I have spent the last month scouring the island of Maui (apart from Lahaina, you’re on your own over there) for fast, open, reliable wifi hotspots. After many frustrating hours of wandering with hours of work being lost on account of weak, crappy wifi signals, I present to you my coveted list of wifi oasis’s on different parts of the island:

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KahuluiKrispy Kreme - FREE/OPEN/POWER
As unhealthy as an environment of deep-fried donuts and blasting air-conditioning is, it is a difinitevely perfect place for wifi. Their network is free, they don’t say anything if you skip a purchase and simply take a seat with your laptop, and I experienced no outages for the 3 hours I worked on the network (tested 3 days in a row). This is likely to be the first sign of life you’ll see as you leave the Kahului airport on your arrival. If you’re feeling homesick or you simply MUST post to your blog upon arrival, this is a great bet. I saw at least two of the booths that had outlets available, so if you’re patient you can nab one.Dennies - FREE /OPEN
Feel like a hearty American meal after that wretched airline food? Dennies is right next to Krispy Kreme (about 20 yards away) and has unlimited, free, open wifi. When I was there, there were several networks to choose from, and all of them worked (none were closed) though I can’t guaruntee that they are all run by dennies. I experienced NO dropouts when I was there (about 2 hours). Do keep in mind that they have no power outlets available, so you are out of luck if your battery is null.

Maui Coffee Roasters - FREE WITH PURCHASE/OPEN
A nice little coffee shop with an active vibe almost all of the time. Their wifi network is fairly fast and consistent. The only issue I had (besides their pricing…a bit steep) was that they insist on serving coffee in styrofoam cups versus cardboard. I personally don’t like the idea of slightly-melted plastic slowly seeping its way into my coffee. Its your call. Seating is also rather cramped, so get there at an off-time if you plant to be there for a while. I didn’t see any outlets available.

Down to Earth - FREE/SURVEY
This is a cool little overpriced health-food store in Kahului right accross from McDonalds on Dairy Road. If you buy something (and even if you don’t) to eat you can venture upstairs to an outlet-less eating area overlooking the store. They have free wifi provided by Clearwire (a local wireless-internet-modem provider) that isn’t all that fast. To access any page, you need to connect to their hotspot and fill out a short survey (name, email address - so they can sell it, information about your home internet service) and submit it. You then get access for 23 minutes (if you leave the page they present you with open on your machine, it will auto-authenticate another 23 minutes for you when that time is up). No power here.

Ka’ahumanu Mall Food Court - FREE/SURVEY/POWER
This is another hotspot (well, 3 hotspots technically) provided by Clearwire. They require the same survey as all of their other hotspots demand you to fill out before allowing access. The only one (out of 3) that actually provided me with any connectivity once enabled was “Clearewire2″. The actual wireless routers are strategically placed around the food-court (upstairs). Use at your own risk. There 3 tables (two in the opposite farthest, most air-less corners out of the food court, and one next to “Quiznos”, often occupied by groups of senior citizens) with outlets provided.

Pizza in Paradise - FREE/OPEN
This local pizza shop doesn’t advertize their free and open wifi network, but the locals know to head there to get it. For some decent pizza and some light surfing, Pizza in Paradise in the Kahului industrial area could be your hangout. A few tables even have outlets!

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PaiaAnthony’s Coffee - FREE WITH PURCHASE/OPEN
This is a classic coffee shop in Paia town. This place has been around forever, but you wouldn’t know it from the zippy and blissfully open wifi-network. Buy a drink and take a seat. Make sure you go early because this place gets super-crowded on weekends. Be sure to bring an extra battery as well, as it will be hard to find an open outlet to plug into.Morning Glories - FREE/OPEN/POWER
Beware  of the drinks at this cafe (previously known as “Livewire Cafe”), they tend to be “home brews” and can taste radically different than the coffee variety you’re used to. If you have an adventurous spirit and are looking for an awesome workspace with free wifi (head upstairs for computer-workstations and a place to put your laptop), with outlets abound, this just might be the place to spend a hot Paia afternoon.

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KiheiMauiCoffee.Com - FREE WITH PURCHASE/OPEN/POWER
For folks with internet-related businesses like me, this shop is an oasis in the desert. These guys offer reliable wireless access with a nice place to sit and relax (air conditioner is set just right) and some good food/drink at not too-outlandish prices. There are at least 3 tables within outlet-range and the cafe is rarely crowded. Be aware: This shop closes at 6:00pm but it leaves its wifi on through the night. If you have a good battery and need to do some late-night surfing (the computer kind), you can hang out on the terrace outside (though no tables or chairs are provided).

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MakawaoCasanova’s - FREE/OPEN