off topic...we are going to Maui!

[PEANUT1]

We are trading into the Westin in Maui in 9 weeks. I am going over my itinerary trying to decide what to do.

We decided we are doing the Old Lahaina Luau, the bike down Haleakala, and a snorkle tour with the turtles. Any other ideas??

I know there are others who have done the Maui trade, or you own in Mauai already. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

We are renting a car and we have a 1br villa with a a kitchen.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it

 

[jekjones1558]

Resist the temptation to overbook yourselves. Maui is so gorgeous that you will want to sit and appreciate the wonder of it all. Just driving anywhere on the island will give you spectacular scenery. Trips across the strait to see Molokai and/or Lanai are possible, but I think you will find it hard to leave Maui.
If you are there long enough you might consider a trip to Hana--but beware if you are prone to car sickness. The road to Hana is all switchbacks. But the reward is seeing the waterfalls and tropical rainforest on the way. Hana itself and the Seven Sacred Pools can be almost an after-thought to the journey.
Another suggestion is a visit to Paia, home to the famous Mama's Fish House. It is a bar/restaurant in an idyllic cove, right next to the area where world-class windsurfers do their thing. Mama's is pricey but worth it for a lunch and great photos.
I don't need to wish you a wonderful trip because that is a foregone conclusion!

 

[Anal Annie]

We love Maui. We almost always go to the top of Haleakala for sunrise (you'll have to get up in the middle of the night depending on the time). OH, and it's gonna be COLD up there!!! Like icicles hanging off the observation building cold!!! We were unprepared our first time...took the comforter off the bed the next time tho!

Do you golf? There are some fantastic golf courses on Maui...I don't play myself, but one trip I surprised my DH with a round in Wailea for his birthday & I just went along on the cart...I rented the clubs...the concierge desk where we were staying helped me make the arrangements before we went. BREATHTAKING views!!

There are also day trips to the island of Lanai via catamarans. That is just a rest & relaxation day as Lanai is uninhabited.

Of course there's driving the road to Hana (which is now paved so it's not so bad of a ride anymore). THAT is an ALL DAY trip.

We usually try to book a snorkeling excursion to Molokini too. They sometimes can't go there tho if the water is too choppy...so they'll take you to an alternate site. GO EARLY tho if you decide to do that. It's usually calmer in the mornings.

Then there's always just relaxing on the beach or shopping...the Westin is just a 5 minute walk from Whaler's Village. There are some good restaurants there too. If you walk in the other direction for just 5 minutes you'll be at the Black Rock beach in front of the Sheraton...that is a popular place to snorkel off-shore & do some cliff diving!

There is plenty to do on Maui...you will not be bored!!! It's beautiful...have fun! Wish it were me!!!

 

[GGOOFY1]

I love the road to Hana. Make sure you have a Fadors travel book. It will tell you where to stop along the way. It is some of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. Make sure you stop at Waianapanapa State Park and see the black sand beach. Also, rent snorkle gear for the whole week, you can walk in off shore and see the most beautiful reefs around. We like to park on MM14 on route 30 and swim there. We have fed puffer fish from the shore there. Old Lahaina Luau is the best. Ask for traditional seating. You sit up front on pillows.

 

[Dean]

Too early for Whale Watching, that would have been #1. Haleakala is very nice but getting up at 2:30 am for the sunrise is too much for us, done it once. Same with Hana, esp if anyone has a tendency to getting motion sick and we went all the way around. I'd say a tour around the up country is very nice, Io Valley is worth a couple of hours, and we enjoy a walk around Lahaina with a walking tour map. I agree to not over extend yourself. The Luau you've picked is number one. The one thing I would not miss is Warren and Annabelle's. It's adult oriented and they no longer do the kids show but is is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Two things I do that most people don't is I like to explore other resorts and I like to explore through restaurants. Don't forget to enjoy the resort, esp that resort.

 

[bjakmom]

We're going too!! We leave in six weeks.
We plan on doing Haleakala, road to Hana, snorkeling at Molokini - we are staying at Maui Prince (anyone ever stay there?).
Had to laugh at your post, Dean, because our friends who live on the big island just went to Warren and Annabelles and told us not to dare miss it! So that has definitely been added to the plan. We are busting with excitement, too! it's our first trip to HI!!

 

[Pardo714]

how did you trade into the westin is it part of rci?

 

[theww228]

Must do's:
Powered hang glider http://www.hangglidingmaui.com/
The views are amazing and much better than helicopter ride, on the decent he kills the engine and turns on music as you glide down from several thousand feet

Olivine Pools
Quiet natural pool along side the crashing waves of the ocean

Warren and Annabelle's
My favorite show that I have even been, better than shows in Vegas, NY, or Chicago, it is not elaborate, but so much fun... we go every trip

Snorkel Molokini http://www.mauicharters.com/
The AM trip on the Four Winds II is the best of all the snorkeling trips

BJ's Pizza (at night in Lahaina)

AVOID:
Ulalena - Advertised to be similair to Cirque du Soleil - It was terrible!

Julia's Best Banana Bread - not worth the narrow to get there, Bob Evan's has better, it should be "Julia's OK Banana Bread". She didn't even stay a word to my when I went up to the stand, she was on the phone and pointed at the sign of how much it was.

Have fun in Maui! I am jealous!

 

[PEANUT1]

Wow thanks for such great tips

I agree I don't want to do have too many excursions..we already did Hana so we decided to skip it this time.

I must look into this Warren and Annabelle's..sounds fabulous!

We traded while Disney was still with Interval International...a month before they switched to RCI..we really lucked out.

We are going for 8 days so I feel that 3 or 4 planned things should be fine..that will give us a few days to just chill and hang at the hotel or wander around Maui.

If anyone has any suggestions for restaurantst that would be great too!

 

[Dean]

We're going too!! We leave in six weeks.
We plan on doing Haleakala, road to Hana, snorkeling at Molokini - we are staying at Maui Prince (anyone ever stay there?).
Had to laugh at your post, Dean, because our friends who live on the big island just went to Warren and Annabelles and told us not to dare miss it! So that has definitely been added to the plan. We are busting with excitement, too! it's our first trip to HI!!

Please note, you can't wait to get there then schedule. You need to schedule weeks out.

 

[natasg]

Old Lahaina Luau is Great just book your tickets ASAP since they sell out quickly. You can go standby, which friends of ours had luck with but you would be taking a chance. I second Warren and Annabelle's, it is an unbelievable show that you will never forget. My wife and I made a night of it before the kids came along and went to Ruths Chris Steakhouse before the show (it is very near Warren and Annabelle's) and had an evening we will never forget.

 

[natasg]

Another piece of advice that has helped us out is if you love to snorkle but hate to lug around fins and give up all that luggage space there is a shop right in Lahaina called Snorkel Bob's that rents them by the day and week for pretty cheap. Then we just pack our mask and Snorkel.

The Snorkel boat operators will provide them for you at no charge.

 

[littlestar]

If you don't have a copy of "Maui Revealed", I'd pick one up. The Revealed books are wonderful. We used our copy to find where to park for free to visit Napili Bay and how to find Makena Beach (Big Beach) http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/plan/things_to_do_on_maui/attractions/points_of_interest/makena_beach

Have fun. Glad you were able to trade for a Westin before the switch to RCI.

 

[natasg]

If you don't have a copy of "Maui Revealed", I'd pick one up. The Revealed books are wonderful. We used our copy to find where to park for free to visit Napili Bay and how to find Makena Beach (Big Beach)

Oh yeah, this book was our Bible for our trips. It was great for exploring places of the beaten tourist path. I tried to link to Amazon for you but my post count is not high enough yet

Oh, and Coconut Crème Brulee at the Hula Grill in Whaler's Village is not to be missed. It is big enough for 2 or 3 since it is served in half a pinapple.

 

[ccgirl]

We own timeshare in Maui in Kahana. We enjoy renting a convertible while we are there. A bit of a splurge but loved it. We also took a guided tour of the Road to Hana so we could enjoy the sights and not have to drive. It was a van ride up to the black sand beach with a picnic lunch and then was supposed to be a helicopter ride back but the weather wasn't cooperating so we took the van back too. Still wonderful and I have huge pictures in my living room to remind me. We went snorkeling with Mahaina Nai'i. They were really wonderful and served us lunch on the catamaran. You can also speak to the concierge at where you are staying and I am sure they will help you. If you have AAA, stop by your local office and try to get any information they will give you. You can also search the web. They have a visitor's bureau that sent me some wonderful information. It was the most wonderful vacation of my life.

 

[Anal Annie]

Snorkel Molokini http://www.mauicharters.com/
The AM trip on the Four Winds II is the best of all the snorkeling trips

We used them the last time we went too and also went on the Four Winds. DH did the snuba & I just snorkeled with DS... We were supposed to go to Molokini but there was hurricane way out somewhere & the water got really choppy so we went somewhere else. We had a pretty view of the coastline but the snorkeling wasn't very good. It was the weather (water conditions) tho. Not their fault. It got better a couple days later when we went in off shore at Black Rock. The very best snorkeling we ever did at Molokini was many, many years ago tho - we took a sailboat out of Makena Harbor called the "Silent Lady". Oh she was wonderful and the crew was the BEST...she moved to Tahiti...but I always try to see if I can find her to see if she ever came back. Now THAT was a relaxing day.

Hummm....Maybe we need to go to Tahiti to look for her!? Too bad there's no trades to anyplace down there thru RCI (but there were none thru II either...) Waaaa!

 

[grizbuzz]

We just got back from 9 days in Maui at a condo in Kapalua. We loved it and wished we could have stayed forever.

I have a question...are you traveling with kids? We have two boys, ages 4 and 6 who pretty much guide our plans. We did do Old Lahaina Luau a couple years ago and the adults loved it, but the kids were pretty bored by the end. We tried a different luau which was cheaper last year (can't even remember which it was) and it was a tourist trap. I thought it was still fun, but it didn't compare to Old Lahaina. I heard great things about Warren and Annabelle's, but you need to be 21 to get tickets, so we couldn't go with the family.

Our daily schedule this year's Maui trip was: breakfast, beach, eat, nap, pool, eat, repeat. Sometimes we changed it up a bit and did the pool first and then the beach Our favorite beach for the kids is Napili -- the waves there are very gentle and it is sandy and our kids just wanted to stay there forever. Three mornings we went up to Napili Kai for breakfast at the Sea Horse Restaurant (macadamia nut chocolate pancakes--YUM!) and then we hit the beach. Also went to Kapalua Bay, which is beautiful and great for snorkeling. My kids didn't want to snorkel, so we didn't even bother getting equipment this year. My husband just used a boogie board and some goggles and ventured to the reefs.

We went to the Maui Ocean Center which is a great aquarium that the boys adored. It was more expensive than I expected: about $85 for 2 adults and 2 kids. We also went to Iao Valley that day. Very beautiful.

A couple places we ate that I'd recommend: Aloha for lunch right on the beach in Lahaina and the Lahaina Fish House (I think?) on Front Street was also pretty good.

Have a great time! Hard not to in Maui.

 

[djmeen]

My wife and I were there for our 10th Anniversary in January (2nd honeymoon) and here were some of our favorites:

- While we love Mama's Fish House (lunch was what we went in for), we actually found the food at Paia Fish Market to be equally fantastic in a very different setting (and alot cheaper). I say do both!

- We did the zipline EcoTour on Haleakala. AWESOME! I mean, really, really fun.

- We spent a full day driving and visiting beaches all up and down the Wailea side of the island (Maui Revealed was our guide - awesome book)

- Like coffee? Then Maui Coffee Roasters is a place you need to stop in and visit (located in Kahului). Great place, and we've been ordering coffee from them ever since we left!

- We also did Old Lahaina Luau and agree with others - it was great.

- Cheeseburger in Paradise. Evening, right before sunset - fantastic.

- We did the road to Hana on the first trip there 10 years ago and didn't feel compelled to do it again.

- We did go to Lanai for one day, and didn't think there was anything there really worth the trip. We had fun, don't get me wrong, but we'd have had fun on Maui as well....

- We stayed in Kapalua, and played a round at the golf course there. Amazing views...

- We went out on the Four Winds II snorkel trip to Molokini, and ended up doing the SNUBA dive. That was cool!

- Other than that, my wife made sure we visited both Coach stores on the island. And seems we stopped at tons of Honoloa stores as well - nice clothes.

Enjoy your stay and safe travels!

Chris (and Teri)

 

[PEANUT1]

grizzbuzz...we are travelling without the kids.....sigh. Excited and sad about this all in the same breath.

It is our 10 year wedding anniversary and we honeymooned in Hawaii and said we wanted to go back for 10 years and here we are doing it.!

My husband is looking into the snorkel thing and he said he wants to use a boat co called Trilogy. He likes it because they are much smaller groups. The bigger boats can hold ove 100 people..Trilogy only does like 20-40. We'll see.

As for golfing..does anyone know about how much it is to golf on Maui?? and which places are nice. My husband golfs but said he won't on this trip..I was thinking of surprising him with a round of golf.

 

[grizbuzz]

grizzbuzz...we are travelling without the kids.....sigh. Excited and sad about this all in the same breath.

It is our 10 year wedding anniversary and we honeymooned in Hawaii and said we wanted to go back for 10 years and here we are doing it.!

My husband is looking into the snorkel thing and he said he wants to use a boat co called Trilogy. He likes it because they are much smaller groups. The bigger boats can hold ove 100 people..Trilogy only does like 20-40. We'll see.

As for golfing..does anyone know about how much it is to golf on Maui?? and which places are nice. My husband golfs but said he won't on this trip..I was thinking of surprising him with a round of golf.

Without kids? Oh well that changes everything. Ignore all my advice. I don't even know what I'd do on Maui on an adult only trip. So many more adventures become possible. Good luck planning. Sounds exciting!