The Hawaiian Islands boast no shortage of killer golf resorts worth the long trip -- Princeville on Kauai, Manele Bay on Lanai, Mauna Kea on the Big Island. But for an all-around good time, Wailea, on the island of Maui, delivers the right mix of play on and off the course. Here's the lei of the land....

Wailea is a community full of resorts outside Kihei, on the island's southern coast. You'll want to play three courses: Wailea's Gold, Emerald and Old Blue, each a visual treat with tropical vegetation and sea vistas, all in the shadow of Maui's famous volcano, Haleakala. The Gold course is the standard: 7,078 yards, home to the annual Champions Tour Skins Game. Rugged and undulating, it is the toughest Wailea course -- a true test of skill and intellect. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed both this course and the Emerald, a scenic track that borders the Gold and is marked by wider, easier-to-hit fairways. The Blue, Arthur Jack Snyder's baby at the foot of Haleakala, is the most forgiving of the three, best left for the morning after a late night. Bonus: In winter you can whale-watch while waiting for your turn to putt.

All the Wailea resorts are plush, notably the Four Seasons (from $440); its pools, fountains and groomed exotic gardens are so elegant, you feel as if you're walking around the top of a wedding cake. Grand Wailea (from $625) is like Eden with lots of bartenders. Still, we recommend a condo rental through Destination Resorts Hawaii. Get your own spot with bedrooms featuring private lanais with epic views just steps from the ocean. Then host your own revelry.

Mulligan's, Wailea's authentic Irish pub, is just steps from the Blue course -- Guinness, Bass and Harp on tap, plenty of Jameson and fresh-from-the-sea fish and chips. For dinner, Ferraro's at Wailea's Four Seasons serves melt-in-your-mouth fresh Hawaiian seafood with an Italian spin, on outdoor tables skirting the sea. As for nightlife, the Hawaiian vibe is more mai tai on the lanai with a slack-key-guitar soundtrack than thumping "What did you say?" cacophony. Drive 30 minutes up the road to Lahaina, and you're in the thick of an old whaling town turned bar-happy hot spot. Take your pick of the litter. Before you head back to the mainland, stop by the Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea and have a small woman do a classic shiatsu back-walk massage with her feet ($225 to $275). It's the only way you should ever let a woman walk all over you.

-- Scott Gummer