Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I just got back from honeymoon in Hawai'i, so I thought I'd start a trip report / Hawai'i travel thread. I can answer any questions about the trip, and hopefullly others that have been there can chime in with their own experiences, and this thread can serve as a reference to those going in the future.

This first post will be an abbreviated trip report. It was difficult to pare this down to ten photos or so since we took so many (and the pictures don't even do the place justice), but I'll give it a shot:

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2728/01oceanon6.jpg

This was the view off our balcony in West Maui. We spent seven days in a condo that my wife's sister lent us, then three days at Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island. We didn't get to explore the Big Island as much as we probably should've, as we did a lot of relaxing towards the end of our ten days. But the trip was awesome, and hopefully I'll get to go back every five or ten years or so. After being there, I think the ideal Hawaiian vacation is probably Maui for half the time, then an island you haven't been before for the other half. I think I'd like to do Kuaui next. The only other really tiny regret I had was not bringing my golf clubs. I thought I wouldn't want to play because I didn't have any friends to play with, but I really wanted to after seeing some of the courses (and weather.) Guess I could've rented. Oh well.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/4777/02bamboobb8.jpg

This picture was from a hike through a small bamboo forest at about the 6-mile marker on the Road to Hana. It was amazing how you could really just go off on your own just about anywhere on the island to explore, be totally secluded from just about any other people, and see such beautiful sights. I guess I'm just used to suburbia where that's impossible. We saw a few waterfalls on this hike too, but I liked the lighting and the direction of the bamboo in this picture, so I chose it for this thread.

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/4...ninsulauo9.jpg

These next three pictures are also from the Road to Hana on Maui. This one was just a typical view from the road - high above the water overlooking a peninsula in the distance. I was actually a little nervous before making this trip - everyone I'd talked to about it was like "Yeah, the road really is pretty dangerous. You need to be careful." And while it wasn't like driving the highway, I never felt like I was cheating death or anything. I was definitely expecting worse. Just drive ~20mph, keep your eyes on the road, be careful when you approach one of the 36 one-lane bridges, and you're fine. At times I wished I was in the passenger seat to enjoy the scenery a little more, but there are pull-offs for many of the better views, and being in the passenger seat would also mean that I'd have to endure six hours of the wife's driving, and much of the road had no guardrail. So I guess I was fine where I was.

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4439/04rocksoj9.jpg

Not much to say about this one - I thought the shadows on the branches made it a cool shot. The perspective is a little deceiving though, as we're standing at least 100 feet above the water here, looking down/out over the shrubbery onto the rocks.

http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1...terfalliq4.jpg

This one of the biggest waterfalls we saw. There are so many of them along the Road to Hana, that you really have to pick and choose which ones to pull over and see. Many of them require a short (or not-so-short) walk. This one was called Lower Puohokamoa Falls, and was a couple minutes into the woods at about the 11-mile marker on the road. And again, I'm not sure that this picture does justice to the enormity of the falls. We're looking thousands of feet away, and I'd guess the waterfall is over 200 feet high.

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/808/06rainbowfa6.jpg

This picture was taken in the town of Paia in the late afternoon before our dinner at Mama's Fish House, which I may write about in another post. Paia was a neat little town - seemed kind of hippyish, lots of little surf shops and markets and art galleries - cool place to kill a couple hours. Apparently they're known for their great windsurfing too - something about how the winds blow across the beach rather than perpendicular to the shore. Hawai'i was weird like that, where you'd have very drastic differences in culture, pace of life, and even climate just miles apart. Check out this rainfall map of Maui. There's literally places that get almost an inch every single day less than 10 miles from areas that get less than an inch of rain a month. In Paia, it rains almost every day, but not very hard. I thought this picture of the rainbow turned out well. Before my trip, I've have said that it looks like someone put a picture of Kansas in the foreground of a Hawai'i picture. But you name it, they have it. Farms, grassy plains, desert-like areas, lush rainforests, lava rock - a little bit of everything. There were actually some really bad wildfires while I was there too that I wish I'd have gotten some better pictures of.

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/663/07tikios3.jpg

These next four pictures are all sunsets, which probably make the best pictures, though I tried to pick some diverse and interesting ones. The first two, including this one, are from Maui, and next two are from the Big Island. This particular one was at a little dockside bar called Kimo's in Lahiana. Lahaina was probably the most commercial/touristy spot we went in Hawai'i, but there was decent shopping, it had about the only discernable nightlife in the area, and it was about 15 minutes away from were we were staying, so we ended up there a few times. I like the flames in the foreground in this one.

http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/3426/08cloudsxi7.jpg

At least for the time being, this is probably my favorite picture I took the whole time. I just love the focus on the clouds and the coloring the sun gives. This was just a sunset taken off our balcony on a random night. The island of Molokai is in the distance on the right side of the photo. There was a raincloud over Molokai 100% of the time. They said that's how explorers back in the days could spot islands from great distances away - they'd just look for the clouds that didn't move. We could see Lanai to the left from our balcony as well, though that island didn't make this picture.

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/8023/09sunsetrv5.jpg

OK, on to the Big Island. These next two sunsets are from Kona. This one was the view off our patio/balcony at the Resort.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6078/10redub8.jpg

Here's another one from the Big Island. This was the view from a place called the Lava Lounge before dinner on our final night. We really had some incredible meals over there, and I'll probably post about a few of them in other posts. We ate at a place called Pahu i'a after this - the star of Four Seasons' resort on Kona. I took a bunch of pictures there, so I'll definitely post about this meal, and I may do a few others too. Mama's Fish House, which I mentioned earlier, was also wonderful, and we really enjoyed a sushi place called Sansei, which was on Kapalua's property. It was great value and a lot of fun - I think we got out of there for less than $100, and it seemed like we had tried half the menu by the time we were finished. Two great breakfast we had were at the Gazebo Restaurant on the shores of Napili Beach, and The Plantation House, which overlooks the Championship course at Kapalua. Both breakfast spots were actually the same price, down to the penny. I thought the clubhouse at Kapalua was very reasonably priced as well - I'll probably look into staying in that area if/when I go back to Maui in the future.

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/6...reaphilhg3.jpg

He we are outside of Lava Lounge / Pahu i'a about an hour before the previous picture. I'll post a mini trip report on that meal in this thread at some point too.

There's a ton of stuff I didn't get to yet either - snorkeling in Honalua Bay was cool (I'd never been snorkeling before), and we also took a boat trip to Molokini Island for more snorkeling. The Aquarium in Ma'alaea was worthwhile. We did a luau in West Maui one night. I skipped over a lot of the Hana stuff, etc. But I guess this is enough for now...

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Good timing. I am heading to Maui for the first time in October with my wife and another couple. We have not found a condo yet. I would love to hear impressions about what town to stay in on Maui. Our main desires are to have a place we can cook, have some grocery stores nearby so we can stock up on food easily, but also have some restaurants we can go to nearby as well. Plus, of course, places within stumbling distance for cocktails.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

KJS

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Excellent TR. I'm going to Maui for a week in Oct for my honeymoon. We will be staying in the Kaanapali region. We are planning on doing the Road to Hana for sure and even go to Haleakala crater. I've been to both before but only when I was 9 or 10 so I don't remember a whole lot about either just that they were beautiful. She has never been there fyi.

As far as some things to do, I'm still trying to figure that out so any recommendations would be great. Here is what I was thinking. We are going to see the luau at the Hyatt I have tickets for that already. Also, the future Mrs. wanted to do some horseback riding and I was looking at going to http://www.ironwoodranch.com/ anybody have any experience with them or any other place? I also wanted to do some snorkeling while we were there and really wanted to ride on a Catamaran rather than a boat. Any suggestions with that? Also I'm looking for a couple of nice places for dinner and a couple lunch (can be anything here), any help with that would be great.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Good timing. I am heading to Maui for the first time in October with my wife and another couple. We have not found a condo yet. I would love to hear impressions about what town to stay in on Maui. Our main desires are to have a place we can cook, have some grocery stores nearby so we can stock up on food easily, but also have some restaurants we can go to nearby as well. Plus, of course, places within stumbling distance for cocktails.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd definitely stick to either West Maui or the west coast of the Southern part of the island. I thought West Maui was perfect for a first-timer. It's about 45-minutes from the airport. Lahaina is the main "going out" locale on the west side, but you probably want to stay a bit north of there. Check out towns (areas?) called: Kaanaapali, Kahana (where we stayed), Napili, and Kapalua. They all are right on the coast, and close enough to civilization (there are some really remote spots on Maui.) I'm not the right one to ask as far as recommending a specific condo. The southern towns you'll want to check out are Kihei and Wailea - I didn't spend much time there though. Wailea appeared to be a slightly more upscale Lahaina. Anything in a more remote area (i.e. Hana) seemed to be more suited for return visitors that wanted a different experience. And don't pick a condo because of a specific beach. They're mostly all easy to get to, and you'll want to see a bunch of different ones anyway.

Grocery shopping is expensive (maybe 25% higher than the prices I'm used to in the DC burbs.) There aren't a lot of choices either - there was a Safeway in Lahaina, something called Star Markets, and one other one I saw. There's a Costco near the airport too - not sure how much you're planning on buying.

You'll have to rent a car. I didn't notice many cabs now that I think about it, but I'm sure they're around. Also, book your activities in advance. Not necessarily all your restaurants, but if you're going to do a luau or a bike trip or boat cruise, book them in advance. The "good" ones won't be available the while you're there. We had three reference books - one little one I don't remember, the Fodor's one, and Maui Revealed. Fodor's was good, but I highly recommend picking up the third one in advance of your trip (and it's very helpful there as well.)

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Great trip report. I think I hiked that same bamboo trail last time I was in Maui.

After you reached Hana, did you continue on the unpaved road around the south side of the island? This is one of the coolest, most surreal places I've ever been -- completely deserted. You go from stone cliffs to desert to cattle ranches in about two hours, and the contrast with the rainforest on the north side is unbelievable.

Mama's Fish House is fantastic. I've had what was probably one of the five ebst meals of my life there.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Excellent TR. I'm going to Maui for a week in Oct for my honeymoon. We will be staying in the Kaanapali region. We are planning on doing the Road to Hana for sure and even go to Haleakala crater. I've been to both before but only when I was 9 or 10 so I don't remember a whole lot about either just that they were beautiful. She has never been there fyi.

As far as some things to do, I'm still trying to figure that out so any recommendations would be great. Here is what I was thinking. We are going to see the luau at the Hyatt I have tickets for that already. Also, the future Mrs. wanted to do some horseback riding and I was looking at going to http://www.ironwoodranch.com/ anybody have any experience with them or any other place? I also wanted to do some snorkeling while we were there and really wanted to ride on a Catamaran rather than a boat. Any suggestions with that? Also I'm looking for a couple of nice places for dinner and a couple lunch (can be anything here), any help with that would be great.

[/ QUOTE ]

Kaanapali is about the perfect spot to stay IMO unless you've been there a hundred times. We didn't look into the horseback riding too closely. The only place we glanced at had a 220-pound weight limit, and I'm ~230-235, so we dismissed the horseback riding and looked for other activities. I'd imagine different places have different restrictions.

One thing we didn't do that is supposed to be really cool is the sunrise bike trip down the volcano. I know two people that did it, and both said it was the highlight of their trip. Again, I can't recommend a specific company for that, but I'm sure some online research would point you in the right direction. You do have to wake up at like 2AM for that, but if you do it towards the beginning of the trip when your body still hasn't adjusted for the time difference, apparently it's not so bad.

The snorkeling we did on our own at Honalua Bay was actually better than what we did on the boat, but I thought the boat trip was still worthwhile. It's a mini-sightseeing trip as well, you get lunch on the grill and some beers, etc. We went with a place called Maui Magic, and it was fine. Kind of a last-minute booking, but everything was good. I'd give it at least a B.

The Old Lahaina Luau is supposed to be the best one on the island, but that has to be booked weeks, if not months in advance.

Dinner:

Mama's Fish House was awesome, but pricy. We spent a hair over $300 - 3 cocktails, 1 bottle of wine ($80), 1 appetizer, 1 salad, 1 soup, 2 entrees, 1 dessert. So if you cut down on the booze or skip the appetizer or something, $150-$200 is very doable. Totally worth it though.

Sansei (sushi) is highly recommended. 25% discount if you order between 5:30 and 6:00 too. You'll likely be eating early dinners towards the beginning of your trip because of the time difference, so getting there for the discount isn't the worst idea. It's still packed and a good atmosphere. One drink apeice and a ton of sushi came out to under $100.

Our other dinner spots were Roy's in Kahana - nice, but pretty average IMO ($150ish, including drinks), you can skip it. Nothing too special about it. We also ate at the bar at Kimo's in Lanhaina, which I enjoyed. We probably had 4 beers each and split an appetizer and a burger for like $80. Downtown Lanhaina has a lot of little bars on the water like that. Before Kimo's, we tried something called Lahaina Oyster Bar and Grill, and left after a half hour because the bartender was in an awful mood and the atmosphere was really sterile. Skip that place.

Lunch:

Gazebo Restaurant in Napili - open only for breakfast and lunch, right on the water. No reservations though, and it's popular, so you'll stand in line for ~45 minutes. Not a bad wait though - you're outside, and it's good scenery. We spent $25 + tip for an omelet and pancakes that we shared. No booze there, but you can bring your own champagne for mimosas.

Mala Ocean Tavern. The books seemed to like this place, but I thought it was average and overpriced. A couple of fish sandwiches and a drink for like $60. Food was fine, but not worth it IMO. I could have just been in a "meh" mood that day or something though - there was nothing inherently wrong with the place.

Aloha Mixed Plate. Local cuisine. Nothing fancy, but a solid lunch on a lazy day. We had a pork plate, barbecue plate, a smoothie, and an iced tea for about $30.

Also:

We did Plantation House at Kapalua for breakfast on our last day there, but really it's more of a lunch/dinner place. Our breakfast was good and reasonably priced with a great view though, and my wife's sister had recommended it to us for dinner, so that might be worth a shot.

David Paul's in Lahaina is another upscale place we didn't try, but was recommend (I think we'd have been looking at another $250+ there, and I was only doing one of those meals per island.

You'll also get a buffet meal at any luau you go to.

I'm sure there are other restaurants worth checking out too, but those are the once I had experience with unless I'm forgetting something.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

If you want a cool horseriding trip, one outfit does trail rides into the Haleakala crater. Wife and I have done this twice and it was great each time -- the views are incredible, and they take you right down to the crater floor, where you can see the silverswords, rock formations, etc.

As for snorkeling, I'm not sure about catamaran trips, but there is fantastic snorkeling around the base of Black Rock right on Kaanapali Beach. If you go early it's usually no more crowded than the main "off-shore" snorkeling sites.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Good timing. I am heading to Maui for the first time in October with my wife and another couple. We have not found a condo yet. I would love to hear impressions about what town to stay in on Maui. Our main desires are to have a place we can cook, have some grocery stores nearby so we can stock up on food easily, but also have some restaurants we can go to nearby as well. Plus, of course, places within stumbling distance for cocktails.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]

I would say stay on the west side of Maui. Lahaina is the main shopping area there.... charters for deep sea fishing, whale watch tours etc. Lots of restaurants, shops etc in that area. (there is a shuttle for cheap to get you back to kanapali area about 10-15 minutes ride)

If it is still there....you MUST try the grilled calamari appetizer at Maui Brews. Such a change from the deep fried mounds of grease you get at any other dining establishment.

Rent a jeep for the road to Hana. Top down, cooler with lunch and a couple beers (you do not want to drink more than two if you are driving) and drive it from west to east on the southern shore. You will be oceanside as opposed to cliffside so its a bit more dangerous, but damn its great.
Stops along the way should definitley include the "seven pools", the winery is OK but dont spend a ton of time there. Little beach is a nude beach not far from the winery...if you have binoculars, might want to check the scenery from there. Otherwise just stop at the places you want. There are small churches out in remote places, waterfalls, and other very scenic places. Plan on this trip taking one full day from morning til about dinner time. It will be the most incredible drive of your life, and will never be forgotten.

A nice place for a drink is the second floor restraunt just across the street from the huge Banyon tree in Lahaina. (you cant miss the tree, it takes up a city block) Open air and nice atmosphere.

If you like to snorkel, ask someone where "Blackrock" is. The hotel staff and locals will know where to point you.

I would recommend a whale watching tour, but I think the best time is from December til about March, deep sea fishing is an option....hook a marlin.

If you have the funds, a heliocoptor tour is awesome. They are not cheap, but IMO it is money well spent. Dont go for a 25 or 30 minute ride though, spring for the 45 minute and up tours. The short ones are going to take up most of the allotted time on the "way there" and the "way back"

Other than that, enjoy and have fun.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I've heard Maui is kinda slow and more for honeymooners/etc, is this mostly true?

I'm going to Oahu(staying near Waikiki in a couple weeks and have a few things planned, anyone have any "must-sees" for me?

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Kauai deserves more love than Maui in this humble man's opinion. There's plenty to see if you enjoy hiking, the water, scenery.

This is of utmost importance if you'd like to see Maui's finest attraction the crater:
"One thing we didn't do that is supposed to be really cool is the sunrise bike trip down the volcano. I know two people that did it, and both said it was the highlight of their trip. Again, I can't recommend a specific company for that, but I'm sure some online research would point you in the right direction. You do have to wake up at like 2AM for that, but if you do it towards the beginning of the trip when your body still hasn't adjusted for the time difference, apparently it's not so bad."

If you do spend time in Maui, I didn't thoroughly enjoy my stay, see Hana for one or two days and continue. Maui is quiet, there's no nightlight and I'd guess the demographic of tourists to Maui is 40+.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard Maui is kinda slow and more for honeymooners/etc, is this mostly true?

I'm going to Oahu(staying near Waikiki in a couple weeks and have a few things planned, anyone have any "must-sees" for me?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oahu is not very different from Miami Beach, getting a unique experience will not happen. Try hopping on a jet to another island.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard Maui is kinda slow and more for honeymooners/etc, is this mostly true?

I'm going to Oahu(staying near Waikiki in a couple weeks and have a few things planned, anyone have any "must-sees" for me?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maui is more of the scenic relaxing

Oahu is where all the people and things to do are. As for Oahu must-sees/dos, what are you into doing?

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard Maui is kinda slow and more for honeymooners/etc, is this mostly true?

I'm going to Oahu(staying near Waikiki in a couple weeks and have a few things planned, anyone have any "must-sees" for me?

[/ QUOTE ]

How long will you be there?

My main suggestion would be to get out of town and go to Hale'iwa and other spots on the North Shore. Also, going the other way from town is the Pali lookout which has a view that is quite impressive. I think just renting a car and driving around the island is a good strategy for this. If you plan it right and get up early you could see the sun rising from the windward side (not sure as I've never been during that time but I suspect the pali lookout view is nice during sunrise, maybe the sun actually spoils it though) and catch the sunset on the north shore someplace (sunset beach seems appropriate).

While I've never done it, climbing the Stairway to Heaven is something I say I'll do every trip. The view must be amazing as it looks pretty good from the H3 below. Too bad Mrs. L is scared of heights [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

If Reef was back home I'd suggest going with him to his high school as the view from there is second to none IMO.

Also, if you are any sort of history guy or like museums the Bishop Museum is pretty good. That's not usually the kind of thing people want to do there but it's a good museum with a lot of old Hawaiian stuff that you obviously couldn't see in museums elsewhere.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Nice pictures...looks awesome

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard Maui is kinda slow and more for honeymooners/etc, is this mostly true?

I'm going to Oahu(staying near Waikiki in a couple weeks and have a few things planned, anyone have any "must-sees" for me?

[/ QUOTE ]

Maui has a lot of things to do... Golf, Fish, Hana, Snorkeling...etc.

Oahu, most people will be in waikiki beach area. Lots of food, bars, etc. Take a hike up diamond head if you like that kind of thing. Snorkel at hanauma bay, drive up to the north shore to sunset beach and check out some of the worlds biggest waves. The polynesian cultural center is cool for a slow paced day... kinda interesting and educational. Visit Pearl Harbor... but go early or you will wait in line for too long.

Kauai is very relaxed...I think there is only one nightclub on the whole island.... It is very lush and green... lots of flowers. Not a ton to do, but a great island to see by heliocopter. Also take the river ride up to the fern grotto.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I am partial to the Big Island, North Kohala Coast especially. So much to do. Or so little if you prefer.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

My wife and I have been to Maui and Kona and found the books in this series to be extremely helpful. Granted, there's probably a ton of other tourists that have the same book, but we found some pretty awesome beaches that we never would have known existed without the book...especially on the big island.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

awesome t.r. post more pics!!

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]


If Reef was back home I'd suggest going with him to his high school as the view from there is second to none IMO.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT
(these pics dont do it full justice)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../thecourts.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/reef/town.jpg

my attempt at putting together a bunch of single pics for a panoramic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...aSchools-1.jpg

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Oahu:

Beaches to go to:
Kailua (can rent a kayak and paddle to a bird sanctuary island or down a residential canal)
Lanikai
North Shore (caution sometimes high surf)


Things to Do:
Hanauma Bay
Historic Haleiwa Town
Sunset Beach Park
Waikiki Strip
Waikiki Aquarium
Pearl Harbor memorial
Bishop Museum
Pali Lookout
Jet Skiing / Scuba Diving / Submarine ($$$)
Polynesian Cultural Center (touristy)
Ala Moana / Magic Island + beach


Shopping:
Ala Moana (near Waikiki , $$$)
Pearl Ridge
Windward Mall


Hikes:
Diamond Head
Stairway to Heaven (need to be in very good shape)
Mount Olomana
Mauna Wili Falls (easiest)


Nightlife:
Zanzabar (my fav club located in waikiki trade center)
Pipeline
Dave and Busters
Brew Moon
Rumours (older crowd)


I prob missed some stuff, but that gives you a good idea

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Oahu:

Beaches to go to:
Kailua (can rent a kayak and paddle to a bird sanctuary island or down a residential canal)
Lanikai
North Shore (caution sometimes high surf)


Things to Do:
Hanauma Bay
Historic Haleiwa Town
Sunset Beach Park
Waikiki Strip
Waikiki Aquarium
Pearl Harbor memorial
Bishop Museum
Pali Lookout
Jet Skiing / Scuba Diving / Submarine ($$$)
Polynesian Cultural Center (touristy)
Ala Moana / Magic Island + beach


Shopping:
Ala Moana (near Waikiki , $$$)
Pearl Ridge
Windward Mall


Hikes:
Diamond Head
Stairway to Heaven (need to be in very good shape)
Mount Olomana
Mauna Wili Falls (easiest)


Nightlife:
Zanzabar (my fav club located in waikiki trade center)
Pipeline
Dave and Busters
Brew Moon
Rumours (older crowd)


I prob missed some stuff, but that gives you a good idea

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for this info, I'm only there for 5 days, so which of these are the must-do/see?

My gf hates heights and I'm not a huge fan of them either, so I don't really want to go on any crazy hikes, regardless of the view.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Good timing. I am heading to Maui for the first time in October with my wife and another couple. We have not found a condo yet. I would love to hear impressions about what town to stay in on Maui. Our main desires are to have a place we can cook, have some grocery stores nearby so we can stock up on food easily, but also have some restaurants we can go to nearby as well. Plus, of course, places within stumbling distance for cocktails.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]

KJS I will be there the first week of Oct. I will be staying at Resortquest Mahana. I chose it due to the good reviews on Trip Advisor. Check it out and holler at me if you want to me up for a drink while you are there if our dates match. I will be there 6-13.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

you going with friends or a girlfriend? if it's with (guy) friends, check out Za (club rock za) it's an almost legendary strip club just outside of waikiki.

for a more conventional to do list

Cultural:
Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial- if you're a US citizen, this is a must do.
Iolani Palace-a tour of the only royal palace on US soil lots of cool antiques and Hawaiian history in there if that's your thing
Bishop Museum-some pacific based natural history stuff and lots of pacific island cultural stuff

High end dining (you can look these up online, so I won't describe them here. they're all good stuff):
Alan Wong's
Chef Mavro
3660 On the Rise
Bali By the Sea
La Mer

Fun type dining
Sansei (as mentioned in other posts above, but the original is in Honolulu)
Side Street Inn
Upstairs at Ala Moana (ala moana is a big mall. there's a big restaurant area upstairs that's kind of a night scene place)
shokudo restaurant

good places to get a bite to eat (there's a bunch more than i'm listing, just do some searches and try little hole in the wall places)
rainbow drive inn
zippy's
wailana coffee house
kakaako kitchen
haile's hawaiian food

Beaches to hit
Sandy's (don't go in the water, but the eye candy is unbeatable)
Pray for Sex (if you have a 4 wheel drive)
North shore (even if it's not winter and the waves are flat, sunset, pipeline, chun's and the rest of them are great beaches in their own right)
waimea bay (it should be included in the north shore, but it's a great beach in its own right)
Kailua/Lanikai-nice local eye candy. many of the local chicks in bikini calenders are shot here
Bellows
hanauma bay-kind of overdone, and crowded with tourists, but you can see lots of fish while snorkling
waikiki/ala moana beach park-waiks is more touristy from the hilton hawaiian village to the wall (the zoo area). more local towards diamond head (san souci beach). ala moana draws a lot of local chicks who didn't happen to go to sandy's that day.
Yokohama bay is a great beach on the west side, but i'd caution against hitting up any west side beach (yokohama, makaha, nanakuli, etc) unless you feel like walking back to town, driving backwith busted windows or worse

Luaus-pick one if you must. i've heard good things about the polynesian cultural center (if you feel like forking your money over to the lds) and i've had a lot of friends who worked at germaines.

hikes:
diamond head-pretty easy hike up the crater walls. nice views at the tip
st louis heights drive-nice hike up above manoa and palolo valleys. not too difficult
aiea loop trail-another easyish hike. good mudsliding if it's been raining (you find a muddy hill and slide down it on your butt-way more fun than it sounds like in print)

anything else? ask away.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]


Thanks for this info, I'm only there for 5 days, so which of these are the must-do/see?

My gf hates heights and I'm not a huge fan of them either, so I don't really want to go on any crazy hikes, regardless of the view.

[/ QUOTE ]

Def go to all the beaches mentioned

Mauna Wili Falls is the easiest hike (1.5 miles) that ends at a small waterfall/pond with a ledge 30 ft up that everyone uses to jump into the pond. Bring water / mosquito repellant.. Google for directions

Def walk the waikiki strip early evening (incredibly safe area bc police station right there)

If you're into the touristy stuff:
Jermaines Luau
Polynesian Cultural Center

If you're into History / Culture:
Bishop Museum
Pearl Harbor Memorial

Oh! You gotta go to the Flea Market located at Aloha Stadium
(Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm.) Wear sunscreen and bring $.

If you like clubbing at all, at go to Zanzabar .. I think Wed nights at Dave and Busters are packed. (Decently packed weekends). Brew Moon is packed on Friday nights.

Check out Ala Moana at least once if you like shopping

As for Dining, I REALLY like "Todai" in Waikiki (all you can eat seafood/Japanese) .. Also make sure to go to the local places like L&L and zippys

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

you went to the same high school as jared's wife?

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Great trip report! Nice pics

I spent 5 days with my girlfriend on Waikiki staying at the Halekulani resort ( http://www.halekulani.com/ ). I had never been to Hawaii before and we had a blast. The resort was very nice and I highly recommend it. I didn't really know what to expect from Hawaii, and I was kind of imagining it would be like Florida but an island? Well I was pretty far off, it's got much more of an Asian/tropical feeling than an American one.

The resort was right on the beach so we got to do plenty of swimming and catching some sun. I seemed to get sunburned a lot faster than I usually do in California, so bring lots of sunscreen if you're fair skinned. We had private surfing lessons on Waikiki beach (I can't remember the shop, but it was named after someone I think it started with an H?). We also went para sailing and jet skiing. Para sailing was ok, not that special imo, but jet skiing was awesome. Those things are a lot tougher to drive in the ocean than I expected and they get going quickkkk.

The food was OK, room service was nothing too special but we went to a nice restaurant or two. I had a great steak at Alan Wong's and trying out a bunch of Hawaiian beers was fun. I'd also recommend the restaurants at the Halekulani.

I've got some pics on another comp that I'll upload when I get back from NYC.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I can't remember the shop, but it was named after someone I think it started with an H?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hans Hedemann? supposedly a good surf school, but the guys an ass

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I'm currently in Maui, I'm surprised you didn't mention Mount Haleakala. If you didn't go you missed one heck of a sight. Most tourist wake up at 3am to go watch the sunrise. Sleep and catch the sunset which is totally amazing. Dress warm. And I guess its too late but snorkeling at Molokini is a waste of money and time. You can snorkel offshore in the reserves which has more fish, turtles etc. than does Molokini. And if you are here during football season, Monday Night Football cruises for $10 and bring your fishing poles.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

M2d,

I guess Reef is taking a posting break for a while. I'm not really one to reveal private info but he posted a while ago in some photo thread that he went to the same high school as my wife.

Deeznuts,

As I posted above, I think a fantastic day would be to rent a car and drive from Waikiki to Haleiwa. Eat at the Haleiwa Cafe, which has fantastic breakfast and coffee. I think they close early at 2 or something so it's breakfast only. You can then easily hit up a number of must-see places mentioned above by Reef and M2d - the north shore beaches (Waimea Bay, Pipeline, Sunset, etc.). I would also recommend going to 3 Tables and Shark's Cove for snorkeling. Hanauma Bay by comparison is famous and extremely tame - the fish aren't scared of you at all and will go right up to you. The snorkeling at Three Tables and Shark's Cove is not as extreme but much more like a natural situation where you are seeing "wild" fish, if that makes sense.

I'm assuming you're going in the summer here. I don't think it's been mentioned but in the summer the beaches that are world famous for big wave surfing have no waves whatsoever. It's very flat which is good for you if you just want to swim or snorkel. In the winter the big waves and surfing are amazing to see but unless you're a surfer there is more to do in the summer.

If you keep going around there are a number of places you can go that arne't must sees but will round out the day. The drive on the windward side is very beautiful. Laie point is pretty nice, though quick. Chinaman's Hat/Kualoa is a better stop. The mountains there are amazing and you'll recognize the area if you watch Lost or remember the Jurassic Park movies. If it isn't too late you could finish with the Pali lookout which is the only must-see in this paragraph.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I can't remember the shop, but it was named after someone I think it started with an H?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hans Hedemann? supposedly a good surf school, but the guys an ass

[/ QUOTE ]

yep, that was it, the instructor was friendly/knowledgeable

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I can't remember the shop, but it was named after someone I think it started with an H?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hans Hedemann? supposedly a good surf school, but the guys an ass

[/ QUOTE ]

yep, that was it, the instructor was friendly/knowledgeable

[/ QUOTE ]

supposedly, his school is top notch, his instructors are great, and his surfing record is beyond reproach. as a person, though, he's not exactly widely known as a great guy. he tends to pull the surf star card in and out of the lineup, and it's not appreciated by the locals he's surfed with all his life.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Jared,
didn't mean to pry, but the pics gave it away a bit. i was somehow under the impression that he went to another school, i guess.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I went to Maui and Kuai two years ago and it was the best vacation I've ever had. I thought that the destination was so typical and standard "honeymoon" that it would disappoint, but I was wrong. Some things that were particularly awesome:

- The food. David Paul's was probably the best place we ate, but we were constantly surprised at how good each place was. I remember going to Roy's, but can't think of the other places we went. They were all recommended by Fodor's or whatever, so they weren't unknowns.

- The coffee. Seriously. We had breakfast at the resort every morning and the coffee truly was excellent. It may seem like a minor thing, but starting every day off with fantastic coffee is awesome.

- Attitudes - everyone (in resort and out) was very friendly and outgoing.

There were other things that were great (the random birds that are hanging out in the resort, taking a helicopter tour, swimming with sea turtles), but just the entire trip start to finish was fantastic. I was just stunned that such a highly-rated destination could actually live up to (exceed, actually) its reputation.

A couple of pics from the place in Maui:
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ril2005126.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ril2005050.jpg
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ril2005004.jpg

And a bird named Spike that hung out near the hallway of our hotel:


http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ril2005118.jpg

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

M2d,

No worries. As you say it's obvious from the pics that it's Kamehameha. Hell it's even in the filename. I also recall a brag post of his where he posted the pic and said the view was from KS.

I was only trying to point out that I would have let him answer himself except that he was voluntarily banned.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

Getting back on topic, this thread is making it very clear to me that I need to get to other islands when visiting the in-laws. I'm not a resort kind of guy but some of the pics and things to do that people have posted have been excellent.

Solid thread overall.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Thanks for this info, I'm only there for 5 days, so which of these are the must-do/see?

My gf hates heights and I'm not a huge fan of them either, so I don't really want to go on any crazy hikes, regardless of the view.

[/ QUOTE ]

Def go to all the beaches mentioned

Mauna Wili Falls is the easiest hike (1.5 miles) that ends at a small waterfall/pond with a ledge 30 ft up that everyone uses to jump into the pond. Bring water / mosquito repellant.. Google for directions

Def walk the waikiki strip early evening (incredibly safe area bc police station right there)

If you're into the touristy stuff:
Jermaines Luau
Polynesian Cultural Center

If you're into History / Culture:
Bishop Museum
Pearl Harbor Memorial

Oh! You gotta go to the Flea Market located at Aloha Stadium
(Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm.) Wear sunscreen and bring $.

If you like clubbing at all, at go to Zanzabar .. I think Wed nights at Dave and Busters are packed. (Decently packed weekends). Brew Moon is packed on Friday nights.

Check out Ala Moana at least once if you like shopping

As for Dining, I REALLY like "Todai" in Waikiki (all you can eat seafood/Japanese) .. Also make sure to go to the local places like L&L and zippys

[/ QUOTE ]

You had me until you talked about liking Todai, at which point you lost all credibility.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I've been to Maui twice and haven't been able to do this, but my surf instructor mentioned that if there are some big waves coming in that it can be fun to go watch people surf them. Especially if you've never seen 15+ ft. waves in person before, as I haven't. Something to keep in mind for a rainy day, I guess.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I visited the big island and Lana'i in march...I'm a huuge fan of the big island...it is built up enough with nice hotels and restaurants yet it is undeveloped enough to see that which makes hawaii so amazing and different from any other place.

For anyone who likes deep sea fishing, Kona is amazing. For golfers, there are several great tracks, but this is true of almost every hawaiin island. We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid which was very nice, maybe a little too big. Would have preferred something smaller and quieter. Volcano national park is on the big island tho and that is pretty crazy especially the night lava hike.

I also visited Lana'i... its a great place to sepnd 4-5 days. One man owns 99 percent of the island and there are two sick hotels on it (Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay). one is in the mtns the other on the beach...about 25 mins apart. Each has its own amazing golf course...and other than these this island is largely undeveloped, u can rent off road vehicles and just kind of tool around...

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

I've lived on Maui for the past few years. First North Shore, now in Kahana on the west side.

West side is best for a tourist vacation, imo, tho I personally like N shore and upcountry if I were to buy a place to live myself. Most restaurants in Lahaina town itself aren't as good as you'd hope for or expect. With exceptions of course, eg David Pauls. Better further out to the north..kaanapali to Kapalua. Food shopping; we generally go to safeway adn Napili market. Star market is avoided cos we kept finding we'd bought stuff there that was well past its sell by date. Napili market always has nice fresh fish.

Acommodation: All sorts of standards and prices. Depends on ur budget. I'd google something like "maui vacation rentals" and look first for short term home rentals if I was coming for a vacation. See if I could afford a detached home rental; if it was in my budget I'd def do that for the quality of accomodation you'd get.

West side restauratns I'd recommend, well a couple of my favourites: (NB: this doesnt even scratch the surface; theres gazillions of places to dine out on Maui)

Roy's at Kahana - UMTerp musta had an off day or summin; I've been many times and its always been great.

Sansei at Kapalua - best sushi on the island. We always get the shrimp dynamite and panko crusted ahi starters...mmnmnmmmm. Its mobbed for the early bird specials but thats ok.

Mala Tavern - again, dunno why terps review but this is one of our regular haunts. Great - but expensive - mojitos ($11), and the foods usually very good/well prepared (kind of eclectic Mediterannean style). One of the few places right on teh waters edge too.

Maui Brewing Co - near Roys. For red meat and beer nights. They're 4 for 5 for me with their prime rib. All excellent, except once overcooked (under teh lamp too long & slow waiter). My review of some of their beers is here.

Oher restaurants on the island I know well:

Mamas Fish House (in Paia) is about as perfect a restaurant as you can get; you better like seafood tho. Perfect setting and interior. Booking essential; try to go for sunset kinda time for the spleandor of the sea view. Nice and casual atmosphere and...expensive. Gotta be done if you're here tho.

Fish Market (Paia) - plan a fish sandwich lunch here some day. Fresh grilled fish menu; usually busy at luch with lots of locals and windsurf bums. Serves beer.

Jacques (Paia) - seafood and sushi in a tiki setting. Get teh lava pie dessert.

Paia has other good small scale/cheaper eating places - a small creperie/indian cafe (yeah, sounds a wierd combo but is good stuff); milagros is a fairly standard tex mex type joint; forgotten the name, but there's a spanish tapas type place thats good for a quick meal also. Also a flatbread pizza place opened recently - havent been masel' but heard a bunch other people like it.

If you go out to Hana you could do worse than drive a mile or two off the route and eat lunch/breakfast at Colleen's in a small town called Haiku. Dubbed a bakery, its more like a stylish diner with emphasis on high quality food & the waitresses are usually all hotties. Best coffee I've had in any cafe/restaurant on island/also best N shore breakfast. They turn the lights down and light up candles for the evening sitting, so its even a good spot for a dinner date too, if you're in that area. Doesnt stay open late tho...mebbe 8pm - not sure exactly.

Back toward the main town of Kahului, but off the beaten track is Haliimaile General Store. It's actually a top notch restaurant, just used to be a store a long time ago before morphing into what it is today. Doesnt have much in the way of views or spectacular settign - its stuck in teh middle of the cane fields; so the food has to be good. Went once, I liked it, but too many other good places with views.

Half way up to the crater of Haleakala is Kula Lodge which makes it a lunch spot with great views out over the island and parts of neighbouring islands.

Must do's for visitors:

Go up teh volcano (haleakala crater). Its just so different; like being on the moon or something. If you want to do the cycle down thing, I'd suggest going with Haleakala Bike Co ; they're based in Haiku - right next to Colleens - and rent out good mountain bikes; they run you up in a van and drop you off - you make your own way back down to the shop. The other companies generally drive you up and you have to cycle down in a big group with a leader on crappy small bikes...just a big tourist herd thing.

Drive the road to Hana - scenic/winding/rural. try and budget time to hike up to the bamboo forest and waterfall if you can or are inclined to do a couple miles of hiking.

Before you get to Haiku and after Paia is Ho'okipa, the windsurfing mecca of the world pretty much. Usually just surfers in the am, but in the afternoon the trade winds pick up and the windsurfers and kitesurfers come out to play. Take your camera along in the pm (after driving back from Hana or hitting Paia for lunch after teh volcano trip) and watch the pros and hardcore windsurfers show off on the waves. Loop the loops, jumps. tearing around at high speed; stuff like that. A little bit further on and off on the dirt tracks is the lookout over Jaws, the famous and HUGE surf break. It usually only breaks in the winter when the big swells come down from the North. Pretty amazing to watch these guys if youre lucky enough to be here when it goes off.


Snorkelling: The snorkelling isnt as good as it is on some other islands - for some reason the reefs arent as well developed. Some nice spots around tho. Just ask at any of the many dive shops for advice. (side note: On the big island, I went for some beautiful snorkelling at a place called City of Refuge).

Whale watching: from approx Sep - Apr humpback whales breed and calve in the waters off Maui. You see em all the time if you look out to sea for a few minutes. Plenty of operators run whale watching trips. You don't have to be on a whale watching boat to see whale action though. If youre into fishing as well, best thing is to charter a fishing boat and go sport fishing; you'll see teh whales and get some fishing in too. I did this with when my brother was out with his kid a few months ago. Caught mahi mahi and saw a pile of whales, as well as getting a cruise round to see the spectacular sea cliffs on the back side of Molokai...would never have got that on a whale watching boat. And just us, not a bunch of other tourists. More expensive of course.

Re: Hawai\'i Travel Thread
 

PS: In the summer, just north of Lahaina about half or more of the saturdays, there are hawaiian outrigger canoe races at a beach just past teh Post Office. Free to go watch - just gotta find somewhere to park.

This kinda thing... http://mamalahoekanawai.com/WaikikiReg06JrMenWave.gif

http://mamalahoekanawai.com/WaiRegatta06Girls16s2.gif