Maui Brewers Festival

If you're looking for a break from all those fruity drinks, or you refuse to drink them in the first place, we've got an upcoming event that may spark your interest. If you're a beer person, the Maui Brewers Festival is sure to be a delightful event to work into your Maui vacation schedule!

The Fest is celebrating its 5th anniversary over a two day period, with a new Maui Brew Fest Beer Dinner that will take place tonight (May 17th) between 6-9pm within the scenic Morgado Hall & Lanai of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. It's about 50 minutes from our West Maui vacation rentals, but it's worth the trek to mingle with like-minded beer enthusiasts and enjoy some exciting flavors.

The dinner theme will feature cuisine with a New Americas theme by Cactus Bistro Chef-Owner John Memering of Kailua. He will be pairing specialty craft beers from the Maui Brewing Co. of Lahaina with his delightful culinary creations. Garrett Marrero, the owner of the Maui Brewing Co., will join Chef Memering to introduce the courses and describe the pairing choices to illustrate just how well fine dining mixes with handcrafted beer. They will also provide you with information on which ingredients are local.

On Saturday, the 18th, the festivities will continue with the showcasing of the best craft beers made in Hawaii, and those specially chosen from faraway breweries. Hawaii is a place of many flavors, and while Kona coffee has earned a name for itself, people are still discovering the intricacies of Hawaiian wines, beers and teas. At this event, you will have the opportunity to sample beer from over 30 breweries and enjoy appetizers from more than 20 of Maui's restaurants and food trucks. Of course there will be live music, but there will also be prize giveaways.

The Maui Brewers Festival is actually a benefit for the MACC, with the proceeds helping its arts education and cultural program for students, seniors and the Maui County community, so aside from your own personal enjoyment, you will know that the money is going toward a very good cause.

Visit the MACC website for details on both event days. Tickets for Friday's dinner are $140, and tickets to Saturday's event are $50 if you buy ahead of time and $60 if you buy the day of the event. VIP tickets are $95. We hope you have a fantastic time! Mahalo!

Lahaina Dishcrawl Event for Visiting Foodies

Calling all foodies who are on a West Maui vacation! We've got a fantastic upcoming event for you on May 14th. Maui's First Dishcrawl event will be taking place throughout Lahaina, featuring Farm to Table Restaurants in Lahaina.

This experience will give you a chance to explore historic Lahaina town while sampling locally inspired dishes and cocktail pairings. You can enjoy all the flavors of Maui grown tomatoes, onions, garden herbs, fresh fruit and other ingredients by artfully combined by talented chefs.

As to which restaurants you will be visiting, you'll have to guess. Organizers are keeping the names a secret for now, to keep the experience surprising and fun, but they will give you some hints if you follow them on twitter. Don't worry, there are vegetarian options, but if your diet is any more limited than that, it probably isn't the event for you. That being said, you are certainly welcome to ask them about your requirements.

This is a great opportunity to experience our local cuisine on your Maui vacation and make friends with fellow culinary enthusiasts who share your adventurous spirit. We recommend it for social couples and friends. This is the first event of its kind, so you are sure to make some new, unique memories. In fact, why not bring your camera? You can't take the food back home with you, sadly, but you can bring back plenty of photos!

Tickets are $45, and the event will take place between 7pm-9:30pm. You will be given a meeting location via email 48 hours before the event, once you have purchased your tickets. Visit the Lahaina Dishcrawl event posting for more information. We hope you have an amazing time! Mahalo!

A Maui Mother's Day Vacation

Mother's Day is coming up fast on May 12th. What better way to spend it than by spoiling the special mom in your life with a luxurious Maui vacation? There's plenty to do, whether she's in the mood for rest and relaxation or excitement and adventure.

First of all, you'll want to browse through our oceanfront vacation condos if you want to find West Maui accommodations with stunning panoramas of the Pacific. A comfortable and soothing home base goes a long way toward an enjoyable location, and a little extra luxury doesn't hurt when you are celebrating Mother's Day. Once you have secured your accommodations, you still have to decide what to do!

If Mom is the adventurous type, there are plenty of activities to try. Ziplining is an exhilarating way to take in amazing views while sailing through the air. Helicopter tours will show you all around the island, and sometimes even a neighboring island in a relatively short time. Snorkeling and scuba will give you the ability to explore brilliant reefs teeming with fish. Then there's horseback riding for those with equestrian tastes. You might also try hang gliding, para gliding, surfing, hiking, biking, or just sightseeing.

If a restful and relaxing vacation is preferred, there are a number of amazing spas on Maui. Zensations in West Maui is probably the island favorite. There are plenty of treatment packages designed to pamper and relax, no matter what spa you visit. Then there is the option of sunbathing and swimming at one of Maui's gorgeous beaches or the pools at the resort where you are staying. Hopefully your accommodations will also be a big factor in your rest and relaxation.

However you plan to spend Mother's Day, and your Maui vacation, we hope you have an unforgettable experience. As a final tip, load on the sunscreen because our tropical sunlight is intense! That goes for all of the aforementioned activities except the spa. Check in every Friday for our latest vacation activity suggestion! Mahalo for reading!

The Little Mermaid Ballet Performance on Maui

Looking for some fun entertainment for the whole family on your Maui vacation? The Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) will be bringing you The Little Mermaid Ballet on Sunday, May 5th. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser for all ages, especially the keiki (kids). It's easy to imagine yourself one of the fabled merfolk when you're playing in the ocean, or the pools at one of our Maui vacation condos, and this show will certainly be inspiring to the imagination.

The performance will include over 200 ballerinas who will dance the famous Hans Christian Anderson story of the young mermaid who fell in love with her handsome prince. Some of Maui's finest dancers will bring this show to life with their excellent technical execution and captivating emotional expression.

The show will be held at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului, not far from the airport, on Sunday, May 5th at 1pm. Tickets are only $15. Here is a link to the MACC website where you can buy tickets for the show. If you have Kaanapali accommodations, the drive will take about 50 minutes. The show will be held in the Castle Theater, which boasts 1200 multi-tiered seats, and is The Center's principal performance space. The stage is an impressive 50' X 90' area with an orchestra pit and shell, sprung-wood dance floor along with advanced lighting and sound systems. You can find more information about by clicking this link.

We hope you enjoy the show, or if this isn't your cup of tea, that you browse our past blog topics for a myriad of ideas on things to do while you are visiting Maui! Mahalo for reading this week! Check in every Friday for new suggestions!

Hawaiian Airlines Gets You Here on Time

As we mentioned in last week's blog, the Maui visitor industry has been steadily climbing over the past few years, and while economic factors are very important, so are the wonderful experiences that our vacationers have, and expect, based on Maui's reputation as one of the best vacation destinations in the world.

When people visit Maui, they want to have a smooth trip, with some combination of fun, relaxation, romance, and stunning scenery. Maui's natural beauty takes care of a lot of that, but it is also important that visitors have friendly guides, enjoyable activities, affordable yet luxurious accommodations, delicious cuisine, and smooth, easy flights. Many people need to work together to accomplish this.

Hawaiian Airlines is a shining example of what we mean. Each year, their performance is compared against that of all the other airlines in the nation, and they come out on top again and again. Last year was no different. They were the number one airline for prompt arrivals, and why shouldn't they be? Hawaiian Air doesn't want you to miss one minute of your vacation. Their standards set an example for everyone else involved in the visitor industry. In 2011, 92.8 percent of Hawaiian's flights were on time, but last year, 93.4 percent of their flights were on time. They continually strive to improve, and they perform consistently well in baggage handling, with a low number of canceled flights.

In short, if you are flying to Maui, you can expect a better experience on Hawaiian Airlines than many of the other airlines that serve the islands. You can check this information at www.airlinequalityrating.com. We are glad that they are doing their part to ensure that travelers enjoy a good experience on their way to and from the islands. They help ensure that you feel good about your vacation before you get off the plane and take your first breath of clean, tropical air.

As for our part, we strive to ensure that you have the finest possible experience with your Maui accommodations. We want you to bask in the glow of oceanfront sunsets from a private lanai, and relax in the luxuriously appointed interiors of our condos, where you are just moments from the beach, as well as restaurants, art galleries and fun places to shop. If you need any assistance at all with your accommodations, you'll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. We hope you will enjoy an unforgetable vacation! Mahalo!