62 thoughts on “West Maui Reopening with Grim Prospect of Visitors”
Robert N.
I suppose it’s my own fault to have believed Hawaii’s politicians. Silly me. They should have just stuck to their original decision and said emphatically “we’re closed until further notice”. In April, I booked and paid for a week in Kauai and 2 weeks in Maui to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary. Air, car, resort stay and connecting mainland vacation plans could only be changed at great additional expense. Now, instead of helping to support the people of West Maui, an additional $2,500, half of which is taxes and fees, has been given to condo owners in Kihei for one week. Sadly, as senior’s on a fixed income, I’m cutting my losses and leaving a week early, probably never to return.
Shouldn’t we be worrying about everyone that lost their homes????? Aren’t you about to kick them all out????? Disgusting…..I was planning on coming to Maui in January….now I’m not so sure I want to….
No, you shouldn’t be worried about the displaced getting kicked out, and there is nothing “disgusting” going on. Qualified individuals are being given free room and board for the foreseeable future, along with several monetary stipends.
Try not to rely on what you read on social media. I am here, volunteering for the Red Cross. Believe me when I say the displaced are being taken care of, and are not getting “kicked out”.
This is the kind of mindset that needs to change. It is doing more harm than good.
Aloha to the People of Maui,
Although born and raised on Oahu..My Heart is Maui❣️
Especially Napili Bay.
God Willing, I will be Blessed to Return to Napili Bay, Maui by March 26th, 2024, so I may lay my flower Lei, to celebrate my husband (an alumni as a Lahainaluna Boarder in the 70’s),..
It will be his 30th Year Anniversary, In Heaven.
My Love, Thoughts and Prayers are Lifted Up Daily for the People and Aina of Maui..
“Lahaina Strong/Maui Strong”.
Please Take Care and God Bless🙇♀️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼.
This article doesnt even mention how the affected families feel about the re-opening of west Maui. Is goes on and on about how the hotels are affected by the re-opening but barely mentions how the west maui residents will be affected or if they even want their portion of the island to be re-opened. I can tell whoever runs this platform doesn’t care about the locals of Hawai’i. Btw, the Hawaiian ʻokina is never used when spelling Hawaiʻi in this article.
Honestly, what do you expect. So much mixed messaging that people are just going elsewhere. After the fire people screamed don’t come to Maui, then the reality that only a part of the island experienced the full brunt of the tragedy, and the rest was going to suffer because the tourists had gone away. The message to come back but avoid the west wasn’t broadcast nearly as loudly.
Then the Governor says West Maui is open as of October 8 (although it never was officially closed …it was discouraged), and then weeks later the Mayor announces we’ll, it isn’t fully open, we will open in phases, with no specific timeline.
This tragedy only gets compounded by the poorly worded mixed messaging.
We visited Maui in August from the 15th to the 30th of 2023 ,we stayed in kei hei ,it was beautiful, even though we were probably backlashed for going we had this trip planned for a long time ,although our hearts went out to Lahaina we weren’t going because we were wanting to see what happened there ,we were going to enjoy our vacation and I’m glad we did our prayers are with the families that lost their homes and loved ones and we just pray for all of Maui
We were shocked and saddened by the news out of Maui at the beginning of August and the following days. We had a trip already booked to Kaanapali at the beginning of November and did not cancel as we thought we could still attend and support the residents in some way, donations or volunteer. However once the phased return to “re-opening” was announced we had to cancel as we are in the phase 3 zone and the governing bodies are so poor in managing the process and communication. That being said, we did re-schedule for the same time, a stay in south Kihei. We love your island and will help in anyway we can. Sending our love and prayers to all those affected. Bob and Vicki.
We are totally looking forward to visiting Maui in March for 2 weeks for our 4th time.Although we do understand and will certaintly be considerate to All Maui residents as Always but more so this time because of All they are going through.We hope thst we can make a person smile from seeing people do really want to help them .We Love Maui and have no desire to take pictures of the tragic fire site.
First, prayers and good wishes to all who lost family, friends and homes. Second, there is no time to waste in reopening. People need jobs and income. Federal handouts can’t go on forever. Tourism and mainlanders are not your enemy. Stand up, lean into your grief and feel it, then start moving forward.
Aloha! grim, is right…With Many friends still living at hotels and with the non-existent available housing for them, the “coconut wireless” is on fire..many are receiving Red Cross texts “did you find a place to live yet?” (no); “we suggest you go live on the other side of the island or move to the mainland” (most want to stay here near family and/or jobs)….I don’t know how we go forward with “phased opening”…you need more visitors to open profitably!…yeah, beaches are mostly empty; restaurants are not “usual business” and most stores are closed still…again, inept inconsistent messaging from government does not help…People need work to make a living!
What should I do with my 2 BR timeshare week January 4th at one of the newer Starwood/Marriott properties? I’d like to donate it to locals but when I call, I’ve been told that weeks don’t help. I’ve been a temporary Hawaiian for almost 50 years. Anyone got any suggestions?
Aloha everyone ! Hope all is well.
Just returned home last Wednesday from a big trip for Bill’s 70th.
Originally were going to be in Honolulu then at our time share in Kaanapali and finish with 5 days in Kihei.
With the horrible tragedy in Lahaina, our plans like everyone else changed.
Extended our visit to the Ohana in Honolulu and had a big birthday party. Canceled Kaanapali and decided to keep the last 5 days in Kihei.
Everything and everyone was kind and sweet and welcoming.
In Kihei we were welcomed and the locals said all of Maui was heartbroken and needed tourism to help recover.
Best wishes, safe travels
I love Hawaii, every island. We haven’t been able to travel for the last few years because of family obligations. That’s in the past now so we are looking forward to a trip there. And this time we will be able to stay longer.
My wife and I just returned Friday (9/29) from 5 wonderful days in West Maui (Kahana area)! We were surprised at how many restaurants were open! and how grateful people working in restaurants were that we were there!
West Maui restaurants open (as of last week):
Kahana:
Beach House Bar & Grill
Hawaiian Village Coffee
Dollies
Maui Brewing Company
McDonald’s
Miso Phat (sushi)
Kaanapali:
Duke’s Beach House
Hula Grill
Leilani’s
Longhi’s
Honokowai:
Miss Arepa
The Fish Market
Honokowai Okazuya
Java Jazz Bar&Grill
L&L Hawaiian BBQ
Pizza Paradiso
Shave Ice in Paradise
Napili:
The Sea House
a’a Roots
Napili Coffee
Mama’s Ribs
Maui Tacos
Joey’s Kitchen
Thank you very much Dave; your list put many of our concerns to rest. Might add that Gas Buddy far from encouraging regarding gas stations on the west side; as of 10/4, GB only list the Aloha station as being open. I checked Yelp and found that the nice Shell in Honokowai is back in business.
Maui here we come!
Social media and news reports state the cause of the fire is still being investigated. A tire, some underground burning logs after the firefighters left and reignited. The electric company issue etc. Rebuilding won’t happen until all the legal issues are hashed out. As far as locals I understand it’s their home but all emphasize wages and mostly tips to survive. Hawaii is the most expensive state to reside in as far as the United States. Utilities are also the most expensive. These people can’t survive on just wages. We are talking big tips. My gosh. Don’t you have 49 other states to choose from? It’s only gonna get way way more expensive. Good luck.
Not only was the government messaging bad, but also social media was filled with regular Hawaiians insinuating that they wanted nothing to do with the Americans and that they have basically not Americans which I don’t understand I have wanted to come to Hawaii for a very long time my aunt has been three times now I feel very unlikely that I will have a visit certainly don’t want to come if I’m feeling unwelcome
We are scheduled to come to West Maui in February. We would like to support Maui by coming there and volunteering as needed. However, we don’t want to displace locals or arrive and fi d there is no place to dine. We have donated Maui Strong and think about those who were devastated with the loss of loved ones and destruction of the community.
So much to see and do on Maui. Lahaina was quite a tourist destination but Kihei along with Waialea are more appealing. Maalea harbor and the Aquarium are world class. Haleakala, Hana, Kipahulu (Lindberg’s gravesite), Kula, ulupalakua upcountry winery, Northshore world class surfing and Paiia and touristy makawau. Don’t forget the many Churches, flea markets, fishing, Kahalui shopping, Queen Kaahumanu Mall , the list goes on.
Continued thoughts and prayers over Maui and all of the people who are displaced, and have lost so very much including family and friends, and so many have lost everything.
As I’ve been following the stories of “Opening West Maui” and welcoming tourists, I’ve come to the realization that most folks in Maui don’t want tourists, even those encouraging visitors. They only want the money that the tourists bring and would prefer no visitors at all. The anecdotes of current visitors feeling unwelcome at ‘open’ businesses such as Times Supermarket or being told “bring the Aloha, but don’t expect any in return as we are suffering” reinforces this. If they could get their wages or the income without any tourists that would be ideal, but it doesn’t work that way unfortunately, so it leaves visitors conflicted if they are “doing the right thing” by going.
I wanted to come to Maui in November. The hotel prices and airfare have gone crazy. It makes the trip unaffordable at this point for me. I’m sure I’m not the only one that is feeling this pinch. I got all excited when I saw that Southwest had $62-$78 one-way fares. I hopped right on that but the locations departure from the mainland to the various islands and the specific dates that you could fly were totally restrictive.
How can west Maui tourists make plans with this constant shift in dates? We have already changed reservations, flights etc. based upon the Oct. 8 opening date and now we are notified our resort may not open by our November 1 reservation! And Hawaiian airlines is currently only allowing free changes for reservations through October 18th. Who in their right mind would book anything in west Maui until it is fully open? The Mayor should just expect for mass bankruptcies, business closures and unemployment.
I do Not want to sound cruel. This is a horrible situation for the diaster and the 8000 that are basically homeless. There are more than 8,000 rooms on the West Maui area. In order to build tourism $$$, they need to get back to work. SOmeone mentioned on social media, that it was hard for the workers to smile. My gosh, no wonder! Yet, knowing the strength of the Native Hawaiians, I imagine a smile would come to their heart to work and receive income so that they can begin to rebuild. Sitting around and mourning is not healing. Mourning will take however long an individual feels. “phased re-opening”. locals are frustrated visitors are arriving. I wonder if those “locals” are working to begin rebuilding?
We are arriving in Maui October 12, my boyfriend n I are willing to help in anyway we can. We hve been coming to Maui for the last 7 years thru our timeshare. If there is anyway we can help, such as help clean, donate food or buy supplies.
Best regards
Susie M.
My name is Foster… I have been to Maui twice and the other islands 3 times over the years… I will be in Maui in February 2024 for three weeks.. I will be a respectful tourist and I hope to contribute in small to spend so folks can continue to work…
I have always been grateful to come to the most beautiful place on earth and meet so many sincere and nice people
This is 100% self-inflicted. We own property in Kapalua and arrived to check our residence this weekend. It’s beautiful! From Kaanapali to Kapalua, you would never know this tragedy occurred. There does not appear to be any reason why some restaurants are open and others are closed. We dined at the Seahouse last night and they thanked us for helping support them. The large hotels and resorts are closed for unclear reasons. I understand that initially infrastructure was out but this has been resolved and yet, there is this “phased re-opening”. Weird to see the resorts closed but people out playing golf.
Sad to read your words that seem to be filtered though your own personal lens of need. Many displaced people are living in these “…large hotels and resorts.” Some restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by people who lost everything in the fires – is it any surprise that they haven’t been able to re-open?
“Some restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by people who lost everything in the fires” – I understand that, but until visitors return these people will continue to suffer.
We are traveling to Maui on October 5th, and have rented a villa in Kapalua about a year ago to celebrate a family anniversary. After the fires and the initial feedback asking for no visitors to ‘West Maui’, I called the property management company (which was based in Lahaina) to cancel out of respect. They encouraged us to keep our reservation for the property we rented in Kapalua, and said businesses are open, its beautiful etc, etc. So we decided to keep our reservation, and plan to hang out at the beaches there locally, as well as a few of the other activities we had planned that are not located in West Maui. My hesitation(anxiety) about going is purely based on things I see in the media about locals frustrated visitors are arriving.
The message is clear that only the “right” tourists should be visiting. And “right” means free-spending deep pockets, huge restaurant and drink bills, expensive excursions, big tips. Don’t want middle-class tourists and their cost-conscious budgets polluting the Islands.
Unfortunately, it’s more than mere messaging; this is how people truly feel. The “visit, spend, leave” brigade should change it to, “spend big or get out. No poors.”
There are definitely great places to visit that could fit your budget. Hawaii is expensive for sure. Always has been pretty pricy. Prices have skyrocketed everywhere, I’m not surprised that Hawaii has gone up too. Good luck finding that special place.
Hard to compromise with the missing housing situation. And Maui needs tourism badly. The best thing to do would be 50/50 in my opinion. By the end if the year, the situation will definitely improve.
At the pace that Hawaii and Maui in particular moves in response to a disaster a year end improvement is not going to happen. The powers that be put band aids on things that require major surgery. It will be years before Maui’s situation improves. Honolulu politicians will control Maui’s rebirth and it won’t be timely or intelligent. This from a former Maui resident.
I feel terrible for the residents who have lost their homes and even worse some family members.
People are not coming to Maui and to a lesser extent the other Islands… (but as others have said) isn’t this what the governor wanted? I mean, do you or don’t you want people coming to HI?
A phased, incremental reopening of accommodations to tourists. Seems like the best approach to this problem with multiple competing priorities. Compromises must be made by all in order to ensure the long term public good.
They want visitors to come back but i see no mention of prices being adjusted downward or room sales to entice tourists to come back and patronize their hotels and businesses . Heaven forbid … lower ” more reasonable” prices might mean that lower spending “regular people” might try to infiltrate the desired audience of wealthy one percenters.
Yep, this is a huge problem. We are looking for Christmas and New Years lodging and there are hundreds available, but no one wants to lower the prices. Not going to pay $2500/night… Airbnb people say the prices are auto-set and they can’t lower.
It’s making me very sad, we want to go for almost 2 weeks and it’s unaffordable.
Your primary problem is that you seem to have elected idiots to the statehouse in Honolulu. Not only can they not resist grabbing a microphone when they see a camera, but they can’t keep their stories straight.
Your secondary problem is the media mantra of “if it bleeds, it leads.” It was in the newsies interest to make it sound as devastating as possible (not that it wasn’t very, very bad already).
Here’s hoping that the visitors that begin returning in October have both a good time and good weather – because the only thing that will fight the top two problems is for visitor word of mouth to get out and be positive.
You imply that this is “our problem.“ In actuality, it’s a widespread problem not even remotely confined to the state of Hawaii. Politicians, behave like politicians everywhere, and the news media is primarily interested in entertainment value to increase their revenue stream. Anyone paying attention for the last 30 years would see that. Mahalo.
They just constructed a tent city near the Kahului airport for folks that were previously homeless before the fires. They are also well along the way to constructing a tiny homes community also in Kahului called Ohana Hope Village, for Kapuna (the elders) and families. That will house 250+ people on land leased for 2 years. Not nearly enough to house all of the displaced, but it’s a start.
On social media today there’s are several posts with photos reporting that timeshare owners are already arriving at Hyatt Vacation Club at Kā’anapali Beach which is causing quite the stir with stressed out displaced Lahaina residents.
Hyatt claims that the government has knowledge of this and that timeshare owners have permission to be on westside.
There’s quite a bit of confusion and negative posting about this hopefully people keep cool.
Mahalo for this update, BOH. It looks like it will be a very long road to recovery for the affected residents and businesses.
Can you please do a post on what is happening in Lahaina specifically? Has clean up / rebuilding even started or when? Given the logistics of getting building materials, labor and equipment, I’m sure it will be a monumental challenge.
I’ve been out there several times, providing medical relief, and I can assure you that, while there has been some cleanup and towing away of burned motor vehicles, residents are only now just beginning to arrive to sift through the ashes of their homes. There won’t be any rebuilding for months to come. It’s way too early for that.
I suppose it’s my own fault to have believed Hawaii’s politicians. Silly me. They should have just stuck to their original decision and said emphatically “we’re closed until further notice”. In April, I booked and paid for a week in Kauai and 2 weeks in Maui to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary. Air, car, resort stay and connecting mainland vacation plans could only be changed at great additional expense. Now, instead of helping to support the people of West Maui, an additional $2,500, half of which is taxes and fees, has been given to condo owners in Kihei for one week. Sadly, as senior’s on a fixed income, I’m cutting my losses and leaving a week early, probably never to return.
Shouldn’t we be worrying about everyone that lost their homes????? Aren’t you about to kick them all out????? Disgusting…..I was planning on coming to Maui in January….now I’m not so sure I want to….
No, you shouldn’t be worried about the displaced getting kicked out, and there is nothing “disgusting” going on. Qualified individuals are being given free room and board for the foreseeable future, along with several monetary stipends.
Try not to rely on what you read on social media. I am here, volunteering for the Red Cross. Believe me when I say the displaced are being taken care of, and are not getting “kicked out”.
This is the kind of mindset that needs to change. It is doing more harm than good.
Aloha to the People of Maui,
Although born and raised on Oahu..My Heart is Maui❣️
Especially Napili Bay.
God Willing, I will be Blessed to Return to Napili Bay, Maui by March 26th, 2024, so I may lay my flower Lei, to celebrate my husband (an alumni as a Lahainaluna Boarder in the 70’s),..
It will be his 30th Year Anniversary, In Heaven.
My Love, Thoughts and Prayers are Lifted Up Daily for the People and Aina of Maui..
“Lahaina Strong/Maui Strong”.
Please Take Care and God Bless🙇♀️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼.
The answer that hotels are three to to five times comparable, in other places worth visiting, continues to fall on deaf ears.
This article doesnt even mention how the affected families feel about the re-opening of west Maui. Is goes on and on about how the hotels are affected by the re-opening but barely mentions how the west maui residents will be affected or if they even want their portion of the island to be re-opened. I can tell whoever runs this platform doesn’t care about the locals of Hawai’i. Btw, the Hawaiian ʻokina is never used when spelling Hawaiʻi in this article.
If they need the business maybe they should not be raising the rates and gouging us we’re trying to go but everything has went up.
Honestly, what do you expect. So much mixed messaging that people are just going elsewhere. After the fire people screamed don’t come to Maui, then the reality that only a part of the island experienced the full brunt of the tragedy, and the rest was going to suffer because the tourists had gone away. The message to come back but avoid the west wasn’t broadcast nearly as loudly.
Then the Governor says West Maui is open as of October 8 (although it never was officially closed …it was discouraged), and then weeks later the Mayor announces we’ll, it isn’t fully open, we will open in phases, with no specific timeline.
This tragedy only gets compounded by the poorly worded mixed messaging.
We visited Maui in August from the 15th to the 30th of 2023 ,we stayed in kei hei ,it was beautiful, even though we were probably backlashed for going we had this trip planned for a long time ,although our hearts went out to Lahaina we weren’t going because we were wanting to see what happened there ,we were going to enjoy our vacation and I’m glad we did our prayers are with the families that lost their homes and loved ones and we just pray for all of Maui
We were shocked and saddened by the news out of Maui at the beginning of August and the following days. We had a trip already booked to Kaanapali at the beginning of November and did not cancel as we thought we could still attend and support the residents in some way, donations or volunteer. However once the phased return to “re-opening” was announced we had to cancel as we are in the phase 3 zone and the governing bodies are so poor in managing the process and communication. That being said, we did re-schedule for the same time, a stay in south Kihei. We love your island and will help in anyway we can. Sending our love and prayers to all those affected. Bob and Vicki.
We are totally looking forward to visiting Maui in March for 2 weeks for our 4th time.Although we do understand and will certaintly be considerate to All Maui residents as Always but more so this time because of All they are going through.We hope thst we can make a person smile from seeing people do really want to help them .We Love Maui and have no desire to take pictures of the tragic fire site.
First, prayers and good wishes to all who lost family, friends and homes. Second, there is no time to waste in reopening. People need jobs and income. Federal handouts can’t go on forever. Tourism and mainlanders are not your enemy. Stand up, lean into your grief and feel it, then start moving forward.
Aloha! grim, is right…With Many friends still living at hotels and with the non-existent available housing for them, the “coconut wireless” is on fire..many are receiving Red Cross texts “did you find a place to live yet?” (no); “we suggest you go live on the other side of the island or move to the mainland” (most want to stay here near family and/or jobs)….I don’t know how we go forward with “phased opening”…you need more visitors to open profitably!…yeah, beaches are mostly empty; restaurants are not “usual business” and most stores are closed still…again, inept inconsistent messaging from government does not help…People need work to make a living!
What should I do with my 2 BR timeshare week January 4th at one of the newer Starwood/Marriott properties? I’d like to donate it to locals but when I call, I’ve been told that weeks don’t help. I’ve been a temporary Hawaiian for almost 50 years. Anyone got any suggestions?
Aloha everyone ! Hope all is well.
Just returned home last Wednesday from a big trip for Bill’s 70th.
Originally were going to be in Honolulu then at our time share in Kaanapali and finish with 5 days in Kihei.
With the horrible tragedy in Lahaina, our plans like everyone else changed.
Extended our visit to the Ohana in Honolulu and had a big birthday party. Canceled Kaanapali and decided to keep the last 5 days in Kihei.
Everything and everyone was kind and sweet and welcoming.
In Kihei we were welcomed and the locals said all of Maui was heartbroken and needed tourism to help recover.
Best wishes, safe travels
I love Hawaii, every island. We haven’t been able to travel for the last few years because of family obligations. That’s in the past now so we are looking forward to a trip there. And this time we will be able to stay longer.
My wife and I just returned Friday (9/29) from 5 wonderful days in West Maui (Kahana area)! We were surprised at how many restaurants were open! and how grateful people working in restaurants were that we were there!
West Maui restaurants open (as of last week):
Kahana:
Beach House Bar & Grill
Hawaiian Village Coffee
Dollies
Maui Brewing Company
McDonald’s
Miso Phat (sushi)
Kaanapali:
Duke’s Beach House
Hula Grill
Leilani’s
Longhi’s
Honokowai:
Miss Arepa
The Fish Market
Honokowai Okazuya
Java Jazz Bar&Grill
L&L Hawaiian BBQ
Pizza Paradiso
Shave Ice in Paradise
Napili:
The Sea House
a’a Roots
Napili Coffee
Mama’s Ribs
Maui Tacos
Joey’s Kitchen
Thank you very much Dave; your list put many of our concerns to rest. Might add that Gas Buddy far from encouraging regarding gas stations on the west side; as of 10/4, GB only list the Aloha station as being open. I checked Yelp and found that the nice Shell in Honokowai is back in business.
Maui here we come!
Thank you for sharing. This is very helpful!
Social media and news reports state the cause of the fire is still being investigated. A tire, some underground burning logs after the firefighters left and reignited. The electric company issue etc. Rebuilding won’t happen until all the legal issues are hashed out. As far as locals I understand it’s their home but all emphasize wages and mostly tips to survive. Hawaii is the most expensive state to reside in as far as the United States. Utilities are also the most expensive. These people can’t survive on just wages. We are talking big tips. My gosh. Don’t you have 49 other states to choose from? It’s only gonna get way way more expensive. Good luck.
Not only was the government messaging bad, but also social media was filled with regular Hawaiians insinuating that they wanted nothing to do with the Americans and that they have basically not Americans which I don’t understand I have wanted to come to Hawaii for a very long time my aunt has been three times now I feel very unlikely that I will have a visit certainly don’t want to come if I’m feeling unwelcome
We are scheduled to come to West Maui in February. We would like to support Maui by coming there and volunteering as needed. However, we don’t want to displace locals or arrive and fi d there is no place to dine. We have donated Maui Strong and think about those who were devastated with the loss of loved ones and destruction of the community.
So much to see and do on Maui. Lahaina was quite a tourist destination but Kihei along with Waialea are more appealing. Maalea harbor and the Aquarium are world class. Haleakala, Hana, Kipahulu (Lindberg’s gravesite), Kula, ulupalakua upcountry winery, Northshore world class surfing and Paiia and touristy makawau. Don’t forget the many Churches, flea markets, fishing, Kahalui shopping, Queen Kaahumanu Mall , the list goes on.
Continued thoughts and prayers over Maui and all of the people who are displaced, and have lost so very much including family and friends, and so many have lost everything.
As I’ve been following the stories of “Opening West Maui” and welcoming tourists, I’ve come to the realization that most folks in Maui don’t want tourists, even those encouraging visitors. They only want the money that the tourists bring and would prefer no visitors at all. The anecdotes of current visitors feeling unwelcome at ‘open’ businesses such as Times Supermarket or being told “bring the Aloha, but don’t expect any in return as we are suffering” reinforces this. If they could get their wages or the income without any tourists that would be ideal, but it doesn’t work that way unfortunately, so it leaves visitors conflicted if they are “doing the right thing” by going.
I wanted to come to Maui in November. The hotel prices and airfare have gone crazy. It makes the trip unaffordable at this point for me. I’m sure I’m not the only one that is feeling this pinch. I got all excited when I saw that Southwest had $62-$78 one-way fares. I hopped right on that but the locations departure from the mainland to the various islands and the specific dates that you could fly were totally restrictive.
How can west Maui tourists make plans with this constant shift in dates? We have already changed reservations, flights etc. based upon the Oct. 8 opening date and now we are notified our resort may not open by our November 1 reservation! And Hawaiian airlines is currently only allowing free changes for reservations through October 18th. Who in their right mind would book anything in west Maui until it is fully open? The Mayor should just expect for mass bankruptcies, business closures and unemployment.
I do Not want to sound cruel. This is a horrible situation for the diaster and the 8000 that are basically homeless. There are more than 8,000 rooms on the West Maui area. In order to build tourism $$$, they need to get back to work. SOmeone mentioned on social media, that it was hard for the workers to smile. My gosh, no wonder! Yet, knowing the strength of the Native Hawaiians, I imagine a smile would come to their heart to work and receive income so that they can begin to rebuild. Sitting around and mourning is not healing. Mourning will take however long an individual feels. “phased re-opening”. locals are frustrated visitors are arriving. I wonder if those “locals” are working to begin rebuilding?
We are arriving in Maui October 12, my boyfriend n I are willing to help in anyway we can. We hve been coming to Maui for the last 7 years thru our timeshare. If there is anyway we can help, such as help clean, donate food or buy supplies.
Best regards
Susie M.
My name is Foster… I have been to Maui twice and the other islands 3 times over the years… I will be in Maui in February 2024 for three weeks.. I will be a respectful tourist and I hope to contribute in small to spend so folks can continue to work…
I have always been grateful to come to the most beautiful place on earth and meet so many sincere and nice people
This is 100% self-inflicted. We own property in Kapalua and arrived to check our residence this weekend. It’s beautiful! From Kaanapali to Kapalua, you would never know this tragedy occurred. There does not appear to be any reason why some restaurants are open and others are closed. We dined at the Seahouse last night and they thanked us for helping support them. The large hotels and resorts are closed for unclear reasons. I understand that initially infrastructure was out but this has been resolved and yet, there is this “phased re-opening”. Weird to see the resorts closed but people out playing golf.
Sad to read your words that seem to be filtered though your own personal lens of need. Many displaced people are living in these “…large hotels and resorts.” Some restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by people who lost everything in the fires – is it any surprise that they haven’t been able to re-open?
“Some restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by people who lost everything in the fires” – I understand that, but until visitors return these people will continue to suffer.
We are traveling to Maui on October 5th, and have rented a villa in Kapalua about a year ago to celebrate a family anniversary. After the fires and the initial feedback asking for no visitors to ‘West Maui’, I called the property management company (which was based in Lahaina) to cancel out of respect. They encouraged us to keep our reservation for the property we rented in Kapalua, and said businesses are open, its beautiful etc, etc. So we decided to keep our reservation, and plan to hang out at the beaches there locally, as well as a few of the other activities we had planned that are not located in West Maui. My hesitation(anxiety) about going is purely based on things I see in the media about locals frustrated visitors are arriving.
The message is clear that only the “right” tourists should be visiting. And “right” means free-spending deep pockets, huge restaurant and drink bills, expensive excursions, big tips. Don’t want middle-class tourists and their cost-conscious budgets polluting the Islands.
Unfortunately, it’s more than mere messaging; this is how people truly feel. The “visit, spend, leave” brigade should change it to, “spend big or get out. No poors.”
There are definitely great places to visit that could fit your budget. Hawaii is expensive for sure. Always has been pretty pricy. Prices have skyrocketed everywhere, I’m not surprised that Hawaii has gone up too. Good luck finding that special place.
If you want people to visit, especially for the holidays, then lower your lodging prices.
Hard to compromise with the missing housing situation. And Maui needs tourism badly. The best thing to do would be 50/50 in my opinion. By the end if the year, the situation will definitely improve.
At the pace that Hawaii and Maui in particular moves in response to a disaster a year end improvement is not going to happen. The powers that be put band aids on things that require major surgery. It will be years before Maui’s situation improves. Honolulu politicians will control Maui’s rebirth and it won’t be timely or intelligent. This from a former Maui resident.
I feel terrible for the residents who have lost their homes and even worse some family members.
People are not coming to Maui and to a lesser extent the other Islands… (but as others have said) isn’t this what the governor wanted? I mean, do you or don’t you want people coming to HI?
A phased, incremental reopening of accommodations to tourists. Seems like the best approach to this problem with multiple competing priorities. Compromises must be made by all in order to ensure the long term public good.
They want visitors to come back but i see no mention of prices being adjusted downward or room sales to entice tourists to come back and patronize their hotels and businesses . Heaven forbid … lower ” more reasonable” prices might mean that lower spending “regular people” might try to infiltrate the desired audience of wealthy one percenters.
Yep, this is a huge problem. We are looking for Christmas and New Years lodging and there are hundreds available, but no one wants to lower the prices. Not going to pay $2500/night… Airbnb people say the prices are auto-set and they can’t lower.
It’s making me very sad, we want to go for almost 2 weeks and it’s unaffordable.
Your primary problem is that you seem to have elected idiots to the statehouse in Honolulu. Not only can they not resist grabbing a microphone when they see a camera, but they can’t keep their stories straight.
Your secondary problem is the media mantra of “if it bleeds, it leads.” It was in the newsies interest to make it sound as devastating as possible (not that it wasn’t very, very bad already).
Here’s hoping that the visitors that begin returning in October have both a good time and good weather – because the only thing that will fight the top two problems is for visitor word of mouth to get out and be positive.
You imply that this is “our problem.“ In actuality, it’s a widespread problem not even remotely confined to the state of Hawaii. Politicians, behave like politicians everywhere, and the news media is primarily interested in entertainment value to increase their revenue stream. Anyone paying attention for the last 30 years would see that. Mahalo.
Just because it’s a problem everywhere doesn’t mean it isn’t your primary problem there.
I learned not to trust the media years ago…
Get a cruise ship here and move folks around. We need to think outside the box here for housing.
They just constructed a tent city near the Kahului airport for folks that were previously homeless before the fires. They are also well along the way to constructing a tiny homes community also in Kahului called Ohana Hope Village, for Kapuna (the elders) and families. That will house 250+ people on land leased for 2 years. Not nearly enough to house all of the displaced, but it’s a start.
Ever since the devastating disaster in Lahaina, the messaging and information being relayed has been nothing short of ‘total confusion.’
Aloha BOH Bro’s
On social media today there’s are several posts with photos reporting that timeshare owners are already arriving at Hyatt Vacation Club at Kā’anapali Beach which is causing quite the stir with stressed out displaced Lahaina residents.
Hyatt claims that the government has knowledge of this and that timeshare owners have permission to be on westside.
There’s quite a bit of confusion and negative posting about this hopefully people keep cool.
Mahalo for this update, BOH. It looks like it will be a very long road to recovery for the affected residents and businesses.
Can you please do a post on what is happening in Lahaina specifically? Has clean up / rebuilding even started or when? Given the logistics of getting building materials, labor and equipment, I’m sure it will be a monumental challenge.
I’ve been out there several times, providing medical relief, and I can assure you that, while there has been some cleanup and towing away of burned motor vehicles, residents are only now just beginning to arrive to sift through the ashes of their homes. There won’t be any rebuilding for months to come. It’s way too early for that.