loganmule

My wife and I are heading to Maui in mid May with our two boys in their early 20's. We're staying at condo's at Napili Bay. We know absolutely nothing about Maui (other than Frommer's recommendation of the condo as a great value). Any input on "must do" and "must see" things would be appreciated...we like views and good food, but my kids also will want to know about good bars and places to meet girls, if possible.

frankgrimes

Snorkling/Diving of course. There are dive shops all over the island and knowledgable staff can give you advice on best diving spots. They'll no doubt want to sell you on a snorkling trip to Molokini, but some of those trips are excellent and a good value. Just make sure you shop around for the best deal and the best package. Watch the weather and try to plan any boat trips when the trade winds are low. For great scenery and less crowds, drive around the top of West Maui. The road gets very narrow and windy, in some places only one lane, so watch for oncoming traffic. Very beautiful, old fashioned towns. More people go to Hana, on the east side of Maui. Its a longer drive, but very beautiful. If you can get accomidations for a night or two around Hana, you can spend more time exploring the area. If you search the net there are various simple cabins and bugalows there which are great to stay in. Some are cheap but charming. Some great beaches around Hana. Hamoa Beach comes to mind for body surfing and your boys may appreciate the girls from the hotel who use this beach. There is also a spectacularly beautiful red sand beach a short walk from Hana. It is clothing optional, so it might be awkward for a family trip lol. Get a hold of a good travel book on Maui, one that has "hidden secrets" or such thing, or talk to locals, there are many great waterfalls, beaches and places which are slightly off the beaten track. The up country, on the west side of the mountain is great for views, cooler weather, funky shops, etc. Check out Kula and Makawao. I'm no expert on nightlife, but Lahaina and Kihei have some good bars. Kaanapali as well. Kaanapali has some seaside restaurants, fancy hotels, a mall a great beach good snorkling and babes in bikinis, so there is something for everyone there. Wailea has a nice beach and really fancy hotels, it's fun to have a drink in the poolside bars there. Some good snorkling here too. There are some fancy (expensive) restaurants here, but for a change of pace and something a little easier on your wallet, try Mulligan's on the Blue, which is an Irish pub on a golf course above Wailea. Live music and fun atmosphere. South of Wailea is Makena beach, or Big beach which wide, sandy and popular. Close by is Little beach, another nude beach. My favorite restaurant on the island is Mama's fish house, which is close to Paia. Excellent seafood. Paia is a cool town for shopping and eating too. I haven't even told you about windsurfing, cycling hiking, kiteboarding and all the other great things to do. You'll definately have fun!

FlunkedFlank

Get "Maui Revealed", available in any major bookstore:

http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/maui.html

Seriously, go get it right now.

Are you still reading this post? I said go get it!

It's the best travel book I've ever used, anywhere. (And they've got ones for the other islands, too.) Browse their site for more info about their philosphy and approach.

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loganmule

thanks for your input frankgrimes and FlunkedFlank (book has been ordered).

Redlemon

Little Beach is not "just another nude beach". It is generally considered to be the best nude beach in the world. Also, based on my conversations with many people on nude beaches elsewhere in the world, Little Beach is the first place that they tried being naked. If you have ever considered trying a nude beach, this is the place to go.

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greytone

The best snorkeling I have done anywhere is in the bay you get to through Napili Point condos. It is the inlet south of Napili Bay. It is better than Molokini. The condos next door to the north have a Gazebo that is open for breakfast and lunch. You have to eat there once. The lines are long, so unless you go early, make sure to use sunscreen while in line. Lahaina Coolers on Dickenson Street is also a must for breakfast. The Plantation in Kapalua is my favorite place in the world to eat. Brunch on the weekends is wonderful but dinner is not to be missed. Be there at sundown so you can enjoy the wonderfull view over the golf course towards the ocean, and still see the sunset. By the way, the best sunsets I have ever seen are from Napili. I can really feel the tension in my body dropping with the setting sun the first night there.

I envy you. The Northwest part of Maui is my favorite place on the planet so far. You need to be there for a month to even begin to see and do all there is. I have never been to upcountry. Skip the beach at Kaanipali. It is not a good place to enjoy the surf. But the Luau at the Hyatt was fun. The food is very good and the entertainment is nice with examples of dance from all over Polynesia. However, a luau is certainly not a necessary part of the trip unless you just can't help yourself.

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raveneye

I haven't been to Little Beach, but I have been to Secret Beach on Kauai, another nude beach, and it's hard for me to imagine a better nude beach than Secret Beach.

But thanks for the pointer, I'll check out Little Beach next time.

uncle_el

i see hana has already been mentioned, so no need to belabor that.

if it's still there, lambert's (might be lampert's) ice cream is phenomenal!!! tons of flavors made with 15% buttermilk... bad for calories, lovely for the taste buds.

maui's become much more the hotspot in the past 10 years, that your sons shouldn't have a hard time at all finding bars and chicks!

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Hurricane1

oooooOOOOooooooo I love me some Maui. I stayed near Lahaina as well. If you can muster getting up way before sunrise, drive over to the Haleakala volcano to watch the sunrise with champagne... it is absolutely breathtaking! Also, rent a jeep and make sure you drive the road to Hana. There is a Texaco station ( I want to say it is near the airport, but I can't quite remember ) where you can purchase a cassette tape to put into the car stereo at a precise point and it will tell you every single place worth stopping along the way. I would leave by 7am, it is a whole day trip, but so worth it!!

Redlemon

We were staying with my wife's friend, who had spent two years on the island. When we made it to the end of the Road to Hanna, she asked someone if the back road was passible. The answer was yes, so we just kept going.

This was stupid. You really need 4 wheel drive back there, and we were in a rented Ford Escort. The sun went down, there were no lights, there was no guardrails between us and a cliff drop into the water, the place looks like a moonscape with feral cows wandering around, seriously, it is just weird. Go back the way you came.

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greytone

You may not be able to go all the way around past Hana, but you can going north from Kapalua. There are places that it is single lane, but I did enjoy the ride (I wasn't driving) on a nice sunny day.

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FlunkedFlank

I'm gonna step up and say that I disagree here. I went the whole way around in a regular rental and had a blast! In fact it was one of the best memories of that trip. Feral cows are cool. And the backside view of Haleakala is absolutely stunning. I think your fatal mistake was to do it in the dark -- I can definitely see that being a huge problem. But otherwise it really isn't that bad. Or at least, wasn't that day (this was in 2002). I could see maybe current or recent weather affecting the state of the road. I should add that the instructions in the "Maui Revealed" book that I mentioned above were totally vital in pulling it off.

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loganmule

We're leaving for Maui early Mon a.m. and will stay until Tues the following week. Thanks for the advice everyone, and to FlunkedFrank in particular for the book recommendation.

bobby

I'm off to maui the end of june till july 6....any good 4th july ideas...have a great bungelow and a convertable............above info was great ..can you add to it.......love ya all, bobby xoxoxoo

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Joan of Arc

If you plan on driving to Hana, leave early enough because it's about a 3 hour slow drive and the roads are windey. We left for Hana at 3 pm and never made it because we didn't want to drive on those roads in pitch darkness.

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SirLance

Yes, Hana & the 7 pools is an all day experience. Leave early because there is a LOT to see on the way, orchids in bloom, waterfalls, etc.

If you dive or snorkel, I highly recommend LaHaina Divers. I haven't been to Maui in 8 or 10 years, but they were a superb outfit each of the 4 or 5 trips I dove with them.

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greytone

If you go to Hana, don't fail to go all the way to the 7 pools and to the black sand beach. Both are worth it in my opinion. If you are going to do a snorkle or dive boat trip and can afford a nice one, then go on Trilogy. The food and service were wonderfull. There was enough space and the ride was smooth. There is enough shade to avoid a burn if needed and there are plenty of drinks included. If you like to visit art galleries plan on spending a day in Lahaina.

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quadro2000

These are great tips. JustJess and I are leaving on Friday for our honeymoon - first to Kauai, then to Maui. We'll definitely do the road to Hana - but maybe we'll let Jess drive as she gets carsick relatively easily as a passenger. :rollseyes:

Any other tips?

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Redlemon

For carsickness: you need to get a pair of <a href="http://www.sea-band.com/seaband.htm">Sea-Bands</a>. They were a godsend for my wife. I found them in CVS, but you might have to ask at the pharmacy. I think they were $8 or so.

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Captain Nemo

Just got back from there and if you are a diver, check out Ed Robinsons. They were a great group of people/. First day of diving, they kind of assess what experience level you are, and on the second day we were with a select few divers doing a drift dive in 130 feet of water on the backside of Molokini, with whalesong surrounding us. It was one of the coolest dives I have ever done, due to the soundtrack provided by the whales.

quadro2000

Thanks redlemon - Jess actually has this thing but I think she only used it once or twice. You think it'll do the trick?

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Redlemon

I think it is basically the same thing. My version doesn't use batteries, it is simply accupressure. I thought it was basically hogwash, but I didn't tell my wife that when I bought it for her. We were going on an amazing bus tour of Ireland, so twisty roads equals high nausea. She was wearing them on the first day, and they seemed to be working, and I figured it was all mental suggestion. At one stop, she flipped them over (so the point wasn't pressing into her wrist) while we were outside. She forgot to flip them back on the bus, and started to feel sick, then realized that they weren't in position. So, yes, I strongly believe in them. For 10 bucks (just looked it up), I think it's worth it. They'll be easier to carry as well.

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Sultana

I know this is kinda late, but I greatly enjoy the "Unofficial Guide" series, and there's one for Maui. I used it on my trip a couple years ago and was pleaed with the recommendations.

Maui advice from me:

1) It would seem that the Luau in Old Lahina (sp?) is the ultimate. I have to say "would seem" because they book up weeks in advance. If you want to go to that one, book it well in advance.


2) The absolute highlight of my trip was snorkling in Molokini crater. Do. Not. Miss. OH, and I highly recommend going with Trilogy.

3) I highly recommend the Ka'anapali Beach hotel (www.kbhmaui.com) in NW Maui. They're in a very tony area (couple hundred yards from Black Rock), but they aren't ridiculously expensive nor pretentious. The hotel is dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture, and instead of having marble waterfalls and flamingos and 15 jacuzzi's in their "back yard", they have a huge grassy area where they host Hawaiian music festivals, Hula competitions (I'm big into ethnic dance), native craft fairs, etc. The hotel personnel are the best, best, best.

4) If you're adventurous, think about biking down the volcano (not even going to try to remember/spell the name). At one point I was absolutely soaked through and through in my screaming-yellow rain suit, going downhill at an approx. 45-degree angle in the rain and fog so thick I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me, knowing there was a fairly sheer cliff to one side as the occasional car wound their way up the narrow, torturously curving road.
Thrilling (!), and not for everyone.
Would like to try the horseback riding tour someday.

hunnychile

We took the helicopter ride from the airport in Maui and it toured the entire island, the places filmed in Jurassic Park, around the Io Point in the National Park, up around the mouth of the volcano - wow! and along the Napili Coastline. It was the best thing I've ever done in my whole life. If you get airsick, don't go.

Our boat trip to see whales was awesome, too. But we were ther in early March when the mommy whales were "pupping"...what a thrill. You're gonna have a great time. Best wishes to you both!!!

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