Im going to Maui with the wifey in a couple weeks and im just making sure i dont miss out on something i should be doing. My current itinerary of things we're doing: Road to Hana Horseback Riding Swimming with Turtles Luau Some famous magic show Sunrise at Hakalela Crater Anything im missing? Any must-do things? Thanks!
Just went last month. Where you staying? Treat your wife to Mama's Fish House I did several activities, my favorite was kayaking out to a spot and snorkeling with the turtles (meet in front of Wailea Hotel). Sunrise is cool but bring warm clothes. You can bike down the volcano, but I didn't do this. A sunset cruse with the booze flowing is fun. Not a fan of the commercial Luau but might worth the novelty of it. If you do the road to Hana, Black beach is worth a stop . . . and go ahead and break that car rental agreement and go all the way around the island . . . but I don't know you if you get caught (which for convenience sake I really don't know you). Would like to hear what others think. I love Hawaii and Maui is my favorite island, but most expensive by far.
I was planning on going the whole way around because ive seen some awesome pics. Dont know if it breaks my rental agreement, but i dont know if i care
I've never been. Last time in Hawaii I went with my family (Oahu) I had to go back while they went to Maui. Anyway, these are suggestions I got from my message board about a friend who went recently:
Never have really wanted to go to Hawaii. My wife went to college there. I would much rather go to some small islands in the Caribbean. Don't like the big commercialized towns. Seems expensive to. There is this tiki bar my wife and I went to at the very southern tip of Cozumel, Mexico that is more my style. Don't like the resorts.
Hawaii you can do in a 3-day weekend. I've gone like 6 years in a row, longest I've stayed was 4 days and I've never paid more than $400 for my plane ticket.
Sorry but Kauai is my place there (leaving in less than 3 weeks). However, I strongly recommend a book called The Ultimate Guide To Maui. It's written by a couple who lives in Hawaii and they pull no punches. If a place stinks, they flat out say so. I have found their book on Kauai to be 100% spot on.
horseback riding is teh ghey. so are organized tours and $80 luaus and magic shows. just go to the beach, crack open an coconut and let the good times roll!
Maui is outstanding for golf. There are 19 courses on the island and they are just spectacular. I lived there 6 years, so I pretty much saw everything. Sunday brunch at the Maui Prince hotel in Makena is great. I never really got into the touristy sorts of things. We did a dinner cruise, which was nice. Lots of good food all around. Lahaina is an 1800s era whaling town with a lot of oceanfront restaurants and trinket shops and art galleries and the like. I thought the top of Haleakela (volcano) was worth the trip. It's 35 degrees up there and hard to breath because the air is so thin. The road to Hana is all about the trip. Hana itself is a podunk little town with not much to do there. So drive slow and stop periodically to hike and see the awesome sites. Wailea is on the southwest side of the island. It gets 14" a year, which is pretty much desert. The east side (Hana) is wet and lush, waterfalls, etc. Nature's eye candy. The town of Paia is a hippie beach town. Just north of that is Mama's fish house which is famous, but has small portions for a high price. Just north of Mama's is where the professional surfers and sailboarders go. The waves are like 30 feet tall (seriously). Maalea harbor is halfway between Wailea and Kaanapali on the west coast. The drive is awesome. The winds are like 60 MPH at the harbor... The aquarium is there and some shops and food. The Makawao Steak House is good food if you like meat. Makawao is an old west type town; people ride their horses down the middle of the street and hitch their horses to hitching posts outside the shops, the sidewalks are made of wood, etc. The luaus are nothing more than cafeteria style food with cartoonish entertainment (like a vegas show). Not authentic at all. I went to one once, but would never do it again. I went to real luaus with my hawaiian friends, and it was more like a pot luck and the locals sang songs and played the ukelele. The grocery stores sell this raw fish salad called poke. For $2.50, you get a quarter pound of the stuff. It's chunks of raw tuna soaked in shoyu (soy sauce) and vinegar with onions. it's REALLY good. They have lots of different flavors of it - salmon (like a salsa with tomatoes), etc. If you like fish, it's a local thing and fantastic.
Cool, you are on the south end (I stayed in that area) Denny sounds like he has great advise but don't overlook Mama's Fish House. Someone recommended it to us and it was our favorite restaurant. Guessing you guys will love it. I'll be more of a tourist recommendation than Denny's local info (good stuff) Best shaved ice in Lahina: Ululani (worth seeking out) best shaved ice in Kihei (near you): local boyz If you are into snorkeling, grab your gear on the first day as there is great snorkeling right off the beach where yoga re staying ( dive shop will show you the good spots) I just went but jealous of you and tlong . . . my stay wasn't long enough.
