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Hawaiian vacation to Maui

cowgirl836 said:
No lie one day after we were in the ocean at one of the Kauai beaches, there was a shark attack there. TBF, the guy had also been attacked by a cougar (the animal kind, not the white woman kind) and a rattlesnake so I think it was a "him" problem. Definitely on my mind the rest of the trip as a very pregnant not fast moving person.
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That person needs a reality show.
 
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I always say this for Maui but Ocean Vodka Distillery/Hawaiian Spirits shouldn't be missed. Great drinks, food, and views from their location.

You're not going be there in this time but between November to March depending on the weather induced swales there is a big wave surf competition that occurs at a location called "Jaws".
 
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CY9008 said:
I downloaded an app that was interactive and talked about the stops as you made the drive and then you could decide if you wanted to stop or not.
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I don't know if it's the same app you're talking about but we used this one on both the road to Hana in Maui as well as Yellowstone and it's really good.

Looks like they changed the name from Gypsy guide to Guide Along
guidealong.com

See More. Share More. Travel with GuideAlong.

Listen as stories, tips and directions autoplay, based on your location.
guidealong.com guidealong.com
 
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cdnlngld said:
Anyone have a recommendation as to where the best region to stay is (west, south, east, central, or highland)?

Currently I am thinking half of our stay on the west side, and half of our stay on the east side.

When we stayed on Kauai, we stayed on the south coast. it was alright but we spent most of our time enjoying the eastern side of the island with beaches and scenic drives. I recall not caring for the west side of the island because of how dry it was, with the exception of the Napali coast(absolutely breathtaking!), but not many raods.
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Kauai is my favorite island. We did the catamaran tour on the Napali coast and we did the Waimea Canyon drive to. I was amazed at the wave breaking on the west coast that the spray was getting on the road. First time in four times being there I've ever seen that. I guess climate change is probably to blame. I work with the ag companies on the west side of the island. We even got the see the turtles on the southern part of the island.

Not a big fan of Oahu. Maybe its the Honolulu area just seemed really crowded. We went to the north side of the island, which was really cool, but didn't get the big wow factor. Wife wanted to see Pearl Harbor so that was the bucket list item. Also been to Moloki. If not for the ag companies there, I would have skipped that.
 
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VeloClone said:
Years ago we did the Haleakala sunrise and bike tour. Don't worry if you aren't in shape for biking. It is a 40 mile plus tour from the summit (10,000+ ft.) to the ocean and you need to pedal for less than a mile on the whole thing. You also stop as a group for breakfast at a diner half way down. Be prepared to not see the sunrise though. Even on the morning we went it was a beautiful clear night but the clouds rolled in just as the sky started to lighten up. Still worth it.

If you go up to the summit at another time, don't just stop at the visitor's center. Make sure you continue up a quarter mile or so to the true summit. On a clear day you can see the big island. From the visitor's center you can hike down into Haleakala Crater. It is a strenuous hike at altitude so take water and a snack and take your time. Remember that the hike out will be three times as strenuous as the hike down into the crater. We met a couple from the Denver area. Strangely enough us flatlanders were fine but she struggled with the altitude. You never know...

When you take the Road to Hana I would recommend your destination be the seven pools at Ohe'o on the south east side of the island. Then take the Pipiwai trail hike. It is a great hike partially through a bamboo forest (talk about an invasive species taking over an area) culminating at the foot of the 400' Waimoku Falls. A breezy day makes the bamboo forest unforgetable because the swaying bamboo squeaks and knocks as they bump into each other.

Don't forget the Road to Hana is not a drive you should take lightly. It is a fun drive but be prepared at each turn for the unexpected around the curve. Many people take up more than their half of the road and there are frequent rock and mud slides especially if it has been raining. Have fun, but proceed with caution. Take your dramamine if you get motion sickness.

You may check out a lava tube and black sand beach on the drive to Hana or back. We stopped at one small black sand beach and had it completely to ourselves. Always be aware when posing for pictures in the surf. Big rogue waves can break unexpectedly at some of these beaches and create a picture you weren't planning.

When in Lahaina make sure you check out the Whalers Village Museum. It isn't anything big, but it helps you understand what Hawai'i was like post European arrival but before it was all about tourism. The aquarium at the Maui Ocean Center is worth a stop. It is right near the junction of the road that goes west toward Lahaina and Kanapali.

For a shorter drive on a day that may be too wet for beach time but not a total wash out try Iao Valley.

If you go to one of the beaches in Makena State Park south of Kehei and Wailea, make sure you take the road further south. The road ends in the Ke'one'oio lava fields.
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I second this post! The Haleakala Sunrise and Bike Tour was an unexpected favorite of our trip. Fitness shouldnt be an issue unless you cant grip the brake! Perfect way to see some beautiful scenery outside of a vehicle.

Take the road to Hana advice seriously. It's a long drive with constant turns, but the Black sand beaches along the way are great pit stops to break up the drive. Take the dramamine!

Our whale tour was fantastic around the first of the year. Saw one whale breach and had a cow/calf come up right along the boat. Incredible experience.

Golf at Kapalua if you're looking to play or atleast eat supper at the clubhouse for good food and amazing views. Make sure you stop at the fruit stands in between Lahaina and Kapalua or wherever you see them. Some look sketchy, but its the best pineapple you will ever have. Enjoy!
 
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We went to The Big Island and Maui on our honeymoon and loved both. We stayed in Kaanapali at the Honua Kai and loved it. Hotel was convenient to get to the beach and restaurants along the beach via a walkway. We did a ton of hiking on both the road to Hana and in the West Maui Mountains. The only word of advice I have is to take is easy on Lava Flow drinks, they can sneak up on you. I know they are not a guys drink (think Pina Colada with Strawberry), but man are they good. I spent way too much on them and didn't care what any thought about my umbrella drink in hand the entire trip.
 
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cdnlngld said:
We did a 9 day trip to Oahu (2nights), and Kauai for (7 days) and loved it! This summer we are going to go to Maui. Anyone have any "hidden gems" kind of items that they discovered/enjoyed? Definitely on the itinerary will be snorkeling/snorkel sail and beaches (recommendations welcome). We are open to hotel or air B&B. We will definitely be renting a convertible. We also really enjoyed a mud buggy/ATV tour, so that will probably be happening. Last time we did the luau, and helicopter tour(fun, but been there and done that), so we will probably stay away from those. Things that I have been eyeing are the turtle town snorkel sail trip, the ATV tour, and possibly one of the horseback trips.
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When we were there for the Maui Invitational we spent a Day doing these things, they were all pretty cool.

Surfing Goat Dairy
Ocean Vodka Distillery
Lunch at the Ulupalakua Contry Store - Bring Cash
Maui Wine - wine tasting on old estate across from lunch spot.

Was a nice day overall.
 
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SEIACyclone said:
I second this post! The Haleakala Sunrise and Bike Tour was an unexpected favorite of our trip. Fitness shouldnt be an issue unless you cant grip the brake! Perfect way to see some beautiful scenery outside of a vehicle.

Take the road to Hana advice seriously. It's a long drive with constant turns, but the Black sand beaches along the way are great pit stops to break up the drive. Take the dramamine!

Our whale tour was fantastic around the first of the year. Saw one whale breach and had a cow/calf come up right along the boat. Incredible experience.

Golf at Kapalua if you're looking to play or atleast eat supper at the clubhouse for good food and amazing views. Make sure you stop at the fruit stands in between Lahaina and Kapalua or wherever you see them. Some look sketchy, but its the best pineapple you will ever have. Enjoy!
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We went whale watching on our second trip to Maui. It ended up being a boat ride watching another boat get all the views of whales. Kind of a bust, but there are no guarantees. Ironically after that bust on whale watching we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Maalaea Bay. While we were eating we watched a solitary whale breach in the bay repeatedly for almost an hour - just having a good time. So we got whale watching after all.

Someone else mentioned snorkeling boat tour to Molokini. I would endorse that recommendation. It is a wildlife sanctuary and we got the best underwater pictures with the largest variety of fish there.
 
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dmclone said:
I don't know if it's the same app you're talking about but we used this one on both the road to Hana in Maui as well as Yellowstone and it's really good.

Looks like they changed the name from Gypsy guide to Guide Along
guidealong.com

See More. Share More. Travel with GuideAlong.

Listen as stories, tips and directions autoplay, based on your location.
guidealong.com guidealong.com
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Yeah it was GyPSy. Didn’t realize they changed their name. We thought it was pretty handy. We did plenty of research ahead of time but was nice to have that interactive voice while on the road.
 
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Not really a hidden gem but if you do the Road to Hana you must get some Aunt Sandys banana bread. Easily the best banana bread I've ever had. We ate multiple loafs while we were there and flew about 10 more back with us.

Also did ziplining with a company called Kapalua Ziplines. Guides were super fun and experienced. Felt safe the entire time and the views were incredible.

If you're near Lahaina it is a super neat town that is worth spending some time just walking around to different shops. Nothing crazy but if you're looking for a low key day, might be a good place for some shopping and lunch.

We did Haleakala for sunset one day. It was breathtaking. I highly recommend doing either a sunrise or sunset at the peak if you can. Be sure to pack warm clothes. It was about 40 degrees colder at the top and very windy when we went.
 
VeloClone said:
Dude's going to have to spend a month on Maui to get in all of the stuff we are giving him...
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Naw, It's O.K. we want to go very low profile on this one so we pretty much know what we want to do, Some have been mentioned. I just want to know what we don't know and if something trips our triggers, go with it.
 
dmclone said:
I don't know if it's the same app you're talking about but we used this one on both the road to Hana in Maui as well as Yellowstone and it's really good.

Looks like they changed the name from Gypsy guide to Guide Along
guidealong.com

See More. Share More. Travel with GuideAlong.

Listen as stories, tips and directions autoplay, based on your location.
guidealong.com guidealong.com
Click to expand...
We also used this for Yellowstone and Road to Hana and it definitely made for a good experience.
 
cowgirl836 said:
when did you do Kauai? We also stayed in Poipu area because of the season (April) but then Hanalei and such got flooded all to **** so we couldn't go there anyway. Went up to Napali several times then.
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If you don't take a tour boat from Port Allen around the Napali coast or a helicopter tour, or hike the Kalalau Trail, you haven't seen the best of the island. Trust me.
 
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Turn2 said:
If you don't take a tour boat from Port Allen around the Napali coast or a helicopter tour, or hiked the Kalalau Trail, you haven't seen the best of the island. Trust me.
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Not to hijack the thread, but please keep the Kauai tips coming! Same for you @cowgirl836
 
SayMyName said:
Not to hijack the thread, but please keep the Kauai tips coming! Same for you @cowgirl836
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Waimea Canyon for the views, Barking Sands Beach/Polihale State Park for peace and quiet on the westernmost point in the US that is accessible. Poipu Beach for tourists and monk seals (if you're lucky). Kekaha or Waimea for sunsets over Ni‘ihau. Kilauea Lighthouse on the way to the hoity toity north shore resorts around Princeville and the fabulous Ke'e Beach (the end of the road at the NW side.)
 
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Stay around the Kihei area, it's great because you're in the center of the island. We were at a BnB loved it. Haleakala sunrise is great, but it is cold up there. Bring layers to shed as you bike down.

Road to Hana is great, but be very careful -- lots of hairpin turns and twists. The driver can not gawk at scenery and drive at the same time. The best waterfalls are the ones you have to hike back to. And frequently it's a stream bed hike. Remember, it's the journey, not the destination -- Hana itself is rather unimpressive. Shockingly good food at some of the roadside tables. Beaches are fabulous, but keep an eye on the surf - rouge waves are a real thing out there.
 
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