Tips and Tricks When at WKORV

[levatino]

Massage Guy

For 15 years I was a massage therapist, so I know a good one. I received a massage from a man today that was deep, engaging, relaxing and invigorating. He put his all into his work. I would recommend him to anyone.... PM me if you would like his contact information..

 

[gregb]

Aloha Mixed Grill does a great happy hour. If I remember correctly, Mai Tais are $3.50 from 2-5pm And their coconut shrimp are great. We try to stop there after shopping in town. Only thing is if you want alcohol you cannot sit on the patio right next to the water. You have to stay on the wooden deck. But it is still waterside.

And if you want, you can take the Lahaina Shuttle from the resort and get off at the Cannery. Mixed Plate is just behind the Cannery, next to the Old Lahaina Luau. That way you don't have to drive home!

Greg

 

[klpca]

Thanks for all of the great tips in this thread. I've been swamped at work so I have put off trip planning until now - less than three days until departure, lol. The tips in this thread were real timesavers.

Here's one of my own - Maui Dive Shop on Keawe Street in Lahaina is close to WKORV and has good prices for weekly rentals - $25 per week for everything, (silicone mask and dry snorkel + fins and bag). It's in a shopping center so you park right outside, and they were very efficient with the rental process when I was there last November. http://www.mauidiveshop.com/MDS-Details/locations.htm

 

[frank808]

My family and I will be at WKORV from sunday the 27 till nov 3. I am meeting Quadmaniac on sat nov2. If any other tuggers want to do a meet and greet PM me. Or if anyone wants to meet during the week PM me also and maybe we can get a drink and talk some.

 

[klpca]

My family and I will be at WKORV from sunday the 27 till nov 3. I am meeting Quadmaniac on sat nov2. If any other tuggers want to do a meet and greet PM me. Or if anyone wants to meet during the week PM me also and maybe we can get a drink and talk some.

Holy cow! Lots of tuggers there next week! I'll pm you later...still at work.

 

[maja651]

Holy cow! Lots of tuggers there next week! I'll pm you later...still at work.

We will be there too! Sunday can't come soon enough!

Michelle

 

[heathpack]

Frank808 and Maja651,

TUG meetup Nov 2 at WKORV? I am getting up with Klpca that day and I had a PM back and forth with Frank808 about adding him to the mix. Did not know that Quad was going to be there too.

Shall we set a specific place and time? One of the bars for happy hour?

Swimming in work emergencies right now, cant wait for Maui!!!!

H

 

[maja651]

Frank808 and Maja651,

TUG meetup Nov 2 at WKORV? I am getting up with Klpca that day and I had a PM back and forth with Frank808 about adding him to the mix. Did not know that Quad was going to be there too.

Shall we set a specific place and time? One of the bars for happy hour?

Swimming in work emergencies right now, cant wait for Maui!!!!

H

Happy hour on November 2 works for us! Name the time and place! We had originally scheduled a sunset boat trip that day, but it was rescheduled to Friday instead.

 

[triangulum33]

Maybe make a new thread for TUG meetup?

 

[OKPACIFIC]

Changed ownership?

One additional spot you may want to add to your list is Plantation House in Kapalua. It is up the hillside and has fabulous views of the golf course and ocean in the distance. Great spot for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is a bit pricey but the panoramic views make it special. We stop here for lunch every visit.

Sorry if this has already been posted, I understand our favorite restaurant, Plantation House, has changed hands and the menu is less desirable. Will check out personally on our visit in a few weeks.

 

[OKPACIFIC]

A few tips from our trips

Here are a few tips from our trips to Maui (couple times a year)
1. You can purchase pineapples from Costco and take as luggage (I don't think they count fruit as luggage, however, you need to confirm since we don't pay for luggage fees) vs. buying at Mr. Pineapple and other high cost shippers. This saves lots of money.

2. I love Penne Pasta Café on Dickinson about 1 1/2 blocks from Front street. Reasonable and delicious!

3. Enjoy the sunrise in Haleakala the first morning after arriving (since you are still on mainland time) then go down to T Komoda Bakery, 3674 Baldwin Ave, Makawao, HI., for donuts on a stick, fresh bread, rolls, puff pastry, etc. Check hours (808)572-7261, as they are only open certain days and hours.

4. We always hit the Owners Kickoff on Monday am for free coffee and pineapple and have actually won free things. We also meet other owners which is fun.

5. We usually end our trip (red eye) going to Mama's Fish House (which, I thought I hated before giving it another try) This is a splurge, however, sends you off with a good "taste" (haha) in your mouth and the view is unparalleled. If you book early you usualy get a fabulous seat right in front. Another great tip, gets you on the right side of the island incase of traffic accident, fire, etc.

6. Away from property is Paia Fish House, freshest fish on the island.

Just a few more tips. Enjoy. PM if you want more ideas.

 

[OKPACIFIC]

Meet up thread a great idea

Maybe make a new thread for TUG meetup?

I ditto this. We will be at WKORN 11/30 - 12/22 if anyone wants to meet up.

Note: Will be at WKORN starting 12/6

 

[Ron98GT]

I ditto this. We will be at WKORN 11/30 - 12/22 if anyone wants to meet up.

Will be there 11/30 to 12/7, only 1-week.

I'll send you a private message when I get a chance.





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[Ken555]

I ditto this. We will be at WKORN 11/30 - 12/22 if anyone wants to meet up.

I'll be there!


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[gregb]

Ken555, it seems you are always there

 

[Quadmaniac]

Frank808 and Maja651,

TUG meetup Nov 2 at WKORV? I am getting up with Klpca that day and I had a PM back and forth with Frank808 about adding him to the mix. Did not know that Quad was going to be there too.

Shall we set a specific place and time? One of the bars for happy hour?

Swimming in work emergencies right now, cant wait for Maui!!!!

H

I didn't know I was going to be there lol. Sorry to disappoint, but I wasn't going during that time, I'm in Ko Olina Nov 16-23.

 

[Pmuppet]

Anybody have tips on car rental? We usually just go through Expedia/Hotwire/etc.

I try to not rent from the airport as local governments like to charge grossly excessive taxes on airport car rentals. Not as bad in Hawaii, but in Phoenix they wanted to charge me $120 more tax than another avis location 6 miles away.

I took a cab (cost me about $17) and pocketed the $103.

Best thing is I was able to return the car to the airport and completely avoid that extortion attempt by their local government. The city I live in does the same thing (Seattle). These taxes are targeting business travelers who want convenience and are renting on their companies dime.

My Hawaii rental car trick to minimize costs. The sweetspot on car rentals is exactly 7 days (a week). If you are staying there for 10 days, rent a car at the airport for three days on arrival (you are going to get hosed as the best rate is the weekly rate but this will minimize your costs).

Then drop it off at a location near where you are staying and swap it out for another car. Try to get a full seven day rental at the location near where you are staying and have the drop off location be the airport. Generally, rates are lower and taxes are almost ALWAYS lower.

I ended up saving $120 by doing this trick for my upcoming trip to Maui (staying 9 nights). Since the avis is within 3 miles of the Westin, I figure it will only take 1 hour of my time. So, it is well worth my time to swap it out (think the savings were $40 less in rental rates and $80 savings from avoiding the Hawaii local extortion attempt).

 

[Ken555]

My Hawaii rental car trick to minimize costs. The sweetspot on car rentals is exactly 7 days (a week). If you are staying there for 10 days, rent a car at the airport for three days on arrival (you are going to get hosed as the best rate is the weekly rate but this will minimize your costs).

Then drop it off at a location near where you are staying and swap it out for another car. Try to get a full seven day rental at the location near where you are staying and have the drop off location be the airport. Generally, rates are lower and taxes are almost ALWAYS lower.

I ended up saving $120 by doing this trick for my upcoming trip to Maui (staying 9 nights). Since the avis is within 3 miles of the Westin, I figure it will only take 1 hour of my time. So, it is well worth my time to swap it out (think the savings were $40 less in rental rates and $80 savings from avoiding the Hawaii local extortion attempt).

This isn't always true. I'll be in Maui for two weeks next month and the price for both is just ~$350 for a full size, while each week priced separately (even from the same vendor) is significantly more when combined. It may be that the second week hasn't yet been discounted quite as much, or that they won't as it gets closer to the holiday. Regardless, by your logic I'm going to pocket over $150 by not returning the car and spending time dealing with another rental. Add to that my AMEX insurance charge of $18 per rental, and I'll be able to afford to eat out while in Maui...

And, I'm still checking the price on Costco as I get closer, though I tend to doubt the price will change much between now and when I leave.


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[Ken555]

Ken555, it seems you are always there

This has been a Hawaii year for me - 5 weeks! But, I skipped 2012 altogether.


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[Ron98GT]

We have used both Speedi and Aurthur's. Both were fine. Cost is about $120 for 3 of us.

You can rent a car for the full week for that price. If the $120 is each way, that's $240 + the cost of renting in/near Ka'Anapali.



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[toyo]

There is a place called "TJ Outlet Wherehouse" that we get tasty Bento boxes from. It is a place for the locals so the inventory is there in the morning only. If we have a morning plane trip we will leave the hotel early to stop by for a to go meal on the plane. Very reasonable price.

 

[Pmuppet]

I would like to second Ken555's recommendation for Pacific'O.

Been on Maui for a few days and have eating at a few of the previously mentioned restaurants. First of all, Pacific'O was very hit and miss for us. The staff messed up our order and some of the dishes were below average and others were amazing. The view was spectacular though. All and all, we were highly disappointed as this place came highly recommended from multiple sources, so the expectation level was very high.

On the flip side, we went to Merrimans for Thanksgiving dinner. It was by far the best thanksgiving dinner I have had to date (every course was perfect, tasty, and on mark). My wife had the tenderloin and it compared favorably to some of the finest steak houses. Every turn at Merrimans was spectacular and top notch especially on such a busy night (thanksgiving).

In closing, it really depends and I don't think you can truly rate a restaurant based off of one meal (evening). The reason I say that is we went to Merrimans on Kauai last year and had an average at best experience and never planned on revisiting them again. However, we were in a pinch this year at Thanksgiving and decided to give the new location another shot as the reviews are favorable.

We were glad we did (give Merrimans another chance and will definitely be back). As for Pacific'O, the reviews are so good along with a few bright spots will definitely bring us back there at some point.

It just didn't blow us away and that is what I hope for in fine dining (awe how rough life is).

 

[Ron98GT]

Well, we finally made it here. WKORV, 2-Bdrm, building #2, full ocean view/front. Nothing but water and people walking by.

This is the first time that we've really noticed the humidity here.

We rented a SUP from 808 Boards for the week and have it on the deck. We could just lower it down the side and head for the beach, if we can just figure how to make it thru the ground cover. O'well the elevator is close.

Anybody else have problems with the room card keys always going dead?

Back to breakfast and then get that SUP in the water.

 

[PamMo]

Wow! Great room assignment, Ron! DH and I just got home from two wonderful weeks in Hawaii with family. The first week, we were in WKORVN and had 2BR and studio oceanfronts in Bldg #6, and another 2BR IV a couple of doors down the hall. We were pleasantly surprised to get the OF units. The studio was a StarOption exchange with our WKORV OV studio, and the 2BR's were both II exchanges. It was the first trip to Maui for four of my sisters, and getting those villas totally spoiled them - they are ready to go back!

The lack of trade winds made for some warm days, but not nearly as bad as last week on the Big Island. It was really hot and voggy on the Kohala coast!

Thanks again, heathpack, for the Tommy Bahama beach chairs and umbrella - we used them every day. And the rum and wine didn't last long in our pantry! Hopefully, tofuyan is enjoying the beach gear this week.

 

[Ron98GT]

I need to rent some fins for me and the DW, along with mask, fins, & snorkel for her son. Any place close by or do I have to pull the car out? After SUP'ing this morning, I'm tired (lazy) and would like to stay put. I think the shuttle goes to Safeway or Foodland, there's probably a shop near by?

I picked up two styrofoam coolers at Walmart the other day to use for some of the groceries that we bought at Costco. If someone needs those they can have them.

No cookie sheets for the oven, but we made do with foil on the oven grates. Having home-made pizza for lunch. :whoopie