Need Maui recommendations

[mcsangel2]

Especially cause I have no idea which parts are better.....I'm looking at Kanapaali. We're going next May (if I can book this trip before every single hotel on Maui or on Waikiki sells out).

Also need ideas for a fun thing or 2 to do on Maui during our 2.5 days there.....

[basilosaurus]

It depends on what you're interested in doing. Fancy resort? Remote mountain? Oceanfront? Active vs relax? Do you snorkel, scuba, or hike?

As for booking, I don't think there's a huge rush. We live in waikiki, so I don't know about hotels here, although I'll still see vacancy signs in high season. However, we've booked last minute in Maui and Kauai with no problems, even though it was a holiday weekend. Honestly, the biggest issue is reserving a car. Those sell out quickly.

That's not to say you should be last minute like us, but I don't think you have to stress right now, almost a year out.

[chicago]

We prefer the Kaanapali area because we like to roam Front Street in the evening. Some things we liked:

- shave ice from Ululani's
- dinner at Merriman's
- surfing lessons with Goofy Foot
- sunset champagne cruise with Scotch Mist
- Road to Hana (probably not worth it with only 2 days)
- sunrise from Haleakala (again, debatable given your limited time)

Your time on Maui seems pretty brief - I'd run out and get a copy of Maui Revealed to decide what your must-do's are.

[mcsangel2]

Jun 16, 2012 19:54:52 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

It depends on what you're interested in doing. Fancy resort? Remote mountain? Oceanfront? Active vs relax? Do you snorkel, scuba, or hike?

As for booking, I don't think there's a huge rush. We live in waikiki, so I don't know about hotels here, although I'll still see vacancy signs in high season. However, we've booked last minute in Maui and Kauai with no problems, even though it was a holiday weekend. Honestly, the biggest issue is reserving a car. Those sell out quickly.

That's not to say you should be last minute like us, but I don't think you have to stress right now, almost a year out.

I hadn't thought so either. I started looking into this a couple months ago (our anniversary is actually early April but I'm in school so we're moving it to Mid May). The hotel I found on Waikiki is completely unavailable for any April/May dates. In fact, a solid 50% of the hotels on expedia, on Waikiki and Kanapaali, are completely sold out for any April/May dates I put in. So I guess waiting is probably not a good idea.

We're not doing anything water activities, just sitting on the beach, taking in views. Maybe looking at a pineapple or sugar cane plantation, or a volcano (I don't even know if Maui's got one). We like historical based sights too.

I just wanted to know, since I don't have the first clue about Maui, if Kanapaali is a more desirable area of the island.

[Le Olive]

I've been to kaanapali a few times. It is great. There's a lot to do. I'd stay there again if I were booking something in Maui. Gorgeous and fun.

[basilosaurus]

Mid-May, hmmm, there's not really anything going on that would fill up the hotels. Maybe your dates coincide with golden week in Japan? Our local NPR news reports include stats on hotel occupancy on the island, and I think all through may it was around 65%.

I know it's a month later than you're planning, but I went for a walk tonight and within a few blocks saw 2 hotels with vacancy signs. Where are you looking at staying?

As for Maui, if beach lounging is what you want, I don't think you can go wrong with either west maui (kaanapali, kapalua, etc) or south maui (wailea, kihei). Choose the hotel/resort you want, and I think you'll be happy. Both areas have great beaches, good hotels, and a number of good restaurants.

ETA: Things to do in Maui in your short time. There is an extinct volcano, Haleakela, so no flowing lava. You have to go to the big island for that. A lot of people enjoy seeing the sunrise there, though, so it's worth a trip. There's also road to Hana, a good experience of the rainforest side of the island. Both south and west maui have good snorkeling spots. A luau is another thing to do once in your life. You won't run out of things to do in 2 days!

[sawineaux79]

I honeymooned on Maui and Oahu. I second what everyone else said and highly recommend you check out the Maui Forum on Tripadvisor. We were more active on Maui... biking down Haleakala, Goofy Foot surf school, hiking the Pipiwai trail, etc.

Check out the Old Lahaina Luau and the Feast at Lele luau. We loved both for different reasons.

My favorite area honestly is Hana, but its not for everyone.

[mcsangel2]

I don't know if there's anything specific going on....I just assumed that they were getting booked up early for next year's wedding/honeymoon season. Since I last looked about 6 weeks ago, a lot of people planning those things wouldn't have started yet.

The Waikiki hotel I'd been looking at was Outrigger Reef on the Beach. I'm just frustrated because I know how dense the Waikiki area is, and I was willing to pay for a nice hotel on the beach with a legit ocean view. Really don't want to go all that way to be looking at other hotels or street traffic.

[vegas]

You are looking too early. Lots of hotels don't release their entire inventory until 6-9 months out, so looking a year out won't help. We got to Hawaii at least twice a year and I grew up on Oahu. We've never had trouble scoring a last minute hotel.

For Maui, we like Kaanapali. We also like Wailea but only because we golf, otherwise we'd stick to other parts of the island.

I would never, ever stay in Waikiki when visiting Oahu. Too busy and touristy for my tastes. I prefer either the Kailua/Lanikai said of the island or the North Shore.

[aurora]

Yeah, I would be really surprised if you have to book a year out for a hotel room in Kaanapali. I think vegas is right that you're actually looking too early.

For reference, we booked in April for a Christmas trip to HI and there was still lots of availability even though it's one of the busiest seasons.

[iheartrice]

We stayed at Hale Kai vacation condos just north of Kaanapali.
Recommendations:

• Whaler's Village in Kaanapali has shopping mall stores
  
• Lahaina's Front street has awesome local shopping and the ginormous Banyan tree
  
• Ziplining (Skyline Eco Adventures)
  
• Road to Hana
  
• Snorkeling (Boss Frogs or Snorkel Bob's for rentals)
  

Other things I wanted to do, but didn't have the time:

• Whale watching (we were there last Christmas)
  
• Sunrise at Haleakala
  
• Bike down Haleakala
  

[babygirlpriest]

We stayed at the Sheraton Maui and LOVED it. Multiple pools connected by a lazy riverish thing, incredible staff, good golf (if that matters), and tons of water sports available on their beach. We went on snorkel excursions and it wasn't as good as what was available outside our front door. The hotel is located at Black Rock which has incredible snorkeling.

The only draw was the poolside food - it kinda sucked.

However it's a 5 min walk to Whaler's Village for good dining or fast food plus lots of shops.

And it's only a 10-15 min drive down to the more busy/touristy Lahaina.

I would rec doing the sunrise thing the first morning when jet lag is still your friend. There's also a lavender farm you kinda pass on the way back down but it probably won't be open yet by the time you're heading back down and I don't think it's worth going back for.

[catsarecute]

We stayed at the Westin Resort for our honeymoon and had a great time. Really easy beach access, great pool and Whaler's Village is next door. Lahaina is just a short drive away as well.

[shorty20]

We stayed at the Aston Ka'anapali Shores and loved it.

[Deleted]

Blue Water Rafting does an awesome tour down the south coast.
Uulani's shave ice is a must
Monkey Pod restaurant has great happy hours and cocktails

We stayed at the Westin Ka'anapali and at the Fairmont Kea Lani. Both were great (for different reasons.)

[Deleted]

We stayed in the Hyatt Regency via priceline in the Kaanapali area. Loved Old Lahaina Luau and the bike tour down Haleakala at sunrise.