Need advice on visiting Maui, Hawaii? -

While researching about Maui, some say stay at Kaanapali and others say stay at Kihei/Wailea. Now, I am a bit confused on how I should plan my trip. I have about 4 full days to spend apart from all the travel. The plan is to visit sometime during the last 2 weeks of March. This will be the first time me and my wife will be visiting any island in Hawaii. My ultimate goal is to make sure this trip will be one of the best experiences visiting an island. I have the following questions:(1) Which part of Maui do you recommend staying? Kaanappali or Kihei/Wailea or any other side? And what hotels do you recommend staying?(2) Within 4 days, is it possible to cover more than one side of the Maui island and still have time left to relax and enjoy the island? OR Do you recommend staying at just one side to enjoy the trip?(3) What do you recommend as far as visiting and in which order? I am sure there are a lot of places to visit. But given the limited time, how should one go about on the list of places to see and in which priority and still have time left to relax and enjoy the island?(4) Any other gotchas you recommend based on your travel experience?(5) Any places to avoid where there could be trouble for tourists?

Maui is for kicking back on perfect resorts at perfect beaches, and there are less sites to visit here, but those that ARE here are amazing.Both Ka anapali and Wailea are seamless planned resort communities, and the decision is frequently made on cost: The resorts are more luxurious and much more expensive on Wailea which is considered the upscale resort community. Ka anapali is the original resort area on Maui, is larger and less expensive. The other factor is if you like to shop: Ka anapali is next to the historic whaler s town of Lahaina where much of the shopping is, and Ka anapali itself has a nice shopping center. Wailea has an upscale shopping center but that s about it.Kihei is in a different category: It is the town adjacent to Wailea and many of the privately-owned condos are here. You can probably stay for less money here, but are not going to get the seamless service and resort experience you will in the actul resort areas.You can enjoy the best that Maui has to offer in four days. What you see depends on whether or not you are going to any of the other islands or if this is it. What I would recommend:* The highway to Hana will be one of your top highlights. It takes a few hours over a winding road along a sea cliff through the rain forest on the windward side of Maui, to the secluded town of Hana (Hana means flower in Japanese). You pass bamboo forests, one-land bridges and tropical waterfalls at every turn in some places. There are small farmers who sell fresh banana bread on stands along the way, each one has a different (and secret) recipe. This is an all-day excursion, and theoretically you can t go all the way around the island here (you can, but it is a dirt road and you will void your car rental agreement). Some visitors check out and overnight it in Hana at the internationally famous Hotel Hana Maui (very $$$$$) or the Hana Kai condotel (less $$$), and if you want to do jungle-hiking this may be worth it. It depends how active you are, but with only 4 nights you may want to stay in one resort and drive back from Hana without overnighting it. Also, some resort discounts require 3 or 4 consecutive nights for an additional discount if you are trying to watch costs.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hana_Highwa��http://hanakaimaui.com/http://hotelhanamaui.com/* There is a famous area to see sea turtles called Turtle Town near Makena Beach (near the Makena Prince, adjacent to Wailea). Alternately, you can take a cruise to the submerged caldera filled with coral called Molokini, a few miles off shore. Each of these will take a half day.http://www.hawaiisnorkelingguide.com/tur��http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molokini* I don t think it is worth getting up at 2AM to see it, but many do the drive to the summit to see the sunrise over Haleakala Crater. This is a LIVE volcano (currently dormant). It is worth seeing the crater, bring a sweatshirt or sweater!! There are multiple companies that will give you a bus ride up to see the sunrise, and then give you a bike so can ride all the way downhill to Kula. It looks a bit dangerous to me, I have never done it. This is a half-day excursion.* You should plan on spending a day (and possible short tour) of Lahaina, it is a quaint and historic city. Will take a half day.Those are the highlights. Other things to do based on your interests are: Iao Needle, a beautiful, lush tropical park that focuses on Polynesian plants, great hiking; A zipline tour where you hike up into the jungle and then jump off cliffs hooked onto a line...they start you off on easy jumps, then get progressively higher (zipline tours started on Maui!); and more good snorkeling around Napili and Kapalua. Maui is also famous for some of the best windsurfing in the world.http://www.zipline.com/HOTELS=======Because you are only here for four days, the resort community of Kapalua will probably be too far for you, even though the Ritz Carlton resort here is less expensive than other 5-star resorts on Maui (the inconvenience of its location is the reason for the good price).I already mentioned the hotels in Hana, but the other hotels to consider are:* Hyatt Ka anapali - the best resort in Ka anapali* The Sheraton and Westin are similar (next to each other and the Hyatt), so if you don t stay at the Hyatt choose one of the others based on availability and price* Four Seasons Maui (Wailea) - Best resort on Maui, but the highest price* The Grand Wailea - This is the local s traditional favorite hotel on MauiNote: Some local Hawaiians own private property adjacent to tourist areas, such as on the way to Hana and do not particularly like tourists. You will see many KAPU (taboo) signs...HEED THEM and do not trespass.