In our opinion, Maui Kamaole is located in the best part of Maui. The South Kihei/Wailea/Makena area is more easily accessible to the airport than Ka'anapali, has better weather, more and better beaches, multiple championship golf courses, better shopping and is less crowded. Lahaina is on the west side of Maui and it will be years before it is ready to receive visitors, again. We have stayed at resorts all over the islands and love Maui more than the other islands in the Hawaiian chain. When we purchased our unit, we knew that we had picked the best location on Maui.
The airport is about 25 minutes away, traveling for the most part on a four-lane highway. Personally, I don't like driving to the west side of Maui. While the highway runs along the coast and is a beautiful drive, it is also dangerous. Accidents can and will happen on that two-lane road. If your caught in an accident, you most likely will miss your flight.