Travel in county Maui

WHY IT RATES: Aqua-Aston Hospitality celebrates its recent expansions while also supporting its employees affected by the Maui wildfires and giving back to the local Maui community. — Lacey Pfalz, Associate Writer, TravelPulse

Marriott Bonvoy is launching its biggest Cyber Week Sale ever, beginning November 21 through November 28 for members, offering 20 percent off their booking on stays at over 6,500 around the globe. 

The world watched – and mourned – as wildfires destroyed the town of Lahaina, Maui back on that fateful day of August 8. And many surrounding areas, including Kula. But thankfully, there are many areas of Maui that were completely untouched. If you’re considering going on vacation or planning a Christmas holiday in the next few months, make sure to consider Maui, with its inimitable beaches – and famous rainbows.

If you’re visiting Kaanapali now or in the near future, you may find yourself in the midst of a protest that could impact your ability to enjoy the popular West Maui beach, where the majority of the island’s resorts and hotels are located.

Through a variety of fundraising efforts including mileage donations and collection boxes from customers and employees in Japan and throughout the U.S. including Hawaii and the mainland, Japan Airlines raised over $132,000 to support relief and recovery efforts for communities affected by the devastating Maui wildfires that occurred in August 2023. The airline held a check presentation ceremony to the Hawaii Community Foundation on November 2 at the Governor’s Ceremony Room at the Hawaii State Capitol building.

After one of the most devastating wildfires in US history ripped through West Maui in early August, the island is preparing to fully reopen to tourists starting November 1.

Expedia Group has been consumed with, and weighed down by, launching a new loyalty program and transitioning its three core brands — Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo — to a common tech platform. But now those tasks are behind it.

It’s been a wild ride for travel investors this year. After a strong rally to start the year, travel stocks are now on pace to close 2023 in a bear market. The Skift Travel 200, which tracks the stock market performance of the global travel industry, captures the whiplash shareholders have experienced. 

Less than three months after a deadly wildfire destroyed the town of Lahaina, all hotels in West Maui are now back open to the public.

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Maui’s western region will be fully reopened to tourism on Wednesday. Yet the recovery of the island as a whole remains uncertain two months after a wildfire devastated Lahaina and left nearly 100 people dead.

We recently visited Maui in the aftermath of the devastating August wildfires in nearby Lahaina town, which was destroyed. The Ritz-Carlton, in the posh resort area of Kapalua, was untouched, thankfully, and had just re-opened on our visit in mid-October. You very well may want to put the resort on your radar screen, especially with the holiday season fast approaching. For sure, it will welcome you with the famous aloha spirit that the AAA Five-Diamond Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua is famous for. And wouldn’t you love to see Santa on his surfboard?

After being born and raised on Maui, I moved to the mainland US to attend college in California and experienced a bit of culture shock.

Here is important travel news that everyone should know — the intoxicatingly beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii – our 50th state – is open and making a concerted effort to welcome compassionate travelers to the island right now. This comes in the wake of the devastating August wildfires that recently destroyed the town of Lahaina and surrounding areas. I consider this news as important, because so much discussion that we’ve heard of Maui on the mainland has been to a large extent misinformed and under the wrong impression: Many people believe that the entire island of Maui was affected by the wildfires, and as a result, there arose a misconception that the entire island was closed. Many people believe that they cannot visit Maui at all, and as a result, many could cancel long-planned trips to the island.

All of West Maui will officially welcome visitors again starting Nov. 1 following the devastating wildfires that swept the island destination in August. It marks the first time since the fires began that all of the western side of the island — save the burned-out section of Lāhainā — will be open for tourism. 

The question of the best time to visit Hawaii is a tricky one. Sure, it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world—and for good reasons: the magnificent and lush landscape, the ocean waves ripe for surfing, the culinary fusion of various Pacific foodways, and the local cultures worth understanding, remembering, and honoring. One easy, simplistic answer to “when is the best time to visit Hawaii?” is that, well, it’s always a good time to visit Hawaii. But because the destination is so popular, considering the effects of overtourism is key to timing your visit.

Announced October 23, 2023, all West Maui properties now have the green light to reopen as of November 1, rather than the previously announced phased approach that followed Maui’s August 8 disastrous wildfire. As you decide about the best time to visit Maui yourself, there’s still a way to get a taste of Maui at home. It can be shipped right to your door if you live in the U.S. and now even to Canada too.

A variety of factors could mean a reduction in cost next year to vacation in the Hawaiian Islands.

Maui’s western region will be fully reopened to the public on November 1, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen announced on Monday. The reopened will area span Kahana to Ka’anapali. Only burned-out sections of the historic Lahaina will remained closed.

The allure of autumn is undeniable. As the leaves turn a vivid tapestry of colors and the scent of apples and pumpkins fills the air, there's an added charm to setting off on a new adventure. Traveling during this time is truly a treat for the senses. Yet, for those embarking on the journey of Sober October, the usual travel experiences might come with a set of challenges, especially when alcohol seems to be intertwined with many celebratory events and gatherings.

MAUI -- I had mixed feelings about coming to Maui so shortly after wildfires decimated Lahaina.