Going to Maui and Kuaui! Need suggestions!

[Laz]

In a couple of weeks 6 of us are off to paradise! I need some advice.

Best Luau
Best snorkeling
Best places to pick up groceries
Best Shaved Ice (YUM!!)
Best place to take surfing lessons (we have no experience, so we need to learn on baby waves using garage doors).
Must-do's on each island

Thanks!

 

[donald&daisy]

I highly recommend: The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed. You can get it on Amazon or at your local Barnes and Nobles, etc. I think they make one for each island (we only went to Kauai). It is so very helpful. It is sometimes hard to recommend things not knowing the budget concerns, time constraints, etc of others. My favorite thing we did was a helocopter tour in Kauai. Also, there is a hotdog place that was featured on the Travel Channel called Puka Dog that was amazing. There is a Wal-Mart on Kauai as well as some grocery stores. I can't comment too much on the snorkeling--this was my first time so we took it easy (I apparently have a deep fear of getting eaten by sharks, etc). These guidebooks really give a great lay of the land and honest reviews. Our one disappointment was the deep sea fishing, next time we will bottom fish and actually catch something, lol. It was still fun though. Another thing we enjoyed in Kauai was canoeing up a river and then hiking to a waterfall. It was gorgeous and fun and felt like a real adventure. There is also a little "authentic village" and they also filmed part of the movie Outbreak there and it was fun to poke around (and cheap). Another highlight was the Na ‘Āina Kai Botanical Gardens--gorgeous. We only spent one night elsewhere on Oahu and did a dolphin swim there. You will have a great time, I loved Kauai because it seemed so rural and nonindustrial.

 

[pilotwife_02]

Where in Kauai are you staying? The island isn't that big and I suggest you rent a car and drive around the island. There is one main road that goes all the way around. Well not all the way around, you can only go about 3/4 of the way around the island due the Na Pali coast. It's pretty neat to just drive and see all the look outs.

I suggest you take either a helicopter tour (which is VERY expensive) or a sunset cruise to the Na Pali coast. It's beautiful and can only be seen by boat or air. The cruises run about $75-80 a person and are about 4 hours and include dinner, FREE drinks. A little pricey, but worth every penny for the amazing views. It was the highlight of our trip to that island.

Also, check out the Kilauea Lighthouse, it's pretty.

There are a few groceries store on Kauai, make sure you get their "club card" to save a bunch of $$. I'll admit that I liked the big Island and Oahu better, more to do on those islands, but it was nice and relaxing and I want to visit each island.

I haven't been to Maui yet so I can't help you with that, sorry.

 

[GoodFairies]

What area of Maui are you staying in?

 

[jelloarms]

all I can say is on Kauai, watch out for the wild chickens! They are everywhere! Well, when I was there anyway.

I actually live in Hawaii but on the island of Oahu. I've only been to Kauai once in 2002 for two days and it was a marching band trip so we didn't do much touristy things. As for Maui, I have also only been there once and that was in 1998. The whale watching was an excellent experience but I don't know if it is whale season right now.

 

[rparmfamily]

Dawn is our resident Hawaii expert...hopefully she'll find this thread!!!


Maui--I haven't been since last year so I'm kind of rusty. I'm also on O'ahu.

It's not whale season anymore. That runs Nov-Mar or so.

Get the Maui Revealed book too. We stayed in Lahaina in the old Pioneer Inn but I figure you probably want something more beachy,etc. Lahaina is a neat old whaling town, huge banyon tree and historic areas. Lamberts ice cream. The pizza place there is good, can't recall the name.

Old Lahania Luau is awesome from what I hear.

On Maui we drove around the island (though not all the way around, past Hana was washed out/closed due to the earthquake in 2006 but is recently reopened if you dare LOL.)

Best place to get groceries is Costco and Walmart on Maui, right by the airport. By Krispy Kreme. (our only one in the state, so I had to bring it up...$10+ a dozen)

On Maui I suggest:
Road To Hana--follow the directions in Maui Revealed but make sure you are in decent shape for most of the hikes,etc. Bring food/snacks/water, there really isn't much along the way.
The winery on the volcano http://www.mauiwine.com/
Lavender farm http://www.aliikulalavender.com/
Iao Needle/Valley park http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/plan/things_to_do_on_maui/attractions/points_of_interest/iao_valley
Snorkeling at Molokini Crater http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/plan/things_to_do_on_maui/attractions/points_of_interest/molokini
Hang at the beach in Wailea, so pretty
Do a day tour to Lanai
Sunrise on Haleakala volcano http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/plan/things_to_do_on_maui/attractions/points_of_interest/haleakala

We really just enjoy driving around and eating,etc.

I've never been to Kauai so I can't help you there. Maybe next year!

 

[DawnCt1]

Everything rparmfamily said about Maui. If you are staying in Ka'anapali, we love Laelani's on the Beach. Decent prices. Beautiful views, great location. Any Roy's restaurant anywhere is great. More pricey.

There are great snorkeling places right off of the beach on Kauai, Ke'e Beach, Tunnels, Anini, Lydate Park. You should definitely take a sunset sailing cruise to the north shore of Kauai. Beautiful views. You can do a snorkeling trip, but honestly, you can see a lot of sea life from the shore so I would rather take an cruise to see the sunset. The north shore is beautiful. Drive to the end, past Hanalei, park and hike the Kalalau Trail. Its a fairly easy 2 mile hike to the first beach and sea cave. Don't leave without a quart of water each. Don't go if its rainy or has been raining a lot. The trail gets slippery.
Drive to Waimea Canyon on the west side of the island. Well worth the trip. It is known as the grand canyon of the pacific.
We love the Kilauea Light House. Its a wonderful bird sanctuary and you may see a monk seal. We did on our last trip.
Visit some heiaus. They are sacred places for the Hawaiian people. There are a string of them that descend from Mt. Waialeale, the wettest place on earth. I have never hiked to it but from what I hear, its do able.
Drive the island. The tree tunnel is interesting near Poipu. The Spouting Horn. There is now a Costco on Kauai in Lihui. Groceries are Safeway in Kapa'a and Foodland in Kapa'a and Princeville. Get the club cards. if you can get a Safeway card before going, I would. I kept mine from our first visit and I am glad I did. I have been in line 3 times since then and have heard cashiers tell guests that they were all out of cards. No card means expensive. Walmart is good for food and good for gifts to bring home.Preview the Entertainment book. If you see something you can use, buy it. Most of the deals are on Oahu, but the money the six of us saved on the sunset Kauai Na Pali coast cruise was more than worth the price of the book.

 

[mom2travel]

You've gotten lots of great advice, so I'll just throw in the activities we loved on our trip last year. (2 adults, the kids were 13 and 8 1/2 at the time)

On Kauai - stayed on the South Shore at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and stuck mostly to that part of the island (now we'll just have to go back to see the beautiful north shore ) Kauai was our favorite island (enjoyed Oahu and Maui too and would love to go back, but fell in love with Kauai )
* Kipu Falls Safari Tour with Outfitters Kauai - kayak, hike, zipline, rope swing, ... great time, great guides
* Waimea Canyon - drove up and did some hiking - amazing views!!!
* Luau at Grand Hyatt - our only luau so can't compare. The food was good and we enjoyed the dancers and fire knife. (we were there during the Koloa Plantation Days festival so I'm not sure whether this was the normal show or not)
* ATV tour with Kauai ATV - loved it! Our guides were fun and the scenery is pretty
* Na Pali Coast sunset cruise with Holo Holo - another great tour! You must see the Na Pali coast one way or another, it is amazing!!
* Spouting Horn

On Maui - stayed at the Westin Resort on Ka'anapali Beach. A good location as a base for what we did
* Horseback riding at Mendes Ranch - they were fun and knowledgable (sp??) and the scenery on that side of the island is really pretty
* drove to summit of Haleakala and hit the lookouts - wow!
* snorkeling tour to Molokini and Turtle Town on the Island Princess - that was our last activity of our 2week trip and it was a great way to wrap it all up

Food (we're not big foodies but here's where we ate - can't complain about anything on any of the three islands we visited)
Kauai - Pizzetta in Old Koloa Town; Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt; Brennekke's at Po'ipu Beach
Maui - Leilani's at Whaler's Village; Hula Grill at Whaler's Village, Giovanni's on Ka'anapali Parkway; Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina

There's tons of great info on tripadvisor.com
Have fun!!

 

[Laz]

These are all great ideas! On Maui we are staying at the Wialea Marriott and we have a condo in Princeville. We have rented a van on both islands. The Marriott is an old Outrigger hotel.

 

[DawnCt1]

These are all great ideas! On Maui we are staying at the Wialea Marriott and we have a condo in Princeville. We have rented a van on both islands. The Marriott is an old Outrigger hotel.

We stayed at that Marriott when it was an Outrigger. It is a great location. I just love to walk down the boardwalk (which is a cement walk) at night. If I win the lottery, I will get one of those condos along the beach. This is a good location but a little far for "cheap eats". I think that there is a Cheeseburger in Paradise at the shopping area just a quick walk from your hotel. Of course we stayed their years ago on our second trip to Maui. Make sure to visit Lahaina town, probably 30 to 45 minutes from where you will be. Cute town, lots of good places to eat. I think that there is a Roy's not far from Wailea as well. Aloha Plate Lunch is in Lahaina. Cheap eats but good. Which condo do you have in Princeville. We stayed in a condo at Hanalei Bay. Its a great area. It would rain at night or very early in the morning. It is paradise on that side of the island. Rainbows every day. The birds would land on the lanai and the chickens would be clucking below. One thing you don't see on the mainland (anymore) are mother hens taking care of their brood and roosters in the morning.

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

I just got back from the islands. One thing to keep in mind recently the volcano on the Big Island has been spewing more gasses into the air. This created a haze on the Big Island and Maui. We only saw one half of a rainbow last time we were there on Oahu, before we saw one a day. Kauai is my favorite island. I definitely recommend seeing Waimea along with the lookout over the Na'Pali coast. Try hitting it earlier in the morning to avoid the clouds. I also recommend a Na'Pali coast sail, however even if you think you might not get seasick take pills or something. The waves can get big and rough. Blue Dolphin will take you snorkeling there as well. There is also a nice beach called Poipu. They do warn of rough conditions at this spot, so maybe not the best snorkeling. I do know a lot of people in my group enjoyed going out to the island and seeing the fish there. The lighthouse as mentioned before is a nice spot. I have never been able to get down to the lighthouse, we always got there before it opened. We did see Nene there through binoculars. Wrangler's Steakhouse is a nice restaurant on Kauai.
This was my first time visiting Maui. It was a lot of fun. We did a snorkel at Molokini which was fun and nice snorkel. Pride of Maui is a good group to take you out there. This group you can also try snuba. Also in Maui there is Halelakela. This is a bit of a drive, but worth it. We also did Iao Needle, which was a nice spot. There were a lot of bird diversity there. If you need a place to dine there is a local spot around the Halelakela area called Da Kitchen it was cheap food with good portions. The Old Lahaina luau is one of the best on the islands however I have never been there.
As far as groceries there is a Walmart on each island and several grocery stores. Hope that helps if you have any more questions pm me and I will try to help. When we did the islands we spent about 2-3 days on each island.

 

[Laz]

We stayed at that Marriott when it was an Outrigger. It is a great location. I just love to walk down the boardwalk (which is a cement walk) at night. If I win the lottery, I will get one of those condos along the beach. This is a good location but a little far for "cheap eats". I think that there is a Cheeseburger in Paradise at the shopping area just a quick walk from your hotel. Of course we stayed their years ago on our second trip to Maui. Make sure to visit Lahaina town, probably 30 to 45 minutes from where you will be. Cute town, lots of good places to eat. I think that there is a Roy's not far from Wailea as well. Aloha Plate Lunch is in Lahaina. Cheap eats but good. Which condo do you have in Princeville. We stayed in a condo at Hanalei Bay. Its a great area. It would rain at night or very early in the morning. It is paradise on that side of the island. Rainbows every day. The birds would land on the lanai and the chickens would be clucking below. One thing you don't see on the mainland (anymore) are mother hens taking care of their brood and roosters in the morning.

We are staying at the Bali Hai condos that were just taken over by wyndam resorts

 

[Tinijocaro]

Went on my honeymoon 18 years ago and loved it. The one thing we did was picked up a coconut, brought it to the post office and got postage stapled to it, wrote a message and mailed it-no box or anything. The day we got back, I got to watch my dad wrestle a coconut out of his mailbox.

 

[rparmfamily]

The VOG has been kind of bad again but I honestly don't know how it affects Maui and Kauai. Kailua-Kona on Big Island gets it bad and also O'ahu (the whole island) seems to get quite hazy. Just watch the weather reports, they'll tell you if you need to expect VOG. I'd assume if it hits O'ahu, it hits Maui but Kauai is the furthest island from Big Island so they might be ok.

VOG is basically like SMOG but made from volcano gases, bad for those w/resp. issues like asthma.


It was fantastically gorgeous today, I spend the day in Hale'iwa (for lunch--Grass Skirt Grill) and then went and sat on the rocks at Lanikai beach (turtle beach) and watched the turtles and surfers. Not a bad day LOL... (DH was off)

 

[disneygirl_wdw]

I loved Lanikai beach (turtle beach). We went the day we had to head home. It was really hard to leave. We saw 2 turtles basking. I love sea turtles. I would love to live in Hawaii. The last time we went to Oahu we didn't get out of Honolulu other than Dole. This time we saw more of the island and I enjoyed it so much more this time.
Anyway when we went about 2 weeks ago the Vog was noticeable on all islands but Kauai. None of the islands had rain and we were there a little over a week, so it was kindof bad. I would have almost preferred rain that way I could see a rainbow.

 

[rparmfamily]

I'm glad you guys got out of Waikiki, O'ahu has so much more to offer than that and I hate it when people bad mouth O'ahu and yet they really never got out and explored it. I know it's crowded...it's not called the "gathering place" for nothing LOL!! Nearly 1 million people on 1 small island LOL, but it offers so much to do. We love driving up to the North Shore and hanging out up there!

The other islands are fantastic though...very quiet and calm.

 

[DawnCt1]

I'm glad you guys got out of Waikiki, O'ahu has so much more to offer than that and I hate it when people bad mouth O'ahu and yet they really never got out and explored it. I know it's crowded...it's not called the "gathering place" for nothing LOL!! Nearly 1 million people on 1 small island LOL, but it offers so much to do. We love driving up to the North Shore and hanging out up there!

The other islands are fantastic though...very quiet and calm.

Even the "stuff" in Honolulu is well worth it. What is better than Pearl Harbor, and the 'bookends of WWII". I love the Bishop Museum as well. I think you have a great zoo. I haven't been there in years but I remember orangutans when I was there and a talking minah bird.

 

[rparmfamily]

Oh I agree...so much to do in Honolulu (both intown and out by Pearl Harbor.) Where else can you see a real palace? Plus the Arizona/Missouri of course, Poly Cultural Center, Halona Blowhole, the view from Diamond Head, etc.

This weekend is the annual Floating Lantern event http://www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com/ plus the events at Punchbowl (laying of the leis by the Boy Scouts, I think 50,000 leis), there is always something going on.

OP--I'm sure you'll have a great time on Maui and Kauai and hope you make it back sometime to see Big Island (volcano national park) and O'ahu.

 

[Youarehere]

I loved The Gazebo for breakfast in Maui. We ate there several mornings and could whale watch from our table. And this was well worth the drive http://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/kipahulu.htm .
This was a great stop on The Road to Hana http://www.mauigardenofeden.com/ worth the admission- we honestly only paid because we needed the facilities- we ended up spending several hours there.

 

[Youarehere]

Maui

Best Luau- didn't go to one

Best snorkeling- Ka'anapali Beach- park in the public lot provided by The Weston hotel. Walk left (if you are facing the ocean)about 100 feet up the beach, set up camp and snorkel right from the beach- it was much better than any excursion we went on.

Best places to pick up groceries- We got most things at the ABC store- it was cheaper than any supermarket we found, but limited in variety.

Best Shaved Ice (YUM!!)- don't know.

Best place to take surfing lessons (we have no experience, so we need to learn on baby waves using garage doors).- don't know, but I would try http://www.bossfrog.com/ We used them for other things, like snorkel gear and a Road to Hana guide CD- they were really nice.