TravelDiva

clear: Since I had my itinerary pretty much locked, I did make reservations in advance a couple weeks. It was probably wasn't necessary for all of the places, but it was nice knowing what we were doing and a lot of the good places do fill up at peak times.

Here are my Maui dining must-dos:
- Mama's Fish House (stuffed mahi & mai tais...lunch is a cheaper way to do it)
- David Paul's Lahaina Grill (can't go wrong here...don't forget the triple berry pie even if you're a chocolate person)
- Capische (osso bucco and if they have the ahi special I described...that's a must)
- Sansei (the chef's tasting menu is a steal...come hungry)
- Seawatch (go for an outside table at brunch...the views are not to be beat)
- Pa'ia Fishmarket (juicy ono burgers)
- Maui Onion (best onion rings on the planet...order a side a ranch dressing to go with them)

Also an absolute must to try while on the island are mac nut pancakes with coconut syrup and portuguese sausage. We had the pancakes at Charley's on the way to Pa'ia, which was very good, but depending on where you're staying and your plans, there are other places you can go to get your fix, including Gazebo up by Napili (great views but small restaurant, prepare for a wait) and Kula Lodge on the way to Haleakala crater.

If you go to the Resources page on my website, there are links to almost all the places I mention so you can check out their menus and need contact info to make reservations.

Hope that helps...have a great time there. Dustin and I enjoyed eating and imbibing our way around Maui!

marshall531

You are unbelievable. I have been on these sites now for all of my trips and I have never ever met anyone who makes someone want to visit a place more than you. My wife and I are leaving on Friday for 14 days. Three on Oahu, 6 in Kauai and 5 in Maui. After reading your report I am beginning to think I should be spending more time in Maui but my wife really wanted to see Pearl Harbor.I Can't wait to go especially after waking up to a foot of snow here in Putnam county new york. Once again thankyou for that wonderful report and I will let you know about our trip when I return. Take care

bonniebroad

Marshall, just butting in to say there is so much that is wonderful on Oahu, also. Your itinerary sounds great! Have a wonderful time! I agree with you........ TravelDiva's travel writing is the best I've ever read here!

TravelDiva

You guys are all too kind. It's so gratifying to know people are actually getting something out of it and your feedback encourages me to do this again on future trips.

marshall531: Though I haven't been to Oahu (yet), I agree with bonniebroad...you will have a great time visiting all three of those islands. Plus, Kauai is supposed to be amazing and seems to be a lot of people's favorite amongst the islands. Have fun and don't forget to fill us Fodorites in on all the gory details.

-Mahalo, TravelDiva

bashfulLV

TravelDiva - I forgot to mention it in the other post, but you were wondering about getting Portugese sausage on the mainland; I don't know about Chicago, but if you have Long's Drug Store, they carry Hawaiian food - at least they do here in Las Vegas and in California. That's where I get my "local food" fix like Portugese sausage. They also have other things, like the Hawaiian juice drinks, frozen kalua pork, Zippy's chili, and other goodies. If you don't have a Long's Drugs - check for Asian markets - especially Filipino - many times they will carry it too. It is oh, so yummy for a nice breakfast with rice & eggs or in an omelette to remind us of paradise....

CajunStorm

TravelDiva - you are such a fun trip reporter! I envision you as being a bubbly person to be around by the way you write - totally enjoyable. Just like everyone else I loved your report and photos (especially the food ones). I too enjoyed David Paul's Lahaina Grill. I am waiting to make another Maui trip so I can try out some of the restaurants you visited (like Sansei).

Tell me what you thought overall about the Fairmont Kea Lani. You had mentioned that it was crowded - did you notice it (crowded beach/slow services)? Was it worth the money?

Also tell me about Hotel Hana Maui - was there air conditioning?

Sorry to add to the questions but your report brings up so many thought/q's of Maui.

TravelDiva

bashfulLV: I don't think we have any Long's in the Midwest, but I'll have to doublecheck to make sure. We're planning to move to Cali anyway hopefully soon, so I appreciate the tip. Also, I thought the sausage tasted familiar (I'm Filipino)! I'll have to check that out too.

CajunStorm: We really liked the Kea Lani a lot, and would recommend it. I do think that it's the best value for the money of the luxury resorts in Wailea: the spacious suites, the pools and grounds, beach, amenities, etc. And the service was very good. I'll qualify that by saying that I didn't find the front desk staff to be overwhelmingly friendly (they were pretty aloof), but everyone else throughout the hotel was very gracious, esp. the valet staff. (Concierge was very helpful too.)

Crowded is probably too harsh a term to use to describe the common areas. We were always able to find lounge chairs, but during peak times depending on which pool you're at, you might have to walk around a few minutes before you find a spot. They have a decent stretch of beach, so shouldn't be a problem. If I mentioned that it felt crowded at times, I might've meant that in comparison to the Hotel Hana-Maui, where the atmosphere is one of peace and seclusion. That said, I would go out of my way to find the best deal you can in staying there. They're peak season rack rates can be high depending on whether you're used to the luxury resort rates, though they're generally still a lot lower than they're neighbors up the block (4S and GW). I've seen people on the boards here get incredible deals during off season with upgrades to deluxe ocean view suites, making me never want to travel at peak times if I can help it. Also, be sure to request a renovated room.

There's no A/C in the Sea Ranch cottages, but during the time we went, you really didn't need it at all. We slept with our huge sliding doors to our deck open and it was great being able to fall asleep with the breeze and the sound of the ocean. So it probably depends on when you're going and you're tolerance for heat. I would go back to the Hotel Hana in a heartbeat, but then again, I probably wouldn't be heading to Hawaii in the middle of the summer.

Hope that helps...let me know of any other questions.

sk84fungirl

TravelDiva,

you have defintely set the bar high. Just letting everyone know in advance...my trip report will be nothing like that...LOL

I head out in 6 weeks for five nights on Maui and can't wait. Still trying to decide whether I want to spend the one night in Hana in the middle of my trip. Problem is, I'm going no matter what. Person that WANTS to join me does not have her plane ticket yet. That may be a problem.

Either way, I can't wait and will post a trip report.

Thank you so much, it was TRULY an awesome report!

cmcfong

Mahalo, TravelDiva. What a wonderful report. Now the only problem I have is waiting two more months for my trip to Maui.
Aloha

OldSouthernBelle

Is there a site that TEACHES minimal to moderately computer savy travelers to post so beautifully? I'd like to learn! Belle

TravelDiva

Ooh, I'm very psyched for you Fodorites heading to Maui soon. I had a daily countdown going in my head leading up to my trip and now I miss having it to look forward to!

sk84fungirl: Tell your girlfriend to go on to priceline and bid for a ticket asap...prices are only going to get worse as you get closer to your departure date. (Perhaps email her the link to my site to light a fire under her?) Re one night in Hana, I definitely think you should experience that side of the island during your trip, but for a 5-night getaway, that's a lot of check-in/check-out hassle if you do it in the middle of your trip. You might want to consider doing it at the end of your trip. Whatever you decide, it will be phenom. Look forward to hearing how it went.

Belle: To be honest, I wish I had more time to spend on developing a real website...I really slapped this one together fast using a template. The best thing to do is to just start playing around on Microsoft FrontPage; it's pretty easy to use and has good help features that explain how to do things.

Muchos Mahalos

MinnieNo1

It's always nice to read Maui trip reports, but this is by far one of the best. You should consider writing for a travel and/or food magazine. You really seemed to capture the essence of the food and presentation. We leave for Maui in 350 days so we're starting the official countdown. We're including Kauai on this next trip and would welcome any lodging recommendations for Feb. time period.

iamjesica

What a great trip report!!!! I bookmarked your webpage for future reference for my honeymoon in August...not to mention that I'm starving now from all the great food discriptions and pictures!! Can't wait to get to Maui...5 months, 2 days and counting!!

TravelDiva

MinnieNo1: Thank you...now if I could only get the Fodors people to recognize and hire me! Seriously, though I'm going to try my hand at using some the material from my travelogue into a short piece and pitch it. Wish me luck and have a great time planning your trip. Let us know of any discoveries.

Iamjesica: You too...have fun and don't forget to report back with food pics too! (I also get hungry just looking at those.)

sherrie

TravelDiva: Great trip report. My husband and I stayed at the Kea Lani several years ago and loved it. Having grown up eating all sorts of Portuguese food, I loved the sausage as well and when we returned home (VA), I searched google to see how it could be ordered. I've ordered from several vendors, but we like the sausage from www.maui-info.com the best. My son who is 12 and a picky eater, would eat it every day! Thanks for the trip report. I agree, it was great.

CajunStorm

TravelDiva - I have yet another question for you...what is the REAL dress code for Nick's Fishmarket? Do men all really wear slacks or dress shorts and dress shoes? I ask about the shoes because my DH likes to pack only 2 shoes to go to Hawaii - Tevas and sneakers.

TravelDiva

sherrie: I just checked out the link you sent me...what a great resource! I'll have to add that to my Recommended Resources page. I'll have to order up some sausage as a surprise for Dustin.

Cajunstorm: I know Dustin wanted to limit his shoes too and was able to get away with gym shoes, reef sandals, and one nice pair of leather slides (basically nice sandals he wore to the wedding and when we went out for nice dinners). You don't really need dressy-dress up shoes, just a pair of decent sandals that go with your "elegant resort wear". Hope that helps!

Kate2

I like your Title.
Thank you for posting.

seetheworld

TravelDiva, that's the best travel report I have ever read! Your pictures were outstanding as well. Thanks for sharing.

Zamda

Traveldiva, great report. I know what you mean about reliving the trip while writing the report. Very cool job! We’re leaving for two weeks in Hawaii. One week on the Big Island then, one week in Maui. I’m booked at the Hanolua Bay Bungalow for 3 nights and the Wailea Renaissance for 3 nights. The problem is, I need to add a forth night to one of the two. Which would you suggest? Hana or Wailea. We like activities of Wailea and the paridise of Hana. What would you do? Thanks