Things not to miss in Maui

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by PSUSMU

Well that is the dinner menu. Lunch will *only* be $26 or so for an ahi/mahi sandwich

It's worth it for someone who enjoys amazing food!

Lol thats crazy. We do like to try out different/good food here and there.

[san~man]

Tasaka's Guri Guri

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

The Ritz is nice. The price isnt bad for a 5* hotel either. However, it isnt a beach front property and I think people wanted to be on a beach. Also, I think Kapalua is on the windward side no?

The ritz has its own beach 5 minutes away walking or 2 minutes with the free golf cart shuttle. The beach is really nice and quiet as its not really open to others not staying at ritz. Not sure about the windward thing but we walked to the beach every day from our room and it kicked ass.

[ny176]

Don't forget to catch the sunsets every night. Will be going back to Maui myself at the end of this month into early August. It'll be our 4th trip. I loved the snorkeling in Maui especially off the beach. I second paddle boarding if you haven't done so already. Can't wait to do that again on my next trip. Maybe try surfing lessons? Also if you want really good cheap island dishes, try Aloha mix plate in lahaina and Da Kitchen near the airport. Both very good places to eat and Da kitchen has some very pretty female waitresses. Hana Highway with the waterfalls and lush gardens really makes you feel like your in hawaii. Don't forget to stop by PAIA on the way to or back from the Hana highway, cool little hipster place to check out. Love Maui

[ny176]

Not much night life on Maui. You have couple of restaurant/bars in Lahaina and their is a small village area across Kamaole beach 1 that has some bars open but that's about it. Enjoy your trip man!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by san~man

Tasaka's Guri Guri

Looks delicious!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

The ritz has its own beach 5 minutes away walking or 2 minutes with the free golf cart shuttle. The beach is really nice and quiet as its not really open to others not staying at ritz. Not sure about the windward thing but we walked to the beach every day from our room and it kicked ass.

Hmm cool. Maybe next time then. Been reading about Makena so we decided to book it there because it's a little more secluded.

Originally Posted by ny176

Don't forget to catch the sunsets every night. Will be going back to Maui myself at the end of this month into early August. It'll be our 4th trip. I loved the snorkeling in Maui especially off the beach. I second paddle boarding if you haven't done so already. Can't wait to do that again on my next trip. Maybe try surfing lessons? Also if you want really good cheap island dishes, try Aloha mix plate in lahaina and Da Kitchen near the airport. Both very good places to eat and Da kitchen has some very pretty female waitresses. Hana Highway with the waterfalls and lush gardens really makes you feel like your in hawaii. Don't forget to stop by PAIA on the way to or back from the Hana highway, cool little hipster place to check out. Love Maui

Awesome thank you for the suggestions! We'll try to hit up those places on the way to Hana.

Originally Posted by ny176

Not much night life on Maui. You have couple of restaurant/bars in Lahaina and their is a small village area across Kamaole beach 1 that has some bars open but that's about it. Enjoy your trip man!

Thank you! I've been reading and planning this trip for a while so hopefully all goes well (couldnt go last year even though we planned to).

[BMW F22]

Btw any experiences with Dollar Car Rental? And does our insurance cover rentals? I've heard mixed reviews regarding Hawaii.

[KingOfJericho]

I used Alamo and and they were great. Check rates JUST before leaving because the last minute rates are the best. I think I spent $120 for an explorer for the week. I did love laughing at the honeymooning couples fighting to put the top on their wranglers.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I used Alamo and and they were great. Check rates JUST before leaving because the last minute rates are the best. I think I spent $120 for an explorer for the week. I did love laughing at the honeymooning couples fighting to put the top on their wranglers.

Yeah i didnt want to risk it booking last minute. At least here in CA it tends to be more expensive last minute.

[KingOfJericho]

I did go a bit off season (Sept) but I booked months out and cancelled and rebooked several times as the price came down.

[RambleJ]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Ps- what about night life? Any good spots?

In Maui the night life is relatively non existent. Last call at a couple of the places I was at was around 9:30..
Unfortunately the only bar that was open till 2am was Moose's.

I did not take the road to hana. Way too many people and takes forever. Instead we did a helicopter tour of the area/volcano and did a couple hikes to some nice waterfalls. Zip lining was also a blast too.

[chuckee98]

Just got back from Hawaii a few days ago, with one of the stops at Maui. The best part of the Maui leg? The BACK ROAD FROM Hana, and sunrise at Haleakala.

The valet at the hotel had suggested coming back from Hana the back way, instead of doubling back as everyone else does. Took his suggestion, and was happy we did - the drive is completely different, and totally worth it. A lot of the road has been paved (compared to 22 years ago when we were last there), but there are still portions that are unpaved (gravel) - only about 5 miles worth or so. Some of the road is just a mosaic of asphalt patches, but as long as you go slow, you'll be alright. We did it in a Nissan Maxima rental with no problem. Be aware that there is NO services back there, no cell, no people, nothing. Rental agencies dissuade you from doing it, because they will not provide services to you if you get into an accident, or break down in that area - you're basically on your own and on the hook for anything that may occur.

As for Haleakala? A light jacket will NOT cut it if you plan on catching the sunrise. Actual sunrise last week was at 5:41am, but the sky starting getting light around 5:10am. Get there early, if you want to be at the summit where the glass walled observation deck is. The summit lot was filled by 4:30am, though the lower lot where the tour buses were was still open. We had polarfleece jackets with rain jackets over them, jeans, and towels that was provided by the valets at the hotel. And we were still cold. Temps were in the high 30's / low 40's, but that wasn't the problem. The wind and light rain up top is what gets you. But worth it seeing the sun rise over the clouds.

[ny176]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I used Alamo and and they were great. Check rates JUST before leaving because the last minute rates are the best. I think I spent $120 for an explorer for the week. I did love laughing at the honeymooning couples fighting to put the top on their wranglers.

Do this. Prices fluctuate almost every day. Also, if you have a costco membership it pays to check their rates. I booked a corolla for 8 days for $145

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I did go a bit off season (Sept) but I booked months out and cancelled and rebooked several times as the price came down.

We tried doing that last year but prices kept going up. So this time around rather than wait I figured to just book ahead of time just in case. I'd rather not have to worry about it.

Originally Posted by RambleJ

In Maui the night life is relatively non existent. Last call at a couple of the places I was at was around 9:30..
Unfortunately the only bar that was open till 2am was Moose's.

I did not take the road to hana. Way too many people and takes forever. Instead we did a helicopter tour of the area/volcano and did a couple hikes to some nice waterfalls. Zip lining was also a blast too.

From what I've read the road to Hana should be started early in the morning. I think they said by 9 or 10 AM it's too packed to really enjoy much.

Helicopter tours would be cool but it's too pricey. It's not really worth it for us. I kinda wanted to do it on the Big Island but ended up skipping it.

Originally Posted by chuckee98

Just got back from Hawaii a few days ago, with one of the stops at Maui. The best part of the Maui leg? The BACK ROAD FROM Hana, and sunrise at Haleakala.

The valet at the hotel had suggested coming back from Hana the back way, instead of doubling back as everyone else does. Took his suggestion, and was happy we did - the drive is completely different, and totally worth it. A lot of the road has been paved (compared to 22 years ago when we were last there), but there are still portions that are unpaved (gravel) - only about 5 miles worth or so. Some of the road is just a mosaic of asphalt patches, but as long as you go slow, you'll be alright. We did it in a Nissan Maxima rental with no problem. Be aware that there is NO services back there, no cell, no people, nothing. Rental agencies dissuade you from doing it, because they will not provide services to you if you get into an accident, or break down in that area - you're basically on your own and on the hook for anything that may occur.

As for Haleakala? A light jacket will NOT cut it if you plan on catching the sunrise. Actual sunrise last week was at 5:41am, but the sky starting getting light around 5:10am. Get there early, if you want to be at the summit where the glass walled observation deck is. The summit lot was filled by 4:30am, though the lower lot where the tour buses were was still open. We had polarfleece jackets with rain jackets over them, jeans, and towels that was provided by the valets at the hotel. And we were still cold. Temps were in the high 30's / low 40's, but that wasn't the problem. The wind and light rain up top is what gets you. But worth it seeing the sun rise over the clouds.

Hey thanks for the tips! Be sure to post up some pictures.

Originally Posted by ny176

Do this. Prices fluctuate almost every day. Also, if you have a costco membership it pays to check their rates. I booked a corolla for 8 days for $145

Is that cheap? We got a standard SUV for about $130 I think for 6 days. It's with Dollar Rentals though. I don't know if they're good or not. I would have gone with Avis or Alamo but they wanted $400-450 for an SUV.

[ny176]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

We tried doing that last year but prices kept going up. So this time around rather than wait I figured to just book ahead of time just in case. I'd rather not have to worry about it.



From what I've read the road to Hana should be started early in the morning. I think they said by 9 or 10 AM it's too packed to really enjoy much.

Helicopter tours would be cool but it's too pricey. It's not really worth it for us. I kinda wanted to do it on the Big Island but ended up skipping it.



Hey thanks for the tips! Be sure to post up some pictures.



Is that cheap? We got a standard SUV for about $130 I think for 6 days. It's with Dollar Rentals though. I don't know if they're good or not. I would have gone with Avis or Alamo but they wanted $400-450 for an SUV.

Dang dude great price

[Bobble]

Been to Maui probably 20 times most of the recs here are good. Go to Mama's it will be $100 for lunch for 2 with a drink but well worth it, Star Noodle is great don't be put off by location(industrial park next to muffler shop far end Lahaina gateway), there's a little plate lunch place on the beach side of Lahaina Gateway forget name it's good and local. Hana go early if you do the whole drive do see black and red sand beaches, 7 sacred pools is crowded, could swim at Ching's pond or Twin Falls(if TF bring bug repellant). Let's see crater yes for sunrise, need a warm jacket, Up country is totally different, my buddy lives in Kula so I always stay there for the night before. On your car rental that price quote is before taxes and fees expect it to be closer to $200 -$250 once they tack on all those, every where in HI is that way, lived on big island and Oahu back in the day. Night life is pretty calm, Lahaina has some in Paia there's Charley's which often has guest bands drop by need to check out who's there first, Paia for kite/wind surfing if hard core otherwise Kihue/Makenna gets enough wind, no real surf this time of year, Molokini for snorkeling, black rock in Ka'anapali is ok if on your own also up towards Napili there's a turtle cleaning station where the locals cliff dive and swim that's nice, watch the current there or you'll be headed to Molokai. Lanai nice day trip if planning to share the trip with someone special, not much to do there but enjoy scenery. What's left, just take your time and enjoy. Weather been good was just there a few weeks ago visiting, oh expect some rain in the afternoon in Hana and possibly in and around Paia. Pass on any day trip sport fishing, there's not much fishing left that can be accessed by day trips, fleets of seiners work the off shore areas and have fished out the place in and around Maui/Lanai/Molokai, big island has best sport fishing IMO.

[BMW F22]

^ too long to quote but thank you for the tips. The car we booked was part of a package including hotel and flights. So there shouldn't be any extra charges right?

Just wanted to add a couple of things about Maui. We live here in Kihei. Maui is really Bimmer heaven as far as how many there are, but most are rather 325ish. A couple of E90/92's. Only a few real driver roads - the volcano (called going up the hill), the road to Hana -very early or coming back around 10 while everyone else is going there. The back side (what it is called locally) is a great trip. Always go from Hana - going the other way is sketchy. Going over the top (west side from say Napili is also good but stay away from small settlements unless a sign selling stuff is posted. They are very Hawaiian statehood. Every where discussed is on the Leeward side. The windward side is Hana. Food is iffy anywhere. We call it Maui eyes. The scenery and the atmosphere make you go wow and the food passes by. Any major mainland city can blow away food here. People will fly to Oahu to just eat up scale. Really. Prices are crazy for most places. Example - the Outback - ouch! - is 10.00 per item more than on the mainland. Mama's is OK but if you come from a metro area especially Florida coast or really anywhere that fresh fish is available you will be bummed. Ambiance - sure. 12 - 14 a drink and is that really fresh you have to ask everywhere. Hotels use farm raised fish and shrimp, they import lobster and most everything else. Try Pacific O in Lahina, Noodle company has fallen off - Simon is no longer there (Top Chef guy), Puck is never at Spago etc. Roy's is consistent and fairly priced. Don't get me wrong, we moved here because of the great stuff to do. Water, water and water. WE love it. But there area disadvantages. Follow the advice of the other guys - get out of the resort and drive and see the real deal. Sorry about the length.

[PSUSMU]

2 words: Kalua pork! I think I gained 5lbs off that alone.

[BMW F22]

I heard that Maui is probably the most expensive of all the Hawaiian islands. Milk there costs about $7 for a small carton is that what they say. We're not planning to really stay at the resort all the time. Our plan is to sight see and probably spend most of the times at attractions (such as olivine pools, sacred pools, hikes, etc.).

Lol @ Kalua pig. I can't say I remember what it takes like.

[KingOfJericho]

Everyone talks about how expensive Hawaii is but if you live in or around any upscale mainland city (NYC, SF, etc) it really won't raise your eyebrows.