Just back from Maui and Kauai
Jul 8th, 1999 | 11:04 AM
#1
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Just back from Maui and Kauai
We just returned from two weeks in Hawaii. We split our time in Maui (7days) and Kauai (7 days). I will only speak to our experiences during this timeframe. Both islands were beautiful. Depending on where you stay on either island things can be more remote or more active.
Maui - On Maui we stayed half the time at the Kapulua Bay Hotel and the other half at the Kea Launi. The Kapalua Bay Hotel was a wonderful experience. Service was incredible (ony 200 rooms and staff of 400), rooms were excellent, facilities were great, golf was incredible (3 courses), and weather was A-. Yes it was partly cloudy during the day and it did rain on and off at certain times of the day, but only for a short time. It actually is a nice break when the rain comes in for 15- 30 minutes. Unless one wants to lay on the beach for six straight hours in the sun this location is quite adequate for sun worshipers, which I am one. Restaurants were great. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to anywhere in my travels is Mama's Fish House in Paia. It is about 35-40 minutes from the Hotel. Another very nice restauant we ate at was Roy's. The Plantation House was very nice, it is on the golf course in Kapalua. I would rate this entire experience an A+.
The Kea Launi in Wailea was a nice experience. OVerall rating a B+ - A-. More active than the Kapalua area. Service was good, rooms were excellent, golf was very good and weather was A++. Hardly ever rains and is more sunny than Kapalua, but again, that doesn't mean that Kapalua weather is bad. Temperature is same in both places.
Excellent restaurant, almost as good as Mama's is Carelli's about 10 minutes from the hotel. Seems like this area was more family oriented.
There are so many things to do on the island that regardless where you stay, your only no more than an hour car ride away from a helicopter ride, catamarran sailing and snorkeling and your favorite restaurant.
One final thing, we did the rode to Hanna which was great. We went all the way around, including the 20 something mile stretch where there was only dirt roads and bumps. I didn't mind it but my wife did. I don't know what it's like during the week when their is construction and they shut down for a couple of hours. We purposely did it on Saturday when it was open the entire day, and traffic was fine. We left Kapalua Bay at 6:30 and got back at 2:30. This included several 5 - 20 minute stops to take pictures or visit sites off the road. I believe it is worth doing.
Kauai - In Kauai we stayed at the Princeville Hotel. Probably one of the most incredible locations and views we've ever been to, right on the Pacific and Hanali Bay and Bali Hi.
Rooms were very nice, golf at the Prince course was great, service was poor to fair, meals at the hotel restaurants were very good. We also ate at the Beach House restaurant (about 75 minutes away) which was excellent. Great pizza in the Hanali shopping center 15 minutes from the hotel. Its actually a great little town to vist. Weather was sought of like Kapaula Bay area in Maui. Partly cloudy, but certainly enough sun for a day and some on and off brief showers. Even though the service was below average the hotel is worth staying at because of the location and views.
We took the catamarran boat ride up the Napali coast which is a must. Like Kapalua Bay this is a more remote area than other parts of the island, but a 30- 60 minute car ride gets you just about anywhere.
Keep in mind, with these car rides in either island and wherever you stay, its not like your driving on the Jersey turnpike or Washington beltway. The scenery is great and you really get to see a lot of the island just driving to a restaurant or to an excursion.
Sorry for the long message, but I was trying to be as comprehensive as possible.
Any questions feel free to email me.
Maui - On Maui we stayed half the time at the Kapulua Bay Hotel and the other half at the Kea Launi. The Kapalua Bay Hotel was a wonderful experience. Service was incredible (ony 200 rooms and staff of 400), rooms were excellent, facilities were great, golf was incredible (3 courses), and weather was A-. Yes it was partly cloudy during the day and it did rain on and off at certain times of the day, but only for a short time. It actually is a nice break when the rain comes in for 15- 30 minutes. Unless one wants to lay on the beach for six straight hours in the sun this location is quite adequate for sun worshipers, which I am one. Restaurants were great. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to anywhere in my travels is Mama's Fish House in Paia. It is about 35-40 minutes from the Hotel. Another very nice restauant we ate at was Roy's. The Plantation House was very nice, it is on the golf course in Kapalua. I would rate this entire experience an A+.
The Kea Launi in Wailea was a nice experience. OVerall rating a B+ - A-. More active than the Kapalua area. Service was good, rooms were excellent, golf was very good and weather was A++. Hardly ever rains and is more sunny than Kapalua, but again, that doesn't mean that Kapalua weather is bad. Temperature is same in both places.
Excellent restaurant, almost as good as Mama's is Carelli's about 10 minutes from the hotel. Seems like this area was more family oriented.
There are so many things to do on the island that regardless where you stay, your only no more than an hour car ride away from a helicopter ride, catamarran sailing and snorkeling and your favorite restaurant.
One final thing, we did the rode to Hanna which was great. We went all the way around, including the 20 something mile stretch where there was only dirt roads and bumps. I didn't mind it but my wife did. I don't know what it's like during the week when their is construction and they shut down for a couple of hours. We purposely did it on Saturday when it was open the entire day, and traffic was fine. We left Kapalua Bay at 6:30 and got back at 2:30. This included several 5 - 20 minute stops to take pictures or visit sites off the road. I believe it is worth doing.
Kauai - In Kauai we stayed at the Princeville Hotel. Probably one of the most incredible locations and views we've ever been to, right on the Pacific and Hanali Bay and Bali Hi.
Rooms were very nice, golf at the Prince course was great, service was poor to fair, meals at the hotel restaurants were very good. We also ate at the Beach House restaurant (about 75 minutes away) which was excellent. Great pizza in the Hanali shopping center 15 minutes from the hotel. Its actually a great little town to vist. Weather was sought of like Kapaula Bay area in Maui. Partly cloudy, but certainly enough sun for a day and some on and off brief showers. Even though the service was below average the hotel is worth staying at because of the location and views.
We took the catamarran boat ride up the Napali coast which is a must. Like Kapalua Bay this is a more remote area than other parts of the island, but a 30- 60 minute car ride gets you just about anywhere.
Keep in mind, with these car rides in either island and wherever you stay, its not like your driving on the Jersey turnpike or Washington beltway. The scenery is great and you really get to see a lot of the island just driving to a restaurant or to an excursion.
Sorry for the long message, but I was trying to be as comprehensive as possible.
Any questions feel free to email me.
Jul 8th, 1999 | 11:27 AM
#2
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Alan, sorry to hear the service was not up to par at the Princeville. I had heard it was so wonderful. We will be there the end of September . May I ask what type of room you had. We are supposed to be upgraded from the partial ocean to ocean - but the partial ocean's have lanais, which I don't think the Ocean's do. Also can you tell me what was wrong with the service? Thanks. We will be off to the 4 Seasons in Maui after that, then 2 days at the Kahala in Oahu
Jul 8th, 1999 | 12:54 PM
#3
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Aloha Alan, Thank you for your detailed message which transports me back to the Islands, in my mind anyway! You do a good job of describing the weather in Kapalua - I agree with you that the rain there should not scare anyone.
Regarding your service at Princeville, I hope that you will let them know how you feel. In such a gorgeous place, it's a shame that the service isn't up to par! I just complained to the owner of Brennecke's, the restaurant in Poipu, Kauai, about service when we were there in February. He e-mailed me back with an apology, and the offer of a free dinner when we're there again. Thanks again for your "glowing" report - sure makes me wish I were there!
Aloha, Ruth
Regarding your service at Princeville, I hope that you will let them know how you feel. In such a gorgeous place, it's a shame that the service isn't up to par! I just complained to the owner of Brennecke's, the restaurant in Poipu, Kauai, about service when we were there in February. He e-mailed me back with an apology, and the offer of a free dinner when we're there again. Thanks again for your "glowing" report - sure makes me wish I were there!
Aloha, Ruth
Jul 9th, 1999 | 09:09 AM
#4
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Liz
We had a vull ocean view room and it was spectacular. I had a partial when I got there baut we upgraded for $115 per night more. Big difference, although you might want to see the partial first and then upgrade after if you want.
We had to call almost everyday at noonish to have the room made up. If we wanted something it sometimes took a couple of calls. Those type of things that you expect not to have to deal with when you are paying top dollar.
We had a vull ocean view room and it was spectacular. I had a partial when I got there baut we upgraded for $115 per night more. Big difference, although you might want to see the partial first and then upgrade after if you want.
We had to call almost everyday at noonish to have the room made up. If we wanted something it sometimes took a couple of calls. Those type of things that you expect not to have to deal with when you are paying top dollar.
Jul 10th, 1999 | 07:45 AM
#5
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Thanks for the great info. What company did you go with for the NaPali boat tour? Who do you recommend? I'd like to make a reservation for one on our Sept. trip. Did yours include snorkeling? Don't all the trips now leave from the south/west side of the island rather than north? How many people were on the boat? Thanks for any help.
Jul 12th, 1999 | 03:02 PM
#7
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Charlie
The rental car company's tell you not to go all the way around the road because about 25 miles is unpaved. We did not have a 4x4, which really doesn't matter as far as getting around. I'm sure the bumps are less wear and tear on a 4x4 vs. a regular car and it would be more comfortable. We had a Pontiac convertible sunbird or something like that. Of all the vehicles on the road I would say half were cars and the other half trucks or 4x4's. We went around for two reasons, one , there was no way I was backtracking all the way around to my original destination, and two, we wanted to see the rest of the coast which was very nice. My speed on the unpaved portion was between 10-25 miles per hour depending on the curves or how bad the bumps were and they were not terrible. As long as you have enough gas, (half a tank) you should have no problem. The only other thing I would say is it would also be nice is you had a mobile phone if you broke down. We had one at it was a sense of comfort just in case.
The rental car company's tell you not to go all the way around the road because about 25 miles is unpaved. We did not have a 4x4, which really doesn't matter as far as getting around. I'm sure the bumps are less wear and tear on a 4x4 vs. a regular car and it would be more comfortable. We had a Pontiac convertible sunbird or something like that. Of all the vehicles on the road I would say half were cars and the other half trucks or 4x4's. We went around for two reasons, one , there was no way I was backtracking all the way around to my original destination, and two, we wanted to see the rest of the coast which was very nice. My speed on the unpaved portion was between 10-25 miles per hour depending on the curves or how bad the bumps were and they were not terrible. As long as you have enough gas, (half a tank) you should have no problem. The only other thing I would say is it would also be nice is you had a mobile phone if you broke down. We had one at it was a sense of comfort just in case.
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Jul 14th, 1999 | 08:03 AM
#8
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Amy
We used a company for the Napali coast tour calledNapali Coast Hanalei.808-826-6114. The trip was from 1:30 to 5:30. You snorkel for about an hour and a half. There were 10 people on the boat. We left from Hanalei Bay which was perfect. Most of the boats do leave from the southwest, but I was very satisfied with leaving from the north and not being on the boat for an additional 2-3 hours and paying more for that. THe Napali coast is what I wanted to see, not the coast line from the south west area to Hanalei bay from where we left. It was $125 per person. They do a morning and afteroon trip. I can't speak about other company's, but this was just fine.
We used a company for the Napali coast tour calledNapali Coast Hanalei.808-826-6114. The trip was from 1:30 to 5:30. You snorkel for about an hour and a half. There were 10 people on the boat. We left from Hanalei Bay which was perfect. Most of the boats do leave from the southwest, but I was very satisfied with leaving from the north and not being on the boat for an additional 2-3 hours and paying more for that. THe Napali coast is what I wanted to see, not the coast line from the south west area to Hanalei bay from where we left. It was $125 per person. They do a morning and afteroon trip. I can't speak about other company's, but this was just fine.
