Kahului

Kahului is the largest town and commercial center of the island of Maui in Hawaii.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Kahului Airport (OGG ^IATA), 1 Kahului Airport Rd # 5. The main airport for the island of Maui, and the second largest commercial airport in the state. It is a secondary hub for Hawaiian Airlines, which provides inter-island service to Kahului from the other major airports in the state. Several major U.S. airlines also provide non-stop service to Maui from the West Coast and beyond. There are non-stop flights to Kahului Airport from the following cities (some cities may be seasonal or only offer service certain days of the week): Anchorage, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Hana, Hilo, Honolulu, Hoolehua, Kamuela, Kapalua, Kauai Island, Kona, Lanai City, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver.  

Get around

The main commercial street in Kahului is Kaahumanu Avenue (state route 32), which passes by the main shopping malls of Queen Kaahumanu Center and Maui Mall. Hana Highway (state route 36) intersects Kaahumanu Avenue near Maui Mall. Dairy Road (state route 380) is the road which runs to Kahului Airport from the major tourist centers and along which Maui's major big-box retailers lie.

Rental car companies

• 1 Maui EVs, 40 Hobron Ave, Kahului, ☏ +1 808-298-0739. Daily 10AM-10PM. Maui EVs eco-friendly Tesla rentals (updated Oct 2023)

See

• 1 Maui Arts and Cultural Center, 1 Cameron Way, ☏ +1 808-242-7469. Tu-Su 11AM-5PM. Completed in 1994, the Arts and Cultural Center is one of the island's best venues for both visual and performing arts. The Schaefer International Gallery is Maui's only museum-quality art gallery, while several performance venues including the Castle Theater and Alexander and Baldwin Amphitheater provide space for concerts and plays. Free admission for most exhibits in the Schaefer Gallery. (updated Aug 2019)
• 2 Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, 150 Kanaloa Ave, ☏ +1 808-249-2798. M-Sa 8AM-4PM. Seven acre site focused on flora of Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe. 
• 3 Kahana Pond Bird Sanctuary (Haleakala Highway, 0.1 miles west of Hana Highway). 143-acre wetland preserve that is home to the Hawaiian Coot (ʻalae) and the Hawaiian stilt (aeʻo). Free. (updated Aug 2019)
• 4 Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum, 3957 Hansen Rd, ☏ +1 808-871-8058, operations@sugarmuseum.com. 9:30AM–4:30PM, closed Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. Indoor and outdoor museum exhibits documenting the history of the former sugar industry in Hawaii. The former sugar mill can be seen across the street from the museum. Adults $7, 60+ $5, 6-12 $2, 5 and under: free; family rate $20, Military (active, veterans and retired, with family members) $5 per person. (updated Aug 2019)

Do

• 1 Kanaha Beach Park (Kite Beach), Amala Place (take Amala Place west to the end, about 1.5 miles from Hobron Ave.), ☏ +1 808-270-6139. A mile-long stretch of beach located adjacent to the Kahului Airport, this park is also known as Kite Beach for its excellent windsurfing conditions. Free. (updated Aug 2019)
• 2 The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course, 1333 Maui Lani Parkway, ☏ +1 808-873-0422. Clever hole designs and rugged terrain. Golf Digest named the Dunes at Maui Lani one of the four "Best-Kept Secret" golf courses in America when it opened in late 1989. 

Helicopter tours

• 3 Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, 1 Lelepio Pl, ☏ +1 808-871-8844. 50- to 90-minute helicopter tours of Maui and Molokai. Higher end packages include landing with refreshments served. $289-489. (updated Aug 2019)
• 4 Air Maui, Lelepio Place, ☏ +1 808-877-7005, letsfly@airmaui.com. 45- to 75-minute helicopter tours of Maui and Molokai. Some tours include landing with refreshments. $253-350. (updated Aug 2019)
• 5 Sunshine Helicopters, 107 Airport Road, ☏ +1 808-270-3999, toll-free: +1-866-501-7738, bookings@sunshinehelicopters.com. 40- to 70-minute helicopter tours of Maui and Molokai. $210-480. (updated Aug 2019)
• 6 Maverick Helicopters, Lelepio Place, ☏ +1 808-893-7999, toll-free: +1-800-978-0266. 6AM-10PM. 50- to 75-minute helicopter tours of Maui and Molokai. $249-369. (updated Aug 2019)

Events

• 7 Ki Ho'alu Slack Key Guitar Festival, 1 Cameron Way, ☏ +1 808-242-2787. Annual celebration of slack key guitar music. Takes place in June. (updated Aug 2019)
• 8 Maui Ukulele Festival, 1 Cameron Way, info@ukulelefestivalhawaii.org. Music festival featuring ukele music. Takes place in September. (updated Aug 2019)
• 9 Na Mele OMaui, 1 Cameron Way. Annual choral festival featuring songs in native Hawaiian. Takes place in December. (updated Aug 2019)

Buy

• 1 Maui Friends of the Library Bookstore, 275 W Kaahumanu Ave, ☏ +1 808-877 2509. M–Sa 10AM – 6PM, Su 10AM – 5PM. A non-profit bookstore that helps fund local libraries. Has many books related to Hawaiian history and culture. Some new books but mostly used. Only a few small stools around to sit on but volunteers don't seem to mind if you read books on them. < $5 for used books. (updated Dec 2020)

Eat

• 1 Tasaka Guri-Guri, 70 E. Kaahumanu Ave #C13 (in Maui Mall), ☏ +1 808-871-4513. M-Th AM - 6PM, F 9AM - 7PM, Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 10AM - 4PM. A long-time fixture on Maui, this shop keeps things simple and serves up a classic old-style Hawaii flavor: it sells a classic sherbet in only two flavors, strawberry and pineapple. The Tasaka family has been doing this for over 90 years, and for many visitors to Maui, no trip is complete without a visit here. They will also pack it for the plane ride. Cash only. (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Zippy's, 15 Ho'okele St, ☏ +1 808-856-7599. 24 hours. This location has two sides: a quick service counter and a table-service restaurant with a bakery counter in between. Hawaiian and American food are the specialties. (updated Aug 2019)
• 3 Acevedo's Hawaicano Cafe, 190 Alamaha St, ☏ +1 808-871-7766. Family-owned eatery in an industrial area near the airport serving Hawaiian food with a Mexican twist. (updated Aug 2019)

Sleep

There are only three hotels in Kahului, all of them on the budget to midrange end of the scale. All are centrally located in Kahului not far from the airport and provide clean and comfortable accommodations, but if you're expecting amenities on the scale of properties in Kaanapali or Kihei, you will be sorely disappointed.

• 1 Maui Beach Hotel, 170 Kaahumanu Ave, ☏ +1 808-954-0051, toll-free: +1-866-970-4168. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. Pet friendly, in-room internet and WiFi, fitness room. Free airport shuttle. Restaurant on site. $118-305. (updated Aug 2019)
• 2 Maui Seaside Hotel, 100 Kaahumanu Ave, ☏ +1 808-877-3311, toll-free: +1-800-560-5552, info@mauiseasidehotel.com. Clean, basic hotel on white sand beach. $149-189. (updated Aug 2019)
• 3 Courtyard Maui Airport Hotel, 532 Keolani Place (5 minutes from OGG), ☏ +1 808-871-1800, toll-free: +1 888-236-2427. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Part of the Marriott chain, just minutes from the airport. $264-649. (updated Aug 2019)