Leaving Wed morning for Hawaii. I'm just seeing what people thing first hand are the places to go and see. I've been there before when I was younger, but I'm getting to take my wife and child now!
Let me know!
Let me know!
Best things to do in Maui and honolulu
- Thread starter LikeLinus
- Start date
Rent snorkeling gear ... get it cheap for the week.
Road to Hana ... may not be good if anybody gets carsick though!
Road to Hana ... may not be good if anybody gets carsick though!
rh71
No Lifer
- Aug 28, 2001
- 52,844
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Maui:
The Road to Hana was quite underwhelming for us. We went in mid-September and there were very few waterfalls... I think 2 at most when the guidebook (everyone uses Maui Revealed) pointed out more than a handful of spots. On top of that, much of the day's activities was more driving than experiencing the views. You can't help but notice you're just driving winding road after winding road (they aren't kidding) for 45 miles going about 10-15mph most of the way. Hana at "the end" is a town you could crash in... for about $400 a night... so if you don't want to spend that, make sure you have 3-4 hours so you can get back (either going all the way around the island or reversing course - which is boring so I propose you do the former). Get on the road by 9am. Despite the negative/neutral review, it's an experience that everyone should do once. Hey - it's way over in Maui, ya know ?
And of course the other must-do is Mt. Haleakula sunrise/bike-down-the-mountain thing. I think it was $200-$300 per couple and there's 3 companies that do it. Basically they pick you up at your hotel at 2am and haul you up the mountain (where it's like 20-30F degrees colder) in preparation for the 5am sunrise. After you watch the sunrise from above the clouds (it's supposed to be spectacularly special, and it was to a degree - nothing jaw-dropping), you get on mountain bikes and downhill all the way back to town, which was rather easy (you do about 5 minutes of actual pedaling in the few hours it takes you to get down).
Best snorkeling was by Black Rock near the Sheraton. Whaler's village in the same area is a must-do. The Westin had the nicest pool in our opinion while the Hyatt (we got it for $170/night thru Priceline) had the best accommodations. Mama's Fishhouse is famous and fresh though it shows in the prices - ouch.
Any questions, I still have it fresh in my head. Be prepared to spend a lot. They said Hawaii is expensive and "they" were right. Oh and don't bother asking how much a 3-bedroom house will cost.. we did already... but go ahead if you don't mind buying a run-down-looking shack for $500k.
The Road to Hana was quite underwhelming for us. We went in mid-September and there were very few waterfalls... I think 2 at most when the guidebook (everyone uses Maui Revealed) pointed out more than a handful of spots. On top of that, much of the day's activities was more driving than experiencing the views. You can't help but notice you're just driving winding road after winding road (they aren't kidding) for 45 miles going about 10-15mph most of the way. Hana at "the end" is a town you could crash in... for about $400 a night... so if you don't want to spend that, make sure you have 3-4 hours so you can get back (either going all the way around the island or reversing course - which is boring so I propose you do the former). Get on the road by 9am. Despite the negative/neutral review, it's an experience that everyone should do once. Hey - it's way over in Maui, ya know ?
And of course the other must-do is Mt. Haleakula sunrise/bike-down-the-mountain thing. I think it was $200-$300 per couple and there's 3 companies that do it. Basically they pick you up at your hotel at 2am and haul you up the mountain (where it's like 20-30F degrees colder) in preparation for the 5am sunrise. After you watch the sunrise from above the clouds (it's supposed to be spectacularly special, and it was to a degree - nothing jaw-dropping), you get on mountain bikes and downhill all the way back to town, which was rather easy (you do about 5 minutes of actual pedaling in the few hours it takes you to get down).
Best snorkeling was by Black Rock near the Sheraton. Whaler's village in the same area is a must-do. The Westin had the nicest pool in our opinion while the Hyatt (we got it for $170/night thru Priceline) had the best accommodations. Mama's Fishhouse is famous and fresh though it shows in the prices - ouch.
Any questions, I still have it fresh in my head. Be prepared to spend a lot. They said Hawaii is expensive and "they" were right. Oh and don't bother asking how much a 3-bedroom house will cost.. we did already... but go ahead if you don't mind buying a run-down-looking shack for $500k.
i 2nd the suggestion for hale'akula. we didn't do the bike thing -- just drove up and looked around. those people on bikes sure looked funny
road to hana was okay, but it's very wind-y. at the very end you can see where charles lindbergh was buried. not really worth it if you don't like long car trips broken up by a few arboretums and waterfalls though. the road to hana is a there and back kind of trip. don't try the loop -- the rest of it isn't paved
btw, these are both in maui.
road to hana was okay, but it's very wind-y. at the very end you can see where charles lindbergh was buried. not really worth it if you don't like long car trips broken up by a few arboretums and waterfalls though. the road to hana is a there and back kind of trip. don't try the loop -- the rest of it isn't paved
btw, these are both in maui.
rh71
No Lifer
- Aug 28, 2001
- 52,844
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the rental car companies make a big fuss over "avoiding the unimproved roads" but they do that so they don't have to haul their truck out there in case we get a flat. I can understand that, but realistically it was about 30-45 minutes worth of unpaved roads. If you take it easy, it's not bad at all. Just don't get out of your car toward the end to admire the mountainside and unknowingly step on a fireant hill while wearing sandals. :|
And don't hit the cattle either. One thing to know if you do go all the way around... you end up on the main highway again, but it's nowhere near the other highways... so you basically do an extra 45 minutes (in addition to unpaved roads) on plain highways heading back to your hotel. That was pretty tiresome. But I think it beats reversing course at Hana and driving those same windy roads again for 3 hours.
Take a sail boat tour to Molokini. It's an awesome place for snorkeling. This is the boat we went on.
http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/paragon.html
If you plan on taking the road to Hana, near the water falls there are some locals that will sell dirt cheap necklaces and jewlry for $2 - $3.
Near the airport, there's a Walmart ... buy all your gear/supplies there. Buy underwater cameras.
Don't forget Luaus. I went to the Marriot one, it was so-so.
http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/paragon.html
If you plan on taking the road to Hana, near the water falls there are some locals that will sell dirt cheap necklaces and jewlry for $2 - $3.
Near the airport, there's a Walmart ... buy all your gear/supplies there. Buy underwater cameras.
Don't forget Luaus. I went to the Marriot one, it was so-so.
I hope the weather improves when you get here...this last week has been what we consider cold...gusty trade winds and some rain...it must be christmas time
I was at the Marriot one also ... supposed to be one of the better ones, but I wasn't that impressed. If it hadn't been included in the conference fee (paid by work
) I woulda been really annoyed at paying $75 for it.I really liked the Road to Hana ... was well worth the time for me.
NuclearNed
Raconteur
- May 18, 2001
- 7,882
- 380
- 126
Snorkel Bob's is your friend.
Go to the Old Lahaina Luau. Its a lot of fun.
Black Rock had some good snorkeling, but look around as you are driving around the island for groups of cars pulled off the side of the road. These are locals, and they know they best snorkeling spots. We stopped at one and saw all sorts of fish, many types of which we didn't see at Black Rock.
The road to Hana is fun if you like scenery and winding roads. We were there this past spring, and the waterfalls had a lot of volume at the time.
Mama's fish house is good, but as mentioned, very expensive.
While near Mama's, check out the nearby beaches for world class wind surfing.
Haleakala National Park is really nice, but make sure you check the weather first. Our trip to the top was not as good as it could have been because the cloud cover made sure you couldn't see more than 50 yards in any direction.
Try the breakfast buffet at the Maui Sheraton. You won't regret it.
For Honolulu, just go to Waikiki and walk around. You are sure to find something fun to do with all the restaurants, clubs, shopping, etc.
Pearl Harbor is neat if you like historical stuff.
You can hike into Diamond Head.
Go to the north shore of the island for Pipeline (which should be really big this time of year).
Go to the Old Lahaina Luau. Its a lot of fun.
Black Rock had some good snorkeling, but look around as you are driving around the island for groups of cars pulled off the side of the road. These are locals, and they know they best snorkeling spots. We stopped at one and saw all sorts of fish, many types of which we didn't see at Black Rock.
The road to Hana is fun if you like scenery and winding roads. We were there this past spring, and the waterfalls had a lot of volume at the time.
Mama's fish house is good, but as mentioned, very expensive.
While near Mama's, check out the nearby beaches for world class wind surfing.
Haleakala National Park is really nice, but make sure you check the weather first. Our trip to the top was not as good as it could have been because the cloud cover made sure you couldn't see more than 50 yards in any direction.
Try the breakfast buffet at the Maui Sheraton. You won't regret it.
For Honolulu, just go to Waikiki and walk around. You are sure to find something fun to do with all the restaurants, clubs, shopping, etc.
Pearl Harbor is neat if you like historical stuff.
You can hike into Diamond Head.
Go to the north shore of the island for Pipeline (which should be really big this time of year).
I second going to the Old Lahaina Luau. We stayed at the Westin mentioned above. It was very nice. The road to Hana was ok. We had a Jeep and went all the way around. The back side is pretty neat. You leave lush tropical forest and go to dry barren land. The rough road makes it even better. We snorkeld at Molokini which was awesome. We also drove up to Kapaluha Bay and found some great snorkling right off the road. Although Mama's Fish House is expensive, it is worth it. The little town of Lahaina has several restaurants and things to do.
Guys thanks for the replys.
We already have a night of the Old Lahaina Luau set. I did that when I went there as a kid and i loved it.
We also have the road to hana set up.
We plan on doing the USS Arizona and the Dole plantation in Honolulu.
Snorkeling is a must of course, but thanks for the info about Snorkel Bobs and Black Rock.
Everything is expensive in Hawaii so it doesnt really matter I'll check into Mam's fish house for sure.
It's going to be in the 80's the whole time we're there.
We're staying at the Hyatt Maui in Maui and at the Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu.
Thanks guys. I gotta get up at 4am..yuck.
We already have a night of the Old Lahaina Luau set. I did that when I went there as a kid and i loved it.
We also have the road to hana set up.
We plan on doing the USS Arizona and the Dole plantation in Honolulu.
Snorkeling is a must of course, but thanks for the info about Snorkel Bobs and Black Rock.
Everything is expensive in Hawaii so it doesnt really matter
I'll check into Mam's fish house for sure.It's going to be in the 80's the whole time we're there.
We're staying at the Hyatt Maui in Maui and at the Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu.
Thanks guys. I gotta get up at 4am..yuck.
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