Oahu/Maui Trip Report
Jun 26th, 2005, 06:02 PM
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Oahu/Maui Trip Report
Finally able to post a trip report. Thanks to my monitoring of this board and the great suggestions from everyone my husband and I had a FABULOUS 25th anniversay trip. We were in Oahu for 3 days and Maui for 8. Here is a brief summary of our trip.
Day one - Finally arrived in Honolulu after an 8 hour 45 minute direct flight. Not too bad as we had paradise awaiting us. We had booked our trip through Apple Vacations. We were greeted at the airport by a representative with fresh leis! They handled the luggage and transportation to our hotel, which was very nice after such a long flight. We stayed at the Outrigger Reef. Very beautiful hotel. We had a city view as we were only staying 3 days. Turns out our view was the McDonalds and the entire block that was being demolished! Didn't bother as it turns out as we were gone every morning before work started and returned after 5:00 p.m. The first night we just had dinner at the hotel and walked on the beach trying to stay awake as long as possible. Booked an early tour for the next morning with Reliable Tours through the hotel for Pearl Harbour.
Day 2 - Had an early pickup at the hotel with Reliable Tours. Tommy, our driver, was quite a character/comedian. Was a little worried he was not paying much attention to his driving! Arrived at Pearl Harbour early and the line was already down the sidewalk and around the corner. It went very fast adn we were the 7th group in. Walked through the museum and gift shop while waiting for our group to get called. The film was very good and the Arizona very interesting. I felt sad that so many lost their lives and were not much older than our son is. We also toured the Missouri battleship which was very interesting. Really enjoyed climbing all over the ship. You can't imagine how HUGE that ship is.
Returned to the hotel, booked an early snorkle trip for the next day to Hanauma.
Day 3 - Tommy Tours was the only trip that had a 6:00 a.m. pickup. Everything I read on this board said to get their early. Arrived at Hanauma aroung 6:45 a.m. and didn't even have to pay to get in. The beach was almost empty. Great snorkeling. Lots of coral and fish. It is very shallow and you do have to be careful not to get cut by the coral. Left around 11:00 a.m. and the place was getting packed.
After showering and lunch we decided to go to Diamond Head as this was the other spot we wanted to get to. Caught the city bus to Diamond Head. It was really quite a hike, but very enjoyable. You do NOT need a flashlight as you might read as the tunnel now has lights. What a view from the top!! The only regret I have is that we had to rush a bit as the park closes at 6:00 p.m. and they lock the gates. Ran into a cabblie on the way to the bus stop that was taking passengers on for $3.00 each, which sounded great to us as we were totally pooped.
Day 4 - Arranged for a 7:00 a.m. airport pickup. We checked our luggage early and caught a cab to the Aloha Stadium for the swap meet. VERY GLAD we did this. Also, thanks to this forum, brought along an empty carry on to fill up. We had a great time here and bought quite a few things to bring home. After our stay in Maui we really found out how much money we saved by stopping here.
Our flight to Maui was with Aloha Airlines. Extremely pleased with them. Was a little worried about our luggage as we had checked in 4 hours early, but everything arrived.
Had reserved a Dollar Rental (Sebring convertible) and head out to our hotel.
Our hotel in Maui was the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. Very pleased with our room. This one had an ocean view! Although this is an older hotel, it is very well maintained. The grounds are beautiful.
After we were settled we went to Safeway for some supplies and received the usual grocery sticker shock. Oh well, it's Maui.
Day 5 - After mass at a very old Catholic Church in Lahania we decided to rent snorkle gear. Went to Boss Frog and rented dry snorkles. This is a very good idea as the snorkle gear you get on the guided trips are not as good. We had a day at the beach and had dinner at a restaurant called the China Boat. The coconut shrimp was excellent.
My husband and I decided we really like convertibles.
Day 6 - Our mission this morning was macadamia nut pancakes. We decided to try them at the Tiki Restaurant at the hotel. We turned in our free breakfast buffet tickets for $10.75 credit each and had a very quiet, relaxing breakfast. Coconut syrup and an orchid on the plate!
We decided we wanted to snorkle Honolua Bay. (Read about on this forum) We were not disappointed at all. What a great spot. The hike to the beach is as beautiful as the snorkeling. The beach is entirely rocky, but once you navagate into the water, what a show! Head to the right side of the bay. I like this far better than Hanauma as it was not as shallow and I think there were a lot more fish! The coral was beautiful and very colorful. The best part is that it is free. It really was like swimming in an aquarium. Three charter snorkle tours arrived before we left.
Spent the rest of the day being lazy by the pool. How quickly time goes by in Hawaii.
Day 7 - Had booked a snorkle trip to Molokini crater. We boarded the four Winds II. The crew served bagels and fresh fruit for breakfast and we had a nice ride to the crater. The skipper is quite a character and we like him right away as he is a Chicago Bears fan. Very glad we brought our rented equipment with us as it was better than what was being passed out.
The crater is covered with coral and the water was very clear the morning we were there. In fact, I took a picture looking over the side of the boat of some fish as it was so clear. I spotted a white tipped reef shark and moray eel. There were schools of colorful fish swimming by. They have an underwater photographer taking pictures and video for purchase if you like. I am a sucker for those! Lunch grilled hamburgers or grilled chicken sandwich and very tasty. Spotted some sea turtles on the way back. It was a great trip.
Rested at the hotel before we headed out to the luau at the Feast of Le Le. Decided on this luau as we wanted a luau with your own table and no buffet service. Received fresh leis and were seated at a table in the first row. We were not disappointed with this luau. The food and drinks were very good and the dancers were very colorful and entertaining.
Drove back to the hotel (with the top down of course) Another great day in Maui.
Day 8 - Road to Hana. We started out early, but not early enough as it turned out. Had my Maui Revealed in hand. The road is as curvy as they say, but it is very beautiful. Drove by the first few waterfalls before we realized where we were and decided just to stop when we saw cars or heard water. We were not disappointed. We hiked to one waterfall and I actually swam in its pool. Very cold and clear.
Had ice cream at one of the roadside stands (chocolate macadamia nut of course) and kept going. We wanted to see the Seven Sacred Pools and the Pipiwai Trail. What we didn't realize as these are past Hana in the Haleakala National Park. If you are in any kind of physical shape and enjoy hiking, DO NOT MISS this. The Pipiwai Trail is 2 miles of some of the most beautiful hiking I have ever seen, bamboo forest, dry creekbeds. The last creek you cross is tricky. Wet rocks to step across! With some coaching from some young men (who I might add had great balance from surfing) I made it. The prize at the end of the trail is a 400 foot waterfall. Truly jaw dropping!
We hiked back as quickly as we could as it was getting dark. I really did not want to drive back in the dark, but it wasn't that bad. Very little traffic, but I was very glad to get off the road and back to the hotel. It was a very long day, but very beautiful.
Day 8 - Our day started at 5:15 a.m. as we had booked a bike trip through Aloha Bike Tours. We met at Rice Park for fresh fruit, muffins and coffee and got acquainted with everyone. I had read about this tour on this forum and decided it was the best for us. We were going to try to do the sunrise at Haleaka, but were too tired from driving the road to Hana the day before to drag ourselves out of bed. There were only two other couples in our group. One young couple from Germany and another couple from Australia. This is not the tours that start you at the top and you race down. This tour starts you about half way up and then you travel across the countryside and end up at a winery for lunch. The trip is 33 miles and a great deal of it you just use the breaks. We had several stops including one at a Protea Flower Farm to rest and get directions to our next destination. The equipment is first class and the owner, Mark is very personable. I would highly recommend this trip. (http://www.mauibike.com)
Day 9 - Up early again as we are golfers and had 7:41 a.m. tee time at the Wailai Emerald Golf Course. Wow, what a beautiful course. We rented clubs from them as we didn't want to drag ours. The golf carts even had those GPS computers in them. This fascinated me as I had never played at a course with them. The views were spectacular and you could see Molokini at some of the holes. I was enjoying myself so much I couldn't believe we were on the 18th hole so soon.
Back at the hotel and tried to figure out how to pack all the stuff we had purchased to get home.
Day 10 - Slept in until 7:00 a.m. as it was going to be a long day. Our flight wasnt until 10:50 p.m. Decided to snorkle one last time at Black Rock as it is just a short walk down the beach. Once were were there the swells were so big I decided to stay on shore but my husband went in. He reported the snorkeling was excellent there as well, especially when someone let loose with some fish food next to him. When we returned to the hotel there was a message from the hotel warning people to stay out of the water because of the swells!
Had to have macadamia nut pancakes one more time before we left. Checkout was at 12:00 and the hotel held our luggage for us while we wasted time before our flight. We watched the surfers, went to Saturday night Mass and ate at Penne Pasta in Lahania before heading to the airport. Put the top down one last time. How dark the sky was and how beautiful the stars were that night.
This was an unforgettable trip. There is not one thing we would have changed (except more time of course). My eyes misted up many times at the beauty of these islands and I reflected on how glad I was to be alive. My husband and I have had a few "bumps" in the road in 25 years of marriage including my battle with breast cancer. I hope everyone who travels here has a beautiful experience as we did.
Sorry this was so long, but I could gush on forever about this trip.
Day one - Finally arrived in Honolulu after an 8 hour 45 minute direct flight. Not too bad as we had paradise awaiting us. We had booked our trip through Apple Vacations. We were greeted at the airport by a representative with fresh leis! They handled the luggage and transportation to our hotel, which was very nice after such a long flight. We stayed at the Outrigger Reef. Very beautiful hotel. We had a city view as we were only staying 3 days. Turns out our view was the McDonalds and the entire block that was being demolished! Didn't bother as it turns out as we were gone every morning before work started and returned after 5:00 p.m. The first night we just had dinner at the hotel and walked on the beach trying to stay awake as long as possible. Booked an early tour for the next morning with Reliable Tours through the hotel for Pearl Harbour.
Day 2 - Had an early pickup at the hotel with Reliable Tours. Tommy, our driver, was quite a character/comedian. Was a little worried he was not paying much attention to his driving! Arrived at Pearl Harbour early and the line was already down the sidewalk and around the corner. It went very fast adn we were the 7th group in. Walked through the museum and gift shop while waiting for our group to get called. The film was very good and the Arizona very interesting. I felt sad that so many lost their lives and were not much older than our son is. We also toured the Missouri battleship which was very interesting. Really enjoyed climbing all over the ship. You can't imagine how HUGE that ship is.
Returned to the hotel, booked an early snorkle trip for the next day to Hanauma.
Day 3 - Tommy Tours was the only trip that had a 6:00 a.m. pickup. Everything I read on this board said to get their early. Arrived at Hanauma aroung 6:45 a.m. and didn't even have to pay to get in. The beach was almost empty. Great snorkeling. Lots of coral and fish. It is very shallow and you do have to be careful not to get cut by the coral. Left around 11:00 a.m. and the place was getting packed.
After showering and lunch we decided to go to Diamond Head as this was the other spot we wanted to get to. Caught the city bus to Diamond Head. It was really quite a hike, but very enjoyable. You do NOT need a flashlight as you might read as the tunnel now has lights. What a view from the top!! The only regret I have is that we had to rush a bit as the park closes at 6:00 p.m. and they lock the gates. Ran into a cabblie on the way to the bus stop that was taking passengers on for $3.00 each, which sounded great to us as we were totally pooped.
Day 4 - Arranged for a 7:00 a.m. airport pickup. We checked our luggage early and caught a cab to the Aloha Stadium for the swap meet. VERY GLAD we did this. Also, thanks to this forum, brought along an empty carry on to fill up. We had a great time here and bought quite a few things to bring home. After our stay in Maui we really found out how much money we saved by stopping here.
Our flight to Maui was with Aloha Airlines. Extremely pleased with them. Was a little worried about our luggage as we had checked in 4 hours early, but everything arrived.
Had reserved a Dollar Rental (Sebring convertible) and head out to our hotel.
Our hotel in Maui was the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. Very pleased with our room. This one had an ocean view! Although this is an older hotel, it is very well maintained. The grounds are beautiful.
After we were settled we went to Safeway for some supplies and received the usual grocery sticker shock. Oh well, it's Maui.
Day 5 - After mass at a very old Catholic Church in Lahania we decided to rent snorkle gear. Went to Boss Frog and rented dry snorkles. This is a very good idea as the snorkle gear you get on the guided trips are not as good. We had a day at the beach and had dinner at a restaurant called the China Boat. The coconut shrimp was excellent.
My husband and I decided we really like convertibles.
Day 6 - Our mission this morning was macadamia nut pancakes. We decided to try them at the Tiki Restaurant at the hotel. We turned in our free breakfast buffet tickets for $10.75 credit each and had a very quiet, relaxing breakfast. Coconut syrup and an orchid on the plate!
We decided we wanted to snorkle Honolua Bay. (Read about on this forum) We were not disappointed at all. What a great spot. The hike to the beach is as beautiful as the snorkeling. The beach is entirely rocky, but once you navagate into the water, what a show! Head to the right side of the bay. I like this far better than Hanauma as it was not as shallow and I think there were a lot more fish! The coral was beautiful and very colorful. The best part is that it is free. It really was like swimming in an aquarium. Three charter snorkle tours arrived before we left.
Spent the rest of the day being lazy by the pool. How quickly time goes by in Hawaii.
Day 7 - Had booked a snorkle trip to Molokini crater. We boarded the four Winds II. The crew served bagels and fresh fruit for breakfast and we had a nice ride to the crater. The skipper is quite a character and we like him right away as he is a Chicago Bears fan. Very glad we brought our rented equipment with us as it was better than what was being passed out.
The crater is covered with coral and the water was very clear the morning we were there. In fact, I took a picture looking over the side of the boat of some fish as it was so clear. I spotted a white tipped reef shark and moray eel. There were schools of colorful fish swimming by. They have an underwater photographer taking pictures and video for purchase if you like. I am a sucker for those! Lunch grilled hamburgers or grilled chicken sandwich and very tasty. Spotted some sea turtles on the way back. It was a great trip.
Rested at the hotel before we headed out to the luau at the Feast of Le Le. Decided on this luau as we wanted a luau with your own table and no buffet service. Received fresh leis and were seated at a table in the first row. We were not disappointed with this luau. The food and drinks were very good and the dancers were very colorful and entertaining.
Drove back to the hotel (with the top down of course) Another great day in Maui.
Day 8 - Road to Hana. We started out early, but not early enough as it turned out. Had my Maui Revealed in hand. The road is as curvy as they say, but it is very beautiful. Drove by the first few waterfalls before we realized where we were and decided just to stop when we saw cars or heard water. We were not disappointed. We hiked to one waterfall and I actually swam in its pool. Very cold and clear.
Had ice cream at one of the roadside stands (chocolate macadamia nut of course) and kept going. We wanted to see the Seven Sacred Pools and the Pipiwai Trail. What we didn't realize as these are past Hana in the Haleakala National Park. If you are in any kind of physical shape and enjoy hiking, DO NOT MISS this. The Pipiwai Trail is 2 miles of some of the most beautiful hiking I have ever seen, bamboo forest, dry creekbeds. The last creek you cross is tricky. Wet rocks to step across! With some coaching from some young men (who I might add had great balance from surfing) I made it. The prize at the end of the trail is a 400 foot waterfall. Truly jaw dropping!
We hiked back as quickly as we could as it was getting dark. I really did not want to drive back in the dark, but it wasn't that bad. Very little traffic, but I was very glad to get off the road and back to the hotel. It was a very long day, but very beautiful.
Day 8 - Our day started at 5:15 a.m. as we had booked a bike trip through Aloha Bike Tours. We met at Rice Park for fresh fruit, muffins and coffee and got acquainted with everyone. I had read about this tour on this forum and decided it was the best for us. We were going to try to do the sunrise at Haleaka, but were too tired from driving the road to Hana the day before to drag ourselves out of bed. There were only two other couples in our group. One young couple from Germany and another couple from Australia. This is not the tours that start you at the top and you race down. This tour starts you about half way up and then you travel across the countryside and end up at a winery for lunch. The trip is 33 miles and a great deal of it you just use the breaks. We had several stops including one at a Protea Flower Farm to rest and get directions to our next destination. The equipment is first class and the owner, Mark is very personable. I would highly recommend this trip. (http://www.mauibike.com)
Day 9 - Up early again as we are golfers and had 7:41 a.m. tee time at the Wailai Emerald Golf Course. Wow, what a beautiful course. We rented clubs from them as we didn't want to drag ours. The golf carts even had those GPS computers in them. This fascinated me as I had never played at a course with them. The views were spectacular and you could see Molokini at some of the holes. I was enjoying myself so much I couldn't believe we were on the 18th hole so soon.
Back at the hotel and tried to figure out how to pack all the stuff we had purchased to get home.
Day 10 - Slept in until 7:00 a.m. as it was going to be a long day. Our flight wasnt until 10:50 p.m. Decided to snorkle one last time at Black Rock as it is just a short walk down the beach. Once were were there the swells were so big I decided to stay on shore but my husband went in. He reported the snorkeling was excellent there as well, especially when someone let loose with some fish food next to him. When we returned to the hotel there was a message from the hotel warning people to stay out of the water because of the swells!
Had to have macadamia nut pancakes one more time before we left. Checkout was at 12:00 and the hotel held our luggage for us while we wasted time before our flight. We watched the surfers, went to Saturday night Mass and ate at Penne Pasta in Lahania before heading to the airport. Put the top down one last time. How dark the sky was and how beautiful the stars were that night.
This was an unforgettable trip. There is not one thing we would have changed (except more time of course). My eyes misted up many times at the beauty of these islands and I reflected on how glad I was to be alive. My husband and I have had a few "bumps" in the road in 25 years of marriage including my battle with breast cancer. I hope everyone who travels here has a beautiful experience as we did.
Sorry this was so long, but I could gush on forever about this trip.
Jun 27th, 2005, 08:41 AM
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Spikeit,
Great trip report. We did Maui a few years back but never did Pipiwai Trail. How I wish I had done that to see the waterfalls.
My eyes get a little misty reading your last few lines.
Best wishes.
Great trip report. We did Maui a few years back but never did Pipiwai Trail. How I wish I had done that to see the waterfalls.
My eyes get a little misty reading your last few lines.
Best wishes.
Jun 27th, 2005, 08:47 AM
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Excellent report--thanks! My BF is a snorkeler (and I am learning), so your description of those experiences is one I will save. Also, I'm pleased because this is the first time in days I've been able to post--usuallly I click and nothing happens. You've brought me good luck as well as evoking beautiful memories! Mahalo.
Jun 28th, 2005, 07:29 AM
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Spikeit, Thanks for sharing your trip report! We're leaving for Maui tomorrow and I've noted a few more must-do's. My BF & I absolutely love snorkeling. Would you say Molokini is a "must" or are the other sites off the beach comparable? We're on a budget, so not sure this would be a worthy expense.
Also, we did the hike at the Pipiwai trail and agree, it was a truly memorable experience.
Thanks!
Also, we did the hike at the Pipiwai trail and agree, it was a truly memorable experience.
Thanks!
Jun 28th, 2005, 06:09 PM
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ggrtist - Molokini was incredibly clear the day we were there, better than off shore, however I have heard that sometimes it can be cloudy. As for the fish, I believe we saw just as many snorkeling off shore. I really enjoyed Molokini though. Enjoy your trip!
