Posts Tagged ‘Lodging’

Welcome to Lahaina

Book some time at Lahaina Roads Condos and find well preserved history in an adorable port town.

Lahaina may, at first glance, seem like just another sleepy harbor, but this breathing postcard is teeming with history. At any time of year, Lahaina is a site you should not miss and will certainly never forget. How would you like to visit a town where parking is probably the biggest problem?

Lahaina started as a fishing village in ancient Hawaii. Due to its natural harbor, Lahaina became a popular stop once westerners started arriving in the early 1800’s. Much of the surviving architecture and a good deal of the area’s history revolves around those early years.

Lahaina Palace

The Lahaina palace was constructed at the turn of the seventeenth century by two ex-convicts

from Australia (the giant continent was once used as a prison by the British Government). The palace was probably the first design of western origin in all of the islands. The Palace measured 40 x 20 feet and had two stories, partitioned into four separate rooms. Assembled from locally manufactured bricks, the palace was built by command of King Kamehameha I (he was fascinated with Western buildings built from mortar).

An observation tower and a “long house” were attached to the palace, which was used as a storehouse and residence until the 1850′s. The cornerstone and foundations have been recently excavated and are now on display.

Canal Street in Downtown Lahaina

These crumbled ruins are the final remainders of a fort that stood just slightly south of the courthouse, overlooking one of the longer canals of Lahaina. It is now a paved street, built to protect the town after unruly sailors fired a canon at one of the houses.

The missionaries living on the island viewed the womanizing and drinking of the whaling sailors as a threat to the city of Lahaina. Rev. Richard convinced the king to establish a ban, keeping all the island women from the ships. This sparked the incident.

Years passed and visitors to the island thought the fort looked like it was more for show than force. It was finally ripped apart in 1850.

Front Street Lighthouse

There is a breathtaking lighthouse located at the base of Pioneer Inn. It was built in 1840 to help navigate the whaleboats as they came toward the shore. The Front Street Lighthouse is the first lighthouse in Hawaii, predating any lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States.

These are just three of the many wonderful pieces of history you can explore after booking your stay at Lahaina Roads Condos.

When to Book Maui Rentals

Most people believe Hawaii is busiest when the weather is perfect and Maui rentals are at their fullest. This isn’t really true. Most people don’t actually vacation when the islands are at their best; rather, they want to go to Hawaii when weather is miserable everywhere else.

Falling snow or Shining sun? It’s an easy decision. That’s why the winter is actually one of the busiest times of the year on the islands.

The best time to go on a winter island adventure is after the hurry and flurry of the holidays. For those who can get the time away, January can be the best time of year to enjoy Maui. Whale watching begins in early January, and continues through the rest of winter. The season sometimes lasts all the way to May.

Weather in January

Because Maui sits at the edge of the tropical zone, it technically has only two seasons. Both of which are warm. Summer is the dry season, while the rainy season generally runs during winter, from November to March. Contrary to popular belief, it actually rains somewhere on the islands each and every day, and at all times of the year.

The rainy season can cause gloomy skies and spoil a full day of tanning, but fortunately, it rarely rains for more than a few days straight. Even rainy days are something to be envied elsewhere in the world, with a beautiful blend of clouds and sun filling the sky and baring only the briefest of showers.

The temperature usually varies no more than fifteen degrees from any time of the year, though this does depend a bit on your location within the islands. The west and south (leeward) sides of Maui are usually dry and hot. The east and north (windward) sides are generally cooler and a bit more humid.

Climate and terrain

If you prefer dry and cracked desert-like weather, go leeward. If you’re looking for lush, frequently wet, and freckled with jungle, go windward. If you’re in search of a sure deal as far as sunshine, then you can’t do wrong heading to either the Lahaina-Kapalua or Kihei-Wailea coasts.

Maui is teeming with microclimates. Due to its deep interior valleys, winding coastal plains, and rolling mountain peaks, Maui holds many different weather patterns.

If you travel into the mountains, you will find that the season feels like it has changed from summer to winter in a mere matter of hours and continues to cool the higher you climb.

That’s one of the most magical things about Hawaii. If you don’t like the weather where you are, you can always head to a different part of the island.

Maui is filled with wonder all year round, but January is the perfect time to book any one of Maui’s rentals.