We'll be on Maui 6 days/5 nights in July and have two kids ages 9(g)and 11(b). I'm trying to decide whether to take an entire day for the road to Hana. I've read Maui Revealed and it sounds definitely worth it and we are the type who like to hike and explore but would like some opinions since we only have 5.5 days. We've rented a convertible for the stay and are staying at The Mahana. Any suggestions on activities that are worth the money would be appreciated (i.e. I've read to avoid the submarine thing...). Thanks!

Debbie, with five nights there, you will have four full days to relax and have fun. I would not do Hana...... it's a very long and exhausting day, with the kids riding in the car for so much of it, and I would think your time could be much better spent enjoying the beach and sightseeing some of the other beautiful areas of Maui. JMHO...... have a wonderful time! (Are you coming from east or west coast?)

Agree to leave out a Hana run. Kids might enjoy the aquarium (Maui Ocean Center)tho' I thought it rather expensive but if they've not seen anything like that they'd get a kick out of it I'm sure. Stop & watch the surfers & windsurfers at Hookipa beach, there's also another little beach where they wind/kitesurf very close to the car rental places at the airport. You could drive up Haleakala, take a picnic, and walk around, lots of trails. If you're there over July 4 holiday go to Makawao rodeo. About all I can think of for now.

I love Hana. I have stayed in a beautiful house in Hana.
Just drive half-way ( botanical gardens) and come back to your hotel. You have seen the best of the Hana experience.

I would postpone it until there was more time. Most of the negative posts on the road to Hana are from people were on a schedule. It can be a magical experience - perhaps when the kids are older?

Have done the Road to Hana twice. 1st time was the entire road. Beautiful, but very long.
The 2nd trip, we got up in the middle of the night to see the Haleakala sunrise; then hiked a bit into the crater. Ate brunch on drive out, then drove over and did only the 1st small part of the Road to Hana(can't remember where we stopped, but was definitely less than halfway). Then drove back to Hotel.
Not sure if you were planning on the sunrise thing, but that worked well for us. The 1st time made for a very, very long day. The 2nd had a lot done in the day and we were back relaxing on beach by mid-afternoon.

What else fo you have planned? If you have nothing else planned and you think your family would enjoy it, then by all means go! You can take the drive as far as you like and you can do it at your own pace. Some people take all day and stop at every turn-off, but you can just as easily select one or two points of interest and plan you day around it. Driving Hana Highway does not require that you actually get to Hana. Don't let others scare you off from exploring if this is what you want to do. There are other ways to enjoy the scenery without making it an entire day.

Debbie, My hubby & I did the road to Hana without the kids several years ago. It was the highlight of our vacation.

This past Christmas we decided to it again with our kids who were 14 & 13 at the time. They were pretty much bored with it about 2 hours into the trip. We did make it to Hana but by then they had had enough and didn't want to go any further. It was a long 3 hours back to the hotel.
If I had to do it over again I wouldn't have gone with the kids.

We loved it as two adults traveling on our own and staying there two nights. But with such limited time on Maui and with kids I would hesitate to spend a whole day doing it; I'm sure "long windy car ride" wasn't on your kids' vacation itinerary. Especially when there's no answer to "are we there yet" as there isn't really a "there".

Having said that, the Seven Deadly Pools are awesome for kids. Maybe you could go the other way to them, down around the south side of the island, avoiding all the regular Hana traffic, and the views of Haleakala and out to the Big Island and Wailea if it's clear are spectacular. I bet they'd love the pools, and if you leave really early they won't be crowded and then maybe you could still hit the beach at the end of the day when you get back. But then, we LOVE leaving REALLY early.

We didn't do any paid activities except a kayak/snorkel through La Perouse bay. If you can get your kids to snorkel, it's a great free activity, especially someplace calm like Honolua Bay. The Olivine Pools were a big hit with kids too it seemed (and us), and they're several miles past Honolua Bay.

love
roxy

For a shorter but interesting trip, try
the northwest shore drive. We've done both the road to Hana and the northwest shore drives. Both have fantastic scenery. The Hana drive, if done in one day, is a very long trip.
We did the northwest shore for the first time last September and really enjoyed it. Left Wailea about 11 am,
stopped and snorkeled Honolua Bay for maybe an hour and a half - great snorkeling; stopped at the Olivine Pools, got some great shave ice with coconut ice cream at a roadside stop in Kahakuloa Village,back in Wailea by 5:30 or 6 pm. The road is one-lane in a few places, but we didn't have any problems (driving a Sebring Convertible).

Going to Maui and not seeing Hana is a really bad idea. Show your children something that is not commercialized: a road with no McDonalds, beautiful beaches and foliage, and the kind of time together without unnatural distraction that you just can't find in too many places these days. Your kids will remember the trip for the rest of their lives and thank you later. Do the whole the loop and they'll think the hairpin curves are "cool".

We did the trip with teenaged girls, and both enjoyed it. The CD narration really helped. We stopped at most of the recommended stops, lunched at Hana hiked to the falls above the pools and returned via the "forbidden" road, in a long day. We left about 6:30 AM and got back to the Keihi area about 7:30 PM.

I agree - going to Hana for us was one of the highlights of our vacation. Definitley worth it. If you follow the guide in the Maui Revealed book (or CD) you can make several stops on the way which break up the drive. It is so amazing it would be unfortunate if you didn't make it. The seven pools are awesome your kids would enjoy it. We left that morning and got back around 6:00pm

How often will you get to Maui again???

Enjoy we sure did!

Maui ... ahh, what wonderful memories. My husband and I were there on our honeymoon many years ago. We drove 1/2 way to Hana and it was enough for us. I would probably not do the entire trip with children ... I think boredom would surely set in. A sunrise at Haleaka (sp?) was one of my most favorite experiences of my life. We also loved kicking around the little town of Lahaina and I think your kids would enjoy lunch/dinner and shopping there. Snorkeling would be something to consider if they are interested in this type of thing. I cannot remember who we went on our outing with, but we went to two sights ... one with a bunch of colorfish fish and the other with the green back turtles. This was my first experience in snorkeling and I was hooked for life. This was another highlight of our trip. I think they would love it! Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy!

Thanks for your replies, I'm going to keep all the suggestions. The majority of you seem to think we should avoid Hana or do 1/2 of it. I'm a photography nut and I'd drive them crazy wanting to stop and get pictures all the time. The kids would love the Seven Sacred Pools so I like the idea of heading to it the back way, past Honolua Bay and Olivine Pools ?? (I'll have to look at a map). My husband and I were in Maui in '97 or '98 (the weekend Princess Di died) and we went to Haleakala for the sunrise (it clouded over). Don't think my husband will do it again - but we could maybe do it during the day as part of a road trip.

We plan to do lots of snorkeling, do the aquarium and numerous other activities - but leaving plenty of time for relaxing. Hadn't really planned on snorkeling at Molikini($$$) but snorkeling at the various beaches, etc. I also heard someone say the Submarine wasn't worth the $.

Anyone have suggestions for babysitting? We'd like to see Warren & Annabells. Thanks again for all the replies. Someone asked where we live - Houston!

Honolua Bay is on west Maui--nowhere near Hana. `Ohe`o Gulch (there are many more than 7 pools, and there is nothing sacred about them) is about the halfway point if you go all the way around. I don't think you will be too happy with driving the back way to reach it. The scenery driving down from Kula on Pi`ilani is not anywhere as spectacular as on Hana Hwy, and in July it will more brown than green. The road is very rough and the going is slow, and it takes about the same amount of time as driving in from the north if you don't stop.

Since you don't have any other major activities planned, why not devote a day to exploring east Maui? You can experience the part of Maui that has nothgin to do with resorts and shopping centers.


As for babysitting, there is a place in Kihei called Maui Play Care. I know some parents here who use them. They take provide a pager when you drop off your child and they have hula classes for the keiko.

I think it's time to go to bed. That last sentence should read:

"They provide a pager when you drop off your child and they have hula classes for the keiki."

Thanks here today gone 2 Maui! I obviously need to look at the map. My husband and I stayed at the Maui Prince previously - I guess that is south Maui but some time going East sounds worthwhile too. Thanks for the tip on Maui Play Care - I may make sign on with them in advance.

aloha...
recommend the road to Hana as far as
Keanae peninsula. lots of waterfalls, bamboo forest, flowers, birds...worthwhile.
you do not need to go all the way.
warren and annabelles have a family show
in the summer which sells out days in advance. book soon.
fyi...maui residents do not like maui revealed. lots of inaccurate info and people
get in trouble and hurt following their info.
also, many places are now off limits due to the enormous volume of people with that book in hand running amok on private property.
the aquarium is great...go snorkeling and a luau.