This was our first time in Maui so we were hoping that staying in Maalea was the right choice. For us (2 couples in their mid 50s) it was perfect. We found out that Maalea Harbor has the calmest waters of all of Maui and is located away from noisy streets or crowded beaches. Instead you have an immaculately maintained lawn & flowering shrubbery along with a beautiful ocean & mountain view. We really enjoyed the peace & quiet especially in the morning & evening. During the day we like to explore & found the Maalea location was ideal since it is centralized & never far from anything of interest. The topping on the cake was the accommodations which were very tastefully decorated with a nice personal touch. As mentioned by the other comments, the owners. They even had a Polynesian cook book with great recipes for local fish. When you rent this condo, you end up communicating with the owners who take a real interest in their guests.
Getting back to fish, if you time right, you can buy freshly caught fish in Lahaina from the sport fishing boats coming back from an outing. There are several boats that come in starting at around 12:00 to 1:00 pm daily. They filet if for you right on the spot. It will cost you half of Costco price or a third of what Safeway charges. Maalea Bay has fishing boats come in as well but you have to buy a whole fish (12-20 lb Mahi-mahi or 15 lb tunas). The captain will hoist a white or yellow fish flag to indicate they have a catch.