gaby

My husband and I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on Maui, the week of June 17th - I'm looking for 'must dos' and also advice on whether to book daytrip to Oahu and other tours ahead of time or wait until we get there...suggestions anyone?

sktraveler

Do a search-there is a lot of info on Maui in previous posts!

My "Must Do"s:
Snorkeling at Molokini (little crescent shaped island off of Maui)
Road to Hana (make a whole day of it--stop often to enjoy the view, picnic lunch somewhere along the way)
Luau--We saw the Feast of Lele, which was great!
Shopping in Lahaina--It's cheesy, touristy, and wonderful!
Most of all--enjoy the beautiful beaches and ocean. Your possibilities are endless!

Happy Anniversary!

J Bass

Hi-you don't say where you are staying but if not on Kaanapali - check it out -the original beach strip. If you are staying there -- check out the Grand Wailea - great hotel with a new shopping center next door, if you are into that. Other towns that have cute shops (not touristy, cheesy) are Makawao and Paia; Lahaina is one big t-shirt shop -- the worldest's largest Banyan tree is worth seeing though and everyone must eat at Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Personally, I would skip the trip to Hana -- it's a long drive for not much at the destination. However, if you do go, complete the journey around the island and stop at a fun vineyard -- however I caution you against the pineapple wine. Oahu can't be done in a day unless you must see Pearl Harbor -- I would go to Waikiki and have a drink on the Royal Hawaiian patio - it's a fabulous (pink) place.
Anyway, for what it's worth ....

Duane

Gaby,

I can't imagine going to Maui and NOT taking the road to Hana. Granted, there's not that much in Hana, but the trip there is something to behold. Imagine waterfalls on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. You can stop at the seven sacred pools, which is simply a waterfall into a pool, into a waterfall, into a pool, you get the idea, seven times, until you finally reach the Pacific Ocean. It's great!

I would also take a drive up to Haleakala volcano. Great perspective of Maui. Snorkeling is wonderful around Molokini, however, if you stay on Kaanapali Beach you can snorkel right there and it is wonderful.

Go to Paia to see or to be a surfer. There is so much to do on Maui.

JC

My favorite was the biking down the mountain (try Aloha Bike Co.) The road to Hana is okay, but go very early! It can be one long stream of cars and impossible to park at some of the scenic stops.

De Anna

Gaby,

Duane and JC touched on this idea, but not completely, so I must mention that one of my favorite memories of maui was watching the sun rise from ABOVE the clounds on the top of Mt. Haleakala. It was absolutely breathtaking. We got up very very early to do it. The tour we booked with picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the top of the Mt. and then after the sunrise we biked down the mountain.

It was neat to see how the scenery changes from the top to the bottom -- top is cooler with little vegetation, and as you go down through the clouds, the vegetation becomes more lush and green.

Great experience IMHO.

sktraveler

I'm jealous of the responders who had a great experience on top of Mt. Haleakala...we got up at 2:30 a.m., drove for 2.5 hours to the top, only to find when we got up there that it was raining, cloudy, and freezing. The only thing close to a sunrise that we saw was the clouds getting slightly lighter. It was a major disappointment to say the least. (Although it's one of our funniest honeymoon memories!) The moral of the story: call the weather hotline (your hotel concierge can provide it for you) before you go. We didn't know you could do this and wish we would have! One more tip--go your first or second morning in Maui--your body will still be adjusting to the time difference and it will be easier to get up so early!

Lani

Gaby, I presume you're flying directly into Maui (not going to Honolulu, and then picking up an interisland flight as we always do) so that's why you'd need a daytrip to Oahu. Have you thought of flying into Honolulu, staying overnight there, seeing Pearl Harbor (I'm assuming that's your top priority there? and Waikiki Beach, then going on to Maui? Or doing that in reverse, spending a night in Waikiki as you leave the islands?) My fave things on Maui are the early morning trip to Haleakala, seeing the Iao Valley Needle, driving through the Upcountry ranch area and visiting the Winery - and having lunch there at Hailemaile General Store. Road to Hana - well, I get VERY carsick, also fell down an embankment at an overlook halfway to Hana and broke my ankle, causing me to have to cut my vacation short by about 10 days to fly back to Raleigh. So I'm the wrong person to ask about Hana - LOL! Be sure to eat at A Pacific Cafe in Kihei, and I hope you're staying in the Wailea area, though the whole place is fabulous, and you can't go wrong anywhere! Aloha, Lani

topper

to the top

Jean

Hi. As for the Road to Hana- It's all about the trip, not the final destination. Although Hana is a quaint little town. Start early,pack a lunc if you can, take the whole day and stop often to walk back to some of the falls and take a dip! I have family there so they knew where to go. It was the best day of our trip.

Rick

If you take the road to Hana, stop and pick up a cassette tape tour before you leave. There is a little booth by the Shell station at the intersection of Hwy 380 and 36. If you get it there, you get a bunch of free goodies at the Shell mart. A great place to pick up a picnic lunch is at "picnics" in Paia.