Honeymoon Trip Report Part 2: Maui

Old Sep 9th, 2003, 12:50 PM
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Honeymoon Trip Report Part 2: Maui

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon with the first 5 days spent on Oahu, the last five on Maui.

We arrived around Noon and picked up our convertible and headed to Wailea. We stayed at the Wailea Marriott (Outrigger) in a deluxe oceanfront room which was worth every penny. The resort sits on a rocky area with beaches to either side and we were about 20 feet from the ocean. This resort wasn't as flashy as its neighbors but this is why we liked it. It was calm and relaxing and you could order a sandwich without spending a fortune!

We loved staying in Wailea and exploring the South Maui beaches. We generally are a couple that enjoys more action and nightlife but quickly discovered that there is nothing better than sittin on your balcony eating pizza and watching the sunset when in paradise.

Our first night we went to the Marriott Luau. We had never been to a luau and it was what we expected- horrible food and not so great entertainment. I wish we had checked out the Old Lahaina Luau instead. As for the food, it was fun to try the traditional foods but nothing had any seasoning and was very bland and dry. Oh well, it was an experience.

Our second day we spent snorkeling along many beaches in south Maui. First stop, the beach in front of the Maui Prince hotel which was just beautiful. Great snorkeling, we saw one turtle. Then we went to Black Sand beach just down the road. There were turtles hanging out right by the shore and throughout this area. Very secluded and it was my husband's first time seeing a black sand beach. Great snorkeling here as well. Finally, we went to Big Beach and played in the waves.

We went to Warren and Annabelle's in Lahaina that night and Warren was great. In retrospect, since we only had five nights on Maui, we would have rather spent the time sitting outside somewhere, but the show was entertaining and had a great atmosphere. The Annabelle portion was horrible though- she couldn't "play" anything we requested such as Great balls of Fire or Old Time Rock n Roll because they were too modern! Quite boring to sit her for an hour waiting for the real show to start.

Thursday we did the Road to Hana. We had read so much about the horrible turns that we expected the worst. It wasn't nearly as bad as we had imagined, and I am one who freaks out at heights and scary roads. We read Maui Revealed ahead of time and had picked out 5 or so sights that we really wanted to see. I highly recommend doing this, if we had stopped anymore I can't imagine how long it would have taken. We saw some amazing things and skipped Ohea Gulch because it looked extremely crowded and we had already seen so many cool sights and pools. We continued around the backside of Haleakala in our convertible and had no problem. We enjoyed the views and could't believe the change in scenery. The road was fine, not scary at all, just very bumpy. The whole trip took close to 10 hours and we didn't stop for lunch. We had a great time, just know what to expect and you'll be fine.

Friday we snorkeled at beaches around our hotel and went to Black Rock for the sunset cliff diving ceremony. It was neat but nothing I'd go out of my way to do. The Sheraton resort looked nice but big and lots of families. We ate at Hula Grill and had a great meal with wonderful service. Nice atmosphere- very relaxed but tropical feeling.

Those are the major things we did. Feel free to ask any questions. We did not do the sunrise because Maui was not our first island and it would have been too much to get up that early. We also did not do Molokini due to budgets and the fact that we had so much great snorkeling for free in south Maui.

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Old Sep 9th, 2003, 03:38 PM
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We're going to have are honeymoon in Maui this coming January. It's nice to hear that you had a good time. Hopefully we can enjoy as much as you did. I really appreciate your experiences and the tips you gave. We will certainly not miss Old Lahaina Luau, and we'll definitely check all the snorkeling sites you mentioned.

What can you say about the oceanfront room? The outrigger is actually one of the resorts that was mentioned to us by our agent? Is it clean? How's the bathroom? Is it one of those bathrooms that have a separate shower and tub?

Anyway, it's no biggie, but it's one of those little things that you want to have. Thanks again for the input. We're even more excited now.
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Old Sep 9th, 2003, 04:05 PM
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We loved the view from our room. We actually were in the Deluxe Oceanfront which is different from Oceanfront. We were directly facing the ocean and about 20 feet away. Since this hotel was built before the other resorts the buildings are closer to the ocean than is allowed today. The room was clean and well kept, though I'm sure not as glamorous as some of the other Wailea resorts. The bathroom had a seperate area for the sink and vanity which was nice but the shower/tub were combined- clean but nothing fancy. It depends on what you are more interested in. We had considered the Kea Lani which also looked beautiful but would have only been able to afford a parking lot view there. Plus we wanted to be at a hotel where we could get a decently priced lunch and drinks. If you want I can email you pictures of our view, it was pretty amazing. We had room service out on the balcony one night at sunset which was just amazing- we had lots of jealous onlookers!

Let me know if you have any other questions on Maui. We didn't do everything there, but we've had several friends honeymoon there in the last couple years as well. You will absolutely love it there.
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Old Sep 10th, 2003, 07:08 AM
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we will be staying at the Outrigger between Christmas and New Years. what did you think of the pools and the restaurants on the premises? did you try the Mandara Spa? it sounds like there is great walking path out in front of the hotel that winds along for about a mile or so...is it easy to get to a good swimming beach from the hotel grounds? it's hard to tell from the Outrigger website photos.
thanks!
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Old Sep 10th, 2003, 09:58 AM
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Stellaluna,

To be honest, we didn't spend much time at the pools, we spent our time on the beach or in the ocean since we are from the Midwest. The pools were nothing spectacular but nicely laid out and fairly quiet- there were always open lounge chairs and only a few children running around. Breakfast was included in our package and this was a good buffet each morning. We ate lunch one day at the casual poolside bar which was good and a decent price ($9 for a sandwich). We never ate dinner here but heard good things about the Hula Moons restaurant and they had music fairly late each night in their lounge so we enjoyed sitting outside and having drinks there a couple nights. While we didn't go to the actual spa, a friend of ours arranged for an oceanfront massage from Mandara and that was great (however it was the first time either of us have had a professional massage). There are beaches on both sides of the resort, the buildings are fairly spread out. One side is very close to Wailea Beach and the side we stayed on was next to Ulua and then Mokapu Beaches. We tried both and preferred Ulua and Mokapu (in front of Renaissance hotel). There was great snorkeling from both these beaches and they were fairly quiet and nice for swimming. They were only a short walk away so it wasn't a problem. The walking path is great- a good way to start your morning if you enjoy walks. It actually runs along all of the Wailea resorts and I'd say it is more than a mile even.
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Old Sep 10th, 2003, 10:15 AM
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Yeah... why not... there's nothing more REAL I think than the actual pictures from a visitor instead of web pictures from the resort's website. My email is [email protected]. At the moment, we're looking at this resort, and I think we also got a good deal for Kap. Bay Hotel that I'm considering... I heard it's a bit fancy than the Outrigger Wailea, but it's really no biggie. I am much more interested in the activities. So far the must do's in our list are... the Old Lahaina Luau, snorkeling ( of course ), sunrise at Heleakala, and just hanging by the beach at sunset... the do's ( we're hoping we can do it )... kayaking, road to hana ( should this be a must do??? ), spend a little bit of night time dancing around town, maybe sailing, ... so far that's it for now... I have to pick up that Maui Revealed book... Anyway, if you have more suggestions... please... it will be appreciated... We don't have much time on the island ( 5 nights ), so we're trying to prioritize everything... thanks again for the pics.
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Old Sep 10th, 2003, 10:33 AM
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thanks for the info!
i read your Oahu post and noticed you stayed at the Outrigger on the Beach. we stayed there last New Year's week. at first i could not believe how crowded Waikiki Beach was but i got over it!
we too went snorkeling really early at Haunauma Bay and the turtles i saw were the highlight of that excursion. it was nice to be there without the crowds. worth getting up and driving there in the dark! loved Haleiwa, we still talk about Matsumotos and the killer burgers we had a little place across the street (starts with a "K' but that's all i remember!)
Duke's was jumping every night. we ate there once and a few times at Cheeseburger in Paradise down the street. had a great lunch at Halekulani.

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Old Sep 10th, 2003, 12:45 PM
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I agree. Thanks for the detailed info. Tell us more about the Old Lahaina Luau. thanks
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