Well, we’re here, y’all. 3,700 miles from Texas, 4,600 miles from Costa Rica, and 3 blocks from postcard perfect everything in Maui, one of the most beautiful islands in the world. By no means is it an easy trek to get here. In comparison, our direct flight from Dallas to Liberia, the nearest airport in Costa Rica, was 3 1/2 hours. Our direct flight from Dallas to Maui was 8 hours. Ouch.
But there’s a reason so many people flock to the middle of Nowheresville, Worldtown, and that’s because it’s worth it.
Maui First Impressions
We chose to live in Kihei, a narrow stretch of city on Maui’s South Shore, due to its close proximity to surfing and lounging beaches, fish tacos, happy hours, resorts, abundance of young people, short drive to Costco (a total must for gas), as well as a good taking off point for other awesome spots on the island, like Haleakala and the Road to Hana.
Maui: What We Like
- No language barrier. As fun as it was working on our terrible Spanish skills in Costa Rica, it’s nice to be able to ask questions, tell stories, and eavesdrop on stranger’s conversations again.
- Variety. This is America, after all. Want some Asian food? Cool, there are seven different options right down the street. Need to find a rainbow tutu for your Halloween costume? Ain’t no thang. There are shops for that.
- The beaches. The water here is turquoise and clear and the sand is the color of Goldilocks’… well, golden locks. The beaches are all public, so even at “exclusive resorts,” you can still walk up and sit your happy ass on the beach and enjoy the day. There are around 80 beaches on Maui, so if think you’ve seen it all, you probably haven’t.
- Close proximity to amazing stuff. We are within an hour of the Road to Hana, a 68 mile winding road through waterfalls, beaches, bridges and caves, and Haleakala, a dormant volcano where you can hike, bike, camp and watch the sunrise from 10,000 feet in the air.
- Culture. Hawaii has a pretty fascinating history. Plus, you won’t find another U.S. state with their own language, distinct look, customs and rituals quite like the Hawaiians.
- Cheap mopeds & vehicles. We’ve been told several times that as long as the car runs and isn’t visibly losing parts, it passes inspection. I like that rule. If you’re going to pay over $4/gallon for gas (currently $3.84 at Costco and $4.39 everywhere else), it’s reassuring that at least you can buy something cheap to get you there.
- It’s clean. It’s nice to walk on the streets and beach without a sad amount of trash everywhere.
- The sidewalks and roads are all in good condition. Besides a short stretch of unpaved road on the back side of Haleakala, it’s smooth riding (and walking) pretty much everywhere.
- Buying things. It’s nice to be able to shop for cool things again, including clothes, beach accessories, scuba gear, random food items, etc. High end to dollar store shopping, they’ve got it covered.
- Nice people. We heard rumors beforehand that locals aren’t always super friendly to mainlanders moving to their island, but so far we’ve only been greeted with smiles and friendly suggestions. Aloha, y’all.
- Scuba diving. Great visibility, lots of turtles, and whale season is here!
Maui: What We Don’t
- Cost of living. This is obvious. It’s paradise. Nobody likes paying $3 for a packet of taco seasoning, but you just suck it up and do it and go drink a piña colada on the beach.
- Renting. It’s difficult and expensive and semi terrible.
- Driving. While we love our new (old) 4Runner and scooter, it’s way easier to be able to walk everywhere.
- Getting around. Places that are fifteen miles away often take 45 minutes. Almost all roads are one lane, so you’re pretty much at the mercy of the person in front of you.
- Dust and sugarcane burning. If you’ve never smelled burning sugarcane, it’s like a cow ate a bunch of corn and then pooped on your pillow. Not good. Also, because of this and because of where we are on the island, everything is covered in half an inch of red dust.
- American rules. No legal drinking on the beaches, no beach bonfires, etc. And while these rules aren’t always enforced, I will miss the days of to-go margaritas and “pura vida” in Costa Rica.
- Air conditioning. Most places here don’t have air conditioning because of the strong trade winds on the island, which is really lovely some days and nonexistent other days. To sum up, we sweat. A lot.
All in all, no place is perfect, but our Maui first impressions get pretty damn close.
Great post! My family and I visited Maui for the first time this past July 2013 and loved every second. Enjoy your life in paradise!
Awesome, Monica! We shall 🙂
Nice list! I used to live in Northern Kihei on Maui and found a lot of the same things to be true…My counter was always hidden under a half-inch thick bit of red dust! It was gross! The cost of living eventually drove us off the island, but other than that, everything in fantastic about living in Maui!
Thank you, Jill! The red dust is intense, for sure. And yep, it’s the price of paradise. Hope you’re doing well and thanks for commenting!
Howdy Travellers!
I can’t tell you how envious I am of your decision to live on Maui for a spell. Being from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the option is not ours. So we are looking forward to cold, snow, howling -45 C windchill values and did I mention SNOW???
My family and I have been spending as much of the month of March as often as our budget will allow, (your right, its expensive:) on beautiful Maui for over 30 years. It is without a doubt my most favorite place in the whole wide world! If the border between our two countries ever disappears….I am soooooo moving. Enjoy your time on Maui and when it gets too hot, just stick your head in the freezer and think of me in Winterpeg!! ALOHA !!
BRR. Being from Texas, I’ve never even been in snow more than half an inch. I can’t imagine! Just a thought… we met LOTS of people from Canada when we were living in Costa Rica. Check it out!
You don’t say how long you have been living here or if you are trying to work here, too. We have been here for four months now and have had tremendous problems finding enough employment to live and still have not been able to make many friends. We, too, have lived where others vacation (Florida, the Caribbean) and have never had such a hard time with these two issues.
Hey, Sue. We moved here on September 28th of last month. We surprisingly got pretty lucky, job wise, and found some options right when we moved here, mostly thanks to Craigslist and with advice from our roommate who has been on the island for decades. We haven’t made many friends yet, but I’m hoping that changes soon enough. It’s hard making friends in a place where most of the people you meet are only here on vacation. Good luck and let us know if you want to hang out sometime. We’re always up for new friend-making. Cheers!
Aloha Kelsey,
I found that joining several of the almost unlimited number of community groups on the Island is a great way to establish a social context with people who live here. Depending on your personal interests you’ll find everything from the Hawaii Farmer’s Union United (organic gardening, sustainability) to arts and entertainment (the MACC has a volunteer docent program; Iao Theater has a theater group) to environmental care (Pacific Whale Foundation talks, the Sierra Club and more) to the Society for Women Engineers at the Technology and Research Park in Kihei.
Enjoy the Island! Aloha
How long have you been there? The date on the post is almost exactly one week ago.
My wife and I have spent a total of about a month on Maui during two different trips. We will (not) soon (enough) be making our third trip, escaping the Michigan winter for the month of February. We have stayed previously in Kahului and Kaanapali, this time will be in Kihei. So far they were not burning the cane fields while we were there (both time Jan.’Feb.) – it’s my understanding that this is timed to happen during the “Low” season when the tourists are not there.
Hi, Joe. We moved here on September 28th, so right about a month now. Good choice on coming to Kihei! It’s not nearly as fancy as Kaanapali, but has a lot more spunk, in my opinion. You should miss the burning of the cane fields, I think. Let us know when you’re here if you’d like to meet up for a sunset watch and a cocktail!
I moved to Maui a year ago this Oct. (Halloween Day) 2012. We lived in Wailuku for several months and loved being called Auntie Robin & Uncle from the neighborhood kids. We were considered “Ohana” after only a couple of weeks. Our neighbors were VERY nice. We recently moved to Kihei four months ago, now with an ocean view & twice the size, & a block from the beach.
I love the company & the people I work with Saturday thru Wednesday, and love playing music 60’s, 70’s, blues, classic & southern rock, country & originals every Friday night @ Taqueria Cruz on Kihei Rd. in Kihei. I also play a PuPu pool party every second Thurs . of the month in Kihei. My wife and I enjoy the town of Kihei and yes Costco is the gas place, we drive a 1972 VW bug, but even saving gas with that is a plus! Aloha y’all 🙂
We will definitely have to come and watch you play. Not to mention that Taqueria is BYOB. ‘Nuff said! Thanks for the info and looking forward to meeting you!
Hello,
I really enjoyed your comments. My wife and I are seriously considering moving to Maui when I retire in 2016. While our move is still almost 3 years away, I don’t think you can start planning too early because of the logistics of moving from Texas to Maui. We’re in the Dallas Metroplex. Like you, we are planning on renting. We’re finding that trying to rent if you have pets can be tough. I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences trying to rent.
Mahalo,
Mike W.
Hi, Mike! Good choice! I am from Irving myself and am glad to say this is quite a step up on the beauty scale compared to DFW. Renting with pets gets even harder, from what I’ve seen, heard and read. My suggestion is to try to find an apartment or condo complex that takes pets, not renting from another person already living somewhere. Good luck and say hi to Dallas for me.
Kelsey,
We live in Grapevine but we’re originally from Ohio. We’ve been in Texas for 10 years. We’ll be following you blog to see how a Texas girl adjusts to life in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Mike W.
Aloha and welcome to Maui!
You have to just stick with it. Many people move here and then leave before the first year is over. I think if you can make it that long you will stay! Make sure to eat at the Kihei Cafe! As we move into the more busy season, work will be much easier to come by. Be sure to apply to the Wailea and Kaanapali Hotels cause they will often hire Haoles right off the boat. Even busboys make tons of money.
Yep, that’s what we heard. Honestly, this is a stepping stone for us. We are planning on being here for at least a year or two then going to Asia to discover more beautiful places. I got a part time position waiting tables at the Grand Wailea, so I think that will help for sure! Thanks for the food suggestion, we haven’t tried that place yet. Yum!
Aloha! I thought some balancing thoughts about the “What We Don’t” comments would be good.
The Cost of Living can be high but if you cook at home, shop at Costco and the Kula Farmer’s Market, and always ask for Kamaaina pricing (sometimes up to 30% discount and many restaurants and typically 10% at tourist attractions) you can keep your costs below those on the Mainland.
Renting can be expensive but it’s on a par with areas on the Mainland like the San Francisco Bay Area, New York Metro, Chicago or Washington DC. It can take a few months to find just the right place so some exhaustive Web searching before arriving on the Island is advised.
As for driving versus walking – many locals don’t think twice about walking a few miles. I, on the other hand, typically drive. I live in Haiku and it’s a 15 minute drive to the Foodland or Longs Drugs, 20 minutes to Costco, 10 Minutes to the beaches on the North Shore, 40 minutes to the Kihei beaches or those south of Lahaina on the West Shore. That translates to between 4 and 25 miles. From Kahului it’s 5 minutes to Costco and roughly 20 minutes to any Kiehi, North Shore or South-of-Lahaina beach. The typical 45 MPH speed limit makes driving slower than the Mainland but, hey, it’s the Island! “No hurries, no worries”
Dust and sugar cane burning are localized. If you live in an area that’s affected then, for a few days each year, you get the unimaginable dense smoke and ash. The moral is: Don’t live there! There are only a few locations on the Island that are impacted by cane burning and constant red dust (from field cultivation). It’s absolutely true that it’s “where we are on the Island” that is the source of this misery!
While you can’t (legally) have a beer bash on the sandy beach there are plenty of beaches with large picnic areas with barbecue pits, toilets and showers where there are groups having a party every day.
Kihei is almost a desert climate. Almost no rainfall and temperatures into the 90’s. Don’t move to Kihei unless you’ve got air conditioning and a budget to support $500 to $700 a month in electric bills. Wialuku, Kahului, and Upcountry are all much cooler than Kihei. Before selecting your ideal living location on the Island, get an annual temperature graph (Google search) for your location and see what you think. You’ll also always want ceiling fans. Do some homework (and ask your local real estate agent who’s helping you find a rental – don’t go it alone!) to find out how much the Trade Winds are going to help keep you cool. This can range from needing a heater in the colder months (in Kula, for example) to absolutely needing AC (in Kihei, for example).
Maui is, without a doubt, the best place on Earth to live (and I’ve lived in 7 states across the Mainland, traveled and vacationed in 35 others and traveled Internationally for many years – so my assessment comes with some empirical, albeit subjective, evidence). To be happy with a move to Maui you must 1) Love the beach, 2) Be willing to live in a world that’s 48 Miles by 26 miles and 3) Do Your Homework 🙂
Aloha Kaakou A hui Ho!
Thank you so much for all the info! I have also lived in New York City and don’t find the prices to be much higher, if any, here on Maui. We will definitely check into some of the community groups. My boyfriend is a scuba dive instructor and I am a marketer, waitress and dance instructor so I’m sure we can find some groups that fit our interests. Cheers!
Joe,
Thanks for the detailed reply. This is Kelsey’s blog so I don’t want to hijack her thread. As I stated earlier in the thread, my wife and I are very seriously considering a move to Maui when I retire in 2016. We’re doing a ton of research now so we can make an informed and prepared decision when the time comes. I go through periods of great enthusiasm about the move to abject terror thinking about the logistics of a move like this. I find it interesting that you recommend the use of a real estate agent when it comes to finding a rental. I’ve heard horror stories related to finding a place on Craig’s list.
Mahalo,
Mike W
There are definitely horror stories, Mike. We visited some truly terrible places that were listed on Craigslist, but you just never know till you get there. Some of them are gems! Good luck and you can do it!
Kelsey,
We appreciate the encouragement. My wife is really stoked about moving to Maui. We went there for the first time in 2011 and returned this May. I think I created a monster. She’s considering taking some courses to get qualified as a Pharmacist’s Assistant just to give herself some job options when we get there. She currently manages a retail store in Southlake, Tx..
Mahalo,
Mike W
So true Joe! We are in Kahului. No A/C for us. It’s warm sometimes, but after living in Minnesota for 34 years, I’ll take it!!! We love it here!! Thanks for your insight 🙂
Awesome! We moved here 5 months ago from Minnesota/Montana! Living in paradise isn’t always paradise, but dang! it is so beautiful here! Welcome to Maui! See you at the beach 🙂