travelonmymind_girl

My husband and I are planning to be in Maui for a wedding, so thought we should surely make a vacation out of it. The wedding will take a day or 2 and then we plan to spend about 4 days exploring.
Looking for recommendations on hotels (moderate budget- since the 2 days for the wedding we would stay is some fancy place).
Activities, both my husband and I enjoy adventure so snorkeling, hiking etc.
Any recommendations on the best prices for car rentals?

jamie99

For car rental try discounthawaiicarrental.com, got a great car last trip to Kauai with Avis from them.

Can't help with hotel suggestions since it has been awhile since my last visit to Maui and we rented a condo from friends. If your budget is moderate, maybe look into a condo instead, you could save a bit by making toast, coffee, fruit for breakfast and having snacks before going out for dinner. Just because you stay in a condo does not mean you have to cook> I sure didn't other than BBQ steaks one night.

FrankS

discounthawaiicarental or the links thru Island air website were the best for cars, but now I find carrentals doot com is a little better

I think the best area for budget properties is Honokawai-Kahana, which is 7-15 min north of Lahaina

Placename

What is moderate to you? Please give a $$$ number.

montereybob

If you don't get the answers you need on this forum, I would recommend buying a travel guide for Maui.

travelonmymind_girl

thanks everyone. will look at the car rental websites. Our budget is max 180$
anybody have any recommendations for snorkeling companies we can use. we are at best beginners.

FrankS

When I said budget earlier, I was in the $100-150/nt range(nice places for Nov) for the Honokawai-Kahana area. If you go that route, you wont have to go on an excursion to snorkel. Kapalua Bay (minutes away) has excellent snorkeling from shore, and you can rent equipment by the week at the nearby Snorkel Bob store

FrankS

btw: for $180/nt in November you can get a nice place on Napili Bay where you can snorkel or walk a short way to Kapalua Bay

montereybob

Two good places for beginning snorkelers are kaanapali beach at Black Rock In front of the Sheraton and Kapalua Bay. You can rent your equipment from any one of the many local dive shops.

aimeekm

good places for beginning snorkelers are kaanapali beach at Black Rock In front of the Sheraton

I was there in April, maybe it was just a bad day, but I found the current at Black Rock to be quite strong. I'm a strong swimmer, and it took a lot more effort than I was expecting to get back to shore. I wouldn't recomend it for beginners.

FrankS

aimeekm is correct, the current at Blackrock can be dangerous even for seasoned swimmers

TravelGram

I would caution you that a "beginner" snorkeler might have problems jumping from the boat at the snorkeling spots. For that reason I would suggest Kapalua Bay. We liked snorkeling there. It's pretty clear and has a lot of protection from the waves.
As for activities, one that I rarely see on this forum is the Keanae Arboretum on the way to Hana (you don't have to go all the way to Hana if you don't want). It's like walking through Jurassic park. Our first couple of trips to Maui were in November (before we realized the whales are in February) and the flowers are a lot different. We went to the Arboretum in February and it just wasn't the same.
You can also go to the Tropical Gardens in Wailuku. You can see many of the trees and plants without taking the tour. I think it's worth a stop.
We're counting down to February.

volcanogirl

We went snorkeling with Triology at Molokini and had a lot of fun. They barbecued on the boat and provided lunch. The sunrise at Haleakala is pretty cool, and the Road to Hana is popular. We also enjoyed whale watching.