Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [291]
Kapalua Golf ( 669-8044, 877-527-2582; www.kapaluamaui.com; Bay/Plantation course green fees before 2pm $215/295, after 2pm $130/150; 1st tee 6:45am) boasts two of the island’s top championship golf courses, both certified by Audubon International as sanctuaries for native plants and animals. How’s that for green greens? The Bay course is the tropical ocean course, meandering across a lava peninsula. The challenging Plantation course sweeps over a rugged landscape of hills and deep gorges.
Want to hone your golf skills? Kapalua Golf Academy ( 669-6500; 1000 Office Rd; 1hr clinics from $35, lessons per hr $110; 7am-6pm), staffed by PGA pros, is Hawaii’s top golf school.
Kapalua Tennis Club ( 669-5677; 100 Kapalua Dr; per day $16, racquet rental $6; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat & Sun) is Maui’s largest full-service tennis club, with 20 Plexipave courts and an array of clinics. If you’re on your own, give the club a ring and they’ll match you with other players for singles or doubles games.
Kapalua Dive Company ( 669-3448; www.kapaluadive.com; Kapalua Beach; snorkel rental per hr $8; kayak/snorkel tours $70; 7:30am-4:30pm) offers a range of water activities, including kayak tours that take you snorkeling, and a full menu of dive outings from beach dives ($75) to kayak dives ($99) and scooter dives ($110).
Tours
Maui Pineapple Company ( 669-5491; Office Rd; 2½hr tours $40; tours 9am & 11:45am Mon-Fri) opens its dusty red fields for pineapple-plantation tours led by seasoned workers who give you the lowdown on the pineapple biz and let you harvest one of those juicy delights to take home. Reservations are required, as are covered shoes…those spines are sharp!
Festivals & Events
Mercedes-Benz Championship (www.pgatour.com) Tiger and friends tee off at the PGA Tour’s season opener in early January at the Plantation course, vying for a multimillion-dollar purse.
Celebration of the Arts (www.celebrationofthearts.org) This festival in April at the Ritz-Carlton celebrates traditional Hawaiian culture with workshops, hula demonstrations, chants and storytelling.
Kapalua Wine & Food Festival (www.kapaluamaui.com) A culinary extravaganza held over four days in late June at the Ritz-Carlton, it features renowned winemakers and Hawaii’s hottest chefs in cooking demonstrations and wine tastings.
Billabong Pro Maui (www.billabongpro.com/maui) This annual women’s title race, held at Honolua Bay when the surf’s up in mid-December, showcases the world’s top wahine (female) surfers. And as the final event of the World Championship Tour, it often determines the world’s champion.
Sleeping
Kapalua Villas ( 669-8088, 800-545-0018; www.kapaluavillas.com; 500 Office Rd; 1br/2br from $319/419; ) OK, budget really isn’t part of the vernacular in Kapalua, but if you have a small group, this is the most affordable way to go. Three luxury condominium complexes comprise Kapalua Villas, with some units on the golf course and others overlooking the beach. One-bedroom units sleep up to four; two-bedroom units sleep six. Amenities include free tennis and discounted golf.
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua ( 669-6200, 800-262-8440; www.ritzcarlton.com; 1 Ritz-Carlton Dr; r incl breakfast from $450; ) This luxe hotel’s low-keyed elegance attracts the exclusive golf crowd. On a hillside fronting the greens and the sea, the hotel has a heated multilevel swimming pool shaded by palm trees, a spa and a fitness club. Rooms have oversized marble bathrooms, goose-down pillows…you get the picture.
Eating
Honolua Store ( 669-6128; 502 Office Rd; lunches $5-7; 6am-8:30pm) A nod to normalcy in the midst of lavish exclusiveness, this general store’s deli serves sandwiches