Maui

Many places claim the power to create memories that will last a lifetime, but few fulfill the promise like the Island of Maui. If it’s relaxation you're after, we've got it, with near-perfect weather, great places to stay, uncrowded beaches and a setting that inspires awe and a sense of wonder. If you are looking for adventure and new experiences, we've got that too. Discover Maui, where whale-filled seas meet heavenly beaches. A place where the sun warms tropical trade winds that will blow your troubles away. Snorkel in crystal-clear waters or play golf on world-class courses of green, velvet perfection. Aloha and welcome to Maui, the Magic Isle.

Maui No Ka 'Oi (Maui is the best) is what the locals say, and visitors couldn't agree more. The island weaves a spell over the more than 2 million people who visit its shores each year, and many visitors decide to return for good.
The island was formed by two volcanos that erupted long ago -- the extinct 5,788-ft Pu'u Kukui and the dormant 10,023-ft Haleakala (now the centerpiece of a national park). The resulting depression between the two is what gives Maui its nickname, the Valley Isle. Maui's volcanic history gives it much of its beauty. The roads around the island are lined with rich red soil, Central Maui is still carpeted with grassy green, and the deep blue of ocean and sky mingles with the red and green of Maui's topography. And the three planned resort communities along Maui's lee shore -- Kapalua, Ka'anapali, and Wailea -- offer self-contained environments of such luxury and beauty that the effect is almost surreal.

Every year, from December until April, Maui's favorite wintertime visitors are in residence. The humpback whales, over 2,000 of them, migrate from their summer feeding grounds in Alaska to the warm and sheltered waters of the Hawaiian Islands.

While here they mate, nurse their newborn calves, and thrill us as we watch from one of Maui's many whale watch cruises or from vantage points on the shore. Once hunted to near-extinction, these magnificent marine mammals are now one of the worldwide conservation movement's major success stories.