As an annual visitor to Maui for almost 40 years, I've spent the last 10 years ordering this guide and visiting the recommended places. Donna is fastidious in her research, she is friendly and most importantly she respects Maui and the local businesses by showcasing them so perfectly. If you are going to Maui, you should have this guide. Support local, respect the land and leave no trace. read more

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Do yourself a favor and buy this guide and it will be the best money you will spend on a Maui guide. We spent 32 nights on Maui for our 50th wedding anniversary and used this guide to find some great local spots and ideas as well as great eating spots. read more

After researching many properties on the island of Maui, I couldn't avoid the positive reviews for Donna Bender. I did my research on Trip Advisor and cross referenced her reviews here on Yelp and decided she was legit! And boy, was she ever! Donna was helpful from the first moment she and I chatted on the phone. From the advice re: the Road to Hana (definitely do not go right after arriving -- what if your flight is delayed?! You don't want to be driving on that road after dark, she warned). Then, because my mother-in-law was joining us at Napili Point, she asked, "How old is she? Oh, then you can get the senior rate!" She advocated for which condo we would get (beautiful, ocean-view, AIR CONDITIONING!) and even made many recommendations of where to eat and what to do. She was super responsive, incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and funny. If we're in Maui again, I will definitely be calling Donna again! read more

Donna Bender is the quintessential travel agent for Maui and Oahu. She is extremely familiar with Accomodation options and is very passionate about sharing her "aloha" with others. She is also very responsive to any and all questions. I will certainly use Donna again on my next trip back to Maui. read more

We have purchased Donna's Local Girl's Guide for a number of years before every trip to Maui. We enjoy reading the updated guide for weeks ahead of our trip in anticipation of getting in the "Aloha Spirit" and to get excited about our upcoming travels to Maui. We have found some great spots through the years thanks to Donna's guide and we would highly recommend purchasing before every trip! Mahalo Nui Loa Donna!! read more

Class A service from a native Hawaiian in booking our stay for a short week in Maui. Donna helped us fight through high demand and costs currently to find something that worked for our family. I greatly appreciated finding a rental off the beaten path of the hotel conglomerates in the cute little town of Napili. We got a nice community feel from coffee and food in the market plaza shops there (with some recommendations from Donna's "Local Girl's Guide to Maui"), and were able to visit the resort areas when we wanted to. Would highly recommend. read more

Donna knows where it's at. I used This guide through out my 3 week stay and really felt like I was being guided by a local. Donna's reviews/recommendations were spot on, only wish I had more time in Maui to do everything she recommended, which I am planning a return trip already as soon as I left. 100%recommend. Thank you so much Donna! read more

I enjoyed Donna's insight on many local eateries and her blog. It was great to be able to look up a restaurant or locale and then check it with her guide to get the real skinny on it. read more

Donna was such a help with planning our trip. Her guide is priceless. Since getting the guide Donna has answered my questions and offered her help. She is very responsive and thats very important when planning a trip. Do not hesitate to contact Donna and make sure to purchase her guide. read more

A friend recommended Donna's "Local Girl's Guide to Maui" before our trip, and it was worth every penny. Her guide gave us the confidence to go out and try local restaurants and vendors, and each time we were rewarded with a great experience without having to spend a bundle! We enjoyed so many spots we never would have known about without her advice. She helped us have a truly magical trip, and we hope to return for more someday! read more

We purchased Local Girl's Guide to Maui the day after we landed. We didn't know much about Maui before our visit and the Guide was great. The Guide was well organized and helped us choose between several restaurants and activities, and made the trip for my family even more wonderful. We ended up exploring more of the island that we would have without the Guide. To me, the Guide would be worth it for anyone visiting Maui. read more

We recently booked Napili Point Resort through the help of Donna Bender at Maui Calls. She did a wonderful job of getting us two condos near each other on a three week notice. After booking I had several questions about the area and she was so sweet about taking the time to answer all my questions. A week before our trip she sent us a list of all the things we would need to bring and included instructions about the resort. She is just wonderful and I would highly recommenced contacting her if you are looking to stay in Maui. Thanks so much Donna. read more

Donna is a wealth of information and incredibly helpful! She is extremely prompt in her responses. 100% recommend reaching out to her if you are looking for a place to stay on Maui or need recommendations for activities/restaurants. Donna's your gal! read more

Perfect guide for finding delicious but not crazy expensive restaurants. We enjoyed some amazing places that I never would have come across without Donna's guide. There are a lot of overpriced tourist trap restaurants with just ok food on Maui but this guide does a great job of showing you the best restaurants in every area on the island. Lots of great information on everything from activities to shopping to weather as well. I was so glad I printed the guide out and kept it with me as we explored Maui, way better and more accurate that weeding through reviews on your phone. read more

I was trying to find a place to stay on Maui. Of course, it was peak season (Jan 1-5) and I was booking less than 2 months out, so everything on VRBO or FlipKey was either booked or utterly exorbitantly priced. I found Donna and Maui Calls and boy, was I ever lucky I did! She worked very hard to understand my location preference and price range and found a number of units that I hadn't that were great possibilities. We ended up renting a great 1br condo with a private beach near Kaanapali for much less $/night than a marginal 2 star hotel in a less desirable location. I highly recommend Donna and her service for your next trip to the Hawaiian Islands. I look forward to working with her again when we plan our next trip. read more

Donna helped us book a condo on Maui and gave us her Local Girl's Guide to Maui for our trip. This guide will save you much more time and money than it will cost. We only had 5 days in Maui and this guide helped us make the most of it ...it did not ever steer us wrong and showed us some hidden gems we would have overlooked. So much more valuable than any Fodor's or Frommer's book could be! I have to say the only mistake I made in Maui was leaving the guide in the condo one of the days...since I didn't have it to refer to, I tried a nearby restaurant that turned out to have terrible food. Sure enough, I looked at the book when we returned to the condo, and it was listed as a restaurant that was not recommended. So if you buy this, keep it on you at all times so you don't waste time and money on something that is not worthwhile. read more

We booked our fabulous stay at Aston Mahana through Donna Bender who is an Aston Specialist, plus Donna gave us her Local Girl's Guide to Maui to take with us to Maui. Everyone at the hotel was very nice! Our room was a simple studio, right on the ocean, very clean and quiet (although a little dated), and for my husband and I it was perfect! We used Donna's Maui Guide for selecting dining, shopping, and destination options and found it very informative and useful. Loved having a kitchen to save money on dining out. Dinner on the lanai, fresh fish and veggies (from the nearby markets of course), while watching the sun set over Lanai and Molokai; priceless! (We did not use the fitness room or restaurant.) read more

We'd been to Maui three times, and before a recent fourth trip, purchased the inexpensive Local Girl's Guide to Maui on the recommendation of a colleague. Donna's recommendations are spot on. They are right in line with what we would recommend to friends, and it's useful to have these in a concise form. There were also some restaurants recommended that we weren't familiar with, which made the purchase worthwhile. The guide is somewhat food-focused, and although the things to do and other recommendations are useful, I'd have given it five stars if there were a few more off-beat non-food recommendations too. read more

Donna is a pro! She is dedicated to helping visitors have an incredible experience on the islands. She saves you time and money by recommending only the best local businesses catered to suit your needs. All of her advice is spot on! read more

I bought Donna's Local Girl's Guide to Maui for my recent trip to Maui. The guide was most helpful for us to find where to eat; we had 3 vegetarians traveling with us so the guide provided us with some options to accommodate their needs. This was much appreciated!! Overall, the guide was great because it helped to familiarize us with different areas we traveled to and helped give us a better understanding of what each town offered. Donna is awesome! read more

Donna helped us plan a crazy last minute trip to Maui just two weeks before Christmas. She was so helpful - with tips on the best places to stay and detailed knowledge of the pros and cons of each property, cool new / hidden restaurants and great local knowledge. We were so lucky to find her!! read more

We go to Maui annually and stay in the same condo. Donna's 'Local Girl's Guide to Maui' helped us plan where to eat and fun things to do while we are there. We buy a new edition each time we go for an update on what's changed and learn about new spots. I very much recommend this inexpensive publication to those visiting Maui. read more

Donna is a wonderful person and I am very happy by her services. We just came back from Maui. She sent us a document which is very helpful to know each and every small thing about the place we are visiting. Its not just buying just rooms , its a complete package , which I appreciate. Next time also when I would visit Hawaii I would definitely ask Donna's help. read more

I was searching for a condo on Maui last February, I got a reply from Donna and she was more than helpful with suggestions. I tried to rent a condo on my own but went to back to Donna as I felt she was a very professional and reputable person to deal with. Donna provided wonderful service with arranging the booking of my condo at the Hale Kamaole condos in Kihei. She handled all the paper work and all I had to do was provide my credit card information. I had to change my booking three weeks before we went and she worked with the condo rental company to facilitate this change. She was able to get the dates changed with no hassle or penalties (which I expected). Donna also provided additional information on activities on the island and also provided her "Local Girl's Guide to Maui" which was very informative and it provided us with lots of options restaurants, music, sightseeing etc. I have recommended Donna to a number of colleagues and I would use her services the next time I go to Maui. read more

My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Kauai last month. We had never worked with a travel agency before and really had no idea what to expect. We found Donna and Maui calls on the web and gave her a call. After a couple of quick email exchanges and phone calls, we had a trip booked and were all set. It was effortless, so much so that as our travel date approached I began to worry that I had overlooked something because it was the first time I hadn't booked something myself. But then an email appeared in my inbox from Maui calls, confirming all the trip details and letting me know when things were being charged, what to expect of the rooms, and kept these emails coming up to and even during the trip, just to make sure everything was satisfactory. My wife and I were blown away. The hotels treated us like rockstars and we knew Maui Calls was behind it. Sure enough, the trip went without a hitch. We had a blast and owe a huge thanks to Donna and Maui calls. We will certainly call Donna again for our next trip and absolutely recommend you do the same! read more

I have had the pleasure of working with Donna and Maui Calls about a zillion times over the years. Whenever I am dreaming about Hawaiian vacation, she is the person to call! Our latest trip included 2 teenagers and again, Donna did an outstanding job with every aspect of our trip! Donna is incredibly organized, efficient, thorough and easy to work with. Everything seems so simple when Donna takes over! I hope to be able to use Donna, her outstanding services and her great Guides for many more trips to beautiful Hawaii. Thanks, Donna, for making everything so easy! read more

Donna Bender of Maui Calls has booked two trips to Hawaii for us: one to Maui and one to Kauai. In both instances, she has provided highly professional travel services. She is upfront about the condition of the units she suggests. For example, on our Kauai trip, oceanfront at Poipu was our number one priority. She found a unit at Castle Poipu Shores that met our requirements for oceanfront. She forewarned us, however, that the unit would be outdated. Indeed it was, but because of Donna's professionalism we knew that going into the agreement and compensated with five-star views, including sea turtles feeding beneath our balcony 24/7. read more

Donna knows everything about Maui ! from where to get the best snorkel outing, hotels/rentals, to especially eating!!! Wowee You cannot go wrong with her picks. The local girls guide is a bible of Maui info. Jimmy Roach read more

We booked Outrigger Napili Shores through Donna Bender of MauiCalls. Thanks to Donna, she booked us a lovely room with a garden view. The room was very spacious and clean. We were just within walking distance to the beach where we enjoyed the water and sunsets every day. Donna also gave us her Local Girl's Guide to Maui to take with us, which included activities and restaurants in Maui. She had great recommendations and we felt like we had a local tour guide with us during our trip. Overall, great experience and I would definitely bring my family to stay here on our next trip back to Maui. read more

I have used Donna for many years. She is thorough and easy to work with. The properties have been stellar and her book, "Local Girl's Guie to Maui" is a big help iin regards to places to see, restaurants, etc. I highly recomend her services. read more

I was planning our summer vacation with the family to Maui and didn't know where to start. I then came across MauiCalls and thought I'd give Donna a try, after all it doesn't cost us a thing to use a travel agent. Donna was fantastic, she helped me figure out where I wanted to stay, what was nearby, activities, she would send me reminders, insider tips, guides and confirm our hotel stay for us too! What a professional! I highly recommend Donna and would have her help us for all our future Hawaii trips. read more

Having trouble making Hawaii room arrangements on your own? So were my wife and I. Then I read a review on one of the properties we were considering and saw high praises for MauiCalls.com. I contacted Donna Bender of MauiCalls to discuss our needs and timeframe, and in no time she had us booked into Napili Point and Aston Maui Banyan. A month before our trip started, she sent us her Local Girl's Guide to Maui for free. I took a brief look at the Guide and have to tell you it looks to be not only very helpful, but that it has a very professional look and feel. As someone who deals every day with documents of varying quality, I appreciate a good, well organized document. This is something of which Donna should be very proud and I look forward to making great use of it! Donna's follow-up is also first rate. She was able to secure a room upgrade that we were wait-listed for, and has sent us emails encouraging us to make activity and restaurant reservations well in advance so that we can get the most out of our trip. Donna's care for her customers are like working with one of those travel agent of yesterday who really care about their clients PLUS she knows where to stay, eat and what to do as well as what to avoid. We really appreciate here care and her response. We will definitely be contacting her again for our next Hawaii trip! read more