Let's face it, it's always a good time to visit Maui. So why go now? November is the start of whale-watching season, so you can catch humpbacks mating and giving birth off the south shore. If it's culture you want, welcome to Hawaii's other capital. This month the International Film Festival gets you a first look at the latest Hollywood flicks. With the summer crowds gone, airfares drop, and you'll experience the island more like the locals do. Dinner reservations at Lahaina's cutting-edge restaurants and tee times at Kapalua's courses are easy to get. Temperatures have slipped to the low 80s, and the cooling tradewinds are back. But the biggest draw is Maui itself, whether you're checking out Hana's rainforests or just lying on Wailea's powdery beaches burnishing your tan. Here's our guide to Maui's fall-season best.

THREE'S A CROWD
Those in the know head to Lahaina's Pacific'O for romantic sunsets and creative fish dishes. This open-air beachfront restaurant isn't overrun with the see-and-be-seen crowd, so reservations aren't a problem. And chef James McDonald's food gets rave reviews -- try prawn and basil wontons with sweet-and-sour sauce and seaweed-wrapped tuna tempura. Book a seaside table beneath the palm trees for 6:30, when the twilight sky turns a dusty rose (505 Front Street;             808-667-4341      ; $70).

REAL HAWAIIAN FLAVOR
You don't need to plan a layover in Waikiki to have chef Sam Choy's hearty classics anymore. The man who raised Spam to the level of haute cuisine recently opened his first Maui offshoot in residential Kahului. Top entrees include seafood laulau, a local specialty of fresh fish and vegetables wrapped in ti leaves and steamed to tender perfection. Careful, portions are huge (Kaahumanu Center;             808-893-0366      ; $60).

MAUI FAST FOOD
Lahaina chef Mark Ellman -- known for fusing Hawaiian and Asian flavors at Avalon -- is turning natives on to healthy Mexican food at Maui Tacos. Order the Hookipa burrito, stuffed with grilled mahi-mahi or ahi, black beans, salsa, and sour cream. You'll find locations all over the island, but the one at Napili makes a great lunch break from Kapalua's beaches (Napili Plaza, Honoapiilani High way;             808-665-0222      ; $14).

GREAT ROOMS WITH A VIEW
Why pay extra for a Pacific vista? Every zen-like room at the Maui Prince overlooks the ocean -- the only hotel in Makena with this perk. (Ask for a center oceanfront). And unlike the glitzy resorts nearby, the Prince has the serene air of a Japanese temple, with koi ponds and the sound of rushing streams (5400 Makena Alanui, Makena;             800-321-6248       or             808-874-1111      ; $260).

NAME YOUR GAME
The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua is like a Reebok Sports Club with guest rooms. Golfers have their pick of three neighboring 18-hole courses. And with 20 newly resurfaced tennis courts, you'll never have to wait your turn. For swimmers, nearby Kapalua Bay is free of heavy waves. Cool down with a massage in the health club (1 Ritz Carlton Dr., Kapalua;             808-669-6200      ; $260).

BALINESIAN GETAWAY
Sometimes even Mauians need to escape, and when they do they head to Hamoa Bay Bungalow, on the eastern coast. This luxurious pole house, decorated with jewel-toned cotton batiks and a massive bamboo bed, is in a forest near Hamoa Bay. After breakfast is delivered to your room, relax in your private whirlpool on the lanai. There's a three-night minimum stay (Hana Highway;             808-248-7884      ; $150).

SUPER SUNSET AFLOAT
Most kayakers prefer to go out in the early morning before the winds pick up. But for late risers, Maui expert Bard Peterson offers a paddler's delight of mirror-glass waters in the waning afternoon light to Molokini Crater or through the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Reserve, two of Maui's most impressive snorkel sights (Trade wind Kayaks Maui;             808-879-2247      ; $75).

TOP ROUTE TO HALEAKALA
It's the only mule ride on Maui and the best way to see the dormant volcano. Veteran guide and mule skinner Craig Moore leads half-day rides through moonscape red lava fields. Along the way look for the endangered Maui silversword, a silver-needled flower that blooms once in its 10- to 15-year life (Maui Mule Rides ;             808-244-6853      ; $95).

HIKE INTO THE WILD
By now the word is out that the Seven Sacred Pools are neither seven (there are 24), nor sacred (women wash clothes in them) -- just crowded. Instead, take a free guided hike through thick bamboo groves to Waimoku Falls, a 400-foot veil of crystal-clear water at the end of a two-mile trail in Haleakala National Park (Kipahulu Ranger Station;             808-248-7375      ).

HOLLYWOOD SIGHTINGS
How about a sneak preview of DreamWorks' $60 million Prince of Egypt? This animated version of The Ten Commandments is on the schedule at the Hawaii International Film Festival, which comes to Maui from November 13 to 19. To reserve a seat ($5), call the HIFF at             808-244-9656      .

GALLERY FOR ART'S SAKE
Talk about culture shock. There are hundreds of galleries on Maui -- 30 in Lahaina alone. But the Hui Noe'eau Visual Arts Center brings together the island's best on a 1917 plantation just below Makawao. Rooms in the stucco mansion showcase everything from landscape paintings to bold metal sculptures by the island's top artists (2841 Baldwin Ave.;             808-572-6560      ).