Guides
Visiting West Maui: the note we keep on the site.
This page is permanent architecture, not a news post: West Maui is open, welcoming, and rebuilding, and how you visit matters. We work there; here is what we ask of ourselves and suggest to you.
Where things stand
The August 2023 fire destroyed much of Lahaina town. Rebuilding continues — a hundred homes restored by late 2025 and more underway — while the resort corridors north of the burn zone, Kāʻanapali through Kapalua, have been open and welcoming visitors since the phased reopening.
What respectful visiting looks like
- Stay in the designated resort areas; the burn zone is a neighborhood, not a sight
- Book direct with local businesses; tip well
- Buy from Maui farmers, fishers, and makers — as we do, first
- Let residents set the tone on when and how to talk about the fire
Why visits help
West Maui’s economy runs on visitors, and community leaders have been consistent: respectful tourism is part of the recovery, not a burden on it. Every dinner cooked with Maui-grown food in a Kāʻanapali kitchen keeps dollars on the island’s west side.
Our own rules
No imagery that aestheticizes loss. No marketing Lahaina town as a dining destination. West Maui service centers the open corridors, and our copy says so wherever the question arises.
Questions, answered
Yes — the resort corridors are open and community guidance explicitly welcomes respectful visitors. Stay in designated areas, support local businesses, and give rebuilding neighborhoods their privacy.
Front Street’s surviving restaurants and open areas welcome visitors; the burn zone itself is off-limits to tourism and should be treated as what it is — someone’s neighborhood in recovery.
Keep reading
- guide The villa versus the reservation, honestly compared.
- guide Private versus personal chef — the definitions, then the booking.
- guide Hiring a chef directly versus booking the network.
- guide The resort’s private dining program, versus your own kitchen.
- guide Maui guides, written to be useful.
- guide How does a private chef work in Maui?
- guide How to hire a private chef on Maui.
- guide What kitchen does a private chef need?
Get a written quote
The button is not “Book now.” You tell us the table; we send a written quote — and that quote is the confirmed total.