LarryRGV

We will be in Maui during thanksgiving week. We leave for Honolulu some time during Thanksgiving day for our 9 pm flight home from there. Anyone have any comments as to choices for Thanksgiving lunch/dinner. We could stay in Maui and go to Grand Wailea or other fancy hotel and catch an evening flight for our flight home or go to Honolulu earlier in the day and eat there, and maybe go to a close by mall if it is open on Thanksgiving. We will be in Honolulu before coming to Mauit so will probably have already seen all the sites there also. Thanks for any recs.

lcuy

Unless you have a reason to come back to Honolulu, I'd eat on Maui. If you eat on Maui, you can leave your luggage at your hotel, have a great (early)meal at the Wailea, then go back to the hotel, change into your flying outfits, and drive straight to the airport.

If you come to Oahu, you're going to need a car or an expensive cab to get anywhere nice, plus will be in your travelling clothes and dealing with your carry-on bags.

You should make your reservations now...Thanksgiving fills up very quickly in nice hotels.

LarryRGV

Icuy, Thanks for your advice. Probably best idea is for an early lunch at Grand Wailea or a place like it. You do have me scared however, talking about changing into travel clothes. does that mean you assume our travel clothes are very informal (shorts, etc.) which of course i would not wear to a nice lunch, or does it mean that lunch at a nice place should be coat and tie or at least much nicer clothes than casual travel type.

lcuy

Sorry, I was thinking you might wear jeans or warmer clothes on the airplane if you're heading somewhere cold!

You will be fine in khaki pants and a nice aloha shirt or polo shirt in any restaurant. No one will throw you out in jeans, but... \/ I wouldn't at the Grand Wailea.

Even nice dress shorts on men work --IF you wear a nice shirt and shoes. For women, a sun dress or slacks and nice top are fine.

Deloris

If you have a 9 PM flight out of Honolulu to the mainland, you need to ARRIVE at the Honolulu airport no later than 6 PM.
The inter- island terminal in Honolulu is a couple blocks(distance wise, connected by bus) from the outbound mainland flights and security checks in all Hawaii airports is no more relaxed than anywhere else in the world. At least an hour should be allowed for that. Thanksgiving dinner at noon is your only choice and take leftovers for the flite!!!Aloha!!

Deloris

Oh, by the way, our favorite buffets are at the Maui Prince,(also Japanese and fine food) and in that area, the beach there is a short waddle from the restaurant and also the best!

LarryRGV

thanks for the input. After reading your message about the terminals, Deloris, I gues I need to change my plans. I called the Grand Wailea and their lunch doesnt start til 3pm, and that would run me too late i guess. I was surprised about their late start time. Is that normal for Hawaii or just unique to this place. Any other suggestions for that part of the island? We probably wont visit that area til the day we leave. Icuy, we will be in warm weather clothes as we are from S.Texas, but we would never go to a nice restaurant in jeans. And i do appreciate your "diplomatic" advice.

lcuy

Larry-

You don't need to be at the airport till 7:00 for a 9 pm flight, especially on a slow day like Thanksgiving. In addition, you'll check your luggage straight thru to the mainland from Maui, so you won't need to do the agriculture inspection in Honolulu. It is only a 5 minute walk from Hawaiian or Aloha to the Mianland departure lobby.

If 3 pm is the earliest dinner on Maui though, I guess Honolulu would be a better choice. You could eat at 4pm for 2 hours and still make it to HNL by 6:30. Shouldn't be much traffic that day.

If you choose a place downtown or at Ward Center, you are only 15 minutes max from the airport. I just checked and Palaminos is open for lunch and dinner that day.

CaliNurse

The buffet at the Halekulani on Thanksgiving Day is supposed to b INCREDIBLE quality . Very popular with local folks, a real tradition.
(I'll be there!!)

TripleSecDelay

LarryRGV : There are other nice restaurants in the Four Seasons and neighboring hotels to the GWR. It may be worthwhile to investigate their dining times.

We weren't there during Thanksgiving - but will return for another stay at the GWR. Sooooooooo nice.

Not sure who on this thread is going to be responsible for them making their flight with the recommended 2 or 3 hours lead time at the airport...should we put this up for bidding?