I'm planning a suprize vacation to maui in may for my hubby (20yrs) with the post office
I have been looking at the papakea Resort
I have a $3000.00 buget & I was wondering if theres another condo that you would recamend in that area? We leave for Maui Maui on the 18Th
Has anyone got anything to say about the submarine ride? Great/ok or sucked?
And whats the best horse back riding tour?
Have you ever been to Gerards?
How about the Tropia Fire & Ice?
Thanks for you input GinnyG

We stayed at Papakea in December 2001. We had a very nice condo towards the back of the property for $89.00/night. While we could barely see the ocean, we looked down on their lovely koi ponds. Nice pools, nice hot tubs, large barbeque areas. But essentially no beach. We were happy there since we're not really beach lovers, but some might not be happy. I did like being just a few minutes drive from Kaanapali and not very far from Lahaina. If I didn't want to pay the high prices of Kaapanpali, but did want a beach, I'd be looking at the condos on Napili (sp) Beach. Sorry, can't remember any specific names.

$3000 for how long a stay ?

We've been to Noelani twice and will hopefully return yet again. Good price, AAA rated. You don't say how long your budget has to last (or which month you're going) but be aware the cost of organized trips/excursions can add up in a hurry ! On the plus side there's lots of things to do & see that cost nothing. If you're going in whale season then a whale-watch cruise is a must.
I've resurrected my site with a few pics:
http://members.aol.com/ourfoto

Have a great trip,your hubby is a lucky guy !

I have been to Gerards and enjoyed it a lot. It was probably 8 yrs ago though. I have a funny story about Gerards. Two years earlier we went to a tiny Italian restaurant in Lahaina - I forget the name of it, good food, no view - maybe Alex's Hole in the Wall? I'm not sure. We had our infant son with us and our waitress, who was pregnant, took our son while we ate dinner and played with him, toured the kitchen with him, etc. She told us about how she came to live in Hawaii - came with a friend on vacation, went to Gerards, fell in love with her waiter! The happy ending was that she moved to Hawaii, married him and had a small child and another on the way. We had a delightful evening and she was charming. Two years later, we returned and dined at Gerards. We had a lovely meal. Our waiter was very professional and somewhat formal (not chatty, but I wouldn't expect that). At the end of the meal, as he was serving dessert, I asked him if there was a waiter working here that was married to a waitress at the Italian place who was pregnant 2 yrs ago. His whole face lit up, it was him! He ran to the back to get pictures of his children and wife and regaled us with the pictures of sweet family. Another great evening!
Ok, now about Gerards, Great place, no ocean view as I recall but lovely ambiance. This was 8 yrs ago so you should get a more recent opinion. Being from the bay area we have access to a lot of great french food so when I go to Hawaii, I prefer the island fish places. It would be a lovely special occasion place for an anniversary dinner.

I'm sorry ...We are going may 18th to the 25th from Stockton CA Jean, where the carpets fithy? & do you remember a cannal near by that smell real bad?
I heard a review that said it was low grade Was it a more adult place or alot of kids ? We are thirty something We are taking our first vacation away from our 6yr old son:{ Seeing alot of kids will make me miss him & worry if he's missing mommy?LOL
Well from what you have said about the papakea & the Gerards sounds like it fits my bill to a T. My last name is Gerard lol (Gerards party of 2 @ the Gerard's The papakea has a full kitchen so I'm hopeing to save on breakfast $20 a day + tip About the (No)beach part,I hate the sand but like the ocean, but prefer the mountains & waterfalls PS percy Thanks GinnyG xoxox

Ginny, We usually don't stay in Condos on vacation, so I don't know what constitutes 'low grade'. These are individually owned units, I'm sure some are nicer than others. We rented from a woman named Martha from a company called 'Maui Dreams Come True'. She was persistent, kept calling with cheaper offers, I think if you do a Google search, you can probably find the company.

We were there the first part of December, shortly after 09-11-01, so nothing was busy. There were only about 60 passengers on the 767 jet that we flew over on. There certainly weren't many kids around at that time.

There was a small canal/backwater area as you entered the property, I don't recall any odor at all.

There were lots of lounge chairs, in shade and sun near the ocean. Very nice. I would stay there again. Hope you have a great vacation.

I stayed at Papakea for nine days last Nov/Dec. Great condo, it was in the "L" building which was right on the water, and the closest building to the start of the sandy beach. But beaches are MUCH better elsewhere -- I wouldn't even recommend Ka'anapali unless you like crowds. The pools at Papakea are great, there are two pools and two hot tubs. Fantastic asian take-out food right down the street at Honokowai Deli. Grocery store across the street, other larger resorts nearby with bars, a gym, massage, salon, etc. If you like sushi, go to Sansei at Kapalua. I really enjoyed Papakea but I also didn't have to pay for the condo! That always helps.