Maui is the Best Medicine

5 Reasons the Hawai’ian Destination is a Cabin Fever Cure

Chris Duthie

As forecasted, Colorado has been blanketed with deep white powder, the variety that buries cars, overloads rooflines and makes a helter-skelter mess of driveways, sidewalks and streets. Underscored by some toe-nipping Jack Frost temperatures, there’s never been a better time to start planning your next golf vacation.

What better way to ring in the New Year—and relieve those snow-shoveling sore muscles—than in Wailea, that magical resort destination on Hawaii’s sumptuous island of Maui? Here are five reasons to plan your aloha winter escape now:

1. The golf is simply astonishing. It starts with Wailea Golf Club’s esteemed 54-hole collection artfully crafted by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Arthur Jack Snyder, and continues with 36 holes at Ka’anapali (Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Snyder). Plus, go play 36-hole Kapalua Resort (pictured above, Arnold Palmer/Frances Duane and Ben Crenshaw/Bill Coore), annual host of the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Jan. 7-10).

Wailea Golf Club – Emerald Course, Photo (c) Chris Duthie

2. Overnight lodging is bountiful and luxurious. The Grand Wailea, Four Seasons Resort Maui and newly renovated Fairmont Kea Lani are highly recommended, full-service resorts that are just minutes from Wailea Golf Club’s premier fairways. Or try the four-star-rated Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka’anapali, or the AAA Five Diamond digs of the Ritz Carlton, Kapalua.

3. The views are heavenly and heart thumping. Spy a breaching 45-foot humpback whale, enjoy the Hana Highway’s hairpin turns and plunging waterfalls, and relish a papaya-colored sunset from the revered white sands of Kaanapali Beach. Next day start it all over again—this time at sunrise from atop the 9,740-foot-high Haleakala Crater.

Photo (c) Chris Duthie

4. Golf is grand, but the blues are boss. Savor the full experience at the Fourth Annual Uncle Willie K’s BBQ Bluesfest at King Kamehameha Golf Club in Wailuku. Scheduled artists include Taj Mahal, Deborah Vial Band, Billy Walton Band and Samantha Fish (Jan. 8-9). And for something totally inspirational, participate in the Alzheimer’s Maui Breakthrough Ride in Kihei, an all-cyclists-welcome recreational event designed to raise awareness of and funds to battle this horrific disease (Jan. 10).

Photo (c) Chris Duthie

5. Stash the clubs without guilt. Maui’s treasured experiences include snorkeling, stand up paddle boarding and surfing; Haleakala National Park horseback riding and hiking; breathtaking helicopter excursions to the island’s Jurassic Park-like wilds; relishing farm to table cuisine; learning about Hawaii’s vibrant culture; and so much more.

Photo (c) Chris Duthie

For more about the magic of Maui, click here.

Photo (c) Chris Duthie

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Chris Duthie is a Durango-based contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.