Just back (12/4) from Maui and Oahu
 

Just returned from 5 nights in Maui and 5 nights in Oahu yesterday. Flew first class from D.C. on American (thanks to frequent flier miles) and interisland on Hawaiin Airlines (I booked online). In Maui, stayed at the Sheraton Maui right on Kaanapali beach. Loved the location -- I think Wailea would be too remote for me and Kapalua was quite windy, plus the beach at Kaanapili is great. Next time I would spend a little more for a room with a good view -- I booked the absolute cheapest which overlooked the tennis courts). Rented snorkling gear (including a prescription mask) for the week from Snorkel Bob's -- I'd highly recommend it. Picked it up in Maui and returned in Oahu. They gave us a list of good snorkel spots and actually steered us away from trips to Molokini (soooo crowded). Drove the road to Hana ourselves -- didn't think it was so scary, but also not as amazing as all the controversey led me to believe. LOVED lunch at the Paia Fish Market on the way back. I thought Kemo's was overrated, but we enjoyed the Hula Grill and Aloha Plate Lunch. Went to the Old Lahaina Luau one night -- great setting by the ocean, but still a little goofy. We actually took no organized tours in Maui, just went parasiling one day (off season, 2 for $50 special!). In Oahu, we stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach -- the best location right on the beach we could afford. Our best meal of the trip was at Roy's in Hawaii Kai our last night -- amazing!!! (about $90 for 2 with only 1 drink) Went out to the Arizona and the Missouri. If you have a Chinatown in your city I'd say you could skip the one in Honolulu. We ended up renting a car for three days so we could get out of the craziness of Waikiki. Had fun exploring North Shore beach towns (surfing tournements were going on), snorkling at Hanauma Bay, hiking Diamond Head, etc. Other than Roy's, no real spectacular food. We liked Arancino in Waikiki for Italian, and had pretty good Mexican at Cha Cha Cha. Again, we took no organized tours. <BR> <BR>Just a brief summary. I'd be happy to try and answer any questions you have -- I really appreciated the advice I got here. By the way, the weather was PERFECT. About 82 and sunny every day! Aloha!

I'll be staying at the Sheraton in March. How long does it take to get to the airport. We have a 6:00am flight the day we leave and I'm concerned about that. Were the rooms small? We are taking our 17 & 12 year old.

I was surprised how long the trip to the airport was -- and much of it is on two lane roads (no highways on Maui!). Assuming you're returning a rental car, I'd plan on it taking at least an hour. At least you shouldn't have traffic at that hour. Our room at the Sheraton had one king bed, so I'm not sure exactly how big one with two doubles would be. But it was a nice size, not huge. Just the bed with a table on each side and a small table with a chair in the corner. No "easy chair" or couch or anything. Plus the lanai. Hope you have fun!

How much did the snorkelling gear cost to rent?

for TWO sets of the mid-grade equiptment, one with a prescription mask , we paid $75 for the week. There was no charge for renting on one island and returning to another. Snorkle Bob has a web site that lists prices. I think they have a bargain deal that's only $9 per person. But I definitely noticed the improvement in the good stuff over other times I've been snorkling.

Hi Kristi, <BR>Thanks for all the infos on your trip. Was the flight from D.C. to Maui on American a non-stop flight and how long did it took? Did you know how much was it for coach since you had first class and was on your frequent flier miles? How much was flight between the island? And why did you choose to stay in Oahu and Maui over the other islands? Thanks in advance.

I was also at the Sheraton at about the same time. <BR> <BR>Kristi - if you aren't already a member of the Starwood program you might want to join. You can get credit for your recent stay and earn some free Friday night stays with a special they have right now. <BR> <BR>Regarding rooms - I have only seen the standard room with a king bed and the delux ocean front with a king. The standard room isn't huge, although it is nicely furnished. They may actually use a larger room for the doubles - my recollection is that it would be a tight fit. Both types have a little fridge, coffee maker, and nice bathrooms. <BR> <BR>I have been upgraded to deluxe ocean front during both my stays at the Kaanapali Sheraton - just for asking. (I have no idea if my program membership helped - I have only 58 points or so - basically nothing). Anyhow, it is worth asking because the deluxe ocean front rooms are really nice - very large. (I wish I could manage to get upgraded on airlines as easily - that's never happened!)Ask for a room in building 6! <BR> <BR>Interisland flights: The cheapest option may be to book your flight direct with whatever airline you are flying on. Most flights come through Honolulu, at which time you transfer to a regional carrier (Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines) for the interisland flight. You can compare that cost to buying a flight to Honolulu and an interisland flight coupon - they are about $60.00 each way. They can be purchansed at the airport for Hawaiian Airlines, and you can reserve your seats with them in advance. <BR> <BR>Flights from the mainland: Honolulu is 5 hours from LA - DC I think is 4-4/1/2 hours from LA - so 9-9/1/2 hours of flying. It is a long flight - bring a good book. <BR> <BR>The road to Hana was my favorite part of the trip. If I do it over I will plan for 2 days, with a night in Hana. We went all the way around (despite the car rental companies warnings) without a problem - but the total time spent for the trip was 12 hours (including all stops). Be sure to take a lunch with you - there isn't much at all on the way. It would have been nice to stop for longer periods of time, explore Haha and some of the parks more.

Actually, our trip was roundtrip from D.C. to Honolulu. To Hawaii, we stopped in Chicago. On the way home, we stopped in Dallas. I don't think you can fly to Hawaii direct from D.C. But I did see direct flights from Newark and Atlanta. Our flight to Chicago left DC at 6 a.m., and after changing in Chicago, we got to Honolulu about 2:30 p.m. local time. I really have no idea how much the plane tickets would have been -- just know it was 120,000 miles for both of us! From reading the travel section, it looks like the best deals are through packages. <BR> <BR>I had reserved a 4:00 Hawaiin Airlines flight to Maui, but since we got in a little early, Hawaian let us catch an earlier flight. As far as I can tell, these inter-island flights are like busses -- they're about 30 minutes apart, never full, and they're very flexible about which flight you take. I had read on this board about getting "ATM coupons" for as little as $55 per person, one way, at the Honolulu airport. But I was able to get $60 flights by booking straight from the Hawaian web site, so I went ahead and took it. So, for both of us, roundtrip, the flight from Honolulu to Maui was $240. <BR> <BR>As far as which islands -- we had just ten days, and I didn't want to spend the whole time traveling. My husband had never been to Hawaii and wanted to see the historic stuff (the Arizona, etc.), so we planned for some time there. I had never been to Maui. If it's your first trip, I'd say to spend about 3 days on Oahu before hitting other islands. I think you need at least 5 days on Maui. Even though Maui is the next most "touristy" island after Oahu, there's still not much to do other than beach and outdoor activities. We loved it, but my parents actually hated it b/c they like more "sightseeing" on vacations. People who have been to other islands can probably tell you better how to spend your time. But I'd defintely allow at least 5 days per island. Hope this helps!

Kristi <BR> <BR>Did you enjoy Maui or Oahu more? and Why? I hear Maui is the best island in Hawaii. Whats your thoughts. <BR> <BR>Thanks! <BR>

Carlitta -- there's been a lot of discussion on this board about which islands to visit. So you might look at past posts for someone with more Hawaii experience than me (this was only my 2nd visit). I'd say the answer to your question depends on what you're looking for in a vacation. Maui is known for its natural beauty, beaches, hiking, and outdoor activities. It's a much quieter pace, very spread out, with almost no nightlife. Oahu has the natural beauty, too, but you have to have a car and seek it out (to go to the north shore and less touristy parts of the island). Most visitors (including me) stay in Waikiki, which is basically a city with high-rise hotels on the beach. There's a lot of shopping, crowds, and tons of Asian tourists. On the other hand, if you don't like to drive, you could manage in Oahu without a car (which I wouldn't want to do in Maui) and there's much more "sightseeing" to do there. Although Oahu gets a bad rap, even if that's the only island you visit you'll have a great time. The weather, beaches, and scenery is spectacular all through Hawaii (or maybe I'm just comparing it to D.C.!). Have a great time!

Hi Kristi: thanks so much for the posting on Hawaii - it was very interesting. I'll be leaving for Honolulu Dec. 25 with American Airlines, never flown with them before - leave Toronto, Canada and transfer in Dallas - the same coming back home. How is AA for flying? I heard some airlines can be constantly late, is this true with AA? Can you also tell me the cost of renting a car in Maui and Oahu? I'll be island hopping - booked all my hotels except for the cars, I was kind of holding off. <BR>

Nina -- the flights on American were fine. They only fly specially configured plaes to Hawaii, and I think they try to shove in as many people as possible. Thanks to frequent flier miles, we were very fortunate to fly first class, which I'm sure made it better. But they were very good about spacing things out and keeping your mind off how long you're in the air. They also wear Hawaian outfits! Our flight to Hawaii was actually a little early; on the way home, we were a little late, but not significantly. <BR> <BR>As far as car rental, I found the cheapest rates with Alamo on Maui and had no complaints. We got an economy, 4 door car and paid about $100 for 5 days. I think it was a pretty good rate. Before I booked it, I checked the Frommers web site which had an article about rental car deals. I think the Alamo rate was an "Internet special." Although some people complain about Alamo, we had no problems. <BR> <BR>We didn't book our car in Oahu in advance b/c we weren't sure how long we'd want it. As it turned out, we really wanted to get out of the city as much as possible, and ended up renting one for three of our 5 days. We arranged it through our concierge, and paid $89 for 3 days through Budget. <BR>Keep in mind that parking can be expensive in Hawaii. In Oahu, we paid $11 a day at our hotel. In Maui, self-parking was included in our $7 a day "resort charge" (valet was extra) -- actually I didn't know about this charge until it showed up on our bill and it wasn't included in the hotel package we had booked. Have fun!

We are trying to decide between Kaanapali Villas, Kaanapali Shores or Kaanapali Ali. Soemone told me the beach in front of Kaanapali Villas was better than the Shores. Kaanapali Ali is much more expensive than the Villas or the Shores. Do you recall any details regarding these properties? I believe they are near the Sheraton. <BR>Thanks.

Sorry, Molly! I dodn't check out those hotels. But the beach at Kaanapali seemed best in front of the Sheraton, and got gradually more narrow all the way down the beach toward the Hyatt (which I did check out, and it seemed like the other particularly nice hotel in that part of Maui). I'd say the closer to the Sheraton the better. But the hotels aren't that far apart, so you could easily just walk a little way down the beach. You'll probably be walking down to "Black Rock" in front of the Sheraton for snorkling anyway. Have fun!

Molly, the beach in front of Kaanapoli Villas is much much nicer then that at Kaanapoli Shores. We've stayed at both so I know. It's quite narrow and rocky at Kaanapoli Shores while it is wide down by the Villas. The Villas are primarily set back from the beach area somewhat (altho there are some units closer up), there is a lot of grassy area and a pool area. It's not as classy as some of the fancy hotels, but if the beach is a priority I'd go for it. We had decent accomodations there. It depends on what rooms you get how you like a place I think. As for the Shores, we had "ocean view", which was only a sliver of a view and the condo unit itself was nothing to get excited about (needed updating, the grounds are nice enough and it's a very large place. Personally, we prefer The Mahana because all the condo units are ocean front and if you get a recently remodeled one as we have on 3 stays there it is really great. However, the beach is also quite narrow there, altho there is a much wider beach to the south of the property (you can walk down the beach to Kaanapoli Villa's and a public beach area which has a very wide expanse of beach too). The Mahana has a small pool but that's not an issue for us.