Wailea Work Outs

If any of you are planning on staying in Wailea during your Maui trip, bring your running shoes!  What most people don't know prior to coming is that as Wailea is a natural desert climate, it has very little to no rain.  All those palm trees and green grass are the products of millions of dollars of landscaping and irrigation.  All this lack of rain a generally mild and sunny climate make Wailea a natural tourist mecca, and a great place to plunk a row of resorts.  These resorts being from north to south - Wailea Marriott, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani, and Hotel Wailea and finally, the Makena Beach and Golf Resort (the resort former known as the Maui PRINCE).

So, what does this all mean?  Well, if you like your morning exercise, you can run along Wailea Alanui (street).  There are sidewalks for entire stretch so you don't have to worry about oncoming traffic.  You can even extend your run from Wailea all the way down to Kihei for some real mileage and still be along the shoreline.  Let me show you what I mean about exercising along the street.

Please keep in mind I shot all these from my truck blind with my Nikon D40 out the window!

In front of the Grand Wailea

Off to tennis - there is a Wailea Tennis Center as well.

 Biking along South Kihei Road

Well-Come to Why-Lay-Ah

Not Miami, but Wailea.

In this completely fabricated and made up section of South Maui, in what was once a large stretch of barren desert-like Kiawe plain, lies a Vegas-esque fantasy world of gushing resort waterfalls, multi-million dollar vacation homes, and the odd celebrity.  As soon as you descend off Pi'ilani Highway and down into Wailea, you are immediately and I'm sure very deliberately reminded by a conglomeration of Maui consumerism - The Shops at Wailea.  Holy Rodeo Drive Batman!

I'm in the area to shoot pics of neighboring Makena, and yes, there is another reason as well which I will get to.  Even though I may not want to, as I'm the Maui Observer, I need to represent all of Maui.  So, here are a bunch of peeps enjoying their morning coffee outside Honolulu Coffee Co. inside "The Shops."

Note the additional water fountain to the left.

Now I've been told that lots of Japanese women come here to loot the stores of their wares as the goods are apparently much cheaper in Maui than back in Japan.  What kind of stores?  Well:


Everyone's heard of Rolex right?  The monster timepieces that double as brass knuckles.

What the hell do these guys sell?  If I remember the movie Collateral, this place carries leather handbags.

From a friend that works here, apparently the Japanese really like Goo-CHEE.

The Koreans really like Kim-CHEE and this store.

I just like how this establishment resembles a friggin' bank vault.

Now I knew there was a reason I myself was in The Shops.

I head down the escalator, past White House Black Market, turn right, and stroll down a long hallway.  At the end of the hallway, I turn left and enter:





THE FINEST PUBLIC RESTROOM IN MAUI!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!


Feel free to stare my friends, as it doesn't get better than this on the Valley Isle.

You will never see so many pristine empty stalls and johns with a floor so clean your slippers squeak as you walk back and forth trying to decide which one to piss in.