitors of O`ahu. So your wise decision to come here means you will enjoy more space and smaller crowds.

It is often called The Valley Isle or The Magic Isle. The Valley Isle is easy to understand because of the great spread of land between Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains creating the valley where the County Seat, the main airport, and all the sugarcane fields are located. So a large valley it has, indeed.

But I'm not so sure what exactly "Magic Isle" means. One could guess it refers to the "magical moments" he malihini (a visitor who is unfamiliar with the place) could have. It's that mystical or magical feeling that overcomes you when presented with the raw beauty of that perfect sunset, that perfect sunrise, that quintessential tropical waterfall, or just the awesome beauty of a tropical rainforrest and all its shades of green. Since you'll find plenty of these things and many, many others on Maui, I guess you could say it's full of magical moments. And some may be so magical that they will leave you breathless.

Much of the free tourist-oriented literature you'll find quotes locals as saying "Maui No Ka `Oi". I'm not sure if they really say that or not but it means Maui is the best. Well, Maui is a great place to visit but I might take issue with that "best" part since Kaua`i still tugs my heartstrings a little more. But this is not meant to belittle all that Maui has to offer. Although there are so many beautiful places to see on Maui it still ranks second to Kaua`i on my list of the most beautiful places I've been. It may even rank third behind the Big Island.

But it ranks at the top for a good mix of both naturally beautiful places to explore AND places to go for evening entertainment. So you can explore its natural wonders all day and still find plenty to do well into the evening. You get the best of both worlds on this island (Note: evening activities are very limited if you are staying in Hana).

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If you are looking for my tips on Maui, please START HERE. If you are looking for my general tips for planning a trip to the State of Hawai`i, please START HERE.

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A trip to Maui is incomplete without this book in-hand. For even the um-teenth-time return-visitor, this book will show you a side of the island you never knew existed.

You can buy it at Amazon or any of the big book retailers in their travel section. Just get it and read it thoroughly. You will not regret it.
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Here we are sitting atop a rocky outcropping from Pu`u Ola`i which is the physical divider between Big Beach (in background) and Little Beach. Little Beach is commonly accepted as clothing-optional. But before you partake in this activity, know you should that it is illegal to do so. However, enforcement of the law does not seem to be stressed here.

• Pros:Too much to see and do
• Cons:Too much to see and do
• In a nutshell:Too much to see and do