We have stayed at only a handful of condos in Kihei, because we love Kalama Terrace and are pretty loyal guests there.  We found all of these accomodations on Craigslist, but have recently had great success with AirBnB recently – check out my post.  Here are the ones in Maui we like:

Kalama Terrace – We stay at a great one bedroom, one bath owned by a lovely French ex-pat named Lydia.  Since we’re such clean and reliable guests, we get a great rate with her and we pick up before we leave and avoid the cleaning fee!  This option has a pool, barbecues, and common area to sit and eat dinner while using the grill.  The grounds are nice and they have laundry facilities on site.

Kihei Akahi – We stayed in the B building here in a two bedroom, two bath.  There are two pools here but both were FREEZING so we didn’t spend as much time there.  There are barbecues in each pool area, which were nice.  This unit had a washer-dryer combo inside, which was really helpful since we try and pack light.  It also came equipped with two huge umbrellas, four beach chairs, four boogie boards, snorkel sets, etc.  There are four buildings total, so there’s more traffic and more noise.

Maui Vista – This was the most outdated of all the places we stayed.  It was clean, but the decor was reminiscent of an 80′s Hawaiian hotel or a tropical retirement home.  The unit was ground floor and one of the bedroom windows faced the walkway where all residents and guests passed throughout the evening – we had to sleep with earplugs.  This was a last-minute booking because our favorite place wasn’t available.  If this place were available for less than $100 a night I might consider it again.

Kihei Kai Nani - Tom and I are currently staying here during our “extended-stay” until we can get back to our “home away from home” at Kalama Terrace where we’ll be for the remainder of our 60 day commitment.  All of the units here are very different, so if you’re considering booking, be sure to request pictures.  We’re currently staying in #219 which is a nice one-bedroom unit.  The only drawback to this unit is that the lanai faces the pool which gets a lot of guest traffic, so it’s somewhat noisier than what we’re used to and less private.  I’m starting to realize that the kitschy decor is just part of the mid-range condo charm.  It feels like we’re living in an episode of the Golden Girls.  But given that it’s so expensive to ship things over here and there aren’t too many furniture stores, the bamboo look just keeps living on.

We always stay in Kihei while on Maui.  Since it’s the southern shore, the weather is usually drier and the surf calmer which means more sunshine and less waves (better for swimming and snorkeling).