staying in wailea, wanting advice
 

my husband and i (mid thirties)will be staying in a condo the first week of june. we will be here 6 nights and 5 1/2 days. i am thinking activities on 3 days and beaching the other two. i do not want to spend a night in hana, so is it worth doing it in a day (i know i will be tired, but oh well.) recommendations of good restaurants in the wailea area? is the helicopter ride really the time of your life? is the state park a good activity or will i see enough landscape on the drive to hana. also, are any of the farmer's markets close to the wailea area.
it is always nice to get your thoughts. fodorits definitely give great travel advice.
thanks,
molly darwin

The Wailea area is my favorite area on Maui! We loved eating at the Humuhumu restaurant at the Grand Wailea Resort during sunset! We also liked the food at Tommy Bahamas at the Shops at Wailea (beside the Wailea Resort). The Wailea Marriott has a great location for a sunset dinner out by their pool. The food was pretty good too. The restaurant at the Mana Kai Maui Resort (I think it's called The Palms?)has a great sunset dinner view, the food was okay. And the town of Kihei, just down the road, has lots of good restaurants to choose from.

Regarding activities, we have done the Road to Hana trip twice. It is a FULL day, you do get tired, but the views and memories are worth it! Do take the time to stop and enjoy the waterfalls and some of the beaches! We have not done the helicopter, but our family did and they have great pictures of waterfalls and scenery that you can only get from the air. We also drove up to Haleakala during the day (not for the early sunrise) and enjoyed the awesome costal views! The air gets cooler as you drive up and it feels like you're in some northern mainland forest. Once you reach the summit, you will enjoy some volcano/ canyon/ocean views like you've never seen before! It's hard to distinquish the ocean from the sky from up there! Another great memory-maker activity that you will be glad you did would be a snorkel trip to Molokini!

Enjoy your trip and be sure and post a trip report when you get back!

We always stay in the Wailea/Makena side. It suits our family very well.

The drive to Hana is well worth it, even if you're not spending the night. Rent a Jeep Wrangler for the day - it makes it so much fun! Ride all the way around if you're adventurous. Stop at the Hotel Hana for pupus and a drink. The experience always makes us feel as if we're driving through the Garden of Eden.

Tommy Bahamas is a nice place to stop for lunch and a drink. Sansei has the best sushi on the island. Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at the Four Seasons and Mama's Fish House are always favorites.

In which condos are you staying?

A nice side trip is upcountry, through Kula to the winery. There isn't much to the winery except a little tiny tasting room and some cute photos, but the setting is very nice and different. Some incredible views from there.

In March, we spent a week in Oahu and then a little over a week in Maui. While in Maui, we spent the first two nights in Hana - wished we had spent another night there. We stayed in a cabana on a five acre flower farm. Just lovely. If you have time, go to Haleakala and take the short hike to Ohe'o Gulch. There are beautiful views of the pools and the ocean. We had great weather for the trip out there and back. We rented a convertible and it was the best decision we made the whole trip. We spent the remainder of our trip in a condo in Wailea. We split our days between activities and the beach. One morning we went to the summit of Haleakala. We did not go for the sunrise, but oh, what views! You think you are on another planet when you reach the top. Later that day we went to the beach. Our favorite beaches were Big Beach and Maluaka Beach. My husband liked Ulea Beach for boogie boarding. The beaches were windier and the waves a little rougher in the afternoon. Our favorite restaurant the whole trip was Seawatch. It was at one of the golf courses - I think the Gold Course. The food was great and the view spectacular. We ate at Spago also, but still thought that Seawatch was better. We ate at the Pa'ia Fish Market a couple of times. Nothing fancy, but the tacos were great. We did not do the helicopter this time. My husband has in the past and wanted to do it again, but I won't go up in a helicopter. We had a great vacation. My husband is already planning what we should do the next time around!

we are staying at the Palms. i have made a reservation at Spago's and am thinking of getting one for Seawatch as well. is there a good farmer's market anywhere near here? or just the grocery stores in kihei?

There are little Farmer's Markets everywhere.

The first thing we do when we arrive is stop at Costco and load up on what we need. Then we head to our condo. Safeway in Kihei is where we shop for our regular groceries. The shopping center has a dry cleaner, a Roy's a bookstore, an ABC, a Coldstone, gas station a video store - you name it. It's very handy.

You're going soon! How exciting. Make sure you pack a picnic for your trip to Hana and don't forget your hats and sunscreen.

good to know about the costco. what are your suggestions for hana, in terms of time leaving in the morning. would a sunday be better to drive it or during the week? can i do the sunset in the state park without having biked into the crater??

I would leave by 9:00 and go during the week. Weekends are busier, traffic-wise. If you can drive the back road do it. We've always taken the back road.

We're gone to Haleakala during the day. Never at sunset and certainly never at sunrise with our clan - ha! You can drive up to it late in the afternoon with beautiful sites. Remember that when it gets dark in Hawaii, it gets dark fast.

My husband and I went to Wailea for our honeymoon and loved it. Beautiful and great weather! The road to Hana is definitely worth doing, and here's a tip for you: There's a cassette that narrates the entire drive and makes it really easy to spot everything. One of my friends gave it to me before our trip, but I'm sure they'll sell them there on the island.

Our favorite restaurant was Nick's Fish Market - sat outside and had a gorgeous view at sunset.

We didn't do the helicopter tour in Maui, but we did it in Kauai, and it's still a favorite memory of ours. Have a wonderful trip!

We did the sunrise at Haleakala. Our guidebook said that no matter how warmly you dress, it won't be enough, and it was right. There was actually ice on the ground because you're so high up. We saw a lot of people in shorts and flip flops quivering waiting for the sun to come up! If you go, bring some hot coffee and a jacket or maybe even a little blanket. Haleakala was my husband's favorite thing on Maui.

I liked Molokini and the road to Hana - probably because I wasn't the one driving! We took so long doing it and taking pictures that we got back after dark and were having to cross one-lane bridges - rather harrowing, but we're still glad we did it.

The Old Lahaina Luau is very popular also - very touristy, but fun to do.

can i drive up and park my car for the sunrise? or do we hike up a ways? i am trying to find the answer to this question, b/c i do not want to bike.
thanks for the suggestion for the coffee!

You do not have to bike; we just drove our car up. It's good to do it early in the trip because you won't have adjusted to the time change yet. We got some great pictures of the sunrise. Enjoy!

Though this might not be right on point, I do want to suggest that if you do go to Hula as Ag3046 mentioned, try and plan a morninig brunch at the Lavender farm (you need to make reservations): http://www.aliikulalavender.com/ I really enjoyed this place as did my cousin would lived in Maui for 8 years and wished she had gone b/4 she moved back to the mainland. Enjoy

Haleakala at sunset is the best. Go up in the afternoon, check out the crater, etc., then park in a west-facing pullout near the top (picnic?)for the stars and sunset. You'll have driven up in the daytime, so no road surprises, no bikes, no crowds, and the light on the clouds is amazing. The stars are incredible. (The sunrise is way too overhyped for us, and the cold is numbing!)

Think the way all around from Hana (instead of backtracking), is still closed? Very worthwhile day, getting up very early, stopping at the lava tubes and black sand beach, various waterfalls, and "seven sacred pools", then seeing the back side of the volcano and the ocean views. The trip through the miniclimates,from desert back into forest, then tropics, is terrific.