Stay Awhile On Hawaii's Second Largest Island

Hawaii’s second largest island offers plenty of reasons to stop by – and to stay awhile

- Lark Gould

Getting “Maui’d” goes way beyond vows taken over the surf. Business travelers can incorporate a delicious Hawaiian vacation as a free stopover offered by Hawaiian Airlines to or from destinations in the Pacific and Asia. And although you will no doubt want to stay forever, Maui is a compact island, so if a full vacation is not in the offing, a few days of “Valley Isle” bliss can add up to some eternal Maui memories.

For starters, Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles, but getting from place to place in Maui can be handled, at most, in about four hours.

“Maui is particularly well-positioned for business travelers who may be trying to fit some vacation time in Maui into a packed schedule,” says Leanne Pletcher, marketing director for Maui Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s a small island and getting from one point to another is quite manageable. The proximity of different types of activities as well as a full range of experiences – luxury, family, off the beaten track – means there are plenty of reasons to stay with more reasons to come back.”

Visitors land in Kahului (OGG), which is a good hour’s drive from the resort beaches of Ka’anapali and about a half hour to the posh backwaters of Wailea and Kihei. The island presents an opportunity to use rental car points and even hotel points as pricey rates can turn into true rewards for business travelers.

Ka’anapali Beach is the tourism zone, stretching from Lahaina toward the scenic arm of Kapalua. Lahaina is where to find the nightlife, the fabulous hole-in-the-wall dining opportunities, even those gotta-do-it at-least-once-in-your-life luau dinner shows. The pristine beach strand is fronted for miles on end by behemoth island resorts bearing familiar brand logos and offerings of iconic postcard pool settings overlooking the rolling surf.