Kihei, Hawaii
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.