We're going in Novenber.

The only thing I really want to do is dive Molokini Carater but Martina has other ideas. =-) Something about sex on the beach..... or was she talking about cocktails?

Are there some sites, tours, or "must sees" that we must see or do?


Pics from Mike and Lisa really got me thinking about that warm blue water... Can't wait.

PS, where is Z's emoticon? the butt crack smilie?

Hawaii is great, I have been there 5 times and will be going again soon with the new Mrs. You have to go to Paradise cove and spend the later part of a day there and stay for the food. It was lots of fun. Rent motorcycles or scooters and ride around the Island too, that was a lot of fun. Just relax while you are there and do what you want. Check out the Arizona Memorial also, it is quite a moving experience.

I've been there several times. Go to Molakini, but don't expect good snorkeling. There are other places where you can snorkel that are much better. Get the book 'Maui Revealed', and use it as your bible. It will tell you most of what you want to know. I'd highly recommend the bicycle ride down Haleakala. You can't go wrong with Maui.

Demick

a few things ...

- don't let them discourage you from driving around the island *without* a 4-wheel drive rental car.
they will tell you that you can't do that in a "normal" car. turns out, the road is unpaved for a few miles, but if you ever driven on a dirt road, you'll laugh at the map (which says 4-wheel drive only!) ...
i had so much fun getting that little neon sideways on the dirt ...
anyways, the rental car company will ask about that, just tell them you don't plan on going "there" and you'll be fine ...

- which leads me to this. get a rental car (no, you don't need 4-wheel drive!) and drive around ALL of the island. you can actually to a FULL circle, even if the maps tell you otherwise. it's a fun trip and takes most of the day. leave early, pack a lot of snacks and water and enjoy the ride.
make sure to stop at the beach with the moving boulders (on the way to hana) ...
also, on the way up the west-side, stop at the more recent lava flows ...
hana itself was pretty boring, the "waterfalls" were a huge disappointment (tourist trap!)

- the needle. what a complete let-down. (tourist trap alert again!). first, the "hike" is about 200 feet, the "needle" is this little cone shaped rock that reminded me of a cat-scratch tree (lots of wild cats there too). what a bunch of xxx ...

- there are a few nice and remote beaches on the north side of the island, near the larger resorts ...

- on the west side Kihei is a nice little town with a really nice beach (that is where we stayed)

- the drive up to the Haleakala crater is spectacular on a nice & sunny day. make sure you stop right before you get into the cloud cover for a great view of the center flatlands. there *will* be clouds up there. go all the way up to the visitor center. if you like that kind of thing, you can hike down into the crater. *but* it's huge and it'll take a lot of time. crossing the crater is a full day of walking. also, don't forget to bring a warm jacket and good hiking shoes! even with the sun up, it'll get cold up on the mountain, and it's damm cold in the shade for sure ...


that about sums it up ...
Andy

great suggestions!!!

hehehe rental car 4-wheeling, I love it. LMAO

forgot to ask about if there are kids camps so adults can have their adult time????

I just got back from my first trip to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago where we stayed on the Kona Coast of the big island of Hawaii. Definately go snorkeling. It was an unbelievable experience just swimming along with beautiful fish all around you.

Sir Andy,
Forgot to mention that Martina grew up near the Black Forrest and Near Stuttgart, and in Hamburg. =-)

you got yourself a german girl? on boy, you're sooooo in trouble now ...
Andy

Molokini is best snorkeled in the early morning. Usually the first boat out is around 8-ish. The water won't be as comfortable temp wise, but it's a lot calmer.

When in November are you going? Brian and I will also be there on our honeymoon.

Jen

November, the whales may be there by then. Whale watching in a zodiac

is great it dosen't frighten off the whales like the larger boats we had one breach

right off the port beam (20ft). If staying in lahaina go over to hana alot of bitchin

things to do and see on that side of the island.

If you have a few days you can always Hike through Haleakala Crater, There are cabins you can reserve and spend a few nights hiking and sightseeing in an inactive volcano. I was born in Hawaii and hiking through the volcano is still one
of the greatest things I've ever done here. Very calming experience as the quietness in the crater is an experience in itself. You can just sleep under the stars if you can't get a cabin, And if the park rangers ask you for your permit(highly unlikley) for camping out you can just tell them your a Native Hawaiian practicing your religious rights(by law).You would be suprised as how many red, And blonde haired Hawaiians there are running around these Islands.

Maui is the happiest place on earth or at least I am trying to convince my 9 and 7 year olds that.

Maui Revealed is key as Demick stated. What I like about Maui is you can shut it down and hang at beach or resort or do touristy stuff.

I'd go to Big Beach and for the best food on the planet, MaMa's.

T

Downhill bike cruise from Haleakala crater.....ya gets up at zero to see the sunrise......drive up in a van and coast all the way down from 10K feet.....20F at the top.

If you are a golfer you need to play Kapalua - great course and spectacular views - you will really enjoy that. The one thing I wanted to do - and if we had another day I would have - is rent a motorcycle and cruise the island. Big fat Harley would be bitchin' driving around for a day! Need to have MC license though!

I have been to Maui and Kauai, Maui is more active, especially at night.
When snorkeling, get a small bag of veggies, pea's work well and when under water, fan out the food, fish will come from everywhere... My son went snorkeling last summer and we did that, he was amazed...

One thing we did, that I am greatful we did was whale watching, we took the zodiac about 20' long as I recall there were about 10-12 of us in the boat, and not 100 yards out the whales were breaching (sp). Then directly under us was a calf and escort & (male whale). The waer was so clear, you could see the barnacles (again sp). It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced.


Dinner, go to Kona's one night, they have great good...

Have a blast....

My Wife and I enjoyed the "Road to Hana". Small water falls everywhere. Beautiful drive. Lots of twists and turns. Would have been great in a 914! If you do go there, go early. You don't want to leave Hana too late. We got stormed on big time. In the dark it was a tough drive.

Mark

I usually skip right past the OT threads but this one caught my eye. My fiance and I will be getting married in Maui on Sept 25 and then staying the rest of the week there. Its always good to hear first hand what to do and where to go. You never know whether to trust the guide books or not. We will be staying in Kaanapali, anyone have any experiences there?

I have been to the Haleakala crater and driven to Hana. One time was enough for each. However, we always take the upcountry drive to the Tedeshi Winery every time we are on Maui (at least 6 trips). The country is beautiful and the view over Wailea is incredible. Stop at Grandma's coffee house for java and pastry (your in luck if pineapple upsidedown cake is available). Stop in Makawao on the way back and have lunch at the Haile Maile General Store.

Congrats, Mr. D!

Haven't been to Kaanapali for a while, but.. great gold sand beach and ocean swimming. Golf course is a hoot. There's one 625 yard par 5 that plays from the top of the mountain straight down. With a little offshore breeze ya can hit it in 2 and have bragging rights.

All rental cars in Hawaii are considered off road vehicles. Get the cheapest little shitbox they have, it's easier to pull out of the ditch. Road to Hana would make a great rally run

Bike down Haleakala crater

Go sport fishing

Whale watch

Drive to Hana, Swim in the 7 pools, see where Lindbergh is buried. Visit Jim Nabors.

Spend an evening shopping/eating in Lahaina

Snorkel/scuba Molikini crater

I believe you can take a ferry to one of the other islands (Lanai?)

There's a great place for snorkeling referred to as 'the fishbowl' I think by the locals. All I remember is that it's off the main road that drives right through an old lava flow. (In the opposite direction of the airport). I think it's mile post 14 I know those are HORRIBLE directions, but I think any local would be able to guide you to the park if you relay what I've typed.

Also, I REALLY wished I'd taken a surfing lesson. Can't wait to go back as it's been over 10 years.

hmmm, surfing lessons. i didn't even think of that! =-)

whale watching is always amazing.
grandma's coffee house. check.
big beach, mama's, maui revealed. check, check, and check.
LOL
Jenny, i'll let you know when we are going.

You guys rock.
my last trip to kauaii i snorkled at least three times a day for 9 days straight... Me and 2 girlfriends were diving the napali coast and from inside the boat I saw a snorkel laying on the sea bed inside a reef about 45 feet down. clear a a bell. it's mine now. LMAO.

All the recommendations above are good ones, so I'll add just two more:

1. Try to swim in the ocean at least once every day you are there.

2. Go check out the Old Lahaina Luau.

I expected this to be cheesy, so I rallied to get my family to go to it late in the week. Was I ever wrong. It is one of those rare businesses -- and it is a business, with over 500 people eating dinner on a Monday night -- in the world that is simply exceedingly good at what it does. The drinks are amazing, the food fantastic, teh servers extraordinarily good at what they do and friendly, the crafts and pig roast interesting and fun to watch, and the Hula dancing -- which I expected to be totally uninterested in -- was fascinating.

I dunno, if you Google the thing you'll see mixed reviews, but I didn't see a single person there who wasn't smiling on the way out and my whole family left wishing we had kicked off our week with the luau instead of ended it that way.

It ain't cheap, but the food and limitless drinks make the price about right.

TIFWIW...

pete

The bike ride down Haleakala is great fun! If you are a Lance type of guy...ride up it! I prefer letting gravity do all the work. Hell, you're on vacation. It is indeed cold up there. Bring a jacket. Interesting thing I learned on the way to Haleakala was that you pass right by America's largest beef cattle ranch. I never thought of cattle ranchers and cowboys when I thought of Hawaii. Pretty cool...huh?

Never been there but if there is one thing that MUST BE DONE its this; hambone as many indiginous girls as ya can. I heard they are as soft as silk and as hot as the sun and come sweet and sour!!

Watch the snappercrabs and clapasauruses unless you are a lapalotapus; strictly palioithicaly speaking that is.

Only one thing I can think of that has not been added above. Go to the Grill and Bar at Kapalua and have the Hula Pie. It is the greatest desert on the planet. You can eat it in the bar....OH MY GOSH it is so good.!!!! OH take a minute every day and watch the sun go down. It sounds stupid but a cool cocktail and the Green Flash. What a great end to a day.


Have a great time.

Hahaha, classic post

I haven't been there in years, but will be going next year (late Sept for honeymoon). I did the 'road to hana', my parents said it was great when they last went, but it was in the midst of a month long drought! Only one little trickle of a waterfall.
Snorkling and whale watching were great, as was just hanging out on the beach and going for a swim. Lahina is good for just cruising the town etc too.

Lahaina is lots of fun--there are several bars & restaurants on the water's edge to watch the sun set from. I like Kimo's, myself. November is a great time to be there, because there won't be zillions of people crowding everything. (Though it's still going to take time to get into Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner for some reason. The one in Waikiki wasn't anywhere near as crowded!)

There's a spot called Ahini-Kinau out on the west side as you head toward the lava fields. Good snorkelling, but fairly little beach. Quite a bunch of fish, and not too many people. We never got to the Fish Bowl, because the trail to it is kind of hard to find. We asked the park ranger at the parking lot nearby, and she said that the coral has been very damaged by all the people and it might technically be off limits.

Speaking of which, I think it's also off limits to feed the fish.

Kaanapali was cool. Lots of big hotel/resorts. It was about 10 minutes up the road from Lahaina. Very pretty beaches, though I don't think they were good snorkel beaches.

Been out to Molokini Crater twice. Absolutely loved the first time--1500+ foot visibility--and only thought the second time was "good".

Grab the little "things to do on Maui" booklets at the airport or on street corners or at your hotel. Some of the stuff they list is very fun!

Didn't care for Tedeschi wines, though the scenery was awesome. We drove to it the Long Way Around--past Hana!

There was a place in Pa'ia that had great shave ice! We really love shave ice. Li-Hing Moi flavor is sweet and tart and very tasty...

--DD

Just an update (I know I wasn't the one that started the thread, but). Got back from the honeymoon, will throw up some on-topic pictures soon. If you are going to Maui be sure to pick up the Maui Revealed book, it was the best tour guide I could have hoped for. This was my 3rd time there and I had more fun than the previous 2 combined...ate well and saw all kinds of good things with the help of this book. Highly recommended!!!

I have used it as well and agree totally.

Best place to swim with the giant sea turtles is at the Maui Prince Resort in Makena. We stayed there but you can just park in their parking lot and walk right in. They have their own beach. Go out on the left side and follow the reef around to the left. All the boats that take the tourist to swim with the turtles go here.

I second (or third) driving to Hana and then to keep going. Rent a convertible!! Here is a picture of the road after Hana, going in a clockwise direction. Would be fun in a 914.

Click to view attachment

Mama's Fish House on the north shore is probably the best place I've ever eaten. While you're there, check out the surfers at Jaws.

the line at cheese burger was a mile long. the atmosphere is sort of hard rock cafeish with a hawiian flavor, pretty loud. just down the street a bit is a good rest with clear plexy windows in the floor. killer steaks and seafood, local beef from an upland ranch and fresh ahi. the sunrise up the volcano is spectacular but you need to get up pretty early in the am. WEAR WARM CLOTHING!!!! if you should rent a jeep take the top along. we were ill prepared and got pretty cold. buy some "fresh harvest bra" pineapple, mango, papaya from one of the local road side vendors you'll pass when driving around. find Big Beach on a map and check it out. it's BIG and not crowded at all. Little Beach, is clothing optional and near by. we did a dive/sail on a performance cat. the trades were up and i've never been so fast on the water without an engine. the art walk in lahina is fun but can be a bit crowded. free pou pous everywhere. DO NOT turn your back on the ocean. RESIST the urge to go for a moonlight swim. stay clear of any leapord seals when diving. aloha.

k

I agree, I would have killed to have my 914 on the road up/down from Haleakala...the best road I've ever been on...too bad I wasn't in the 914 or better yet a motorcycle. Glad to know others had a good time on their trips to Maui too.
Google map of road

I want to thank whoever brought this thread back to life. I found it on Tuesday and enjoyed the read. Tommorrow at 12;00 I leave LAX head to Kaanapli for some much needed rest. Used to own a house in Kehei but an ex got it 22 years ago and I haven't been back since. Google satellite phots show an area I really don't remember. There were no hotels or haole homes on that end of the island then.
Just got Maui revealed and will be reading it on the way over.
Mahalo
Kart54

Well, just realized I'm a little late after looking over the thread dates, but still got info to share for others.

One of the most impressive dives (snorkling/free diving) I ever did was the backside of Molokini. The actual inside crater area was not impressive, but the back side in the open water was intense. Saw thousands of fish swimming in a tornado like funnel shape... something to do with drawing in the food and then they all break and start munching. The actual rim of the volcano is aw striking to see it steeply decending into the 10,000 ft plus of pure darkness abyss. I would take a buddy in the water and a support boat following behind and I wouldn't spend too long in the water. There are some big critters there. But there is excellent diving all over the west coast just off the beaches. I love the west coast because it's the wet side. Balmy and warm in the morning. Rain showers at noon. Strong warm winds at 2pm. Like clock work, awsome. Second best thing is hiking through the rain forests. Third best thing is road to Hana. When in the forests, you can pick guava fruit off the trees for lunch.

Oh wait! Almost forgot. In Lahaina... to the south side of the bay there is like a jetty or something. And nice moderate waves break along there... and they never stop. You can get the longest surf ride/boogy board ride of your life. The wave is ride-able for like 2 minutes or something until it peters out closer to the shore.

In addition to all the wonderful things that have already been mentioned, catch a jet ranger helo ride around the island and over into some canyons on Molokai (my wife absolutely hated it almost ed) ... I thought it was great

I went there a few years ago with the wife and saw a bunch of people doing the bike tour down the mountain. It looked like great fun!!!!

I may be wrong, but I think they suspended those bike rides, perhaps a trial till they finished the roadwork...which is done now, so it might be back on.

Haleakala is great, I suggest going to the Star Gazers Maui tour if you are into astronomy in the least...it's like a real life planetarium up there, and you get to see a great sunset. Seeing the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye is crazy!

Born and raised on the Big Island, only visited Maui when I was a teenager. If you get a chance to hop a flight to the Big Island go and tour the volcano national park. Bring a good jacket it gets cold!

I would offer you a friendly hand but all my relatives live either on the Big Island or on Oahu. Hope you have a great time, last time I was home was in 99, maybe I can convince the Army to station me there.

Wife, kids? There goes my schpeel about having unbridled sex with the local indiginous womens and all yall.

the beach he's refering to is Mckenna beach near mckenna. the beach has a short but big break due to a steep drop off shore. the sand is larger grained golden sand.
the iao [pronounced E- ow] valley [where the needle is] is a steep walled valley with a river flowing down it, you can take a garden walk [nice] but you might find some paths that are on the other side of the rope, those will take you up the valley along the river past mango trees thru many pools all the way to the falls.
there some great back roads going up country [the mountian] but DONT venture off the paved roads into the cain fields, you'll either get run over by the cain trucks or shot by the maryjane farmers.
oh! and those bumps all over the roads are giant toads, and just wiat till you see a cain spider.
i lived there 20 somethun years ago, my father built a house up at the tree line 5.5k ft up incredable view!
visit the small up country towns, the food is better, look for tree ripedned bannas, mahui onions fresh from the field, the local fruit is just the best, you'll be ruined for what we get from the grocery stores.

i'm thinking i need to go back, it's been over 20 years.