Maui south shore vs. west shore

chinvicky

Hi all!

I am planning a Maui wedding, and was told by a wedding planner that the south shore was "more like the 'las vegas' of Maui, small and kind of a tourist trap"

Does anyone share the same opinion? Would you pick the South shore over the west shore? 

Our ideal venue is a simple, open, grassy area, close to the beach with an ocean view. One of our top choices is Gannon's restaurant since their site fees seem to be quite budget friendly.

Thanks all!

FSForever

Welcome, I have never heard Maui and Vegas in the same sentence but to be honest I can't compare as we have not been there yet. I have been to Vegas and I don't think they would compare based on what I have heard here and family that have been there. 

We are getting married on the beach and have picked Gannon's as our reception venue. They are budget friendly just watch the add ons. Good luck.

carrieoz_76

I think that's a crazy thing to say.  First of all, no part of Maui is like Las Vegas.  Second, the reason beaches on the south side of Maui are ideal for weddings is because there are beaches of different sizes and many of them are not overly busy.  There were more people on the beach we went to yesterday here in Washington State than there were on most of the south Maui beaches we've ever visited (with the exception of those that are in town in Kihei, which are busy beach in-town parks and you'd expect them to be busy).

Additionally, the west side beaches are not as plentiful, and there are many many large resorts in Ka'anapali, so as a result there are lots of people there at fewer beaches, which means finding a less busy beach can be more of a challenge.  If you're getting married at one of those resorts or a private venue on the beach there, you should have a separate space to yourself so you wouldn't need to worry about that, but if you're having a beach wedding, I think south Maui is preferable.

ninja500

I don't think the person who said that has ever been to Las Vegas.  Comparing any part of Maui to Vegas just doesn't make sense to me.

Tanq&Tonic

Welcome to the board!  Let me take a stab at drawing any parallels I can...

If by "Vegas" she meant giant, lavish resorts, they exist both in West Maui (Kaanapali) and South Maui (Wailea).

If by "Vegas" she meant more strip malls, then perhaps she meant Kihei, where there are a ton of condos of varying price ranges and a number of strip malls one after another.

Aside from that, I don't see how Maui and Vegas are at all similar.  Sure, there are things geared toward tourists, but you're going to find that anywhere you go where tourism is your top one or two industries.  It doesn't mean it's gaudy and covered in flashing lights. 

How many guests do you have?  There are a number of popular Maui venues with grass near the water.  Olowalu is by far the most popular on this board, and others incude Gannon's, Sugarman, and White Orchid House (only for use with White Orchid Weddings coordinators).  There's also a fantastic spot in Maalea Harbor if you use Aloha Events Catering (private house).

AKWinterBride

Ha!  Your coordinator has an odd idea of what Vegas is like if she thinks the Kihei/Wailea area are like that!  We stay in Kihei every time we go to Maui, it's a nice little ocean town that feels like home, not like Vegas at all. 

chinvicky

Thank you all for the opinions! From what I am hearing, I think we would enjoy either side of the island. We plan to have roughly 45 guests. 

Tanq&Tonic for the venue suggestions. I will take a look! 

cleyco

Hi AKWinterBride sent you a PM....thanks in advance!