We are flying into Maui on a Saturday at 2:00 and leaving on a Tuesday at 4:00. So we really only hae 3 full days. We will be coming from Kauai. I want to know the Must-Do's of Maui. We have the Maui Revealed book and that is very helpful, but we won't have enough time to do all of their recommendations. So I thought, someone out there could help narrow it down. We will be going in December and staying at The Whaler at Ka'anapali Beach. We enjoy snorkeling, SCUBA, nature, and good dining. Thanks in advance for your advice.

With only three days, I would go on a whale watch for two hours, go to Molokini Crater for a morning, and the Haleakala Volcano for a morning. Spend the rest of the time at the beach.

About the Molokini Crater for snorkeling, I have mixed feelings. Even though it does get very crowded, it was fun. Be sure to check out how much time you actually spend at the crater as I felt we were rushed and would have liked to have been there longer.

I think SCUBA would be great and I think the premier outfit in Maui is the Maui Dive Shop. Talk to them about what is available.

My favorite activity is whale watching - I always use Captain Steve's. Pacific Whale Foundation is also great for whale watching & snorkeling. You can also do some snorkeling just down the beach from the Whaler at Black Rock in front of the Sheraton. Swan Court just down the beach at the Hyatt is a great restaurant (little pricey). Mama's Fish House is another very good restaurant. Sunrise at Haleakala is beautiful, but you have to be prepared with warm clothing - quite cold at 10,000 ft. Aloha!

Thanks for the info. Would you recommend driving the Road to Hana? We have such a short time here- is that a must do? Could we do it in 6 hours. 6 am-noon. Maybe we could pick out 3-4 stops along the road. Thanks in advance for your advice.

I would definitely recommend the Road to Hana....if you peruse the Maui Revealed book and pick out only a half dozen or so highlights, you could do the trip in 1/2 day.

If you want to kill 2 birds with one stone, do the sunrise at Haleakala and the Road to Hana in one morning. To make the sunrise you have to wake up around 3 A.M. and it's over by 7ish....then you can do the Road to Hana and be back at the hotel by early- to mid-afternoon.

You'll be exhausted afterwards but it's well worth it.

It is not probable that it can be done but it might, just might, be possible to drive the road all the way to Hana (starting at 7am) from Haleakala and then get back to Kaanapali by noon (five hours). It is impossible to do it if you make ANY stops. And if you leave Haleakala right after sunrise you don't have ANY time to explore the summit.

Depending on your level of scuba experience you might consider a small boat dive off Molokini. Boats leave from the Kihei Marina and it takes just a few minutes to get to the island.
We dove the outer walls of the crater to about eighty feet and it was spectacular.
Your back in time before the winds pickup and you can enjoy the afternoon touring. Just don't drive to the top of Haleakela after you dive.

Take the morning snorkle trip, then snorkle black rock in front of the sheraton,take the evening whale watch all in 1 day. Start the road to hana at 5-6 am and you can turn arround after 3-4 hrs at this early in the morning you will be able to stop some. This will leave you with some time for beaches like wailia for the afternoon.Wailia has very good snorkleing from the beach and very nice restaurants at the hotels, and area.
Saturday will not get to your hotel till 4 pm. so you could book a dinner sail cruise, there are several to choise from . Go to activities warehouse on the web , or do a search for activities hawaii there are many tour sites to look at.We did a sail dinner cruise and it was nice, and you will probally see whales if there in.

You could do half the Road to Hana, maybe as far as gorgeous Keanae Peninsula.