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NightlifeIt Begins with Sunset . . . Nightlife in Maui begins at sunset, when all eyes turn westward to see how the day will end. And what better way to take it all in than over cocktails? With its view of Molokai to the northwest and Lanai to the west, Kaanapali and west Maui boast panoramic vistas unique to this island. In south Maui's resort areas of Wailea and Makena, tiny Kahoolawe and the crescent-shaped Molokini islet are visible on the horizon, and the West Maui Mountains look like an entirely separate island. No matter what your vantage point, you are likely to be treated to an astonishing view. In Kaanapali, park at Whalers Village and head for Leilani's on the Beach (tel. 808/661-4495; www.leilanis.com) or Hula Grill (tel. 808/667-6636; www.hulagrill.com), next to each other on the beach. Both have busy, upbeat bars and tables bordering the sand. These are happy places for great people-watching, gazing over at Lanai, and enjoying mai tais and margaritas. Hula Grill's Barefoot Bar appetizer menu is a cut above. Leilani's has live music Friday through Sunday from 3 to 5pm, while at Hula Grill the happy hour starts at 3pm, with live music from 11am to 9pm. Now, Lahaina: It's a sunset lover's nirvana, lined with restaurants that have elevated mai tais to an art form. If you love loud rock, head for Cheeseburger in Paradise (tel. 808/661-4855; www.cheeseburgerland.com). A few doors away, the Lahaina Fish Company (tel. 808/661-3472; www.lahainafishcompany.com) and Kimo's (tel. 808/661-4811; www.kimosmaui.com) are magnets all day long and especially at sunset, when their open decks fill up with revelers. At the southern end of Lahaina, in the 505 Front St. complex, Pacific'O (tel. 808/667-4341; www.pacificomaui.com) is a solid hit, with a raised bar, seating on the ocean, and a backdrop of Lanai across the channel. A few steps away, sister restaurant I'O, 505 Front St., Lahaina, HI (tel. 808/661-8422, www.iomaui.com), shares the same vista, with an appetizer menu and a curved bar that will wow you as much as the drop-dead-gorgeous view. In Wailea, the restaurants at the Shops at Wailea, including the highly successful Tommy Bahama (tel. 808/875-9983; www.tommybahama.com) and Longhi's (tel. 808/891-8883; www.longhis.com), are noteworthy additions to the beachfront retail-and-dining scene. Ferraro's and Spago (tel. 808/874-8000; www.fourseasons.com/maui/dining), both at the neighboring Four Seasons Resort Wailea, have great sunset views to go with their Italian and Pacific Rim menus. Farther south, in Makena, you can't beat the Makena Resort's Molokini Bar & Grill (tel. 808/874-1111; www.makenaresortmaui.com/Dining/Dining.asp), with its casual elegance and unequaled vista of Molokini islet on the ocean side and, on the mauka side, a graceful, serene courtyard with ponds, rock gardens, and lush foliage. From 6 to 9pm nightly, the pupu menu features poke of the day, truffle fries, or a grilled petite fillet. Don't forget the upcountry view: Kula Lodge (tel. 808/878-2517; www.kulalodge.com) has a phenomenal one that takes in central Maui, the West Maui Mountains (looking like Shangri-La in the distance), and the coastline. Dinner begins at 4pm, so you can take in the sunset over lavender rack of lamb, New York steak, and other country-comfort fare. Watch for the green flash -- If you're gathered in a crowd on Maui watching a sunset, you may hear someone call out: "Green flash!" If you're lucky, you may get to see it yourself. The romantic version of the story is the green flash happens when the sun kisses the ocean good night (honeymooners love this version). The scientific version is not quite as dreamy: Light bends as it goes around the curve of the earth. When the sun dips beneath the horizon, it is at the far end of the spectrum. So this refraction of the sun's light, coupled with the atmosphere on the extreme angle of the sunset on the horizon, causes only the color green to be seen in the color spectrum just before the light disappears. Here's how to view the green flash: First, it has to be a clear day, with no clouds or haze on the horizon. Second, the sun has to set on the ocean (if it sets behind an island, you won't see the flash). Keep checking the sun as it drops (try not to look directly into the sun; just glance at it to assess its position). If the conditions are ideal, just as the sun drops into the blue water, a "flash" or laserlike beam of green will appear to shoot out for an instant. West Maui: Lahaina, Kaanapali & Kapalua The Hard Rock Cafe, 900 Front St., Lahaina (tel. 808/667-7400), occasionally offers live music, so it wouldn't hurt to call to see if something's up. Usually it features mainland bands, normally on weekends after 10pm. Cover ranges from $20 to $50. You won't have to ask what's going on at Cheeseburger in Paradise, 811 Front St., Lahaina (tel. 808/661-4855; www.cheeseburgerland.com), the two-story green-and-white building at the corner of Front and Lahainaluna streets. Just go outside and you'll hear it. Loud, live, tropical rock blasts into the streets and out to sea nightly from 4:30 to 10pm (no cover). Other venues for music in west Maui include the following:
A Night to Remember: Luau, Maui Style -- Most of the larger hotels in Maui's major resorts offer luau on a regular basis. You'll pay about $65 to $92 to attend one. The best luaus in Maui are the ones held in someone's backyard celebrating a birthday or graduation. But since you probably won't be invited to one of these private affairs, there are commercial luau that capture the romance and spirit of the luau with quality food and entertainment in outdoor settings. Maui's best choice is indisputably the nightly Old Lahaina Luau (tel. 800/248-5828 or 808/667-1998; www.oldlahainaluau.com). On its 1-acre site just ocean side of the Lahaina Cannery, at 1251 Front St., the Old Lahaina Luau maintains its high standards in food and entertainment in a peerless oceanfront setting. Local craftspeople display their wares only a few feet from the water. Seating is provided on lauhala mats for those who wish to dine as the traditional Hawaiians did, but there are tables for everyone else. There's no fire dancing in the program, but you won't miss it (for that, go to the Feast at Lele). This luau offers a healthy balance of entertainment, showmanship, authentic high-quality food, educational value, and sheer romantic beauty. (No watered-down mai tais, either; these are the real thing.) The luau begins at sunset and features Tahitian and Hawaiian entertainment, including various forms of hula and an intelligent narrative on the dance's rocky course of survival into modern times. The entertainment is riveting, even for jaded locals. The food, served from an open-air thatched structure, is as much Pacific Rim as authentically Hawaiian: imu-roasted kalua pig, baked mahimahi in Maui-onion cream sauce, guava chicken, teriyaki sirloin steak, lomi salmon, poi, dried fish, poke, Hawaiian sweet potato, sautéed vegetables, seafood salad, and the ultimate taste treat, taro leaves with coconut milk. The cost is $92 for adults and $62 for children 12 and under. Ulalena: Hula, Myth & Modern Dance -- The buzz in Lahaina is all about Ulalena, Maui Theatre, 878 Front St., Lahaina (tel. 877/688-4800 or 808/661-9913; www.ulalena.com), a riveting evening of entertainment that weaves Hawaiian mythology with drama, dance, and state-of-the-art multimedia capabilities in a multimillion-dollar theater. Polynesian dance, original music, acrobatics, and chant, performed by a local and international cast, combine to create an evocative experience that often leaves the audience speechless. It's interactive, with dancers coming down the aisles, drummers and musicians in surprising corners, and mind-boggling stage and lighting effects that draw the audience in. Some special moments: the goddesses dancing on the moon, the white sail of the first Europeans, the wrath of the volcano goddess Pele, the labors of the field-worker immigrants. The story unfolds seamlessly; at the end, you'll be shocked to realize that not a single word of dialogue was spoken. Performances are held Tuesday through Saturday at 6:30pm. Tickets are $60 to $79 for adults and $24 to $44 for children 12 and under. Maui-Style Magic -- A very different type of live entertainment is Warren & Annabelle's, 900 Front St., Lahaina (tel. 808/667-6244; www.warrenandannabelles.com), a magic/comedy cocktail show with illusionist Warren Gibson and "Annabelle," a ghost from the 1800s who plays the grand piano (even taking requests from the audience) as Warren dazzles you with his sleight-of-hand magic. Appetizers, desserts, and cocktails are available (either as a package or a la carte). Check-in is at 5 and 7:30pm. The show-only price is $56; the show plus gourmet appetizers and dessert costs $95. You must be 21 or older to attend. The Kaanapali Beach Hotel has a wonderful show called Kupanaha (tel. 808/661-0011; www.kupanaha.com) that is perfect for the entire family. It features the renowned magicians Jody and Kathleen Baran and their entire family, including child-prodigy magician Crystal. The dinner show includes magic, illusions, and the story of the Hawaii fire goddess, Pele, presented through hula and chant performed by the children of the Kano'eau Dance Academy. The shows are Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday; tickets are $85 to $95 for adults and $41 to $57 for children 6 to 12. Prices include dinner. (Entree choices include island fish, roasted stuffed chicken, steak and shrimp, and a vegetarian dish, with a children's menu available.) South Maui: Kihei-Wailea The Kihei, Wailea, and Maalaea areas in south Maui also feature music in a variety of locations:
Upcountry Maui Upcountry in Makawao, the party never ends at Casanova, 1188 Makawao Ave. (tel. 808/572-0220; www.casanovamaui.com), the popular Italian ristorante where the good times roll with the pasta. The newly renovated bar area has large booths, all the better for socializing around the stage and dance floor. If a big-name mainland band is resting up on Maui following a sold-out concert on Oahu, you may find its members setting up for an impromptu night here. DJs take over on Wednesday (ladies' night); on Friday and Saturday, live entertainment or a DJ draws fun lovers from even the most remote reaches of the island. Entertainment starts at 10pm and continues to 1:30am. (Check the website for schedules and cover charges.) Expect good blues, rock 'n' roll, reggae, jazz, Hawaiian, and the top names in local and visiting entertainment. Elvin Bishop, the local duo Hapa, Los Lobos, and many others have taken Casanova's stage. The cover is usually $7 to $10. Most Sunday afternoons, from 2:30 to 5:30pm, they have excellent live jazz, but call ahead to make sure. Paia & Central Maui In central Maui, The Kahului Ale House, 355 E. Kamehameha Ave., Kahului (tel. 808/877-9001; www.alehouse.net), features live music or a DJ most nights. Times vary; call or check the website for the schedule and cover charges. In Paia, Charley's Restaurant, 142 Hana Hwy. (tel. 808/579-8085; www.charleysmaui.com), features an eclectic selection of music from country and western (Willie Nelson has been seen sitting in) to fusion/reggae to rock 'n' roll; call for details. Also in Paia, the Moana Bakery & Cafe, 71 Baldwin Ave. (tel. 808/579-9999; www.moanacafe.com), has everything from Hawaiian music to cool jazz to sizzling Latin to swing; call for details.
 Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. Related Features Deals & News
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