For these reasons and many more, Maui wows visitors, attracting more than 2 million of them annually. And after a week or two, those who come to Hawaii’s second-largest (and hippest) island eager to kick back usually pack up and head home tanned, happy, and gushing about the warm-weather getaway. For ten consecutive years, the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine voted Maui "Best Island in the World," and the readers of Travel + Leisure named it "World’s Best Island" for five years.

This tropical playground that basks in accolades much like visitors bask in its sun is called the Valley Isle because of its geography. It’s made up of two volcanoes—the 10,023-foot-high dormant Haleakala and the 5,788-foot-high extinct Puu Kukui—whose lava spills created a 7-mile-wide green valley between them centuries ago. This so-called Central Valley is home to the island’s two major towns, Wailuku and Kahului, which are small by Mainland standards and mostly cater to locals. If visitors spend much time in either town, it might be to browse through Wailuku’s funky and fun antique stores. Visitors mostly flock to either side of the valley, in and around the mountainous land masses formed by the two volcanoes.

In west Maui (the Puu Kukui side), the lush, majestic-looking West Maui Mountains hover over the old whaling village of Lahaina, a hotbed of activity with its many shops, restaurants, and nightclubs. North of the city are the coastal resort areas of Kaanapali, Napili, and Kapalua, where many luxury hotels and roomy condominiums provide easy access to glorious sandy beaches with good views of Lanai and Molokai not too far off in the distance.

On the Haleakala side of the island, which is much larger than West Maui, the terrain varies from lush to barren. A rain forest dominates Haleakala’s north side, where most visitors get behind the wheels of their rental cars to make the memorable, 55-mile drive to Hana, a remote haven devoid of commercialism. On the volcano’s sunny south side, the landscape looks more like a desert. Even so, here you’ll find the high-end Wailea and Makena resorts, which have given their naturally dry acreage quite a makeover by planting super-green grass and lush tropical foliage. The two resorts are home some of the island’s poshest hotels, which front dreamy crescent-shaped beaches.

Venture up Haleakala’s slopes into Upcountry Maui to experience a smorgasbord of art communities, farms, ranches, a winery, and a national park. In the wee morning hours, many sleepy-eyed folks huddle in the park’s chilly high altitude to watch a spectacular sunrise that warrants losing a few hours of shuteye.

Spectacular is an adjective many people use to describe Maui in general.