Maui recommendations
 

The wife and I are planning our first trip to Maui.
Looking for accommodations, minimum 4 star.
Also, any activities of sights we just can't miss?
Please share your experiences, thanks.

paddle boarding is always fun

Do you snorkel? There are a lot of great places to do that right off the beach to see fish/turtles.
Otherwise, the crater I enjoyed, take the whole day, do some googleing. lol
On the way to Paia,I think I sp that right) North shore, see surfboarding. That town is also an eclectic shopping place. (Window for me lol) Not so for the wife.
Coconuts restaurant in Kihei great for fish tacos.

This is our fav spot, by far.
http://www.manakaimaui.com/
Been to many of the other islands, and other parts of Maui, but haven't found a better spot than this. Great beach, and great snorkeling right there, don't have to go anywhere else. We were there last this past Nov (about our 5th time at this location). Here is a little vid using a new action cam strapped to my head. Perfect beach, just enough surf for boogie boarding, but not too big to be dangerous. You can get the boogie boards at the hotel (free, just have to be nice how you ask).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vDfQQIGFQI
And this is what the snorkeling was like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVtKUXjdW4I
Lots of turtles there.

Best price is before US Thanksgiving in Nov. After that it basically doubles, and the bigger 1 and 2 bedroom condo units with kitchens are sold out until later in Mar and Apr. Not sure when the price drops again, but probably later in the spring. Expedia will guarantee best price, so that is what we always use.

You simply have to drive the road to hanna. Best thing I did there.

Also go snorkeling at Molokai. It was awesome.

I can't help you 4+ star accommodations, but I've been to Maui a few times now. As said before the road to Hana is totally worth it, plan on a long day. Stop at the kaenae arboretum (on your right heading east). Nice walk, great photo ops (eg nice group of rainbow eucalyptus). Take the next left down to the kaenae peninsula. Terrific bay, with frequent crashy wave. Not for snorkelling but really amazing to see/take pictures. Lots of tide pools with gobies, eels, etc.. There have been multiple times where we take the road just to the peninsula rather than heading all the way to Hana.

The road up Haleakala is another day trip. Take it slow, stop at the many scenic overlooks. There are a number of short hikes (and a few really long ones) take as many as you have the energy for. Careful with altitude, it's close to 10k ft at the top.

There are a few beaches with both snorkelling options as well as flush toilets (outhouse/porta-potty not acceptable to the rest of the family). Kaanapali is nice, if you put in by the Sheraton and swim south there are some nice corals. We've had a number of good days, I think one of the highlights was a school of eagle rays. Watch the current, it's fairly strong.Ulua beach is small, but nice. There is a rock point to the right that can be ok snorkelling. The beach by the makena golf and country club is another great snorkel spot. Lots of turtles, large coral formations.

One excursion worth mentioning was a snorkelling trip around the island of lanai. We went with an outfit called Ocean Riders. You go on a zodiac, see some shipwrecks, and they put in at a few places with shockingly good snorkelling. The highlight was a rock point that must have had 80+ ft visibility, large numbers and variety of fish, etc..

Oh! You're going in whale season, so of course whale watching trips.

Have fun!

- Ian

My wife and I rented scooters for half a day and drove the south coastline from Waikiki to Kailua. Absolutely beautiful !!!!! Also stopped in at hanauma bay national reserve and went snorkelling there.


We also went to the punch bowl.... Bring water!!

Hawaii is at the top of my list of places I've been by far.

Kapalua villas is a great place, if you snorkel and golf = jackpot


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We just got back from Maui. Sorry, stayed in a timeshare. Can't help you with accommodations.

For the Road to Hanna, Drive straight to the 7 Sacred Pools (it's a little ways past Hanna), then make all your stops on the way back. This way you drive past all the tourists in the morning and the 7 Sacred Pools is not busy. This is also where you hike in the Bamboo forest. Then when you're making your stops on the way back it won't be very busy as all the tourists are at the 7 Sacred Pools.

You can download a very informative "Guided Tour App." Search for Gypsyguide Maui-RH.


If you're going to Haleakala, wake up early and go for the sunrise. It's something you can't describe, pictures don't do it justice. Imagine watching a Sunrise above the clouds with a mountain/volcano/crater as the backdrop.
Make sure you're there at least an hour before sunrise to beat the crowd and get a good spot. Don't stare at the sunrise either as you can burn your retina's, plus you'll miss out as there's lots to see all around you while the sun comes up.

Sorry for the hijack, but have you ever done Kona? We are thinking about this for 2015-2016. The night manta ray dive looks amazing! And there is also lots of good hiking on the Big Island.

I did the big island, it really is big (especially when compared to Maui). Kona is great, lots of really good snorkelling, esp just south. There is a spot next to a state park (name escapes me at the moment) where we got to see those stereotypical scenes of a turtle diving with a cloud of yellow tangs surrounding it. We thought about the manta ray dive, but it goes quite late, plus we were chicken! :) Upcountry there are coffee plantations, nice hikes, etc.. It's quite a drive to volcano national park (2 hours?) so plan on either a long day or book an overnight. If there is a active eruption it's totally worth any effort to see it. Last we were there there was an eruption right on the coast. Once it starts to get dark what looked like just a huge steam plume with some rock/distant the bottom is clearly glowing red lava.

It's just really hard to go wrong wherever in Hawaii you go.

Go get "Maui Revealed" - hands down the best guide books.
http://www.hawaiirevealed.com/guidebooks-apps/

The Old Lahaina Luau. Don't miss it.
Mama's fish house. Make your reservation now for this one.

I was in Maui last February. One of my favorite places. Lots of people have already hit on a bunch of the stuff, but:

- I did a complete drive around the island. Totally worth it. Roads in some parts are super sketchy. I think this is the road to Hanna?
- Paia is great. It's like a warm Tofino.
- Snorkeling Molokai was awesome.
- Meh on Haleakala. It was mostly cold and a lot of driving for not a lot of pay off.
- http://www.leodas.com/ -- go there. We did. Multiple times.

I can't really suggest any accommodations. We rented a house just behind Kapalua.

Once you're in Maui, go to ABC store and get the book Maui Revealed especially if you're going to Hanna.

Hale Pau Hana ... one of the few condos directly on the beach (a lot of them are on the other side of the coast road so you have to pack/lug stuff to get to the beach) stop at Costco just beside the airport and stock up with everything you need for your stay on Maui

http://www.hphresort.com/

every unit faces the ocean ... we have been to Maui twice and stayed at HPH both times ... always a amazing vacation

right at the end of Kamaole Beach Park II ... with a reef within yards for snorkeling ... bring lettuce and you will be surrounded with Tangs :lol:

PS ... check out the webcam of the beach from the website

My wife and I go to Maui every January and stay at menehuni shores. Just south are the 3 kam beaches and they have GREAT snorkelling!!!!!!

It's free and fantastic. Way south down by the old dump is another great snorkel site!!!!

There are a few more I have been researching for next year.

We have been to the Bahamas, belese, ect and Maui has some fantastic snorkelling...