Now four reopening dates for West Maui travel have been floated. But there are still more questions than answers.
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155 thoughts on “West Maui Travel Reopening In October Updated”
Now four reopening dates for West Maui travel have been floated. But there are still more questions than answers.
What needs to happen Now, is for Maui to relax rules for “tiny homes on wheels”. These movable homes could be placed on people’s lots once they are safe. Power them with solar, have water trucked in to site tanks, and tie in to the undamaged sewer system. Then people could live on their properties while the new permanent homes are built. Once the new homes are built, these tiny homes can be repurposed as affordable housing.
Tiny homes on wheels can either be shipped in, or built locally on trailers shipped in, providing employment for locals. Some of both would be ideal.
FEMA and other government agencies should help with the costs of this work.
Good morning. My wife and I are scheduled to visit Maui on 11/30/23. We will arrive via cruise ship at Kapului. We would love to support businesses in the affected area. We are scheduled for a luau at the Old Lahaina Luau on the 30th and we’re just wondering if they think they will be ready. We are willing to support them, we just need to know if they are going to try and reopen. They have not responded to email’s. Our prayers are with you.
Hi Paul,
I am travelling to and staying in Kahana on the 21st, to survey the remains of our family home in Lahaina, and try to help plan for the future for us and the community. You can try and call the Luau, but they may not be answering yet. Their compound survived but not sure about access and operability.
I doubt Old Lahaina Luau will be up and running by then.
I live in Kahana just north of Kaanapali alot of businesses are opening everyday. Our beaches are empty and it’s as beautiful as ever. We need support for our restaurants and many other businesses. The hiway has no restrictions please come and stay.
It is past time for the people of Hawaii to take control. The government has no right to keep businesses closed. If there is water and electricity, business should be open now. Yes, people are still grieving and that process will take years for some. Keeping things shut down until everyone goes through that process is not possible.
I have a booking in Kaanapali for the last week in October, the 27th. Just very confused on whether or not we will be welcomed or able to use the kaanapali beach. We do plan on volunteering one of the days we are there, if we do go.
Ellie, I live in Kihei, it is not closed, it is open and will love to have you visit. All services are open, a few restaurants are in desperate need of visitors…..so come please come.
Maui and Kaanapali is like my second home I’ve been there so many times married twice stayed at the same Hyatt Regency in Maui in Kaanapali. I would stay there again I have a lot of points so I could stay there for a week. I would love to be there and help all of the businesses that need helping. I would do anything to help you guys you’re amazing people and an amazing island and I love you my name is Sharman.
We were just in Maui locals are begging for tourists to come and spend money. We did not go to the affected area and there is still plenty to do and they are more then welcoming. Please go you will be happy and locals will love you. Tourism is all they have. Go!
We heard that the Marriott Ocean club is confirming reservations 30 days out so people booked for October 6th are being told to come.
Very confusing situation on Maui…government decisions seem to be making things worse, not better! You can actively restrict tourists out of Lahaina & be respectful to residents that continue to grieve & work on restoring their homes there …but open all other areas of Maui / West Maui to tourists & get on with restoring the economy!
I couldn’t help but smile somewhat ‘wistfully’, reading “Nita’s” comment, ” . . We need tourists for better or worse, “. Ah, the ‘love/hate’ relationship. I agree that people need to get back to Work first, worry about ‘housing’ second. No money, there is (in many/most cases) no housing. Hawaii as a whole is a mess, with over tourism and what comes with it. But how do you ‘put the Genie back in the bottle?’. Hotels were over-built to Draw the tourists! These in turn provided ‘jobs’ for locals, though not well-paying ones. How to make the locals ‘happy’, employed and housed? I don’t have an answer, nor does the Governor. I don’t know that there is one.
As timeshare owners at Westin Kaanapali Ocean Shores North and South, we have to cancel a personal trip, plus cancel the first rental of our timeshare. Wanting to support our favorite place on Earth, we looked into booking an early December trip to Wailea. Sadly, the Residence Inn Wailea is asking $820 per night, a shockingly exorbitant rate.
I own a time share at the Westin and just canceled that as well as flights . I would love to know when I can take my family back? I’m not sure of the air quality , water, internet. Most importantly,I want to respect the loss of Lahaina . Mixed messages are coming from everywhere !
We are a tiny island in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean! Every nail board concrete and shingle comes over on slow boats. We are not connected to any land base. Shipping prices are 10 fold and that’s the beginning of why we will have a much slower build time. This national disaster is unprecedented in ability to get things here and once on Oahu to Maui and then a long one lane highway coming into West Maui.. if you think traffic of visitors coming and going before fire was slow.. just wait til visitors get stuck in traffic when opening and rebuild persists for years to come.
Why inflict an economic disaster on those already suffering?
Open west Maui as soon as possible.
I really appreciate all the information Beat of Hawaii offers, but I wish this one hadn’t been published until it was known for sure what the governor planned to do. This just adds to the confusion we already have & maybe even causing people to cancel when it isn’t even necessary. We have reservations in the kaanapali area end of October but I won’t cancel yet.
Of all the places I have visited and enjoyed in the Hawiian Islands Lahaina is by far the best place. Sadly this is where the most damage occured. I pray that somehow everyone working together can speed up the recovery. God Bless
We don’t need visitor. The rents for short term need to go way down to accommodate not only Lahaina fire survivors who are now homeless but all our local families on island.
With all the grieving and National disaster devastation that broke the hearts of our connective Maui families, the very least anyone could do is stay away.
How can we continue to serve with aloha a $25.00 hamburger to visitors when we are struggling to feed and house our own.
Dear Sophie, as owners of a short term rental condo in North Kaanapali, about 5 mi. from the northernmost border of the fire, I can understand your concerns. We’ve invested much $$ in this condo, purchasing and promoting it as a business. We hire a local cleaner, local handyman, local contractors, a local on-island rep. We will lower our rents when you can get our mortgage company, HOA, and assessments to lower their bills to us. Maui gains much in tax $$ when we generate income from tourists visiting our condo. Solving Maui’s long-term housing problems will not be resolved by taking away the STR markets, and the funding they provide to the state and county. This is a complicated long term problem, but allowing guests to infuse the economy with $$ will help now. Much aloha to you, and our beloved Maui.
Hi… My wife and I have been part-time residents in Kihei on Maui for the past 17 years. We own a residential condo in Kihei with a great tenant family where both Mom and Dad had good jobs working at one of the big luxury hotels in Wailea. Now with the government saying West Maui is closed to tourists and the previously confusing message of “don’t come to Maui now”, tourism around the island is way down and both my tenants have been told there is no work for them at their jobs. We are going to Maui tomorrow and plan to help spend some badly needed “tourist dollars” there. We want to honor those grieving from the devastation, but we still plan to drive through West Maui to go snorkeling at Honolua Bay. It’s actually hard to believe that the tourism board says that West Maui only represents 15% of the tourism dollars. I would think this is more like about 1/3rd, with South Maui and the “Rest of Maui” making up the remainder. I guess if you consider items like rental car money as being at the airport and not in “West Maui”, you can make the argument of only 15%. But, the ripple effects of this closure are being felt over the entire island. I’ve lived through several bad wildfires in Southern California over the years and we do need to protect the burned areas from lookie-loos and vandals. But, you don’t shut down Los Angeles when there’s a fire in San Bernardino. Protect Lahaina and support those who lost so much, but don’t go overboard.
I think everyone is being too hard on the Governor. If he opens up to tourist too early everyone will say he’s being insensitive to the families that have lost loved ones. What is a tourist to do anyhow? Except for eating at a restaurant, anything else that might be construed as “having fun” will be deemed disrespectful.
If he waits then those people will be happy (the “we don’t need no haole” group) but then all the businesses will fail, unemployment will go thru the roof and then they still wont be happy.
He’s in a no win situation.
I personally think that Covid was bad for the island. It showed how pleasant the island is with less tourists. The locals didn’t have to work around the traffic, the beaches were easy to access, it was paradise. But there was no financial penalty for not having tourists. I would also like to have my cake and eat it too.
I can’t believe the chaos ensuing the aftermath of the Lahaina fire. Everybody is suing everybody else. The embers are still hot and already the court system is being burdened with lawsuits! What happened to “the rest of Maui is still open?” As it was from the beginning, no one is on the same page. The right hand and left hand are engaged in a “winner take all” match. When chaos ensues from the top down, everyone below suffers from the fallout. Come’on, Maui County, get your act together!!
I’ve got reservations at the Maui Marriott in Kaanapali on Oct 28th.
Should I reschedule.
I would love to support the restaurants and shops at Kaanapali. But is that feasible at this time?