Maui Questions - first timer
 

Hi - we're going to Maui on our first trip to Hawaii for our 5th anniversary. We are staying at a timeshare in Ka'anapali (Westin Villas - any thoughts appreciated). We have a 8 days there. I know that we also want to see the sights on East Maui (Sunrise at Hakalea Park, Road to Hana). However - I'm struggling with logistics and driving. How far is the drive from Ka'anapali to these locations? Is it worth staying on the other side for 2 nights to reduce driving time? If so, recommendations for hotels/b&bs are appreciated (its our anniversary, so somewhere nice, not as much worried about cost). OR is drive easy and we should just go back and forth (even to catch the sunrise)? THANKS IN ADVANCE!

I would say that most people stay in West Maui where you are staying and drive to the various sights like the Haleakala sunrise and road to Hana. I think it's about a 90 minutes to the top of the crater for sunrise. I think most people leave Ka'anapali around 4am and you are back to the hotel by 9am or so. Bring all the warm clothes and blankets you can...it's COLD! The road to and from Hana takes all day. You need to get out on the road early (8am-ish) and you'll probably return to your hotel in the early evening, assuming you go all the way to Hana, spend a little time there and also make stops along the way. Most bring a picnic lunch along with them to enjoy at one of the scenic spots along this drive.

If you are coming from the East Coast, or have a time change to deal with, it might help to plan early morning activities for the first couple of days of your stay as you will probably be waking up early anyway.

We stayed in two different places on the Big Island because it's huge and everything is so spread out, but on Maui, it was easy to stay in one place and just drive each day. Besides Haleakala and Hana, check out snorkeling at Molokini and going to the Old Lahaina Luau.

You'll be fine to stay in Kaanapali and explore Haleakala and Hana. As mollmatt said, if you are coming from the East to Maui, you'll be jet lagged and wide awake very, very early in the morning. So, I recommend doing Haleakala sunrise on your first or second morning there.

I like getting to Haleakala before 5am to do a little stargazing. Haleakala is one of the top 10 places in the world for stargazing, so why not take advantage of that before sunrise? I've seen so many shooting stars from there. Here are my Haleakala tips:
http://www.govisithawaii.com/2007/07...-of-a-volcano/

The drive to Hana and back can be done in one day from Kaanapali. Just get an early start (7 or maybe before and you'll avoid some traffic and won't be rushed.)

Here are the top 5 things to do on Maui, in my opinion:
http://www.govisithawaii.com/2008/01...maui-vacation/

Have fun in Maui, but beware, after you've been once, you'll want to go back again and again. :-)

This link has a fairly accurate drive times for Maui.

The times are from Kahului Airport.

Because you have to go right past the airport, for Haleakala Crater & for Hana from Kaanapali from West Maui or South Maui, you have to add the times together.

For example:

From Kaanapali to the airport is 50 minutes. To Haleakala is 1 hour 45 minutes more from the airport. Plus there is parking time & a few minutes to walk from the parking area to the lookout. So give yourself 3 hours from Kaanapali to Haleakala.

Still you will have no problem driving either to Haleakala or Road to Hana & returning in one day. I would not change locations.

http://www.hawaiiinfoguide.com/maui_car_rental.htm

If you want to go to a luau, pick one with a fire knife dancer as they are the most entertaining.

Iao Valley is nice. Strolling Lahaina is nice.

Lots of info. You can ignore the Oahu things:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

Lar3604: Here are some suggestions for your Haleakala visit. One of the last towns you go through before entering Haleakala National Park is Pukalani. The Pukalani Country Club is a great place for meals. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is open to the public. Great food and terrific prices. Another suggestion when returning is to make a short detour to the town of Makawao (just a few miles off the road to Haleakala). Almost every shop in Makawao is involved in arts and craft. Everything from fabrics to art galleries to glass blowers. Easy to spend an entire day cruising the shops. There are also two excellent choices for lunch. The Makawao Steak House (a little pricey) and the Stop Watch Grill (a sports bar).