If you’ve weighed your options and decided that a condo or vacation rental is the best choice for your Maui trip (it’s hard to argue with more space, a kitchen, washer and dryer, and a lower price ; ) then this post is for you!

I’d love to just link up the “25 Best Maui Condos & Vacation Rentals” for you here, but finding a good condo is a little trickier than that. 

It’s hard for me to make specific recommendations because 1) travel dates impact availability, 2) what you need for your party size, and 3) your budget. 

So instead of plopping down a list of condos that may or may not be available and may or may not fit your budget and taste, here’s advice on how to go about finding exactly what’s going to work best for you: 

First things first, I always book my condos and vacation rentals through Vrbo. I’ve personally been burned by Airbnb before so while I’m sure you can find great options there, it’s not my go to. And yes, sometimes it’s possible to book condos and vacation rentals directly with the owners (or agency), but I don’t like to recommend anything that I haven’t personally vetted so I’ll be linking to Vrbo options here. 

So here we go…consider this post like a little treasure map to finding your perfect Maui condo…

Where to Find Maui Condos & Vacation Rentals

This post may contain some affiliate links, which means I’ll make a little money on anything you choose to purchase. But of course, I only recommend my absolute favorites to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make HulaLand possible.

Here’s a map of different areas of Maui where I would search for condos in your price range, with the number of rooms you need, etc. I’ll break down why you might want to pick each specific area below. 

1- Wailea: The Swanky Resort Bubble

If you have the money and want the plushest resort like accommodations, search for beachfront options in the Wailea area. You may not get an ocean view, but you should be able to find something on/walkable to the beach in the $500/bedroom range. If you don’t care about being on the beach, but you still want to be in the resort bubble, you can find better deals off the beach in Wailea. And if you have $$$, this is the place to blow it on an oceanfront villa. 

Search for Wailea condos & vacation rentals here. 

2 – South Kihei: The Sweet Spot

I think the sweet spot of nice oceanfront condos at a reasonable price is south Kihei. Like…the very southern part of Kihei just past Kam III down to Keawakapu Beach. The condo complexes here have really nice resort-like amenities and a beautiful setting at a fraction of the price of what you’ll find just less than a mile south in Wailea. But it’s far nicer than the budget options you’ll find just slightly farther north in Kihei. Easy to find a nice oceanfront condo in the $300 range. 

Search for South Kihei condos & vacation rentals here. 

3 – The Heart of Kihei: Middle of the Action

If budget is your bottom line, you’ll never find a better spot than Kihei and generally it suits a good bulk of the visitors to Maui. Condo complexes from the Cove Beach Park down to Kam III Beach offer plenty of options in the $100-200/night range (and some higher and nicer). The beaches in this stretch are top notch but crowded with locals and people staying in the high concentration of condos. Not too crowded to enjoy though ; ) Plus the whole area is pretty walkable with so many restaurant options. 

Search for Kihei condos & vacation rentals here. 

4 – North Kihei: Quieter & Still Budget Friendly

There’s a string of condos at the north end of Kihei that I generally think are nicer than what you’ll find in the budget area I mentioned above, but generally the same price (Sugar Beach Resort, Maalaea Surf Resort, etc.). I don’t think the beaches are quite as good up here though. They’re a lot less crowded but can get windy in the afternoons and you’re not as “in the middle of it all” which could be good or bad. 

Search for North Kihei condos & vacation rentals here. 

5 – Ma’alaea: Central Location at a Cheaper Price

Ma’alaea is a great area if you want a budget place to stay and don’t mind driving to get to restaurants, etc. It’s not crowded, it’s close to the aquarium and marina where a lot of snorkel and whale watching boats depart and it’s a good central location in between West Maui and South Maui if you’re planning to mostly be out exploring the island a lot. 

Search for Maalaea condos & vacation rentals here. 

***Want to save major $$$ on your trip to Hawaii? I get asked ALL the time how I’m able to travel so often to Hawaii and stay at really nice resorts. Well, my favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free airfare and free nights at some of Hawaii’s most high end resorts. Read my full guide on the exact system I use to max out credit card rewards here. Seriously, it’s going to save you soooo much money. 

6 – Kaanapali Beach: Maui’s First Resort Area

If you want the full resort experience at a reasonable price, you’re definitely going to want to find a place on or within walking distance to Kaanapali Beach. There are a few oceanfront condo resorts here plus a few more options that are just off the beach. 

Since the wildfires in Lahaina, this is the hub of tourism activity on West Maui and if you like to be able to walk to restaurants and along a beachwalk, this is a great area. 

Search for Kaanapali condos & vacation rentals here. 

7 – North Kaanapali Beach: More Oceanfront Condo Resorts with a Quieter Vibe

The stretch of Kaanapali Beach north of Black Rock (at the Sheraton) is connected via a walkway through the Sheraton but it feels a lot more spread out and quiet than the main part of Kaanapali Beach. This whole area is lined with condo-hotels that have all the resort amenities. 

Search for North Kaanapali beach condos & vacation rentals here. 

8 – Honokowai: Budget Condos Galore in Between Ka’anapali & Napili

This probably wouldn’t ever be top of my list, but this stretch is home to a bunch of older oceanfront condos with varying degrees of beaches (some have small patches of beaches and some just have a lawn overlooking the ocean) making it a gold mine for bargain deals. 

Search for Honokowai condos & vacation rentals here. 

9 – Napili & Kapalua: Maui’s Crown Jewel Beaches

Some of Maui’s most popular beaches (Napili, Kapalua & DT Fleming) are in this little patch of West Maui. The options around Napili Beach are mostly older (but well kept up) small condo-tels. It’s a dense area with a nice old school vibe. Just to the north, Kapalua is more spread out and resort-like. Most of the ocean front options in Kapalua are pretty $$$ but there are a lot of more budget friendly condos on the golf course. 

Search for Napili & Kapalua condos & vacation rentals here. 

Side Note: If you’re looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.

10 – Paia & North Shore: Off the Beaten Path

If condos aren’t your thing and you’re looking for a house or ohana (apartment/cottage), you’ll love the north shore. I would love anything walking distance to Paia town because parking gets tricky and there are so many great shops and restaurants. But you’ll find some good decently priced options farther out along the north shore. And if the jungle sounds fun, check out the Haiku area. 

This area isn’t a big tourism draw, but it’s actually a really good location for exploring a lot of the island. One of my favorite ways to plan a Maui vacation is to book the first three nights at a place on the north shore and do the bulk of my exploring (Road to Hana, Haleakala, Upcountry, Mama’s Fish House, etc.) and then move down to Wailea or Kaanapali for three nights to just chill at a nice resort and do all the beach/vacation things. 

Search for Paia vacation rentals here. 

11 – Hana: An Overnight Stop on the Road to Hana

Hana is even more off the beaten path and I wouldn’t really recommend staying out here to 90% of visitors (my exceptions are usually if you’ve been to Maui before and want to come back for an off the grid experience OR if you really love hiking) but some people like the idea of breaking up the Road to Hana trip and staying overnight to maximize their time. 

Search for Hana condos & vacation rentals here. 

Want to read more posts about Maui? I’ve got plenty!

Things You Can ONLY Do on Maui // 4 Day Maui Itinerary // My Favorite Road to Hana Itinerary // Things to Do Upcountry // Tips for Sunrise at Haleakala National Park // Snorkeling Molokini Crater // Whale Watching

My Favorite Hotels on Maui // Where to Find Condos on Maui // Wailea vs Kaanapali // Every Resort in Wailea Ranked // Four Seasons Maui Review // Andaz Maui Review // Fairmont Kea Lani Review // Wailea Beach Resort Review // Four Seasons vs Andaz Maui // Andaz Maui vs Wailea Beach Resort

Best Restaurants in Wailea // Best Breakfast in Wailea & Kihei // Mama’s Fish House // Best Luaus in Wailea

My Favorite Things to Do in South Maui // Best Beaches in Wailea & Kihei // Road to Hana Tips // Driving the Backside of the Road to Hana // Where to See Turtles on Maui

Maui vs Kauai // Everything You Need to Know BEFORE you go to Maui

P.S. I travel to Hawaii multiple times a year, and let me tell you a secret…I do most of it for FREE using credit card points and miles. 

I have a somewhat intricate system that I’ve fine tuned over the years to maximize earning points and how I cash them in, but the short version is:

I use THIS Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for free Marriott nights. The sign up bonus alone on this card will get you 3 (sometimes 5!) free nights at hotels in Hawaii like the Sheraton Maui, Royal Hawaiian (Oahu), Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott (Kona). 

And I use THIS Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards card for free flights on Southwest. The sign up bonus will get you at least one round trip flight to Hawaii (possibly two depending on where you’re flying from). 

The combo of these two cards will have you most of the way to a free trip to Hawaii right out of the gate. Again, you can sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless >> HERE and the Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards >> HERE
And if you’re really serious about getting into the travel hacking game, read this post for a more in depth look at how I maximize credit card points to book travel.

P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…

You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!

Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable. 

That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan. 

I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )

But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too. 
Get that info >> HERE