Cerlaurie

My husband and I are going to Hawaii for the first time next week. We put together a very rough itinerary. We would also like some down time at our resorts if possible. Any comments/recommendations are appreciated.

Day 1 - We arrive on the Big Island around 5 pm. We are staying at the Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Coast.
Day 2 - Visit Volcano National park.
Day 3 - Snorkeling - we are planning to do the Captain Zodiac raft tour (has anyone did this? comments?)
Day 4 - open
Day 5 - also open - we were thinking about Parker Ranch or something else one of these days.
Day 6 - Fly to Maui. We are staying at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. We arrive at 3:00 so will probably check in and spend the rest of the day at our resort.
Day 7 - Road to Hana - Ekahi tour (any comments?)
Day 8 - Drive up to West Maui and visit the different towns, like Lahaina, Kaanapali and Kapalua.
Day 9 - Sunrise at Haleakala (should we do tour or drive up ourselves, Ekahi tour?)
Day 10 - Snorkeling at Molokini - thinking about Triology Excursions (any comments?)
Day 11 - Depart for Chicago late afternoon.

We have some restaurant suggestions but the only meals we have planned are Brown's Beach House at the Orchid and Nick's Fish Market at the Kea Lani. Hopefully, we'll find some other good restaurants that aren't quite as expensive.

Thanks for any input.

kimr

First off, buy the Big Island Revealed and Maui Revealed books. We refer to the series as the blue bible!

Also for the big island, check out Konaweb.com for locals recommendations on dining and sightseeing. There is a visiting forum as well.

For snorkeling, the Fairwinds into Kealakekua Bay is most excellent! The one time I did a zodiac I got pretty beaten up by the ride.

Road to Hana - what about doing it yourself? We did it last year and went all the way around the back side. It is a very long day though.

As for Molokini snorkeling, we took the Four Winds tour last summer and it was ok. Molokini pales in comparison to Kealakekua bay though. You might want to check out some of the kayak trips out of Makena that go to Fishbowl etc. I've not done it though.

For restaurants, see my recent post to someone's request for Kihei/Wailea restaurants.

Kimr

here_today_gone2Maui

The Ahihi-Kina`u Natural Area Reserve is closed to commercial activities, so there are no longer any kayak tours to "fishbowl."

sunbum1944

A friend of mine just got back from Hawaii and they rented their own kayaks
and kayaked in Kealekekua Bay - saw lots
of dolphins - said it was great -

Cerlaurie

Thanks, Kimr

Here_today, no advice for me? I have already got a lot of useful information on your other posts about Maui.

krk6

make dinner reservations at Nick's fishmarket now if you know what night you want to eat there...they book up a few days in advance. Kea Lani is a beautiful resort!

TravelDiva

Sorry I haven't posted my trip report yet (still working on it...11 pages and counting), but it's LOADED with restaurant reviews during our trip there last week. We also stayed at the Kea Lani (loved it - make sure you request a renovated room), and I have to say Nick's was one of my least favorite places to dine. For the money, there's better food to be found in Maui (you should not leave the island without going to Mama's Fish House). My other two favorites for dinner would have to be David Paul's Lahaina Grill (which you could hit on the day you're up in West Maui) and Capische, which is at the Diamond Resort, not even two minutes from the Kea Lani across the street and up the hill.

The best thing about Nick's is the setting and service. I wished I would've eaten at Roy's in Kihei that night instead.

Cerlaurie

Thanks, TravelDiva. Looking forward to your trip report (hopefully, you'll post in the next 6 days!) We have made reservations at Nick's for our last night. I had also considered Mama's Fish House but was wondering if it was too far away. We probably will also try Roy's. There is one here in Chicago but we have never eaten there but I always hear good things about it. Well, there is a Nick's here, too, but I hear it is totally different. Maybe it is the setting.

Kaymit

Be very sure to reserve Nick's for dinner several days in advance to get a great tabel for the sunset and torch lighting. I ahd dinner there with my hsuband for my 50th birthday and we tought it was the best meal we had ever had anywhere hands down. Wonderful service, food and atmosphere. Ask for Mr. Collins to be your head waiter if possible as he is just great.

Unlike the poster above Nick's was our favorite restaurant in Maui. We even had our pictures made with Mr. Collins we liked him so much.

We also had dinner at the Beach house and it was our favorite restaurant on Kauai. We stayed at the Hyatt as well and loved it.

I am working on a trip report and pictures that I hope to have up on my web site by this weekend.

here_today_gone2Maui

Cerlaurie--you want some advice? Bring sunscreen and leave yourself time to do nothing! Sorry, I know nothing about the Ekahi tours, and the rest of your Maui intinerary looks good to me

Shhh--TravelDiva--we need to keep Capische our secret. hehe

I feel the same about Nick's, but since many people make that maybe their only "big" dinner, they have nothing to compare it to. I'd much rather eat at the Sea Watch, for my money. But if you feel you must dine at one of the ocean front Wailea restaurant, I do think Nick's is way better than Sarrento's.

Cerlaurie

Thanks, Here_Today. I can't wait...it is snowing here right now!

Kay, we've been talking over the email...in fact, I shared your pictures with my husband and he asked "why does Mark get a convertible and Joe gets a Hyundai". I reserved a compact car.

jgg

I would suggest you do the Hana drive as well as the Haleakala drive on your own (as long as you are not doing the bike ride.) Allows you to go at your own pace. Stop in Makawao on your way down from Haleakala a quaint town in Maui's upcountry.

We did the Molokini snorkeling excursion with Trilogy and were very pleased. The guides, food, equipment were all excellent!

Upon your return I will be very interested in hearing your review of the Fairmont Orchid in comparison with the Fairmont Kea Lani. We have been to the Kea Lani 4 times and absolutely love it!! But have been thinking next time of going to the BI and trying the Fairmont Orchid, so would like to know how it compares. We travel with our kids who love to boogie board and spend time in the ocean right off the beach at the Kea Lani, so would like to know if the beach at the Orchid is good for that as well.

Other restaurants to recommend:
Sansei - inexpensive great Sushi
Roy's, Joe's Bar and Grill, and Caffe Caio at the Kea Lani is quite good if you are just tired and don't want to leave the resort. We also love the key lime pie at Tommy Bahamas.

Enjoy!

TravelDiva

I should be finishing up on the report with pics and posting sometime tonight after I get home from work. (You'll be getting a preview of the food since I include pics of many of the dishes we had.)

To the above poster's point, dining is incredibly subjective. My brother and his new wife (we were there for a wedding) ate separately from us on the same night at Nick's and they loved it. In fact, we ordered one of the same exact appetizers as well as one of the same exact entrees that they did, which my boyfriend and I didn't like but they raved about.

So while it's obviously a matter of personal taste, I do think some people can have more complex palettes and a different set of standards for judging food than others. I knew what I was getting us into in deciding to dine there as other folks on the board (some how are locals) have commented that the food is overrated at Nick's, but I wanted to give it a try since we were staying at the Kea Lani. Bottom line: you'll probably have a nice time there.

For GREAT food - Lahaina Grill (well-executed creative cuisine), Capische (just awesome), Mama's Fish House (the freshest, most tender and succulent fish), and Sansei (phenomenal Japanese and sushi). We didn't go to Roy's since we have one in Chicago (one of my favorite restaurants), but I've heard the ones down there are even better. If you haven't been to the one here yet, I would make a point of going to the Roy's in Kihei while you're down there.

Much more detail to come in my trip report.

TravelDiva

Here 2day...thank you, thank you for the great advice. I owe a few of our great meals to your suggestions! I gush all about Capische in my trip report that I'll be posting soon...but other than that, it's our little secret.

Cerlaurie

Does the Fair Winds cruise have a lot of people? I have seen a couple of other people suggest it and am considering it instead of Captain Zodiac.

I was planning to book our excursions tomorrow since we leave on Wednesday. Do you think that is necessary?

Any last minute advice?

Thanks.

TravelDiva

Cerlaurie - I don't know if you saw it yet, but I did post my trip report. Here's a link to it for you:
http://traveldiva.marsik.org/mauiday1.htm

If you do drive up West Maui, you should do the drive all the way around. A lot of the best stuff to see and do is up past Kapalua.

Have a good trip.

hoodwinks1

Not sure what kind of time committment you have for that open day. We bought the blue book and there was a hike to the back of Waipo Valley listed in their hike section. It was fantastic. Perhaps the highlight of the trip (outside of seeing lava). You can easily do that hike in the morning and then get back to the resort for the afternoon to relax in the water to unwind.

Also, if doing volcano and don't plan on hiking out to the lava, atleast do chain of craters road either early or late so you can see the lava on the hillside instead of just smoke and steam.

We drove up haleakala ourselves for sunrise and it wasn't a bad drive at all. I'd also echo driving up yourself. Everyone seemed to be clustered around the visitor center at the top which got a bit noisy as the sun came up. Take a flashlight and wander off a bit on your own and find a nice quiet place. Makes it much more enjoyable if you can enjoy it in peace and quiet.