MAUI, HAWAII — Imagine three miles of sand and water so entrancing that it was once the retreat for Hawaiian royalty. That’s what Kaanapali beach on Maui’s west side is all about.

I had a chance to check out some of the food in the area when I was a guest on the island last month, courtesy of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

There’s almost always a line outside Hula Grill — for good reason. It has a coveted place right on the beach. In fact, the outdoor tables and chairs are planted right in the sand with a stunning view of the ocean.

There’s often live music, too, including the likes of Derick Sebastian, an award-winning ukulele player and singer.

It’s a perfect place for a casual, no-nonsense lunch. The Hula Caesar ($9) features local upcountry romaine, garlic focaccia croutons and shredded parmesan. I added seared ahi for another $10. I missed having anchovies, but I appreciated that the salad was lightly dressed.

The fish sandwich ($18) featured grilled mahi mahi that day on nine-grain bread with a hit of jalapeno aioli that did not overpower the fish. Sesame oil gave the side of macadamia nut slaw an Asian profile.

Poke tacos ($16) featured ahi dressed with a little shoyu, then piled into crunchy shells with sweet Maui onions, smashed avocado and wasabi aioli. This is the kind of finger-food you definitely want with a breezy cocktail.

My husband was set on trying the famed Hula Pie ($10), a volcano-size slab of macadamia nut ice cream piled insanely high in a chocolate cookie crust, then topped with hot fudge, more macadamia nuts and plenty of whipped cream. Between the two of us, we didn’t manage to finish it. In fact, when we were done, it looked like we had barely dented it, even if we did give it our best try.

For dinner, it was on to nearby Japengo, a pretty, more upscale, open-air restaurant, where you can take in a view of the sunset as you chow down.

The restaurant is known for its sushi and sashimi. I much enjoyed a starter of Sashimi-Style Hamachi & Watermelon ($20). Tiles of raw hamachi were laid like dominoes, interspersed with thin slices of red watermelon, in a pool of ponzu. Tobiko, tempura crunchies, and lychee “pearls” that did burst in the mouth with the perfume-y fruit flavor, added further texture and island flavor.

The five-piece omakase ($31) is a selection chosen by the chef that’s served on what looks like a mini wooden surfboard.

Some of the entrees are available in half-orders, in case you want to try more than one. Even at half size, the Chinatown Chow Fun ($19) is a fairly hefty portion of narrow rice noodles, char siu, scallops, crab, and shrimp.

For dessert, the poi and sweet bread-swirled malasadas ($12) arrive hot with three dipping sauces: Kona coffee ganache, guava Chardonnay reduction, and salted caramel. Sweet and doughy, the doughnuts were delicious but the poi component was undetectable in color or taste.

The next night, dinner was at Pulehu, a popular Italian grill, which does make a few of its pasta noodles in-house, as well as its dough for pizza Margherita, Calabrese, and White (mozzarella, ricotta, Pecorino, and white truffle oil). And it wisely includes white anchovies in its Caesar salad ($14).

My husband’s New York strip ($46) arrived a little more well done than medium rare. It’s a big portion alongside a cast-iron pan of mushroom risotto, and parmesan-crusted bone marrow.

My pan-seared scallops ($41) was another generous portion. The sweet scallops were arranged on the plate with sweet, charred corn, corn jus, bright grapefruit segments, and a little bit of coppa for added richness.

For dessert, a crostata ($11) was bountiful with slices of apples, a big scoop of vanilla gelato, and sweet dulce de leche.

There are many types of accommodations available on Kaanapali Beach, including the Kaanapali Alii, a 264-unit condo complex, where more than half of the units are rented out by the owners with assistance from the management group.

The one- and two-bedroom private condos are very spacious at 1,500 to 1,900 square feet. They also come complete with washer/dryers and a full kitchen, making them ideal for families or groups traveling together.

There is no restaurant on the premises. But the Alii is so close to other resorts, as well as Whalers Village, a complex of boutiques and eateries, that there are plenty of places to eat within walking distance. The Alii also has eight outdoor grills, along with a grill master who does a cooking demo every Friday evening.

And if you indulge in too many calories, the Alii has a great fitness center, along with three lighted clay tennis courts.

The name “alii” means “chief” or “royalty.” In fact, there are five burial sites on the property. They were found when the complex was under construction. The bones of native Hawaiians, left where they were discovered, are marked with “Native Hawaiian Cultural Site” plaques that ask visitors to be respectful.

Head Operations Manager Fred Torres pointed out all of this on a tour of the property. He’s also known as the Alii’s cultural ambassador, a job he relishes. In the summer, he gives free ukulele lessons to kids staying on the property, just to share with them Hawaii’s iconic music.

But what he does on New Year’s morning is even more special. Six years ago, he started inviting guests to join him in a hiu wai cleansing ceremony to greet the new year.

Before sunrise, they wade into the ocean in the darkness, facing the horizon. As they await the arrival of the first sunrise of the new year, he tells inspirational stories and sings a Hawaiian chant about “rising up to the sun.” As darkness turns to light, he asks everyone to free themselves of any burdens. When they come out of the water, the hope is that they feel completely rejuvenated.

When Torres hosted his first hiu wai here, 25 people showed up. Now, he gets as many as 80 participants each New Year’s morning. He’s even started holding the ceremony on Easter morning, too.

It’s history, culture and spirituality — Hawaiian-style.

More on Hawaii: A Look at Senia — One of Honolulu’s Most Anticipated Restaurants

And: A Visit to Mahina & Sun’s, and The Pig & The Lady

And: Fine Eats at Koko Head Cafe, Tin Roof and Shirokiya Village Walk

And: “Soaring Plates” on Maui

And: My Q&A with Chefs Graham Elliot, Lincoln Carson, Michelle Karr-Ueoka and Rory Hermann

And: Basking in the Luxury of the Four Seasons Oahu