Tasha440

Just back from Ka'anapali beach, and hoping to provide some help to others as I received much good advice for our trip from this board.

Stayed a week at the Hyatt, wonderful resort. We were upgraded to a partial ocean view room in the Napili tower. If you have a choice, I would probably request the main tower as it is closer to the pool and beach area. Our room was nicely furnished, super comfy beds. You can request a fridge-first come, first serve basis.

The grounds were beautiful, pool was large and attractively designed. The only disappointment at the hotel was that we were under the impression that there was a swim up bar in the pool. There is a bar under the grotto waterfall in the center of the pool, but it is actually above the water. You just have to get out of the water to order your Lavaflow or MaiTai. Not a big deal, but something to note.

I had reservations at both the Four Seasons and the Hyatt and was very torn about where to stay. We were so glad to have chosen the Hyatt. Although it was at capacity, it never seemed too crowded. As expected, however, all the pool chairs are reserved by mid morning. However, the staff was very good about removing towels from unused chairs after vacant for a few hours. I'm sure the Four Seasons was equally as beautiful, but we were glad to have chosen west Maui instead of south Maui. Loved the Beach Walk along the shore, great for sunset strolls. Lots of restaurants to choose from, without ever needing to get in the car. Nice shopping at Whaler's Village too.

Spent the last 4 days at the Sheraton, just north of the Hyatt. Although not as nice as the Hyatt, still a great resort. We were upgraded to a deluxe ocean front room, right on the tip of black rock. Fantastic view, very nice room. Room was larger than the Hyatt, had microwave, fridge, large safe, lots of storage space. The staff here was totally attentive. They really live up to their "satisfaction promise".

Some restaurants we liked (we mainly chose restaurants recommended by Maui Revealed)-

Swan Court, Hyatt- very romantic setting, highly recommend their breakfast buffet. Expensive, but worth it for the atmosphere and variety of delicious foods. I recommend getting there early, there was usually a wait past 8:30 am.

Cafe O'Lei, Lahaina-quaint waterfront location, attentive service, great food

Leilani's and Hula Grill, Whaler's Village-both have similar menus and are right across from each other on Ka'anapali Beach. They get very crowded, often 1 and 1/2 hour waits after 6 pm. Enjoyed both restaurants; however, if you only have a chance to visit one, I would choose Leilani's. Although, if you want to eat with your feet in the sand, choose the Hula Grill's beachside instead.

BJ's Chicago Pizzeria- great pizza, make sure to save room for the chocolate chip cookie/ice cream dessert-it is well worth the calories!

Penne Pasta Cafe-worth the short walk off Front St. Delicious italian food for very reasonable prices.

Bubba Gumps-fun atmosphere, good food, excellent service. We went twice for dinner, and enjoyed it both times. The best Lava Flows in Lahaina...
Cute little gift shop also.

Casanova's-stopped here on the way back from the Road to Hana. Very eclectic, we enjoyed our meals here, and the service was excellent.

Honokowai Okazuya Deli-great choice for lunch on your way to/from Kapalua area. Lots of tourists have discovered this place, not just locals there anymore...

Honolua Store-another excellent choice in Kapalua. Stopped here for breakfast on the way to Honolua Bay. Very reasonable, lots of choices on the breakfast menu. Also did some shopping here-nice selection for golf related souvenirs.

Kula Lodge-stopped here for breakfast after Haleakala. Very good food, one of our best breakfasts on Maui. A bit expensive, but worth it. We received excellent service here, I know some posters have had long waits-I guess it depends on when you get there.

One popular restaurant we did not care for was Cheeseburger in Paradise. Went there the first time for breakfast-terrible service and mediocre food. Decided to give it another chance for dinner, same experience. The seating is very crowded-especially if you are a party of two. Most of the tables are set up for four, with a short (maybe 4 inch) divider between two small tables. So, basically, you are eating with another party of two. Not my idea of a nice dinner. We did eat at the Waikiki Cheeseburger in Paradise, and it was much better.

Molokini-We took the Four Winds II trip, great crew, nice boat, decent food. However, overall, we did not think Molokini was worth it. Saw much more variety of fish in beaches you could drive to. We commented to some of the crew about the lack of fish, and they even said that the snorkeling at Molikini is not that great anymore. They said it was fantastic about 10 years ago, but with all the boats arriving day after day, the snorkeling is not what is used to be. If you like snorkeling, I would say save your money and go to Honolua Bay or some of the spots people have mentioned in south Maui.

Warren & Annabelle's- my favorite show on Maui. The magic tricks were unbelievable, but even better than than was the comedic parts of the show. Warren is hilarious. I haven't laughed that much in years. The pre-show (Annabelle portion) is a bit hokey. I would recommend getting dinner closeby (maybe Bubba Gumps or Ruth Chris'), then going to the show right before the magic show starts. You don't have to attend the Annabelle portion, this is where they serve appetizers and drinks before Warren starts the show. If you call them, they will tell you the actual show start time.

Haleakala sunrise-Beautiful sunrise, worth getting up early and standing in the cold weather for a few hours. Bring flashlights, you will need them. The best part of Haleakala was hiking down Sliding Sands Trail. It was absolutely amazing inside the crater. Very hard to describe, unlike any other place. For the first half hour, we were the only people on the trail. It was so peaceful, seems like the quietest place on earth. We hiked about 1 1/2 mile down. Easy trip down, not so easy back up! People had warned us about the impact of the elevation, but it still surprises you at how quickly you will tire. We took plenty of water, and made sure we stopped a few times. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Road to Hana-went all the way around (did not have a 4 wheel drive, and it wasn't necessary). Well worth the day trip, as long as you have Maui Revealed. If you don't know where to stop, I can understand why people would say that they dislike this trip. Be sure to stop at the Halfway to Hana stand for their banana bread-it is awesome! Favorite stops were Nahiku (go all the way to the end of this road) and Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach. Oheo Gulch was not that impressive, very crowded. We thought other sights along the way were much nicer.

The drive around the west side was absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed it more than the road to Hana. Loved the Olivine Pools, fortunately for us, there were only a few other people there. After you hike down, be sure to go over to the left side of the pools also. When we were there, the surf was pounding against the rocks along the side-wonderful picture spot.

Hopefully, I will adjust to the time change soon now that we're back on the East coast. It's 2 am, and I'm wide awake writing a trip report!! I'd be happy to answer any questions; however, I'll probably be going to sleep for a few hours first.

gyppielou

great report! Where is Casanova's? We're always looking for a new eclectic spot! Thanks

Tasha440

Casanova's is in Makawao, north of Kula off the Haleakala Highway. It's a short drive off the main road. I recommend calling for a reservation. It was pretty crowded when we were there, and it seemed that most people had reservations.

Tasha440

Forgot to mention, if you are looking for a reasonable rate for a convertible, we paid $29 (daily rate) for one through Alamo. They have an offer going on through 12/31 if you use rate code "6T". Worked for us on Oahu and Maui. We did reserve our dates about 2 months ago, so I'm not sure about availability.

JohnD

Tasha, thanks for the very detailed trip report! Could you give examples of your favorite Maui snorkel spots and how difficult were they to access? Thanks in advance for your response.

Tasha440

John-Unfortunately, we did not make it to south Maui to snorkel. I heard that there are great snorkeling sites there, although some require a hike to access.

Our favorite site was Honolua Bay. Moderately accessible, just sometimes difficult to find a parking space. It's one of those pull over to the side of the road places. Honolua is just after Slaughterhouse Beach, which also has pretty good snorkeling.

We originally went to Slaughterhouse thinking it was Honolua (since there is a sign there saying it is Honolua Beach). There is a cement stairway leading down to the beach-this one is not Honolua Bay. Continue down the hill where you will see a pathway, this is the entrance to Honolua.

Be very careful getting into the water at Honolua. There isn't any type of sandy beach area. It's all rocks, and very slippery rocks near the water. I fell getting into the water, and was very lucky to only fall on my back on a few large boulders. A few inches either direction, and I wouldn't be walking now! (Of course, if I had listened to my husband and been more careful, I also wouldn't have fallen....) The reason I say 'moderately accessible' is only due to the caution you need to take getting into the water. There is no strenuous hike required to get there.

We saw reef sharks, an eel, and several colorful fish here. We stayed to the right side, there were a few people on the left. All of the snorkel boats that came in went to the right also, so that seemed to be the best side.

Slaughterhouse does have a nice beach area, and is much easier to access the water. Snorkeling was good here, though not as much variety as Honolua.

When we stayed at the Sheraton, we checked out Black Rock. The snorkeling was ok, very easy to access. Just walk right in off the beach and stay on the right towards Black Rock. We went out around Black Rock, and found the snorkeling out there to be better than the shallow water.

Hope that helps!

JohnD

Wow you saw sharks! How big were they, and were they laid back and not interested in you or were they discomforting?

My wife and I have seen a barracuda in Mexican waters, but he seemed petlike and very mellow. We will be heading to Maui in a couple of months-cant wait.

orangetravelcat

Tasha, thanks for the Alamo rate code. We're going to the Big Island in early October and will see if we can use that rate code to get a good deal on a convertible. We have one reserved thru another company at a much higher rate.

bluefan

Thanks for a terrific trip report Tasha!

I'm glad to hear you had a great time at the Hyatt. Your comments on Honolua Bay, end of Nahiku Road, drive around West Maui and the hike down Sliding Sands Trail brough back some of my favorite memories from Maui...thanks for sharing them!!!!

logandog

Great report.
Honolua is one of the great snorkeling spots in the world, but it is a bit of a swim.

Tasha440

Thanks everyone, it's great to have the chance to relive our time on Maui!!

JohnD-The reef sharks were totally disinterested in snorkelers. They hung around in the deep areas, and stayed along the bottom. They were only about 2 feet long. Some of the snuba divers on our Molokini trip saw one out there also; however, didn't hear of any snorkelers who saw it.

Where are you guys staying on Maui?

Bluefan-you are welcome. You provided me with much assistance for our trip-thank you!

Logandog-Honolua was my second snorkeling experience ever-I'm happy to hear it is one of the greatest. We used an entire underwater camera here, and could have used another one!

JohnD

Tasha, thanks for the shark update-I don't think 2ft. sharks will keep my wife and I out of the water, as we have seen similar sized sharks caught right in front of us on the east coast where we were swimming!
We will be staying at a condo in the Wailea area on our 2nd upcoming visit to Maui. On our first visit we stayed at a condo in Kahana and snorkeled in Kapalua Bay which I believe is great for beginners as it has a large variety of small fish and extremely easy access, though parking is tight.
This past march we snorkeled at the Captain Cook Monument on the Big Island and we are probably in for a let down on Maui where we hope to check out Black Rock & south Maui, as at least one fodorite on this board stated that the snorkeling at Capt.Cook is comparable to the Great Barrier Reef, though we did not see any sharks when we were there. What a dilemma we face!
Mahalo for your responses!

andiejo

Great trip report! Thanks so much; I took a lot of notes for our trip in September. One other thing I wanted to let orangetravelcat know: we rented a 1998 Cavalier Convertible through a local outfit called Maui Car Rentals ( www.mauicarrentals.net) for 7days/$175. I thought this was a steal! Not a Mustang, mind you, but still a good deal and I figured it was also helping out the locals!

Suzie

Nice report Tasha. We also enjoyed Cafe O'Lei. Same opinion of Molokini. While Four Winds is a great boat with a great crew the snorkeling is not as good there as places you can find from shore. For those in the south you can check out Ulua Beach which has great facilities and terrific snorkeling.

julesj66

Tasha - really enjoyed your trip report. We'll be returning to Maui in early Oct for our 5th anniversary. I am particularly interested in visiting the Olivine Pools - I have the MR book. Was it easy enough to find?! And I believe I will need to find out exactly what kind of a drink a "Lavaflow" is! Thanks!

Tasha440

Yes, the Olivine Pools are easy to find if you use Maui Revealed's directions. It's funny, lots of people parked at the "pullover", got out, took a quick look down the cliff area and left. You have to walk down the pathway, be careful, there are some rocky spots, before you get down to the bottom where the pools actually are.

The pools themselves were not as remarkable as the area around the pools. When we were there (a week ago), the water level was a lot lower than the picture appears in MR. Still a great spot, but the pool area is probably much better in the winter or after a rainy season. We walked out around the sides to watch the surf, which was really dramatic at the time.

Lavaflows are very addicting, and are served almost everywhere on Maui!! They are basically a pina colada, bananas, and other ingredients (depending upon who makes it) with strawberry syrup squirted in around the sides of the glass to appear as the "lava". Once I tried one, I wasn't interested in any other drink!! You can get a mai tai anywhere, but I haven't seen a lavaflow here in New England yet!!

Suzie

Tasha, if youcan't find it make it for yourself!!!

Ingredients
1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Malibu Rum
2 oz Strawberries
1 Banana(s)
2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Coconut Cream

Blend banana, coconut cream, and pineapple juice in a blender and set aside. In the bottom of a hurricane glass, stir together both rums and strawberries.

Pour banana/coconut/pineapple mix slowly into the glass. The strawberry/rum mix should creep up the sides of the glass to make a wonderful looking (and tasting) summertime cocktail!

I had the absolute best Mai Tai ever in, of all places Lake Tahoe, at the bar at Chambers Landing in Homewood. Bar is out on the pier so you can boat in. The cost of the mai tai was outrageaous at $7.00 each.

Tasha440

Thanks Suzie, now if you can just send me the sound of the surf and some trade winds....

I noticed a lot of the hotel pool bars on Maui used the Island Oasis pina colada smoothie mixes to make these drinks, which I'm sure contributed to those extra 4 pounds I came home with! I'll have to try your lighter version.

Suzie

Yeah the drink with no ambiance doesn't really do much does it?

Try putting a Keali'i Reichel or IZ cd in the boom box and sitting by a pool with kids yelling "mommy look at me look at me". Oh last last part is just my regular life!

julesj66

Thanks for the info, Tasha! The drink sounds great! Can't wait to leave! (Oct. 1st)