Love2Sail

My boyfriend and I are traveling to Maui and Kona next February and neither of us have ever been. We love activities on the water but also want to relax, have some fun and enjoy nightlife. We are staying in Lahaina for 5 days and would love reccomendations for both day and night activities (sailing, surfing, eating)- insiders tips are what we love and things off the beaten path, (we are not the "tour" type of people).
After Maui we are staying in Kona for 5 days and would love some reccomendations for things to do there as well....
Thanks so much everyone!!

volcanogirl

On Maui, we drove the road to Hana, took a Trilogy tour to go snorkel at Molokini, went to the Old Lahaina Luau, drove up to Haleakala to see the sunrise, and also went whale watching. We loved all of it - not sure if it would be too touristy for you though.

On BI, we went to Akaka Falls, hiked out to see the lava flow at night at the Volcano National Park, snorkeled at Kealakekua Bay, and drove to the Waipio Valley lookout. We drove all over the island, and it was great to see the diversity that it has to offer. Are you only interested in the Kona area or do you think you'll go exploring? No matter what you do, you will have a wonderful time.

Dorothy01

You will be in Maui during the peak of humpback whale season. Take a whale watch trip with Ultimate Whale Watch. Their boat is a 28 foot zodiac that will allow you to really enjoy your time with the whales. A maximum of 16 passengers are allowed so you will have a great view of the whales - especially if they decide to swim up to and under the boat. The captain and the crew are the best!

Love2Sail

These are great ideas, thank you. My best friend is getting married in Kona so I think we will probably be sticking to that area most of the time.

In Maui we have no set plans so we are wide open.

If anyone has any other great tips or ideas I would really appreciate it!

Thanks again everyone!

April

I have yet to post my trip report. Granted we only spent one day in Kona so I may not be qualified to comment, and we did find the Place of Refuge (Pu'uhonua o Honaunau) very interesting, but if I had to go back to Kona, I'd spend most of my time over in beautiful Hilo. We have friends who spent three weeks in Kona and they seemed to like it. I couldn't wait to leave. I guess scrubby, lava covered terrain and lots of traffic just isn't my idea of tropical paradise. By the way, the rental car in Kona was more expensive and not as nice as the one we rented in Hilo.

In Lahaina we liked the breakfasts at Longhi's. I enjoyed a morning walk from there along Baby Beach to the giant Buddha statue. Maybe it would be different in February but in April the beach was virtually deserted.

pk_girl

I have a question that comes from April's comment on taxi's in Kona. My fiance and I are spending our honeymoon in Kona in 3 weeks...we are renting a convertable, but figured we may want a taxi to and from a Luau we are planning to attend...is there a certain taxi service in Kona that is better than another?!

MinnieNo1

Maui in February. You're likely to get lots of ideas. We enjoy whale watching and while you can see whales from the shores, but there's nothing like getting up close and personal. We enjoy Pacific Whale Foundation. Their profits go to help save the whales. We also enjoy Warren and Annabelle's magic show in Lahaina. It's a bit hokey, but the magic is great and you'll come out entertained. Be sure to go to the evening show. If you don't want to take a tour to snorkel, you can always just rent gear and go from the shore. Also not a bad choice if you have tendencies to get seasick. The road to Hana is nice, but if I was there for only 5 days, I don't think I would go. It's an entire day. I've done the Haleakala downhill bike thing. It was foggy, then rainy, then hot and sunny. Crazy and worth lots of memories, but too foggy to see the sunrise (always a possibility). We tried 2 other times and did see it once, but it was really, really cold so dress for the ocnditions if you go. We're going back on February 08 and plan to go up during the day and stay for the sunset instead of the sunrise. I think most people miss the beauty of the area if they go up early because all they can think about is going back down.
You'll love Maui in February. Not as many flowers as other times, but lots of whales.
Have a great trip.

cillaandsadie

Lots of things to do on the Big Island. Take the SeaParadise.com catamaran to Kealakekua Bay. It's a fantastic snorkel trip and not crowded like other snorkel excursions. Take an all day bus circle island tour. You get a good overview of the island. Place of Refuge is beautiful. For dinning Don the Beachcombers in the Royal Kona Resort. Excellent food and great location on the water. The Kona Brew Pub has delicious pizza's, salads, sandwhiches and they make their own beer. Have fun!

Traveler28

Take the Trilogy catamaran trip to Lanai. I've been on countless whale watch excursions before, but never saw so many whales as while making this journey. Also had spinner dolphins following us. And the folks at Trilogy on wonderful.

Miss_Maple

In Kona -- try the night Manta Ray snokel/dive trip. It's a fascinating experience and is a good night time activity. We snokeled and it was really amazing -- those creatures are so very graceful and huge!