We have stayed at four different condos on Maui on different parts of the island and for what we like, Kuleana Resorts is the best. There is a swimmable snorkeling beach on site, the large beautiful pool is heated, and the location is close to other great snorkeling beaches. The oceanfront one bedroom (we stayed in 401) has a lovely view and had everything we needed.

We spent a week at the Kuleana Resort on Lower Honoapiilani Rd, north of Lahaina. The location is perfect for exploring areas of West Maui. The complex is a quiet resort, with a number of rental units spread out among some full timers. Some units are privately owned and furnished and as such, the amenities will be somewhat different, depending on which unit you are staying in.

The Kuleana is made up of six buildings spread out on the property, some with ocean views and others with ocean front locations. The buildings have three levels in the center and two levels at the ends. There are a total of 22 rental units on the property. Thirteen of these are ocean front. All units are one bedroom.

Most units are laid out the same. As you enter the bedroom is off to the side, followed by a small bathroom and then the living room which is combined with the dining room and kitchen. The bedroom and living room have ceiling fans. The unit we stayed in had a window air conditioner in the bedroom. The kitchen has a dishwasher, full sized range top and oven, microwave and full size refrigerator. Kitchen storage space is limited, but in the unit where we stayed there is a portable cabinet with some added storage, used as a separator for the living room and kitchen. The wall separating the living room from the lanai/patio is floor to ceiling glass, with a large glass sliding door, making for a nice unobstructed view to the ocean. The lanai is a comfortable size for 2 to four people.

The grounds are covered in beautiful flowers and plants that have been meticulously maintained. The maintenance crew does an outstanding job. There is a nice sandy beach as well as a mini tidepool area and a ladder leading to a nice swimming or snorkeling area just in front of the complex. Giant Green Sea Turtles can be spotted any day, in the water just feet off shore. The islands of Molokai and Lanai are just west. Whales, in season, can also be seen offshore. There is a swimming pool on property, if you do not want to sit on the beach or go into the ocean, a tennis court near the office and shuffleboard to keep you busy. Four BBQs are also available for use. Three laundry rooms are on site and have full size coin operated machines.

The Kuleana is approximately 5 miles north of Lahaina and Kaanapali and a 45 minute drive from the main airport at Kahului. There is a Times Market just 1 mile south of the complex and gas stations about a quarter mile away.

There is wireless Internet connectivity supplied for free at the office area and many of the units have wifi of there own.

The Kuleana Resort is truly a hidden gem. I rented #309 via VRBO direct from the owner, Jack Reilly, for a 5-night stay in December 2011. I highly recommend this resort to mature couples or singles looking for a quiet, secure, laid-back vacation. Young couples, singles looking for nightlife, and families with teens will probably think this place is a bit "dull".

All the units are individually owned, and decor and amenities will vary. I stayed in #309.

#309 is a top floor 1-bedroom corner unit with a partially obstructed ocean view. The view is still very nice, and you can hear & see the surf. The unit was nicely furnished (the photos are accurate) and comes with free WiFi and free local and mainland calls. Note: the "welcome" binder states that calls outside of Maui are NOT free, but all units vary and #309 has free mainland calls. The only thing missing was glassware - except for two wine glasses all the drinking cups were plastic (I almost bought some for the unit, but got a hula girl car ornament instead :-). The kitchen had pots & pans, storage containers, a blender & coffeemaker, toaster, microwave, oven, big fridge and dishwasher. Inside the pantry were salt and pepper, plastic wrap, paper towels, foil, coffee filters, and the basic amenities like dishwasher soap and dishwashing liquid. The unit has a washer & dryer, but bring your own laundry detergent. There is an A/C unit in the rear bedroom, which blocks out any potential noise from the parking lot nearby. Inside the bedroom closet are two boogie boards, a cooler, cleaning equipment (broom, mop, etc.), and some folding TV trays. The unit looks out over the resort pool, so there is some daytime noise, but the resort is very quiet overall and it was never a problem. The pool closes at 9PM. There is no hot tub.

When I return to this resort (and I will!), I will probably spring for an oceanfront unit. I was a little jealous of the folks out on their lanais enjoying the gorgeous sunsets and views out to Moloka'i and Lana'i!!

PROS:
Terrific value for West Maui.
If being right on the water (oceanfront) is not a deal-breaker, you can get a great rate on an ocean-view unit. And the oceanfront rates are not bad, either, compared to the exorbitant rates charged by hotels and resorts for similar (or more likely, worse) views.

Fantastic private "pocket" beach.
As a former Maui resident, I thought I knew West Maui like the back of my hand. I never saw or knew about the gorgeous little pocket beach hidden away from sight at the Kuleana. Only owners and renters have access to this special little slice of paradise - you need a gate key to get inside the property fronting the beach, and unless you are a fantastic swimmer or come in on a kayak, there is no way to gain access from the ocean. Once inside the resort's gated grounds, there are steps leading down to the little pocket beach, which is bordered by black volcanic rocks on each side. On the lefthand side, the rocks jut out a short way into the sea. From this point, there is a nice wood bench and a short metal ladder down to the water, which is about 4-5 feet deep at this point. To go snorkeling, you can use this ladder or just go into the sea from the beach, but the ladder gets you beyond the rocks in the surf zone.

Turtles galore!
Within five seconds of getting into the water, I almost backed into a huge green sea turtle. I didn't see him from the surface. Then his friend swam up, and the two regarded me without the least bit of concern. I am very careful about not getting too close to marine animals but these guys had no concept of personal space, and did not seem threatened at all. It was really nice. All told, I counted five sea turtles in a very small area of rocky reef.

Great snorkeling!
The rocky shore fronting the Kuleana has a great variety of marine life, and seems much healthier than most shoreline areas in West Maui. In addition to the sea turtles, I saw several varieties of moray eel, an octopus, juvenile barracuda, and countless types of reef fish and flat fish.

CONS:
Keys, keys, and keys:
There is a key to get into the condo, a key for the gate into the resort grounds, and another key to the pool. It gets to be a bit of a pain. I highly recommend leaving one key inside the door-mounted lock box in case you forget the condo key, or lose it.

Parking permit:
You need a permit inside your car to avoid getting towed. There is supposed to be a permit hanging on the hook just inside the condo, but when I arrived it was missing. I was lucky to catch the condo manager before she left for the night -- she gave me a handwritten permit for my stay. Very aloha.

This place is comfortable and easy. Everything you need (blenders to BBQs) and you can swim with the turtles, play board games and ping pong, do your laundry, etc.
Central to West Maui, from here you can do it all and come home to a nice retreat. We stayed in unit #710 and (with 2 teenangers) loved every minute of it. From snorkeling with the turtules to cooking bacon wrapped shrimp on the bbq, no complaints at all. Supermarket, farmers market (get the guacamole), snorkel bobs all within spittin distance.
From here we did the the road to Hana, horseback riding at Ironwood Ranch, and Big Beach twice. Running ow on money? Try the Hawaiian BBQ across from Snorkel Bob's, the garlic mahimahi was incredible and the kahlua pork was pretty good too. Famous Dave's and Cool Cat's in Lahaina were good grinds also.