Maui Real Estate on the Valley Isle

Once again, 30,000 readers of Conde Nast Traveler voted Maui, "Best Island in the World." Rated on scenery, friendliness, lodging, restaurants, activities, and beaches, Maui outpolled the earth's most inviting spots. For nine years, this small island with locales ranging from rainforests to deep-blue ocean, has been voted the same honor.

Formed by lava flows from 10,000-foot Haleakala, the dormant volcano that forms the east end of the island, the Maui real estate zone encompasses an incredibly diverse landscape. Sunny beaches that encourage watersports, undeveloped natural upslopes that cool the temperatures, and lush valleys that offer seclusion--Maui real estate embraces the bountiful creation of this paradise.

Northern Maui--Tradewinds and Countryside

Facing into the northeasterly trade winds, the northern coastal areas and upslopes of Haleakala receive much of the moisture from tropical storms. Some areas get 100 inches a year! Naturally, this Maui real estate zone has abundant rainforests. In this setting, Haiku real estate offers a country lifestyle and individual housing often nestled in valleys, very different from the resorts on the other side of the island.

Upcountry Maui includes the northern and western slopes of Haleakala, "House of the Sun." This is rural, agricultural Maui, where farms and single-family residences typify the area. Cattle and horses, vegetables and fruit, form this scenic Maui real estate zone with panoramic vistas to the Pacific Ocean. Ranging from very wet to semi-arid, these slopes from Makawao to Kula have cooler temperatures than low-lying, coastal areas.

West Maui--Luxury and Watersports

West and South Maui have world-famous resorts, housing, and golf courses. "Luxurious" is an apt description of the condominiums, homes, and facilities at these resorts. Kapalua and Kaanapali provide the finest dining, spas, shopping, and amenities.

Here, too, are the perfect areas for watersports for beginners and experts alike. Great swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, boogie boarding, surfing, deep sea diving--you name it, and West and South Maui beaches have it. Napili and Lahaina, once the capital of Hawaii, also offer some of the most affordable property in the Maui real estate zone.

South Maui--Privacy and Wildness

Although it is the fastest growing area on Maui, the southern section of the island has undeveloped coastline and Haleakala upslopes that are lush and wild. With a world-class resort at Wailea, and accompanying executive-level homes and opulent condos, South Maui rivals the resorts at Kapalua and Kaanapali. Wailea developments, however, are small and designed to ensure privacy. The few Makena enclaves are even smaller and more secluded. Both areas boast world-class golf courses. Kihei, on the other hand, is more of a casual beach town with a lively nightlife and reasonably-priced real estate.

Sunnier, drier, and hotter than other locales in the Maui real estate zone, South Maui has miles of white-sand beaches that are postcard material. Families and beginning watersports participants value the calm, deep-blue Pacific in this region. Like most of the coast in West and South Maui, the vistas of the Pacific and the islands of Lanai and Molokai are spectacular. The entire southern side of Maui provides one of the most incredible sights in the world--close-up viewing of the humpback whales which winter in warm Hawaiian waters to breed and calve.