Maui Hawaii opinion
 

I was hoping to get everyone's opinion or suggestions on these activities for my time in Maui. I will probably be in Maui for a total of 6-7 days.

1. Has anyone done the Hawaii Volcano Adventure Tour? It's pretty expensive and lengthy(12hrs), but since I probably won't be staying in the Big Island and I really want to see volcanos/black sand beachs/etc, I thought this would be a good way to do it.

2.I'm looking at doing the Piiholo Zipline? Any positive or negative feedback on this?

3. Plus I'm trying to decide whether to do a snorkeling trip and if so which one? Pacific Whale Foundation: Molokini and Lanai SNorkel Cruise? Molokini and Turtle Arches Snorkel? Lanai Dolphin and Snorkel Tour?

4. And then trying to decide between these activities: West Maui and Molokai Helicopter Tour, Hana and Haleakala Helicopter Tour? Deluxe Maui Helicopter Tour? or the Haleakala, Central Maui and Iao Valley Adventure?

There just seems to be so many options and you just don't know if certain activities will be showing you the exact same things or taking you to certain places that really aren't the highlights of Maui. And being that so much of this is so expensive and I want to see as much of Maui as I can, I just don't know which is the best route to go. And every decision is up to me since I'll be going alone.

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just tossing in my 2 cents re: helicopter tours: we used Blue Hawaiian for our BI tour and they were EXCELLENT! Professional, top notch and personable pilor and EXCELLENT safety record.

Deb

Deb, which tour did you take with Blue Hawaiian?

We did the Big Island Spectacular; it was the highlight of our trip.

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/bigislan...d_spectacular/

Deb

I think the Zipline and all that paid activity stuff is stupid.

Enjoy the beauty of the water, and the fish, and the beaches, and the sunshine.

I vote for staying a couple days on the Big Isle before or after Maui as it seems to be more in line with your desired activities, offering consistently clear water with better snorkeling and is the home of the only <red>active<black> volcano, which is awesome not only by aerial tour but also by driving through Volcanoes National Park. Suggest you rent a car and explore. :S-

I second the recommendation on Blue Hawaiian Heli Co. for all the same reasons Deb gave.

Also, re: ziplines. You can do those anywhere in the world, so use you valuable time to do things you can only do in Hawaii.

I agree with placename.

We did the Hawaii volcano tour a few years ago. We, too, were staying on Maui. I'm glad we went. You won't get as close to the lava and you want and could get with tours leaving from the big Island. There are other stops on the tour and the plus of using a guide is the local information you might not get otherwise.
We've done the West Maui and Molokai helipcopter tour and the Haleakala, Central Maui tour. I would do the West Maui one again, but would not do Haleakala. It was too high and there really weren't many scenic views. The top was also pretty cloudy and couldn't see a lot. This is a possibility anytime you would go up there. We used Sunshine Helicopters (black beauties) and would use them again. Some friends of ours did the Hana tour and loved it. It's only one way and they'll drive you back. A nice option since both people can then enjoy the scenery and not worry about driving.
The first time we went to Maui we "did it all" because we weren't going to be back again. Needless to say, we've been back 7 times and it will be 8 this coming February.

There is something to be said for placename's comment: you can enjoy a lot on Maui for free or cheaply, including snorkeling. I have found snorkeling cruises to be worthwhile, maybe because I can't sail on my own but like the perspective of being out on the water. I snorkeled with Pacific Whale Foundation, off Lanai, for a half-day. It was a big boat and made families feel safe---maybe consider Trilogy or other companies if you want a more intimate experience. I wasn't overwhelmed by the snorkeling off Lanai in terms of quantities/variety of fish, but it was okay (nice coral) and I enjoyed a peek at the island. The staff was very helpful. Water wasn't rough for me but some people got seasick in the water.

I don't know if I would do the Zipline. I've done it before elsewhere, and while it was fun, it was more of a "fun to do" but not "need to do" if you only have limited time in a place.

Not sure if you would be into this, but I took the pineapple lunch tour at Kapalua a couple of months ago and I liked it. http://tinyurl.com/lbta2a Kapalua Resort has an organic farm and is great about the whole sustainable eating movement. The pineapple fields have been there forever--I got to pick two and take them home. I dunno, just thought I'd throw that out there as something a little different.

I agree with placename and iamq. I'm just not into being bussed around on organized tours with a bunch of other people.

You can very easily see Haleakala on your own with a rental car. Other "touristy" things we did and really enjoyed were the Old Lahaina Luau, the show U'lalena, and walking around in Lahaina. Beaches, snorkeling, etc. are basically everywhere. Get a good guidebook and go!