Maui Trip Report
Jun 17th, 2002, 07:43 AM
#1
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Maui Trip Report
This was our 2nd trip to Hawaii and we were there for 16 days. We visited Maui, the Big Island and Oahu. I’ve tried to post this report for a week and a half but I have to keep condensing it. Let me know if I can answer specific questions.
We stayed 6 nights on Maui at the FS partial ocean view room. Our room was on the 4th floor and set pretty far back from the ocean. The room was barely a partial ocean view. I’d call it more of a garden view. If we went back we'd request a higher floor. Overall I felt the hotel was nice but way over rated. Given all the hype I expected more. One issue we had was with an over zealous maid who moved things around to the extent that we couldn’t find them. After a few days of this it got a bit irritating. In addition, we had purchased a T-shirt for my niece that mysteriously disappeared from our room. We notified the hotel manager and after going back and forth on this issue for about an hour she finally agreed to reimburse us. The decor was nice but again, I expected to be blown away given all the hype. The FS has a great beach and it also has a great area for snorkeling. People seemed to come from other hotels to go snorkeling at the FS beach. My husband and I both thought the beach staff at the FS were downright rude. If you didn’t have tip money to give them for setting up your cabana they snubbed you for the rest of the day. They also refused to hold the cabana for us when we went up to the hotel for lunch. It’s not a huge deal but these are little things that a person would expect when they’re staying at a 5 star resort.
We buffet breakfast is a bit pricey($25.00pp)but was very good. Plus nothing compares to eating breakfast outside among the swaying palm trees!
Four Seasons Pacific Grill: Good but nothing outstanding. My husband had stir fry which he thought was very good but I had Prime Rib that was extremely fatty.
Nick’s Seafood Restaurant at the Kea Lani: I know this restaurant has received rave reviews on Fodors but neither of us liked this restaurant. We both ordered fresh seafood dishes and both our meals were drowned in butter. Yuck!
Roy’s in Kihei: My husband had sea bass and I had Mahi Mahi. Both were very good. The restaurant has a good wine list too.
Haliemaile General Store: This time my husband had the Mahi Mahi and I had baby back ribs. Both were excellent! We highly recommend this restaurant. Be sure to make reservations because it’s not a huge restaurant. It took us about 45 minutes to get there from the 4S.
Mama’s Fish House: Wonderful! The restaurant is right on the water and is absolutely charming. I can not say enough about this restaurant. For dinner I had lobster & crab stuffed Mahi Mahi and my husband had Walu, which is a local butterfish (fantastic!). Both our dinners were fabulous and the atmosphere is unbeatable! This restaurant also has a wonderful wine list as well. It’s not cheap but I felt it was worth every penny and it was one of our favorites.
Here’s another vote for the Maui Dive Shop and the Molokini Snorkel Cruise. This was our first time snorkeling so I can tell you that if you’re not real sea worthy make sure you ask them whether the water is choppy before you get on the boat. If they say it’s choppy don’t go unless you've taken Dramamine! I was so sick after this cruise. It was the longest 3 hours I can remember.
Finally, if you’re into wine you should try Mr. Wine in Lahaina. They have a great selection of fine wines. I purchased 4 “hard to get” wines at very good prices. Now onto the Big Island........
We stayed 6 nights on Maui at the FS partial ocean view room. Our room was on the 4th floor and set pretty far back from the ocean. The room was barely a partial ocean view. I’d call it more of a garden view. If we went back we'd request a higher floor. Overall I felt the hotel was nice but way over rated. Given all the hype I expected more. One issue we had was with an over zealous maid who moved things around to the extent that we couldn’t find them. After a few days of this it got a bit irritating. In addition, we had purchased a T-shirt for my niece that mysteriously disappeared from our room. We notified the hotel manager and after going back and forth on this issue for about an hour she finally agreed to reimburse us. The decor was nice but again, I expected to be blown away given all the hype. The FS has a great beach and it also has a great area for snorkeling. People seemed to come from other hotels to go snorkeling at the FS beach. My husband and I both thought the beach staff at the FS were downright rude. If you didn’t have tip money to give them for setting up your cabana they snubbed you for the rest of the day. They also refused to hold the cabana for us when we went up to the hotel for lunch. It’s not a huge deal but these are little things that a person would expect when they’re staying at a 5 star resort.
We buffet breakfast is a bit pricey($25.00pp)but was very good. Plus nothing compares to eating breakfast outside among the swaying palm trees!
Four Seasons Pacific Grill: Good but nothing outstanding. My husband had stir fry which he thought was very good but I had Prime Rib that was extremely fatty.
Nick’s Seafood Restaurant at the Kea Lani: I know this restaurant has received rave reviews on Fodors but neither of us liked this restaurant. We both ordered fresh seafood dishes and both our meals were drowned in butter. Yuck!
Roy’s in Kihei: My husband had sea bass and I had Mahi Mahi. Both were very good. The restaurant has a good wine list too.
Haliemaile General Store: This time my husband had the Mahi Mahi and I had baby back ribs. Both were excellent! We highly recommend this restaurant. Be sure to make reservations because it’s not a huge restaurant. It took us about 45 minutes to get there from the 4S.
Mama’s Fish House: Wonderful! The restaurant is right on the water and is absolutely charming. I can not say enough about this restaurant. For dinner I had lobster & crab stuffed Mahi Mahi and my husband had Walu, which is a local butterfish (fantastic!). Both our dinners were fabulous and the atmosphere is unbeatable! This restaurant also has a wonderful wine list as well. It’s not cheap but I felt it was worth every penny and it was one of our favorites.
Here’s another vote for the Maui Dive Shop and the Molokini Snorkel Cruise. This was our first time snorkeling so I can tell you that if you’re not real sea worthy make sure you ask them whether the water is choppy before you get on the boat. If they say it’s choppy don’t go unless you've taken Dramamine! I was so sick after this cruise. It was the longest 3 hours I can remember.
Finally, if you’re into wine you should try Mr. Wine in Lahaina. They have a great selection of fine wines. I purchased 4 “hard to get” wines at very good prices. Now onto the Big Island........
Jun 17th, 2002, 07:05 PM
#4
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John,
I'm not sure how far the drive is from Wailea, but no matter how long, it's DEFINITELY worth it. I second rmc's opinion. The food, service and atmosphere are top notch. The best reastaurant I've ever been to. Just make sure to get there around 5pm (early enough) or make reservations. If you can get a table overlooking the water, it makes it that much better.
I'm not sure how far the drive is from Wailea, but no matter how long, it's DEFINITELY worth it. I second rmc's opinion. The food, service and atmosphere are top notch. The best reastaurant I've ever been to. Just make sure to get there around 5pm (early enough) or make reservations. If you can get a table overlooking the water, it makes it that much better.
Jun 18th, 2002, 05:43 AM
#5
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John,
This restaurant is DEFINITELY worth the drive. I think it's the best restaurant on Maui. I had to keep condensing my trip report because this site wouldn't accept my lengthy dialogue.
I had originally written a lot more about this restaurant than was posted.
Mama's specializes in local fish. In fact the menu will even tell you which of their fishermen caught it and where on the island it was caught. I thought that was pretty funny when I first looked at the menu. While we were there someone brought up a point how everyone typically goes at night for dinner so if that's the case you don't get to see the great view from your table. They recommended coming for lunch so you could take in the great view on the water. I think it would be worth going to twice!
Oh and to answer your question, I think it'll take about 45 minutes to get to Mama's from Wailea. Absolutely, positively make reservations!
This restaurant is DEFINITELY worth the drive. I think it's the best restaurant on Maui. I had to keep condensing my trip report because this site wouldn't accept my lengthy dialogue.
I had originally written a lot more about this restaurant than was posted.Mama's specializes in local fish. In fact the menu will even tell you which of their fishermen caught it and where on the island it was caught. I thought that was pretty funny when I first looked at the menu. While we were there someone brought up a point how everyone typically goes at night for dinner so if that's the case you don't get to see the great view from your table. They recommended coming for lunch so you could take in the great view on the water. I think it would be worth going to twice!
Oh and to answer your question, I think it'll take about 45 minutes to get to Mama's from Wailea. Absolutely, positively make reservations!
Jun 20th, 2002, 09:44 AM
#7
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It is about a 2 hour drive to Haleakala.The sunset last week was at about 5:15 to 5:30.
We found it good for our jet lag to go to bed early the first night and get up for the sunset. That way we were able to
still get some sleep. Then we finished our jet lag adjustment later. We went to sleep at about 8 pm as we were tired
frpm the time change and the flight.
We found it good for our jet lag to go to bed early the first night and get up for the sunset. That way we were able to
still get some sleep. Then we finished our jet lag adjustment later. We went to sleep at about 8 pm as we were tired
frpm the time change and the flight.
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