Maui trip advice

PhantomOG

Thought I'd copy someone else's thread to dig for advice anyone can give me for Maui. I've already booked flights and a condo on Kaanapali Beach in West Maui for next month. I'd appreciate anyone's advice that's been there on must-do things while I'm there. We'll arrive on a Thursday night around 7pm and will be leaving the following Tuesday at 8pm so we have 4 full days and a little bit of time on the travel days.

Any suggestions on a good waterproof bag to hold wallet/keys/etc. while snorkeling? My wife is paranoid about crime there after reading something online about cars getting broken into all the time. We've bought a couple guidebooks but there just seems to be so much to do. We'll definitely get up early one day and take the road to Hana. We definitely want time to snorkel and relax on the beach. Hopefully we'll see some whales from our balcony. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Shizelbs

We just keep everything in the trunk of our rental car. Don't take anything that you can't afford to replace (we always left out wedding rings in the condo).

Beyond that, they should sell there, little plastic tubes, like travel toothbrush holders, that are pretty water tight and you can curl up some bills and keys in there.

bernardo

Napili and Kapalua have very nice beaches not at all far from Kaanapali

Jstas

Hit the State and National Parks. Hawaii is gorgeous because of its natural beauty so go see it. The rest of the stuff on Maui is tourist trap stuff. Maui is more of a resort place. Oahu and Hilo have the industrial and commercial aspects of the islands and most of inland Hilo is agricultural. The north shore of Maui is not quite as impressive as the real North Shore which is on Oahu but still, the gigantic waves should be starting around this time of year. Worth a trip to see too.

If you can take some time, Oahu has alot of attractions too and the active volcanoes are on Hilo. Oahu has Honolulu which is home to the fabled Waikiki and Pearl Harbor's memorials and such are a must-see. Oahu also has gigantic pineapple plantations and the Dole Plantation is a neat site. The Aloha Bowl and the almost daily flea market are a great place to do some cheap souvenir shopping. Also, the cultural center on Waikiki is cool especially if you can book a spot in a luau. Also the University of Hawaii runs the Waikiki Aquarium which is a good thing to see too. If you can't get there, save it for next time. You're gonna want to go back.

The other islands aren't quite as interesting and the populations are very indigenous. But Molokai has a big history because those cliffs are incredible and there was that leper colony there too. Kauai is kind of like the poor man's Maui. Same overall look and feel but a hell of alot cheaper and not as many pretentious tourists. Some really cool bars there too like Brenecke's. Spent alot of time there! But half of Kauai is taken up by air force bases and the Pacific Missile Range Facility and the facility for Barking Sands. SO there tends to be a bunch of military types running around.

Lanai is pretty much uninteresting to a tourist. So is Mihau off the coast of Kauai and I think it's off-limits anyway. Kahoolawe is a reservation kind of place where some native Hawaiians live and it's mainly available only to native Hawaiians. You can go there but it's not all that impressive. It sits pretty low and since most of the storm systems roll out of the north, the island doesn't get much precipitation for most of the year. It's not a desert but it is fairly arid and barren compared to the rest of the islands.

There are other smaller islands to the northwest of Kauai which are of interest but they are not easily accessible. One island is Niihau also know as "The Forbidden Island". It's inhabited by a small number of native Hawaiians and lots of people think it's "forbidden" because those natives are angry and own the island and such. That's not true. The Island has been wholly owned by the Robinson family since the 1860's and is now in the possession of Keith and Bruce Robinson and the island is off-limits to all but relatives of the island's owners, U.S. Navy personnel, government officials and invited guests. Tourists are able to visit the island through a limited number of supervised tours, including diving, hiking, and hunting safaris. But getting a tour is very difficult and very expensive.

I spent alot of time in Hawaii. Does it show?

There is alot to see and do on any island in Hawaii. For now though, just go and enjoy the vacation with your wife. Hawaii is very relaxing and that's honestly the best thing to do on Maui.

PhantomOG

Yeah, relaxing is a top priority and we don't want to feel rushed while we're there. Since we're only there for 4 full days we thought just staying on the island of Maui would be enough, maybe next time we'll try a different island.

Jstas

PhantomOG wrote: »

Yeah, relaxing is a top priority and we don't want to feel rushed while we're there. Since we're only there for 4 full days we thought just staying on the island of Maui would be enough, maybe next time we'll try a different island.

Then go and sit on the beach during the day and in a bar at night. No need to do anything else.

bernardo

Jstas wrote: »

Then go and sit on the beach during the day and in a bar at night. No need to do anything else.

+1
Sounds like a great plan :cool:

NotaSuv

PhantomOG wrote: »

Yeah, relaxing is a top priority and we don't want to feel rushed while we're there. Since we're only there for 4 full days we thought just staying on the island of Maui would be enough, maybe next time we'll try a different island.

4 days you will be able to see a good bit of the island....spent 10 years living in Kihei and Hana....will send you a PM on out the way places to visit that arent in alot of the TOURIST guides.....still have alot of friends and extended family there...can set you up on some great places to eat with great discounts...thanks to friends in mgmt positions....you will be within 5-20 minutes of some great snorkeling areas....the side your on is the more touristy side...Kihei side nowhere as crowded..and the beaches on the Kihei side ALOT less people....you want to take at least one FULL day to head out in the early AM to the top of the volcano..you travel thru 13 different climate zones and at the top its like being on the moon..temps can be 30-50 degrees colder than on the beach..always bring a jacket...then onto Hana...and around the backside of the island ...its a long day well well worth it..you can even hit the winery in the afternoon as you drive right by it going home....or you can divide it up into 2 days...big wave season is winding down now so the bay north of where you are staying might be flat enough to snorkle..its a great place but usually crowded and its a bad crime area...never leave anything in your car including the trunk..sadly locals target rental cars to steal from....some fantastic places to visit and on Maui you will experince the true meaning of what Aloha means.......Jatas has posted alot of great things to do throughout the Island Chain too.......Maui is the only place I have ever seen a rainbow at night on the full moon....and it was right where you will be staying......aaaahhhh could ramble about the isles for pages....PM to follow tomorrow with some local contacts for ya........

PhantomOG

sounds awesome. Looking forward to that PM. Looks like what my wife read about crime with respect to rental cars wasn't too far off.

Ron-P

Enjoy the trip bro.

I've never been to any of the islands before but that's going to change in October. I booked a condo on the island of Oahu at Turtle Bay for 10 days. The only book I picked up is this one...



It came highly recommended by several of my friends that used it. The book is packed with just about everything the island has to offer as far as I can tell. If you don't have the one on Maui you might want to pick it up.

PhantomOG

I have that exact book for Maui. Read about it online. Wish I had ordered and read it before I booked flights and condo. I don't think I did horrible on the choices I made, but I wish I had done some more research first.