Located in the mid-Pacific, Maui is the second-largest island in Hawaii, USA with an area of 1,883 km 2 . Maui is known for its beach resorts (with over 190 km of coastline and nearly 50 km of beaches) and diverse geography (which include mountains, waterfalls, bamboo forests, and lagoons). This is because the island is made up of two shield volcanoes, West Maui Mountain (in the island’s northwest) and Haleakala (in the southeast). The eastern slopes of Maui’s mountains are green and lush with rainforests and waterfalls, while the western slopes are dry. Because of its location, the island has an average temperature of ~23.9°C year round. It is inhabited by approximately 145,000 people who take advantage of the beautiful geography and weather to perform a variety of outdoor activities ranging from hiking and biking to windsurfing and snorkeling throughout the year.
The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa offers a wide variety of activities, from watersports to spa days and everything in between. For a list of resort activities available at the Grand Wailea, visit the Resort Activities page at the Grand Wailea website.
For those who want to venture off the resort, these are some of the many popular attractions on the island of Maui:
- The scenic Haleakala National Park--home to Maui’s highest peak.
- The small a small, untouched town of Hana on Maui’s eastern coastline, reached by travelling one of the world’s most scenic drives.
- Central Maui's Iao Valley State Park, which features the 1,200-foot Iao Needle landmark
- The signature Kaanapali Beach in West Maui
- The historic whaling village of Lahaina in West Maui
- A rural, artistic community Makawao on the slopes of Upcountry Maui
- Makena Beach State Park -- also known as Big Beach
- The small, crescent shaped island of Molokini a few miles off of Maui's southwestern coast popular for snorkeling and diving
- The beautiful Pools of Oheo fed by cascading waterfalls
For a more comprehensive list of local attractions, visit Maui’s Official Travel Site.
