MAUI - I’m sure at one time or another we have all dreamt of moving to a tropical paradise. Endless sunshine, beautiful beaches, and a permanent tan all sound great but when dreams meet reality there are more than a few sacrifices that need to be made. For me it was the simple things, not being able to go see my beloved Cubs play at Wrigley Field, the lack of anything resembling a good pizza, and having to give up one of my favorite weekend pastimes… heading to the city to catch sets from the world’s best house music DJ’s. House music in my home town of Chicago is an institution and, I was fully aware that moving to the tropical island of Maui may put an end to my love affair with the strobe light and the sub-woofer. Maui is known for having a less than stellar nightlife and I was willing to except the fact that, in the near future, I would be listening to the latest electronic music on my Ipod rather than in a dimly lit club with a few thousand of my closest friends. But this would not be enough to deter me and, I hopped on a plane and made the move paradise, praying I could find just a small haven to feed my house music addiction.

After touching down at the airport, my roommates and I headed to our condo to drop off my bags and then it was out for a first night celebration. The destination was “the triangle”, a two square block area in our new neighborhood containing numerous shops and store fronts and at least a dozen bars and restaurants. My roommates had been on island for a few weeks and served as tour guides for the evening. We started at a somewhat small and cliché tiki bar then moved on to a similar but larger establishment. The next watering hole was just more of the same and, it was beginning to seem like any hope I had of a late night, house music, hot spot was fading fast. Just when I was contemplating the ramifications of having to become a morning person, my roommate decided to take me to a place that she said would be right up my alley, Ambrosia Martini Lounge. Of course I was skeptical but, I followed along anyway and before we even got in the door I was hit with a sound I knew all too well. It was the unmistakable beat of down and dirty house music.

We spent that entire first night at Ambrosia drinking and dancing, a smile so securely fastened to my face it would have taken a crowbar to remove it. Not long after we walked in, I was lounging on the plush couches that ran the length of the bar, watching everyone shake their assets on the mini dance floor and, soaking up every sick track that the DJ laid down, all while being bathed in the glow of lasers and strobes. The interior was much smaller than most of the clubs I had attended (holding around 50 people) and closing time was 2 a.m. (the mandatory closing time for all bars on Maui) but all the other important pieces were there. The atmosphere was textbook club sheik, a mix of modern and antique with small sculptures and original artwork adorning the walls and a giant rot iron chandelier hanging from the cathedral ceilings. A massive movie screen filled up the entire back wall of the bar, showing an eclectic mix of black and white movies, surfing videos, and psychedelic eye candy that always seemed to sync up perfectly with the tracks pumping through the state of the art sound system. The entire room was coated in deep crimson paint with the front wall and bar covered in a stone façade and the colored concrete floor inlaid with clear tiles that were filled with color changing LED lights. The marble bar top sported more LED filled tiles as well as an antique Absinthe fountain that looked as if it was straight from turn of the century France. The bartenders on that first night were some of the friendliest, most well trained cocktail constructors I have ever encountered and the DJ’s sounded as if they were fresh from my favorite clubs back home. Though it was very small and not open till the break off dawn, I knew right then and there that Ambrosia was exactly the haven I was searching for.

Fast forward 6 months and Ambrosia has just been voted the best bar in Maui by The Maui Times newspaper. The Maui Times “best of” is a yearly, island wide competition highlighting the best business on the valley isle and is considered the barometer for all of the islands businesses from bars to bike shops to beach front hotels. Candice Seti, the owner of Ambrosia (as well as the runner up for the Maui Times best female bartender), left her mainland job as a psychologist to take over ownership of Ambrosia in October of 2009 and in that short period of time has turned it from a tiny piano bar into a unique and award winning purveyor of drinks and dancing. From its costume parties, to its unique spirit selection, to the ever changing DJ line up, Ambrosia offers up an experience that is like no other on Maui and an atmosphere that is usually found in cities with a seven figure population. Signing up for Ambrosia’s email list will keep you abreast of all the special events and goings on as well as keeping you up to date on who will be on the ones and twos from week to week. The music changes every night as do the drink specials so even if you’re not a fan of top shelf aperitifs or driving beats, chances are you will still find something to suit your tastes. If you’re on the island of Maui and you find yourself yearning for a magnificent martini instead of a Mai Tai and music with a little more bass than Ukulele, put on your dancing shoes and head to Ambrosia in Kihei, Maui’s haven for house music.