Lahaina Beachside Cottages offers understated elegance with island furnishings and tropical appointments. Beach cottages are rare in Lahaina, especially in this convenient, tranquil location. Each 2-bedroom/1 bathroom cottage offers a queen sized bed and two twin beds. (One of the units also has a sleeper sofa in the living room.)

Each cottage in the duplex has a clean, fully-equipped kitchen that is great for entertaining. And the living space opens up to a pleasant backyard patio and lawn; augmented by the melody of children playing, birds singing and a Tongan choir at the adjoining historic church (a popular place for weddings).

From the front stoop, the gorgeous West Maui Mountains reign supreme and beyond the back gate is Pakala, the beach chosen by the ancient Hawaiian ali’i (chiefs) as their playground! This is a sacred area once known as Moku’ula, the spiritual and political power center of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Lahaina not only served as a favorite vacation spot for Hawaiian royalty and as a part-time residence for the royal family, it was officially declared the capital of Hawaii in 1802.

Across the street basketball and tennis courts, a field and parking lot cover the filled-in historic pond and island that was Moku’ula. The adjacent Kamehameha Iki makai (ocean) park is home to the reconstruction of traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoes and host to the annual Festival of Canoes in late spring. The site of an ancient heiau is preserved here. The beautiful beach with shallow reef-protected waters is a nesting ground for turtles and was once a heavenly snorkeling site (while much of the coral has died off, there is still some good snorkeling) which today makes an idyllic spot for launching a rubber raft and drifting in the bathtub warm water for hours. There is excellent surf at both ends of the beach with the northern spot popular with beginners and surf schools. Lahaina Harbor (with ferries to Lana’i and Molokai) is very close. Dining, bars, coffee shops, shopping and spas are all right here.