Maui/Kauai Trip Report
Jul 31st, 2003, 09:33 AM
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Maui/Kauai Trip Report
Hi everyone, we spent 5 nights on each island. I hope this information is helpful!
Arrived 7/13 at 5pm-ish at Kaanapali beach hotel on Maui.
The grounds are extremely well kept here and the beach is by far the best of the Kaanapali area. Ask to stay in one of the renovated wings if you can, our room was not and it was still fine, just not as nice as the others. No one should spent TOO much time in their room on this beautiful island anyways. A warning to those thinking of the Marriot or Westin however, the beach front was almost non-existent in front of these hotels due to erosion and there was a drop-off from the grassed area right down to the water. I was told that the spring storms this year were stronger than normal. By the way, the breakfast buffet at the Mixed Plate restaurant here is fabulous, especially for a big breakfast eater like myself!!
Next day - Maui
Got up at 2am to drive to the summit of Haleakala for the sunrise. This is a must do but dress warmly. We were coming from the east coast so our internal clocks were ready to go early in the morning anyways. The photos that I got from up there make it look like we went to the moon with some of the volcanic formations you can see. On the way out we stopped at the Kula lodge for breakfast, it was OK, service was slow however.
Went to snorkel bobs in Lahaina to rent snorkel equipment for 7-days, and you can tack on a beach chair rental for another $5 which is key if you don't want to fork over major $$$ for a cabana rental on the beach. They also let you carry the equipment to other islands they have offices on and return it there.
Ate dinner at Leilani's in Whalers Village, excellent dinner here and a nice atmosphere.
Next day - Maui
Hung at the beach today in the a.m. and snorkeled at Black Rock. Definitely some good snorkeling here as I've read on the board before. In the afternoon we drove north to Kapalua and beyond. I wasn't impressed too much with the beachfront in the Kapalua area, narrow stretches of sand which were somewhat crowded. Keep driving on north of Kapalua and there are some other nice beaches and photo ops. We had the Hawaii for dummies book which was great in pointing out the walkways/access points to some of the off the beaten path beaches.
Ate dinner at the Hula Grill's barefoot bar section in Whaler's village and had fish and chips which were so-so. I've had much better here in New England.
Next day - Maui
Drove the road to Hana, this is another must-do. (I highly recommend renting a convertible in Hawaii. You won't mind spending time in the car if you do and you really can appreciate the natural beauty around you better. Spend the extra $$$$, its worth it.) Again, you have to have some sort of guide book for this so you know where to stop, I can see why so many people blow through it and miss out on the sights. Drove on to Hana (stop at Hamoa beach which is my favorite on either Maui or Kauai) and Oheo gulch. The waterfall pools on this side of Haleakala park are great for swimming, and you might even see Clint Eastwood as we did!
Next day - Maui
Sunset cruise with Trilogy in the late p.m. The water was extremely rough and to be honest with you, not a good time. We got soaked, which is fine, but not typical of sunset cruises I've done before in other places. I ended up ruining my camera on this one and had to use disposables for the rest of the trip. Aside from that, the food and beverage provided was good and the crew was mediocre compared to the Na Pali coast tour we did on Kauai (read on).
Drove to Lahaina at night for dinner at the Cool Cat cafe. This is mainly a sandwich joint with a nice overlook over the main drag to people watch. We weren't big fans of Lahaina town as it was a little tacky/touristy for our likes which I did read about before planning our trip.
Next day - Kauai
Switched islands today, got to the airport about 90 mins ahead of our departure time. I immediately upgraded our auto to a convertible here after having it on Kauai.
We stayed at the Kiahuna Beach Plantation in the Poipu area, again we felt we had the best beach in the Poipu area. Poipu Beach park looked pretty good as well. There were several Green Sea Turtles spotted there during our stay. By the way, anyone know what the story is behind the abandoned hotel between the Kiahuana and the Marriot?
That night we shopped at the Big Save for some breakfast and lunch goodies. Later, we had dinner at Keoki's in the Poipu shopping village which was very good. They have a live band here on Thur. and Fri.'s as well, it is busy here so plan to wait a little.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to Waimea Canyon and Kokee State forest. Make sure you go the end of the road here to view the lookout to the NaPali coast line, its fabulous.
We tried to make it to Polihale State Park but the road was too rough for our rental, we got a good view of the beach there on the Na Pali coast tour though.
At night, there was a great block party in the street behind the Sheraton. Some great Hawaiian bands and food samples from local restaurants.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to Wailea and Opaekaa falls in the a.m., both are pretty impressive but you cant hike down the the base of either from the roadway. You can still get great pictures right from the road however.
At night we went to the Luau at the Hyatt. We were dissapointed in this because it was inside due to possible rain showers that never happened, so it didn't have a real genuine feel to it. The food and drinks were excellent however but the the sound system could use improvement as we couldn't hear the narration at times even though we were right up front. I hear the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui is one of the best but they are booked about a month in advance so plan ahead if you want to get to that one.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to the beginning of the Kalalau trail at the end of the road at the Na Pali coast. We hiked the first 2 miles in to Hannakapei Beach, took about 70 min.'s each way. The beach is pretty here but extremely rough as I'm sure you've read before on this board. On the way home we stopped at Hannalei beach, I wasn't impressed with the water here as it's quite murky but the views in the background make up for it with the mountain peaks and a huge waterfall, make sure you bring your binoculars for this one.
We ate at the Poipu Beach Broiler at night and had some good seafood dinners but very terrible service as it looked like they were understaffed.
Last day
- Kauai
Did the Na Pali coast snorkel/boat tour with Captain Andy's. The crew on this tour was spectacular and very sociable and informative. We saw spinner dolphins, flying fish and a Green Sea Turtle while snorkeling. There's not much true sailing on this tour as its a long boat ride out there and back but you have to do some kind of boat trip to see the cliffs on this side of the island.
At night, we ate at the Beachhouse restaurant in the Poipu area which has a great view of the sunset and nice atmosphere but extremely overpriced, no matter how much my wife tells me you are paying for the atmosphere. Skip the "special" dessert they like to push, its not all that special.
Overall, we enjoyed the laidback style of both islands equally and would return to either. We found that 5 nights on each was a good amount of time but could have used and extra day or two to really do everything we wanted. Feel free to ask me any questions and hope this was helpful,
Matt
Arrived 7/13 at 5pm-ish at Kaanapali beach hotel on Maui.
The grounds are extremely well kept here and the beach is by far the best of the Kaanapali area. Ask to stay in one of the renovated wings if you can, our room was not and it was still fine, just not as nice as the others. No one should spent TOO much time in their room on this beautiful island anyways. A warning to those thinking of the Marriot or Westin however, the beach front was almost non-existent in front of these hotels due to erosion and there was a drop-off from the grassed area right down to the water. I was told that the spring storms this year were stronger than normal. By the way, the breakfast buffet at the Mixed Plate restaurant here is fabulous, especially for a big breakfast eater like myself!!
Next day - Maui
Got up at 2am to drive to the summit of Haleakala for the sunrise. This is a must do but dress warmly. We were coming from the east coast so our internal clocks were ready to go early in the morning anyways. The photos that I got from up there make it look like we went to the moon with some of the volcanic formations you can see. On the way out we stopped at the Kula lodge for breakfast, it was OK, service was slow however.
Went to snorkel bobs in Lahaina to rent snorkel equipment for 7-days, and you can tack on a beach chair rental for another $5 which is key if you don't want to fork over major $$$ for a cabana rental on the beach. They also let you carry the equipment to other islands they have offices on and return it there.
Ate dinner at Leilani's in Whalers Village, excellent dinner here and a nice atmosphere.
Next day - Maui
Hung at the beach today in the a.m. and snorkeled at Black Rock. Definitely some good snorkeling here as I've read on the board before. In the afternoon we drove north to Kapalua and beyond. I wasn't impressed too much with the beachfront in the Kapalua area, narrow stretches of sand which were somewhat crowded. Keep driving on north of Kapalua and there are some other nice beaches and photo ops. We had the Hawaii for dummies book which was great in pointing out the walkways/access points to some of the off the beaten path beaches.
Ate dinner at the Hula Grill's barefoot bar section in Whaler's village and had fish and chips which were so-so. I've had much better here in New England.
Next day - Maui
Drove the road to Hana, this is another must-do. (I highly recommend renting a convertible in Hawaii. You won't mind spending time in the car if you do and you really can appreciate the natural beauty around you better. Spend the extra $$$$, its worth it.) Again, you have to have some sort of guide book for this so you know where to stop, I can see why so many people blow through it and miss out on the sights. Drove on to Hana (stop at Hamoa beach which is my favorite on either Maui or Kauai) and Oheo gulch. The waterfall pools on this side of Haleakala park are great for swimming, and you might even see Clint Eastwood as we did!
Next day - Maui
Sunset cruise with Trilogy in the late p.m. The water was extremely rough and to be honest with you, not a good time. We got soaked, which is fine, but not typical of sunset cruises I've done before in other places. I ended up ruining my camera on this one and had to use disposables for the rest of the trip. Aside from that, the food and beverage provided was good and the crew was mediocre compared to the Na Pali coast tour we did on Kauai (read on).
Drove to Lahaina at night for dinner at the Cool Cat cafe. This is mainly a sandwich joint with a nice overlook over the main drag to people watch. We weren't big fans of Lahaina town as it was a little tacky/touristy for our likes which I did read about before planning our trip.
Next day - Kauai
Switched islands today, got to the airport about 90 mins ahead of our departure time. I immediately upgraded our auto to a convertible here after having it on Kauai.
We stayed at the Kiahuna Beach Plantation in the Poipu area, again we felt we had the best beach in the Poipu area. Poipu Beach park looked pretty good as well. There were several Green Sea Turtles spotted there during our stay. By the way, anyone know what the story is behind the abandoned hotel between the Kiahuana and the Marriot?
That night we shopped at the Big Save for some breakfast and lunch goodies. Later, we had dinner at Keoki's in the Poipu shopping village which was very good. They have a live band here on Thur. and Fri.'s as well, it is busy here so plan to wait a little.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to Waimea Canyon and Kokee State forest. Make sure you go the end of the road here to view the lookout to the NaPali coast line, its fabulous.
We tried to make it to Polihale State Park but the road was too rough for our rental, we got a good view of the beach there on the Na Pali coast tour though.
At night, there was a great block party in the street behind the Sheraton. Some great Hawaiian bands and food samples from local restaurants.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to Wailea and Opaekaa falls in the a.m., both are pretty impressive but you cant hike down the the base of either from the roadway. You can still get great pictures right from the road however.
At night we went to the Luau at the Hyatt. We were dissapointed in this because it was inside due to possible rain showers that never happened, so it didn't have a real genuine feel to it. The food and drinks were excellent however but the the sound system could use improvement as we couldn't hear the narration at times even though we were right up front. I hear the Old Lahaina Luau on Maui is one of the best but they are booked about a month in advance so plan ahead if you want to get to that one.
Next day - Kauai
Drove to the beginning of the Kalalau trail at the end of the road at the Na Pali coast. We hiked the first 2 miles in to Hannakapei Beach, took about 70 min.'s each way. The beach is pretty here but extremely rough as I'm sure you've read before on this board. On the way home we stopped at Hannalei beach, I wasn't impressed with the water here as it's quite murky but the views in the background make up for it with the mountain peaks and a huge waterfall, make sure you bring your binoculars for this one.
We ate at the Poipu Beach Broiler at night and had some good seafood dinners but very terrible service as it looked like they were understaffed.
Last day
- KauaiDid the Na Pali coast snorkel/boat tour with Captain Andy's. The crew on this tour was spectacular and very sociable and informative. We saw spinner dolphins, flying fish and a Green Sea Turtle while snorkeling. There's not much true sailing on this tour as its a long boat ride out there and back but you have to do some kind of boat trip to see the cliffs on this side of the island.
At night, we ate at the Beachhouse restaurant in the Poipu area which has a great view of the sunset and nice atmosphere but extremely overpriced, no matter how much my wife tells me you are paying for the atmosphere. Skip the "special" dessert they like to push, its not all that special.
Overall, we enjoyed the laidback style of both islands equally and would return to either. We found that 5 nights on each was a good amount of time but could have used and extra day or two to really do everything we wanted. Feel free to ask me any questions and hope this was helpful,
Matt
Jul 31st, 2003, 09:53 AM
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Great report.
As for the question about the abandoned hotel next to the Marriott (stayed there in May), it is a result from Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Destroyed the hotel and was supposed to be rebuilt but got delayed because of bankruptcy, I believe. I think it is held by a family that does not want to sell. Marriott offered to buy it but was refused. While we were there in May, an article in the daily paper said that they are actually in the process of trying to get the property redeveloped.
As for the question about the abandoned hotel next to the Marriott (stayed there in May), it is a result from Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Destroyed the hotel and was supposed to be rebuilt but got delayed because of bankruptcy, I believe. I think it is held by a family that does not want to sell. Marriott offered to buy it but was refused. While we were there in May, an article in the daily paper said that they are actually in the process of trying to get the property redeveloped.
Aug 1st, 2003, 04:27 AM
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Great report, thanks!! We leave for Hawaii in 2 weeks from today, I can't wait. I'm glad to hear that you think 5 nights on each island is good, because that's what we are doing and I was concerned that would seem too short and that we were going to feel rushed.
Aug 2nd, 2003, 08:39 PM
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We just returned from our trip to Kauai and Maui yesterday. It was our 4th trip there. I need to correct something in the original post though. We stayed at the Westin Maui and the beach erosion that has occurred is NOT in front of the Westin. It begins at the Kaanapali Ali and goes all the way to the Hyatt. The beach at the Westin is as gorgeous as ever. The erosion farther down beginning at the Kaanapali Ali is really severe though. There is a huge drop off next to the beach sidewalk and the palm trees are actually being held up with supports to keep them from falling off into the ocean. I just thought I should correct this.
Aug 6th, 2003, 09:54 PM
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Yes that ugly brown building on the wrong side of the road overlooking the sea, the Coco Palms.
I'm just full of dem foo poos (ummm, faux paxs).
For an interesting look:
http://www.coco-palms.com/history/
I'm just full of dem foo poos (ummm, faux paxs).
For an interesting look:
http://www.coco-palms.com/history/
