If
you've always thought of Hawaii as Condo Hell, then KIHEI
probably comes closer to matching that image than anywhere
else in the state. Stretching for seven miles south from
Ma'alaea Bay, it's a totally formless sprawl of a place,
whose only landmarks consist of one dull mall or condo building
after another. That said, it can be a perfectly pleasant
place to spend your vacation, with abundant inexpensive
lodging and dining options and plentiful beaches. Just don't
come to Kihei expecting a town in any sense of the word.
In the 1960s, Kihei spread for just a hundred yards to either
side of the point where Mokulele Highway (Hwy-50) reaches
Ma'alaea Bay. North Kihei Road is still a hundred yards
long, but South Kihei Road now keeps on going for around
five miles. It's not totally built up, but the occasional
half-mile gaps are simply derelict land, left empty while
the developers await their moment.
Those
moments are now arriving thick and fast; Kihei is officially
ranked as the second-fastest-growing community in the United
States. Traffic congestion is so rife that for all journeys
of any length, you'd do better to follow the parallel Pi'ilani
Highway, half a mile or so up the hillside. There's even
talk of building another highway even further up the slope.
The
largest of Kihei's shopping malls are the matching pair
of Azeka Place 1, makai at 1280 S Kihei Rd, and Azeka Place
2, opposite. Between them they hold the local post office,
a large Bank of Hawaii with ATM machines, and lots of fast-food
places. Otherwise,
the new Pi'ilani Village Shopping Center, not far away on
the upper highway, is expanding rapidly and holds a huge
Safeway, while Kukui Mall, opposite Kalama Park, has a four-screen
movie theater and more takeout eateries.
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