MAUI, HAWAII – I’ve spent more time on the Lahaina-Kaanapali side of Maui over the years. But the Fairmont Kea Lani resort in Wailea might convince me to try that side of Maui more often. I spent a couple of nights at the property last month and came away hugely impressed. Not to sound all uppity or anything, but I see a lot of gorgeous hotels in my line of work and a lot of places with four or five or supposedly six stars leave me a little flat. Not this place. Not by a long shot. It’s beautiful, sure. Read more
Wailea
KA’ANAPALI, MAUI – Celebrity chef Art Smith is holding court on the patio at the popular Hula Grill, just steps from the sparkling blue waters of Kaanapali Beach. He’s sporting a black Hawaiian shirt and a gorgeous lei made of intertwined green leaves and spiky orange flowers and talking about the local food scene on day one of the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival on Maui. “They’ve always grown amazing things here” said Smith, a Florida-born, Chicago-based restaurateur and chef who works closely with Chicagoan and part-time Maui resident Oprah Winfrey. “But now there’s a pride in what’s grown and Read more
