Maui/Oahu Trip Report (Very Long)
 

Well, make yourself a Mai Tai, sit back and, hopefully, enjoy.

Our Maui/Ohau trip begn at the Colorado Springs airport, where we caught a Delta/ Airwest flight to SLC at 8:25 AM. Flight departed precisely on-time, which was to be the norm for all of our flights. The plane was a Canada Regional Jet 200 which held 50 passengers. Seat pitch was a little tight, and the seat padding not meant for a long flight. The head rests were a little low to rest comfortably. The flight was very smooth, even over the front range of Colorado, which is notoriously bumpy. Ninety minute lay-over in SLC, which was just enough time for a potty and drink break. Delta 764 flight to Kahului; again departing right on time. I was a little apprehensive about the in-flight service considering what I had read about Delta on this and other boards, but was pleased to find everything just about perfect. Very friendly flight attendants; in fact just about the nicest and most talkative I have ever had. The plane was not quite full, and some people were able to sleep lying down in the in the center section. Small sandwich snack and usual drink service. Two Bloody Mary’s and I was ready for a few hours sleep. I awoke about one hour from Kahului. Of course, the DW was giving me the stink eye, because she can never sleep on a plane. Kids occupied themselves with a portable DVD player and wireless headphones. The pilot warned us that the landing would be a little bumpy, and he was true to his word. I swear the plane bounced three times before he finally got it on the ground. I had arranged in advance for a lei greeting, and the family was surprised, including my 14 YO son, who is pretty blasé about such things. Baggage claim took a quite a while, and we headed off toward the rental car counters outside the baggage claim area. The Kahului airport has grown quite a bit since I was there nearly 20 years ago. I remember it as a one building, with just a few gates where you would walk out to the plane parked on the tarmac.

We used Alamo, solely based on their outstanding weekly rental, which was better than the same 5 day rate. When you see a car rental agency claiming to have counters in the terminal, what they really mean to say is that they have a booth, which directs you to shuttles that take you to the real rental counters off-airport. I couldn’t believe the number of people waiting at the Alamo building. A virtual sea of suitcases in the waiting area. I stood in line more than 45 minutes just to get to a clerk. I am always amazed at just how long it takes some people to rent a car. Standing in line, I watched several customers at the counter nearly a half hour. Long discussions with the clerk, clerk on the phone, more discussions, more phone calls, etc, etc. Makes you wonder, what could take so long? When it was finally my turn, gave name, drivers license, and credit card, signed off on rates, and was on my way to the car in less than 10 minutes, passing the same people who were still discussing what ever it was that they were discussing. Surely, these people would not have come to a place like Hawaii without a car reservation in-hand, could they have? Our car was an Impala, and I am glad that we got a full size car with the amount of luggage we had. More on that later.

We were out of the airport and on the way to our condo, the Kanai a Nalu in Maalaea. Let me get this out of the way up front, we absolutely loved Maalaea and the Kanai a Nalu. I don’t know where the authors of the “Maui Revealed” book got their information, but Maalaea is a hidden gem. All of the condos are situated on a dead end road that is lightly traveled. Yes, it was windy, but nothing more than any other part of the island, and those winds were a welcome relief to the day time heat. There was no unpleasant smell from either cane burning or sugar processing that is so widely reported. Only saw cane burning one time, and it was more inland and up country. Yes, the area is in the path of the airport, but the planes are barely noticeable over the sound of the breaking surf. Our condo was GREAT! Two bed-rooms, two full baths, fold out couch, big screen plasma TV, kitchen, washer and dryer, and best of all, the ocean front no more than 75 feet from out second-floor lanai. Great place for morning coffee and relaxing in the evening before bed. The unit was $200 per night, with no additional cleaning fee. Parking all around the building. Everything you could need in the kitchen, lots of glassware and dishes. No food staples of course. Lots of towels and linens, including large beach towels. We only ate breakfast at the condo, so we picked up enough stuff for that meal and assorted snacks and drinks.

The first night we headed to Kihei scouting for Bubba’s Burgers, a recommendation from a family member. Alas, Bubba’s has departed for Kauai, so we ended up eating at Alexander’s Fish and Chips right on south Kihei Road across from the beach park. Parking is terrible anyplace in Kihei, so we parked at the beach park and walked across the street. All of our dinners were rated good; chicken fingers, grilled Ono and Mahi Mahi, and an Ono and Calamari combo. Only complaint was that we thought the portions a little small for the price. You can substitute very good white rice for French Fries on any meal. We headed back to condo for unpacking and a good night’s sleep.

Next morning, I awoke early and son and I took walk along the beach. Walked south about a mile or so, and only passed 6 or 8 other people. Pretty nice, clean beach, but we found it rocky under water, not bad, but easy to stub your toes. After wife and daughter got ready, we headed up toward Haleakala, although I was concerned with the amount of cloud cover I could already see from our lanai. I have made this trek several times in the past, and was always disappointed to find the crater obscured with clouds, including one crazy, “see the sunrise at Haleakala” excursion. My hopes continued to fall as we drove thru rain and fog the higher we drove above Makawao. I couldn’t believe it, when just a couple of hundred feet from the summit, we broke thru the clouds and rain into the most glorious, but cold sunshine. The crater was nearly cloud free, and we got some fantastic pictures. Headed back down, diverting into Kula for a different route back. Arrived in Kahului around lunch time and I wanted to try Hanafuda Saimin on Dairy Road. Small but friendly place, probably no more than 10 tables. Clearly we were the only tourists in the place. Son and I both had Loco Moco, wife and daughter had large bowls of Saimin. Loco Moco was good, except that I thought the gravy had just a few too many onions in it. Soup was pronounced as very good. Headed back to the condo for sunning and play in the surf. Wife and daughter worked on tans, and son and I let the waves pound on us. I wish I had some beach booties as I was always walking on the rocks. Not sharp or anything, just a little weird.

Got cleaned up, and decided on dinner. Picked a place in the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center in Wailuku called Sushi Go! Wife and kids are California Roll addicts, and I will eat anything sushi or sashimi. Advertisements describe the place as an all you can eat conveyor belt operation where the sushi passes before you on a continuous stream of different items. Bad choice! There was only a few items of families choosing, hardly any rolls, I fared much better as a pile of plates grew before me and family could only watch in anticipation for something of their liking come along. Wish now we had chosen a normal sushi restaurant. After dinner we decided to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie at the adjacent theater. Unfortunately, another bad decision. The theater was a total dump! Broken chairs were covered with black trash bags, and the floor was so sticky with spilled drinks that my sandals kept sticking to the floor. The guy behind me alternated between shaking a box of something that sounded like rocks in a box and crunching wax paper. Fortunately the movie was a lot of fun.

Nest morning we headed to Lahaina for surfing lessons for the kids at Goofy Foot Surfing on Front Street. Boy the traffic to Lahaina is a mess! Glad we left early. Took us more than 45 minutes to drive from Maalaea. Stop and go all the way from the scenic look out on HW 30. When we got to Lahaina, the city had the first 5 or 6 turns to Front Street blocked off for construction, so we had to go further west and come back. Found pay parking right across the street from Goofy Foot. Cost for 2 hour lesson was $55/person. Excellent instructors, funny and related well to all ages. Small group of 5 or 6 per instructor. First hour was spent on the sand with safety instructions and board basics. Second hour was in the water, hitting small waves. Everybody in the group was actually riding small waves by the end of the second hour. Kids rated this a 10+. Definitely worth the money. Headed into Lahaina for lunch and visit to Hilo Hatties for “proper” Hawaiian wear” for Old Lahaina Luau that evening. Parked in the pay lot adjacent to Hilo Hatties and walked to the Hard Rock for lunch. Gave waitress parking ticket for validation which she promptly lost. She gave me as a “substitute” the manager’s business card that said that she had lost the ticket. $100 for lunch, another $130 for t-shirts, then another $100 at Hilo Hatties, and we headed to the parking lot exit. The attendant wouldn’t accept the business card, and made me pay $20, despite the sign that said that the maximum per day was $12. I drove around to the Hard Rock, double-parked on the street, and demanded and received my $20 back along with an apology. We headed back to Maalaea to freshen up for the Luau. Traffic was worse this time going back, and we gave ourselves 90 minutes to return. As it was we were still 10 minutes late getting to the Old Lahaina Luau. It took 4 weak Mai Tai’s to get my blood pressure back to normal. The OLL was pretty good, but not worth the money in my opinion. Food was good, but it’s still a buffet no matter how you slice it. The show is very well done. Traffic back was much lighter.

Next morning we headed to the Hana Road. This would have been my 4th drive to Hana, and I guess my promise to myself after each of the previous drives that I would never do it again meant nothing. 30 years ago, I remember driving the Hana Road the first time and not seeing another car for sometimes as much as 30 minutes. That time is now cut down to seconds, as it is a virtual bumper to bumper parade all the way to Hana. You would be lucky to find a parking spot at any of the pull-outs along the way. The best part of the drive was turning down to Ke’ane for a little snack break. We stopped at the snack stand for some fresh banana bread and drinks. Further on are some bathrooms at the ball field and an outstanding little church and graveyard. The beach front here is like a moonscape and the waves really pound. Eventually ended up in Hana, and had a little lunch at the snack bar across from the beach park. Very good fresh grilled fish sandwich.
Drive back seemed a little quicker, and we stopped in Pa’ia for a little while. There are some real “characters” in this town. Continued on toward Kahului, when we had a little driving excitement. Ever since picking up the car, I had been listening to a rhythmic click coming from the tires. I was pretty sure it was probably a nail, but it lasted so long that the head should have worn off before it did. Well, it was a nail and the tire blew as I was doing about 50. My own fault for not checking it earlier. I got it off the road, and son and I changed the tire. He was strangely excited and helpful about the fun of changing a tire. Just as we were getting the car jacked up, representatives of the Hawaii Welcome Wagon bureau drove by and threw a large string of firecrackers at our car. Welcome to Maui! We were only about 10 minutes from the airport and we made a quick exchange of cars at Alamo, no questions asked. My shorts would have to wait until later.

Dinner that night was at Da Kitchen, Kahului branch. I again had Loco Moco, wife had the Teriyaki Chicken, son the Teri chicken sandwich, and daughter the Wo Fat Guy’s Chow Fun. Everything was excellent and the portions huge as promised. There was an hour wait for tables as we left.

The next morning we slept a little later and then headed to the Io Valley. We headed back and changed for an afternoon at Wailea Beach. We caved in to a quick McDonalds in Kihei for lunch. Wailea Beach is beautiful, and despite the number of people, didn’t seem at all crowded. The afternoon there was great!

Back to the condo to change for dinner and the major disappointment of the trip. Based solely on the recommendation of the “Maui Revealed” book we chose Antonio’s in Kihei. This ranked right up there with the biggest rip-off restaurant we have ever experienced. What can you expect from a guy who disses Maalaea like he did? Not only were the prices exorbitant, but the portions were microscopic, and poorly prepared at that. This was the worst! What a way to end our Maui experience.

The next morning we headed to the airport for a flight to Honolulu on Go! Airline operated by Mesa. Again, on-time and spotlessly clean airplane. Expensive lunch at the Kahului Airport. In Honolulu caught Alamo shuttle to their off-site unit. Same long lines, in fact I am sure I saw the same people asking the same questions, ad nauseum. I made a huge fatherly mistake here and caved in to kids wishes to have a convertible. The upgrade price was attractive, but I forgot to factor in trunk size and the amount of luggage we had with us. As we were standing in the light drizzle at the trunk of the Chrysler Sebring convertible, contemplating the much smaller trunk than the Impala we had on Maui, I knew I had made a big mistake. We finally made do by strategically using the room in the trunk, and the space behind the back seat meant for the convertible top, as well as wedging a large suitcase between the kids in the backseat. Off we went to our rental house in Kailua. Wife was pretty good about not telling me what an idiot I was for renting a convertible.

This being my 4th trip to Hawaii, I purposely avoided Waikiki like the plague. We shopped around for a rental house in Kailua, and finally settled on a house in the Lanikai section of Kailua. Kailua is only about 30 minutes from Honolulu via the Pali and maybe 45 minutes to the airport/Pearl Harbor via the H3. We found the house on VRBO.com, and communicated directly with the owner by e-mail. I was a little uneasy about sending the total rental fee by cashier’s check, since the owner does not accept credit cards. I did check references pretty closely and even went so far as to check him out with the local police department. The house was a beautiful two bedroom, two bath, kitchen, living room with TV, cherry wood floors, etc, the upper portion of the owners own home. It had a separate entrance, and we hardly ever heard the owner coming and going. There was a separate rental cottage on the property, and we all shared the four parking spaces in front of the garage. The house was very nice but had no AC or ceiling fans, and because the property was so heavily landscaped the assorted wild birds would wake us up at the crack of dawn every morning. In order to get any rest, we had to sleep with the windows closed which made the room pretty hot and stuffy. Ceiling fans would have helped considerably. Fortunately we spent little of our day actually at the house. No significant complaints about the house, but felt the owner was a little oblivious to the needs of renters. For example, there was no dishwashing soap in the kitchen (no dishwasher), and there was only one spare roll of toilet paper between two bathrooms, not including the two in use. There were some small ants in the kitchen, and I got a blank stare when I asked the owner about the dish soap and a can of Raid. I had to buy our own dish soap and a can of Raid spray, of course leaving them behind when we left. Glad the TP held out as I sure wasn’t going to buy a 12 roll pack of Charmin.

The first night we ate at Buzz’s Steakhouse in Kailua. Outstanding, but expensive meal and they don’t take credit cards. Daughter and I had the steak and scampi combination; wife had the Chicken Teriyaki (notice a pattern here?) and son the prime rib. Nice salad bar, and the Mai Tai’s are potent! Early to bed for next morning trip to the Arizona Memorial.

The next morning I had a hard time getting everybody up early so we could get to the Arizona Memorial before the thundering herds. Fat chance! DW insisted we did not have to be the first ones there. I really wanted to get there around 7 AM, but we didn’t turn into the lot until a little after 7:30 and the line already snaked down the front and once around the front lawn. I told my wife we did not have to worry about being the first ones there. 45 minutes to get to the front door, and our tickets were for the 9:15 AM trip. I never tire of visiting the Arizona Memorial and if you have a dry eye after the movie you have ice for a heart. Since we wanted to do lunch in Chinatown, we skipped the Bowfin and toured the Missouri battleship. The Missouri is huge and is a nice self guided tour. We thought the forced photo opportunity at the beginning to be very cheesy and low class. I don’t think the photographer appreciated my comments.

We found our way very easily to Chinatown and used a public parking garage across the street from the indoor market. Both the kids were pretty revolted at the fresh pig’s heads and chicken feet as we made our way to the food court. I found the place fascinating and a great photo opportunity. We made our way around the various food vendors stalls and finally settled on one, although the others looked very appetizing. I had the most incredible fish noodle soup with prawns, calamari, white fish and noodles. Wife and son had a beef noodle soup and daughter had a combination fried rice and noodles. We also split some gyoza and roast duck. Absolutely delicious and cheap! We headed back to Kailua to change for another luau, this time totally authentic and quite a surprise

Thirty years ago in another life, I was on my first trip to Hawaii and had the opportunity to attend a church sponsored luau put on by the Kaumakapili Church on the west side of Honolulu. The concierge at the Ala Moana Hotel told us that we could not find a more authentic luau than one put on by a Hawaiian church. Boy was he right. Great food and entertainment. What a surprise to learn that the same church has now been putting on the same luau for 35 years, and we would be on Oahu when this year’s would be held. I called the church and sent a check for four tickets. During the phone conversation, I mentioned to the church secretary that I had attended many years ago. On first glance the neighborhood where the church is, is pretty rough. A few bars, project type housing and we even saw a hooker standing outside a bar. I had a hard time convincing the rest of the family to get out of the car, since they were convinced they would have a terrible time and we would not be welcome. Oh how wrong they would be! There was a small band playing Hawaiian music outside the church, and a group of women in aprons were dancing. As we stood in line, I could feel the nervousness of the family. A few minutes later there was a quick prayer and we started through the line to get our food and find seats. The food was all authentic luau food, except totally home made, Kalua pig, lomi salmon, chicken long rice, squid luau, opihi (don’t even ask), Styrofoam cups of poi, sliced pineapple, sweet potato, chocolate cake and haupia. Bottomless pitchers of fruit punch rounded out the meal. As we shyly found our way to long tables that faced the stage, my family alternated looking at the food trays and me, wondering what I had gotten them into. As we sat down, we were approached by three ladies and a man who asked us if they could sit by us. In a few minutes we were all chatting and introductions were made. They were very pleased that we had traveled so far and couldn’t believe the story about how I had found out about their luau. One of the ladies, Liz, was especially warm and friendly and her and my wife just chatted away. At one point, Liz stood up and took off her flowered lei and put it around my wife’s neck with a hug and a kiss. We all had a good laugh when they traded their sliced pineapple for our cups of poi, which they ate with great relish. Toward the end of the meal, the Kahu (church minister) started to speak, making introductions and thanking the people who put on the luau for their hard work. I was only half listening, nibbling on a piece of delicious pineapple; when I heard the Kahu say they wanted to recognize some special guests who had traveled so far to share their luau, and he called out our name. My wife and I just looked at each other in shock, when he again asked us to stand up to the applause of the hundreds of other people there. He went on to tell the audience how we happened to be there and said, “Welcome home.” The next thing I knew, Liz was putting another lei around my neck. The rest of the night was a blast, with some outstanding music and dancing by groups of all ages. Periodically, as people would pass by our table they would shake our hands and tell us “Welcome.” We found out that out new friends, Liz, Cindy, Auntie Gussie and Nuu’, were all staff members at the Kamehemeha School founded by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, as in Bishop Museum. Many photos were taken and they made us promise that we would stop by the school on our last day on Oahu. I don’t think I realized until that night what Aloha really means. That night was clearly the best night of the vacation. Lesson learned…Do not be afraid to get off the tourist highway and meet people.

Sunday morning, we headed back into Honolulu. A stop at the Pali Lookout, lunch at Zippy’s To Go on Vineyard, shopping at the Ala Moana Center and my dreaded excursion onto the bowels of Waikiki. Zippy’s is advertised as the Hawaiian Denny’s, but we found the food to be outstanding and a good value. Assorted souvenirs at the International Market Place rounded out the afternoon. Stepping out onto the beach behind the Sheraton reminded me why I avoided Waikiki like the plague. For a few panic stricken moments I thought I was back in the mosh pit in front of the Magic Kingdom, just before they drop the rope. For dinner we went to Todai Sushi & Seafood. It is a huge, and I mean HUGE sushi bar and buffet. Excellent quality for a buffet. You have to see it to believe it. Fairly expensive though at $28/person for dinner. Predictably, I got lost trying to get out of Waikiki, and after driving in circles found my self passing the International Market Place for the second time. Eventually we wound our way back to the Pali Highway for a quick trip over the mountain.

Monday morning we got an early start and headed north, passing the Polynesian Cultural Center, to which we would return later in the day. Enjoying the sunshine in our convertible, we tooled around to Haleiwa with stops at some of the beaches along the way. Kids were pretty disappointed by the surf at Sunset Beach, expecting huge waves. We stopped at Turtle Beach and were pleased to find the turtles especially active and very close to shore. Glad we stopped at Matsumoto’s for shave ice. I finally got to try the shave ice with red beans in the bottom. Surprisingly delicious!

The afternoon was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We opted for the Ambassador package which included either the luau or the indoor buffet. The package, $110/person included a tour guide. Our guide was Lilo, a medical student at BYU from Mongolia. She herded us from “island to island.” I think the extra expense was worth it, because she had a well-laid out plan that always got us to a particular island just before the show was about to start. Plus she had activities planned that the typical guest wouldn’t get to do. Don’t know how she did it, but she managed to find our group seats on a little island just before the start of the canoe parade. Our group split before dinner, with us heading to the indoor buffet and the rest to the luau. We chose wisely, I think. The food was very good, and best of all no poi in sight! The Horizons show that evening was outstanding. The Ambassador package came with reserved seats; we were please to find ours in the second row, just off stage center. The show is incredible, and the 90 minutes passed very quickly.

Tuesday morning, we again ventured into Honolulu to pick up some last minute souvenirs for family and friends. Lunch at the food court at the Ala Moana Center. Many good choices here. Back to Kailua where we spent the afternoon on the Lanikai Beach, which was about a 5 minute walk from our rental. Lanikai is a very beautiful beach, but a little too calm for much water activity. Waves only broke about 1 foot high. We never made it to Kailua Beach, but passed it many times. It is a very attractive beach, with nice wave action. Dinner at Lucy’s in Kailua. Food was good, not great, and pretty expensive. Service was a little stuffy and cold. Probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Our last morning was spent packing and cleaning out the refrigerator. We crammed all of our luggage into the convertible and headed toward Honolulu. We had our last meal at Zippy’s. Son and I had our last Loco Moco. BTW, had I said yet just how good the Hawaiian version of macaroni salad is? Well, if I haven’t, trust me it’s great!

We made our way to the Kamehameha School to say good bye to our new friends. We met them at the Cultural Center which contains many pieces of furniture owned by Princess Bernice Pauahi. They greeted us with beautiful flowered and kukui nut leis. Our friend Nuu’ is the curator for the Cultural Center and we listened in fascination as he gave us a history lesson of Hawaiian royalty from Kamehameha the Great, through Liliuokalani. It was something special to be sitting in the same furniture as Hawaiian royalty. Sadly it was time for us to head to the airport. As we were leaving they gave us more parting gifts including hand-made note cards and a book about the life of Princess Bernice Pauahi. There wasn’t a dry eye in the group as we said good bye. Talk about Aloha!

Quick flight to Maui, where we caught a Delta red eye to SLC and back to COS. This was clearly one of the best, if not THE BEST vacations our family has ever taken. Hope you enjoyed this trip report and didn’t find it too long.

Thanks for the enjoyable trip report.
Glad you finally got to see the crater at Haleakala.

We will be making our first trip to Oahu & Maui next spring, and I really appreciate your detailed report!

We have the road to Hana on our list of things to do, though it is something I could easily give up. I'm not sure if I want to spend that much time in a car. The only reason I even want to do the drive is that I want to go to the black sand beach. I'm not so sure now if the drive will be worth the effort.

Enjoyed your report. Regarding the little stone church near the ball fields on the road to Hana, it was the only thing that survived the Tsunami which turned it around. The door used to face the ocean. Not anymore. Per the girl selling banana bread right there. Interesting fact, if it is in fact, a fact.

Not quite sure how to read your post cottonqueen, but if you're familiar Ke'ane, there is a little snack shack just as you come into town on your right. They sell fresh baked banana bread, still warm from the oven, drinks, coffee, etc. It is located about a 1/4 mile before the church and ballfield. Hope you weren't infering that I was making up some of my post.

Thanks for the excellent trip report and congratulations on an obviously well planned vacation. Your description of the luau in Honolulu brings back memories of similar church luaus I've attended over the years, with the food, music and dancing. These are great vacation memories I'm sure your family will cherish in years to come.

Nice trip report.

Emmaandamber

The Road to Hana makes for a long day. But the actual time in the car driving is not so long. This is one of the most scenic drives in the country. Don't miss it. If you leave your hotel early (7 or 7:30) you will beat most of the traffic and parking won't be so difficult. Also you will be going in the spring at not the busy summer as Jim did.

Great report & love your humor. Interested as we are going to Maui/Oahu Nov 06.

Anyone know if there are church luaus then?

Great report, and I am glad you found the church luau. mmmm.....craving poi right now!

Great report! Put me right in the mood for a Mai Tai! Good thing I have the necessary items on hand!

jimcolorado ~ Absolutely not. I'm sorry if I didn't come across right. I remember the banana bread stand well. The girl I was referring to was past that, by the ball fields, and near the water - just the area you described with the waves crashing and craggy lava rocks - beautiful. This girl sold stuff on her own by the rocks. I didn't see how she set up as she was packing up her stuff to leave. She had her little kids in the car too. I'm sorry, it was not even banana bread I bought from her, but homemade macadamia nut brittle! I'm not sure what else she sold if anything. Nevertheless, I thought we were referring to the same church - I don't remember another one but there could hve been one. It was just an interesting tidbit she told me, but what I meant by fact was that it was hearsay from her. I didn't want to state something as absolute fact when I didn't verify it. That's why I said if it was in fact a fact. I had no way of knowing if "she" was telling the truth. I assumed it was true. As for you, I didn't doubt anything you reported. Great report and glad you had a good time!