@dancingsea - been to Maui many times and almost every beach. Not even close… The southern part of Cali is very dry and there is no humidity to speak of… Malibu is very special. I was going to retire in Maui till I was there a few times… love Maui, not a hater. Love Malibu 100X… if you are a cyclist, you love Malibu… the reason we get to ride with the pros in JAN every year… Maui just doesn’t appeal to me for cycling. Southern California is amazing and living right next to the Sana Monica mountains at sea level is amazing… Maui is way too humid for my taste, I love the desert by the ocean… the only argument I could make is swimming in Keihi beaches… we usually rent a place near the airport (cheap) and white trash the beaches in Keihi… at Christmas the water is 75F cause the ocean is so shallow there… Malibu water is cold. That is all I would say on better… If I was a surfer, no contest Maui is better…
For me, Malibu is too cold much of the year! Also, Maui has many different climates. You can choose humid, lush and tropical, or desert/ dry and sunny, or dry eternal spring non tropical in Kula. Or totally rainforest. Or Northern California weather in Olinda. Temperatures vary 7 degrees summer to winter. No where else on earth can you find that sort of comfortable variety to choose from…
@dancingsea - I ride at 5:00AM every morning in the winter… at 10:00AM when the sun comes up the temps jump a little and by 6:00PM it is cooling down superbly. The only climate I like is summer all year round… If I wanted a different season, I would have stayed in the North East… I love the rainforest, had a ball in Australia in the rainforest… not looking to live in the rainforest. Like to visit, watch it on TV…
Recap - hate humidity… I don’t care if it is 7F differential tempered… love the desert next to ocean… the bomb. Now if you go over the Sana Monica mountains into Calabasas that is different cause the weather change is very big. Malibu is on the ocean and that is what keeps the weather stable.
I guess compared to the Mojave desert, Maui might be thought of as humid. But compared to actual humid places like the southeastern US, or Southeast Asia, Maui is not humid at all most of the time. The trade winds keep everything fresh. While we have pro cyclists train here in the winter, for the most part, cycling on Maui is quite dangerous. Roads are inadequate and tons of distracted driver’s because so many are tourists. Another virtue, that unfortunately SoCal lost long ago, is we have very clean air relative to the rest of the world. Especially now that the Big Island volcanos have calmed down. Hawaii is the most isolated land mass on earth.
Believe me, we are thrilled that SoCal people want to remain there!!!
@dancingsea - OK, I get that you think I have been there once and I’m reading a Maui brochure… I get it… I like what I like, not what you would like me to like… I don’t even want to get into road conditions for cyclists… that would be an easy argument… I don’t want to get into Island fever… I am just talking about climate. I have been there enough to know I would never live there permanently… Once the newness wears off you are left with the day to day weather… not my cup of tea…
Now, would I vacation there… yes, that is obvious… I have a condo in cobo so a change of pace is good. I have a condo in St Pete beach… would not live in either location permanently…
[edit] I have not been to every place on the planet. I have been to enough… I’m not a huge traveler (~35 countries) so there are going to be spots that are better than Malibu… just none that I have been to…
May we all celebrate our inalienable right to enjoy 99% delicious lemon pasta in the climate of our choosing. Here here!
Here here!