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Maui and Big Island Hawaii Advice

T

Tink3815

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 11, 2006


We will be spending a week on each island end of February and early March.
Would love suggestions of must do's from people who have also visited. We did Oahu in 2013 for Pearl Harbor. so we will not be going to that island. Especially interested in tours, not really the water related unless it's lying on the beach in the sun. Enjoy learning about history, farming and volcanos.

Thanks
 
On Maui, Haleakala is definitely worth a visit. It is a long drive, but very interesting and beautiful. Weather is decidedly cooler up there (50's are typical), so bring a jacket.

I also enjoyed the road to Hana, taking our time and pulling out often to enjoy the vistas. If you are prone to motion sickness, don't bother. It is a VERY windy road, and long. It will take hours to go the relatively short distance from Kahului (where the airport is) to Hana.

I also think it is interesting to drive the road from Wailea to Makena, going as far as you can by car. You won't find many tourists, but you will find wonderful snorkeling and scenery.

Finally, I'd recommend the Haliiamaile General Store as a place to eat. It is slightly up country on the North Shore, but simply amazing food.
 
Be sure to go to the little tsunami museum in Hilo. We've always stayed on the Kona side because we had family there, but do a day trip over to visit Akaka Falls, the botanical gardens, and the marketplace. There seems to be a lot of stuff to see there. The Parker ranch mid-island is also interesting.
 
I haven't been to the big island but DH and I got married in Maui 6 years ago and spent a week after the wedding. You'll be there during prime whale-watching time so try to get out on a boat for that. Also if you guys dive, do Molokini Crater. If you don't dive, you can snorkel it, but there are cool garden eels about 60 feet down that you won't be able to see if you're just snorkeling. Also dive/snorkel the 5 caves area. HUGGGGGE sea turtles. Dozens of them. We went with one provider that visited both places. Not sure where you're staying, but there's also great snorkeling right from shore off of Black Rock in Ka'anapali.

We did road to Hana but the mention about motion sickness is true lol. And we went just after a rain so it was frightening to say the least with some of the roads washed out. Our rental car agreement actually stated that it didn't cover us if we did the Road to Hana... :rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

ETA: Just read that you're not interested in anything water-related. I'm going to leave my suggestions up there just in case you change your mind because they are some great experiences!
 


I would recommend:

Haleakala Crater - It's a long drive, but worth it. I have been up there for sunset and also for sunrise. There is a place where you can park and walk around. There are no food options, so bring snacks if you plan on being there for awhile.

Road to Hana - You can drive it yourself or go on a tour. I have done both. I get car sick, but the road never bothered me because we made a lot of stops. If you plan on doing this, you might want to look up some information about the best places to stop. If you do a tour, then you don't have to worry about driving or figuring out the best places. The road is very narrow and winds around the side of a mountain. There are a lot of blind curves. My husband had no problems with the drive, but it's not something I would do myself.

Molokini Crater - Snorkeling. That was a great experience. The water is so clear and you can see so many different types of fish. On one snorkeling trip we took, we went to the crater and then to another area where I saw more dolphins than I had ever seen in my life. It was an incredible experience.

We've also done jet skiing and riding ATVs. That was fun. We did a submarine tour, but it was terrible. The visibility was poor and it was a waste of money

Helicopter tour - The absolute best experience of my life. They took us places that you could only see by air. It was amazing.

Lahaina - Definitely worth a visit. It was a fun place to shop and walk around town.

There are many very nice beaches. There is a nude beach there. I think it's called Paia. We discovered it by accident while walking along one of the beaches. We climbed over some rocks and :eek: Our son was with us, so we turned right around and went the other way.

I love Maui and wish I could life there.
 
Bluestars said:
I would recommend:

Haleakala Crater - It's a long drive, but worth it. I have been up there for sunset and also for sunrise. There is a place where you can park and walk around. There are no food options, so bring snacks if you plan on being there for awhile.

Road to Hana - You can drive it yourself or go on a tour. I have done both. I get car sick, but the road never bothered me because we made a lot of stops. If you plan on doing this, you might want to look up some information about the best places to stop. If you do a tour, then you don't have to worry about driving or figuring out the best places. The road is very narrow and winds around the side of a mountain. There are a lot of blind curves. My husband had no problems with the drive, but it's not something I would do myself.

Molokini Crater - Snorkeling. That was a great experience. The water is so clear and you can see so many different types of fish. On one snorkeling trip we took, we went to the crater and then to another area where I saw more dolphins than I had ever seen in my life. It was an incredible experience.


We've also done jet skiing and riding ATVs. That was fun. We did a submarine tour, but it was terrible. The visibility was poor and it was a waste of money

Helicopter tour - The absolute best experience of my life. They took us places that you could only see by air. It was amazing.

Lahaina - Definitely worth a visit. It was a fun place to shop and walk around town.

There are many very nice beaches. There is a nude beach there. I think it's called Paia. We discovered it by accident while walking along one of the beaches. We climbed over some rocks and :eek: Our son was with us, so we turned right around and went the other way.

I love Maui and wish I could life there.
Click to expand...

Ditto this especially the bolded. My favorite day, by far, in Hawaii was the day we went snorkeling at Molikini Crater. We saw whales and turtles on th way...amazing. Then snorkeled for a while (the catamaran we were on had a slide on it), and on the way back had beer and a BBQ. Best Day Ever!

We've been to Hawai'i, Ohau, Kauai and Maui. Maui is my favorite island. It's the best of Hawai'i, IMO.
 
Road to Hana (long day) crazy the differences from one side to the other. Get fish tacos at halfway point. Sunrise on top of volcano ( can't spell it) Big island Helicopter tour of lava fields Zip line ( place is umaumae zip line. Best Iv ever seen. Great experience.
 


Loved the Big Island. Go see the volcano crater. There's some easy hiking and museum. The lava tube to the ocean is awesome; however, I don't know how accessible it is right now. It's a very surreal world, where houses are surrounded be hardened lava but not destroyed. A lot were though. Hilo is authentic Hawaii that I don't think you see in most places. The falls and river on the NE side, Wailoa, is really cool. The drive down the steep, slick road is not for the faint of heart and does require a 4x4. Mauna Kea and the observatories are awesome. You will never see so many stars in your life. The drive was not nearly as bad as they said and could be done in a regular rental car. Amateur astronomists set up telescopes at the visitor center, but go all the way up too. It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences.
 
  • Maui: We talked to a couple that had taken a helicopter to Hana and then rented a car for the drive back. Sounded like a great idea - you get the helicopter views and don't have to do the Road-To-Hana-And-Back-Again.
  • Big Island: Mauna Kea tour. Didn't drive that because at the time rental cars were forbidden. That's changed? I took this video at the summit... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AZ71287O0
  • Kilauea Volcano
  • Akaka Falls near Hilo is where the opening scenes of Jurassic Park were filmed.
    a_04905-a.jpg
  • The round trip drive around the Big Island would take 5 hours if you didn't stop, so plan for a full day.
 
jlmarr said:
[*]Big Island: Mauna Kea tour. Didn't drive that because at the time rental cars were forbidden. That's changed? I took this video at the summit... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AZ71287O0
Click to expand...

We went in 2008. I'm not sure when you went, so I'm not sure which way it changed. They did recommend a 4x4, which we rented. However, it was really unnecessary at the time we went, April. It's possible that road conditions could differ during the year. No one stopped us or asked about our Jeep though. I really wish that I had spoken with my Step-Dad's cousin. He's an astrophysicist, worked on the design of the UC telescopes, and goes all of the time. I didn't think about it until after the fact, when he said that he could have gotten us in where tourists aren't normally allowed. Doh! However, if you get there earlier in the day and arrange ahead of time, anyone can get into some of the telescope buildings.
 
soniam said:
We went in 2008. I'm not sure when you went, so I'm not sure which way it changed. They did recommend a 4x4, which we rented. However, it was really unnecessary at the time we went, April. It's possible that road conditions could differ during the year. No one stopped us or asked about our Jeep though. I really wish that I had spoken with my Step-Dad's cousin. He's an astrophysicist, worked on the design of the UC telescopes, and goes all of the time. I didn't think about it until after the fact, when he said that he could have gotten us in where tourists aren't normally allowed. Doh! However, if you get there earlier in the day and arrange ahead of time, anyone can get into some of the telescope buildings.
Click to expand...

It's not illegal to drive up to the summit in a non-4X4 or any other vehicle. It IS NOT allowed by most rental car companies to take their vehicles up there. It's 14000 feet at the summit. The air is thin. People will get light headed. Engines don't work properly. People drive off the cliff. There are blizzards in winter. It's really not advisable for tourists to drive up there. If you have an accident, there is no help. If you roll your car off the road (easy to do), your insurance won't pay for it because you violated your rental car contract by taking the vehicle up there. You will then owe the rental car company a new vehicle.

There are two tour companies that will drive you up, give you dinner, a tour, and set up telescopes for star gazing. Hawaii Forest and Trail and Mauna Kea Summit Adventures.

OP, I would recommend checking out tripadvisor for your planning.
 
It is a violation of our rental car contract on the Big Island if you drive your rental car up to the Summit of Mauna Kea, to South Point and down into the Waipio Valley. So, not only will you be on the hook for any and all costs related to any type of accident or problem (flat tire, burned out brakes, etc.), your personal car insurance and any insurance you might have via a Credit Card will not cover you as you voided your contract. Basically, you will be driving the car without the permission of the rental company in this instance and will be treated by your personal insurance as if you stole the car. Don't risk it.

You need 4WD to go to the Summit so you don't risk burring out your brakes on the way down. You need to be able to drive in the lower gear that 4WD provides. Harper's rents them for about $150/day and allows them to be driven to the Summit but they are a total hassle to work with. Much better to just go to the VIS or to go with a tour.

On the Big Island, look at a condo rental in the Kohala area...that is where all the beaches are located. Development on the Big Island has followed a different path than that of Maui or Oahu. There are very, very few hotels or condos that are beach front. The Big Island has left the waterfront, for the most part, pristine and undeveloped which makes it gorgeous and not littered with buildings. The flip side is that you will most likely need to drive to a beach. There are some condo developments that are oceanfront (but not beach front) in Kailua-Kona but those tend to be older, without AC and a little tacky, IMO.

Double book a night up in Volcano (lots of places with reasonable rates) and spend the night there so you can see the lava glow at night. Alternatively, plan on flying into one side and out the other so that you can spend a night in Volcano on your trip. The two airports are Kona (on the west side) and Hilo (on the East).

Happy Planning.
 
We did the Mauna Kea Summit adventure back in 2003. This was awesome! We rode up to the top, saw the telescopes, watched a sunset and then star gazed. They give you winter coats to wear because it is cold up there. We also drove around the island and went to volcanos national park. I think the guide book we used was called "the big island revealed".
 
Maui (two trips: 1 just dh and I, the other was with dds, 12 and 15)

Haleakala - we have done sunrise and just during the day. Both are neat, but the sunrise was spectacular. It was COLD before the sun came up (~30 degrees). We did it early in our trip so it wasn't too hard to get up because of the time change. Parking was tricky, we didn't leave as early as we wanted to, but once the sunrise was over, it cleared out and dh was able to do some exploring. We took our time going down and stopped at the visitor's center.

We didn't really go far on the road to Hana, too busy. We did go north (past Lahania, on the main road) and saw some great. views and there were lots of places to stop. Much less busy, but not as lush.

Lahania is a fun little town to explore. Lots of neat restaurants.

We went on a snorkel tour to Lanai (both trips). It is a full day trip and was worth it! We sailed over to the island and saw a pod of dolphins (one trip). Once on the island we went to a beach and snorkeled there. You also had the option of going on a van tour of the island, the people who went on it seemed to enjoy it, but we decided to just relax on the beach. Before heading back, they served dinner at a pavilion. The service on the boat was exceptional.

Iao valley was a neat trip, only a few hours.

The best part is just taking time to relax and enjoy the water/beach.

We also found this great food truck in Lahania, Shark Attack. I still drool over the corn on the cob.
 
Tink3815 said:


We will be spending a week on each island end of February and early March.
Would love suggestions of must do's from people who have also visited. We did Oahu in 2013 for Pearl Harbor. so we will not be going to that island. Especially interested in tours, not really the water related unless it's lying on the beach in the sun. Enjoy learning about history, farming and volcanos.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Thanks for all of the great advice. Decided to do the tour to Mauna Kea Summit . Can anyone recommend (good or bad) which tour company to use. Not sure about the Road to Hana tour or driving ourselves.
 
Tink3815 said:
Thanks for all of the great advice. Decided to do the tour to Mauna Kea Summit . Can anyone recommend (good or bad) which tour company to use. Not sure about the Road to Hana tour or driving ourselves.
Click to expand...

My DH and I took a couples-only trip last year to the Big Island (this year we took the entire family to Oahu and Kauai). My mother bought a tour to Mauna Kea for us with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures.

We LOVED the tour (and we, generally, dislike a lot of package type stuff like that). The mini-buses were super comfy (not vans like a lot of the tour companies), the food was pretty decent, and the star-gazing afterwards was a highlight. We loved the experience.

Make sure you really pay attention to their cold-weather suggestions. While we were staying in Kona it was over 90 degrees daily... but up on that mountain I've never felt such intense cold and wind. It was insane! Luckily the tour company provided all the cold-weather gear we needed, but I also had my own winter coat on underneath all their cold weather gear. It hurt it was so cold. Also... make sure you take something sweet with you up there. I thought the entire elevation thing was silly... until I got there. It hit me hard! It makes a huge difference.

The visitors center is about as far as you are supposed to go in a rental. We saw people up there who drove rental cars, but I wouldn't dare. It is a pretty crazy road to get up there and it's unpaved, unmarked, completely rugged and dark.

My last suggestion is to pay attention to your travel time and what the moon is doing. We didn't think ahead and we scheduled the tour for the night of a full moon. While it was REALLY cool to take pictures with the moon, it was so bright that it did interrupt some of the star gazing. It was much better before the moon came up.
 
We decided to drive ourselves on the road to Hana and stay at a rental house for 2 days in Hana. We actually ended up driving it 4 times, including once at night! It is a beautiful drive, but not a relaxing drive as it is a one-way road.

We also could not go around in a circle as our rental car company would only help us for a certain part of the road if we became stranded. In fact, we heard about a woman whom was left stranded on the road and had no idea how she was going to get back to her hotel the day we were driving.

As far as food there is one expensive restaurant. We just stopped at people's houses whom had food trucks. The food was delicious and inexpensive. There is also one local store halfway through.

If I did not stay at a rental house I would have taken a tour. It's too strenuous a drive for us to have undertaken in one day. Plus, you have to start at 6:00AM in order to beat the crowds. Otherwise you would hit traffic.
 
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