459 Front St. has a 72-foot frontage directly onto beautiful Kamehameha Ike beach.

LAHAINA – How would you like to live on one of the American Planning Association’s 2011 “Great Streets in America?”

Front Street in Lahaina lives up to its latest accolade from very humble beginnings. It was originally a simple dirt road flanked by a few houses and a small strip of shops in 1900. Walk this fascinating street with its amazing oceanfront setting and eclectic architecture, and even now it reflects of Lahaina’s rich history as an ancient Hawaiian capital, major whaling port, missionary battleground and plantation town.

Today it balances an exacting role as a thriving tourist attraction and the art capital of the Pacific with this past. Front Street is unlike any other seaside strand in the world.

459 Front St. is just south of Lahaina Shores and the Shops at 505 Front Street. Its 16,016-square-foot lot has a 72-foot frontage directly onto the golden sands of Kamehameha Ike beach, a retreat and playground of Hawaiian Royalty in years gone by. Today, Kamehameha Ike beach is one of the best places to learn to surf on the gentle waves of the inner break.

This three-bedroom, 1,140-square-foot cottage comes with an open great room and large covered lanai. Should you want something bigger on this oversized 16,000-square-foot lot, there are building plans available for review.

This home was built in 1951 – the same year the 315-foot-long tunnel between Lahaina and Wailuku was opened to complete the modern Honoapiilani Highway, replacing the hazardous lower road that came along the base of the Pali (cliff) with 115 scary hairpin turns.

This is a gorgeous piece of land which will fulfill your dreams of living island life on Maui.

Imagine taking your morning coffee with the waves lapping at the end of your lawn. It’s truly the stuff novels are made of – in fact, I remember reading one where the heroine lives in a cottage on the beach in South Lahaina!

Take a very short stroll into Lahaina on a Friday evening, and you will be in the center of the art walk. With more art galleries per capita than any other town in America, and home to some of the world’s best-known artists, Lahaina’s merchants and craftspeople put on a show with wine, pupus and music. Every night, you can enjoy world-class cuisine at one of Lahaina’s numerous award-winning restaurants or take in the nightlife at Warren and Annabelle’s, ‘Ulalena, the Feast at Lele or the Old Lahaina Luau.

It’s also just a short drive north to four championship golf courses in Kaanapali and Kapalua and more exciting dining and shopping experiences.

Alternatively stay home, enjoy the famous lingering West Maui sunsets and our winter visitors, the humpback whales, in the calm waters framed by the islands of Molokai and Lanai. Then watch the beautiful, colorful rainbows and moonrises over the West Maui Mountains. You are sure to catch a moonbow some misty evening.

Originally called Alanui Moi, the King’s Road, Front Street, Lahaina truly is a very special place and one of the “Great Streets of America.”

Come visit my home office located in the heart of Kaanapali at 325 Kainoe St. in Kaanapali Hillside, or call for dates, times and locations of our open houses in Kaanapali and Lahaina. We have many listings available for immediate showings and some special opportunities in West Maui.

Call Robert R. Myers, R(S), at (808) 283-3067 or toll-free at (888) 781-3548, or visit our newly upgraded website at www.MauiHomeSales.com. Be sure to check out our new interactive map under the blue banner across the top. Please sign up on the website for my monthly newsletter or send me an e-mail at robert@mauihomesales.com.