# Time in Maui



## Carlsbadguy (Aug 2, 2008)

Usually when I visit Hawaii I spend 2 weeks visiting 2 different Islands. This trip I am going to Maui only and thinking of spend 12 days there.  Is there enough to do for almost 2 weeks.  After a few days at the pool- I get bored. I have on hold a week at the Maui Marriott. Then would use points to spend an additional 4 nights at the MArriott Wailea Hotel or just book 2 weeks at the Maui Marriott.  This is for end of August- early September.
Thanks


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## ciscogizmo1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Depends on what you like to do and how much money you want to spend.

I'd have no problem spending 12 days there.  I'd want to visit the island of Lanai (which you really can't do in a 7 day trip), go to a luau or another show, drive to Hana, snorkel every day, take a snorkel, sail, type trip, eat at Mama's Fish house, drive up to see the Volcano Park and hike, ziplining, go hiking, etc...  There is lots to do it just depends on what you want to do.  

Good luck!


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## Werner (Aug 2, 2008)

Howard,  Get the Ultimate Guide to Maui.  It covers everything, from beaches, resorty things like luaus to hiking so you can assemble a list of things that interest you.  Between West Maui, the East Maui shoreline, the highlands and Haleakala National Park, and Hana (for that long a stay I would spend a day or two in Hana rather than do the round trip in a day) you should find plenty to do.   Also consider a ferry trip to Lana'i.  There are lots of tour and boat things to do which will suck up money faster than you can count it.  Hikes don't cost anything, take lots of time and in Hawaii are always memorable.  There are lots of great hikes and short walks around Hana, in West Maui and on the mountain.  

If you can get places to stay on both the east and west parts of the island and leave a night or two for Hana you can avoid the feeling of spending most of your vacation in the car or in traffic jams in Lahaina.


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## LisaRex (Aug 2, 2008)

I've been to Maui three times and still have not done everything there is to do.

Here's some things I haven't gotten around to doing yet, but I'd like to:

All day fishing trip
ATV tours
Horseback riding
kayaking through lava caves
Day trip to Molokai
Helicopter tour
Aquarium

Things I've done that I'd recommend:

Hike of West Maui Mountains with Ecotours
Trilogy trip to Lanai
Bike ride down Haleakala (alas, you can't do this anymore from the summit)
Molokini/Turtle town snorkeling trip
Kayaking/snorkeling combination
Sunset sail on America II
Sunset catamaran sail
Day trip to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor, etc. 

If I had 12 days, I'd probably spend 2 nights in Hana


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## Cathyb (Aug 2, 2008)

We have two weeks in Maui every year and have never gotten bored; in fact rarely put our foot in the ocean!

Other suggestions:  ziplining, ferry to Molokai, magic show in Lahaina (not like any other), visiting the 'cowboy town' beginning with 'M' but I cannot remember it, taking that DANGEROUS road  that ends up in Paia -- beautiful views, but some places two cars pass on one lane -- you go by a couple of very small Hawaiian towns not known to many tourists.


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## Carlsbadguy (Aug 2, 2008)

Besids Hotel Hana Maui are there any other hotels in Hana


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## Henry M. (Aug 3, 2008)

I am currently in Dallas on my way back after staying a week in Kauai and two weeks in Maui. No one in my family wanted to come back!

Next year we'll skip the other island and just spend three weeks in Maui. We never get bored there. We've been going for many years and have friends there, along with the many things to do that others have already described.

This time we found a new hike in West Maui. The Kapalua resort is now in the process of opening up to 100 miles of trails. You go to the Adventure Center next to the Kapalua Golf Course club house (where the Vino's restaurant used to be) and they shuttle you up to the head of various trails at the top of the Kapalua Plantation subdivision. There are several short trails (a mile or less) and one that takes you up the Honolua Ridge (about 1.25 miles with a moderate incline). From there you can go back and catch a shuttle back to the Adventure Center, or you can choose to take a different 5.75 mile trail and walk all the way back to the Center. It was a very nice hike mostly downhill (but some uphill climbs near the end). The hikes and shuttle are free. They also have a new zipline there (in addition to the other West Maui zipline that opened a little over a year ago). I haven't tried it yet. Every time we go we seem to find something new to do and we also relax better since we're not trying to do everything at once.


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## Henry M. (Aug 3, 2008)

Cathyb said:


> ... visiting the 'cowboy town' beginning with 'M' but I cannot remember it ...



I think you mean Makawao.


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## Werner (Aug 3, 2008)

howard said:


> Besids Hotel Hana Maui are there any other hotels in Hana



http://www.hanamaui.com/lodging.html


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## GrampyBill (Aug 3, 2008)

Worst case scenario - Just "LIVE THERE" for 12 days and play it by ear.  Go for walks in different neighborhoods.  Comliment the locals on ther beautiful yards. Talk to the gardner.  Amble through shopping centers.  Wonder through the upcountry. Flea markets, open houses, church, etc. etc. No cares No worries RELAX!


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## Fletcher921 (Aug 3, 2008)

If you have a golfer with you they would probably like those few days in Wailea.  It's nice to be able to have early tee times avoiding the traffic and the wind.  We stay in Kaanapalai two weeks every year and my husband often goes a few days early and stays close to the Wailea courses with his golfer friends.

I think Hana would be great as well - I have always suggested that but have never done it myself.


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## Carlsbadguy (Aug 3, 2008)

*Hana?*

I have a week scheduled at Maui Marriott Aug 30-Sept 6 and thinking of spending 2 days prior at Hotel Hana Maui or using points for the Marriott Wailea. Has anyone stayed  at either. How far of a drive to Hana is it from the airport? 
Also ahs anyone used Advantage Rent a Car in  MAui- they seemed to have pretty good rates- even on a convertible.
Thanks


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## DeniseM (Aug 3, 2008)

howard said:


> I have a week scheduled at Maui Marriott Aug 30-Sept 6 and thinking of spending 2 days prior at Hotel Hana Maui or using points for the Marriott Wailea. Has anyone stayed  at either. How far of a drive to Hana is it from the airport?
> Also ahs anyone used Advantage Rent a Car in  MAui- they seemed to have pretty good rates- even on a convertible.
> Thanks



Hana is in the middle of the famous and scenic Hana Highway - I would not want to make the drive my first day on the island.  You want to do it on a day when you can leave early (7 a.m.) and you are fresh and you can enjoy the scenery.

According to mapquest - it's 48 miles & 2.5 hours - without traffic, but it could easily take you 4 hours on a busy day.  But remember it's 48 miles of winding two-lane road and one lane bridges.  You won't enjoy it, or be able to give it the time it deserves, right after getting off a long flight.


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## Lawlar (Aug 3, 2008)

*Hana*



howard said:


> Besids Hotel Hana Maui are there any other hotels in Hana



Yes.  There is a new hotel at the harbor behind the Hana Hotel (and its a lot cheaper).  There are other motels, bed & breakfasts and there are homes for rent for as little as one night.  

(I would give you some names but my wife packed my Maui materials where I can't find them)


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## Werner (Aug 3, 2008)

We stayed at Hotel Hana Maui and it was very nice and very expensive.  I provided a link of alternatives on a previous post (#9) but I don't know anything about them.  I think the difficulty of driving the road to Hana is way overblown.  It is a two lane road that follows the twists and turns of the coast with a one-lane bridge at most stream crossings.  At some point, perhaps on the way out, you should "tour" the road because there are many interesting things to see along the way, but 2 1/2 hours is about right for a straight shot.  We did the return from the Pools of Oheo to Paia in about 2 1/2 hours at night.  (it is actually easier at night because the oncoming car headlights are more visible than the unlit cars themselves are during the day)


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## Icarus (Aug 3, 2008)

emuyshondt said:


> I think you mean Makawao.



eh?

-David


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## Henry M. (Aug 3, 2008)

I wouldn't call Makawao a cowboy town, David, but that's the billing it gets. Maybe because of its Paniolo Rodeo and Parade? I don't think most cowboys would be caught dead in a little downtown art store!  

Last week was the first time I also went to the nearby Haili'imaile General Store. Excellent food!


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## Piper (Aug 3, 2008)

howard said:


> Besids Hotel Hana Maui are there any other hotels in Hana



There are also options besides hotels in Hana. We stayed at the Tradewind Cottages (www.hanamaui.net/cottage.php). In addition to the cottages, there is a working flower farm. A friend has stayed at the Tree Houses of Hana (www.maui.net/~hanalani/index.htm) in Hana and says that they are great!


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## Icarus (Aug 3, 2008)

emuyshondt said:


> I wouldn't call Makawao a cowboy town, David, but that's the billing it gets. Maybe because of its Paniolo Rodeo and Parade? I don't think most cowboys would be caught dead in a little downtown art store!
> 
> Last week was the first time I also went to the nearby Haili'imaile General Store. Excellent food!



I know what you meant.  It is a cowboy town. The rodeo grounds are on Olinda Road, and I hear the rodeo at my house when it's running. (maybe 4 -5 times a year.)

Yes, that restaurant is supposed to be really good. I haven't eaten there yet.

-David


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## pcgirl54 (Aug 4, 2008)

Howard,

We went to Maui in May. There is plenty to do. I who love the beach and but do not like sitting poolside was never bored and we went out 10 hours a day. We were so busy that we did not even have the time to really swim or go to Lanai or drive up to the Haleakala crater and cowboy country.

Do buy the Maui Revealed.

Dollar rent a car had the best rates for convertibles. We rented a Jeep Wrangler and had a ball.

We went to the Lahania Luau,Ziplined in Ka'anapali,visted IAO Needle State Park. Drove to Hana and also did the West Maui hwy past the Ritz(gorgeous views). Downtown Lahaina is charming. Spent a day in Kihei and Wailea. Flew with Blue Hawaiian  helicopter close as one can get to the crater and the island. What a great experience. DH still talks about it.

Liked the Hula Grill for lunch in Whaler Village because of the view and the tables with sand floors and also Aloha Mixed Plate is inexpensive next to the Luau. If you eat there at night you can hear the music playing next door.

Safeway supermarket has the best prices for groceries per the resort and it was much better than Food Lion.

Highly recommend Mama's Fish House but go in daylight for the best view and and call ahead for a table with a view. It is about $50pp. Decor, service and food are wonderful but the view tops it all. It does not look like much from the exterior but it belongs on a poster.

I would also spend a few days in Wailea at the Marriott to enjoy that area and Kihei. In Kihei there are a couple of local stands where one can buy fruit or crafts and lots of casual places to eat. We ate at Alexanders Fish since a few tuggers recommended it. 

 Wailea is gorgeous and there is a beautiful cliff walkway near Grand Wailea and a super beach with the Four Seasons and Spagos looking out on the ocean. Central,West and South Maui areas are very different from each other and we enjoyed them all. 

Hana- the idea of the Road to Hana is to stop and see the ocean, waterfalls and beaches. If you just drove straight through 2.5-3 hours each way does it but then why go as there are other Maui drives. It takes another 45-60 minutes to get to Paia and the start of the Hana Hwy from West Maui. At the little stops to see the waterfalls there are other cars and not always enough spaces. There are no gas stations and no restaurants.  A couple of roadside stands. We ate a burger at Halfway to Hana which has no place to sit other than outside tables and is not really halfway. There is nothing much to do in Hana. There are 3-4 famous beaches Hamoa is one of them also down a side road. I would skip the Garden of Eden botanical garden nice but IMHO not worth the 45 minutes we spent there. It is rated as a must do in the Revealed book. I would have rather spent more time at the Black sand beach.

Most of the Hana Hwy is 15mph then it increases in the pasture areas of Hana to 35 mph and then reduces to 5 mph when 10 miles from the 7 Sacred pools and that is about as fast as you can go. We are not wimpy drivers as we drive in Boston commuter traffic.

We left West Maui at 8am got to milemarker zero on the Hana Hwy at 9am and to 7 Sacred pools at 4pm. It was 60 miles one way. There are about 70 stops but we did about 8-10. There is a fabulous black sand beach down a short paved road called Waianapanapa State Park that deserves more time then we allowed as does the Oheo Gulch /pools. You can and should swim at both locations. The ride back to Paia mile marker zero took 2.5 hours then another hour to West Maui. It gets dark at 7pm and this is not a road I want to be on at night. If you have never been before it takes longer and also are reading where to stop in the travel guide. We thought 4 hours tops and it was twice that so leave by 7am not 8 like we did. http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/html/sites/waianapanapa_park.html

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/beaches/hamoabeach.htm

We spoke to couples with kids that turned around and went back to the resort because of the time it took. You know when you visit mountain and coastal route roads how the winding curves and slow speeds make it take longer than you thought.

If you are going to stay in Wailea I would plan to drive the Hana Hwy when I stayed there as it is closer to start and to finish when you are tired and it is closer to the crater, cowboy country and the lavender fields on hwy 37. There is the general store mentioned which is a restaurant and there is the noted  Komoda bakery in Makawao that we missed because we ran out of time.  We did not tour the pineapple fields either but flew over them. We spent 7 days there and needed another 3-4. 

.http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/dining.html



http://hawaiirama.com/2006/09/top-3-walking-beaches-on-maui

I must say that I am very glad we did not island hop every 3 days as we would have missed so much.


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## LisaRex (Aug 4, 2008)

IMO, Hamao Beach past Hana is a must do if you like body surfing.  The breaking waves were incredible and knocked down my husband several times.  Not a place for very young kids because of the ferocity of the waves, but soooo sweet if you can handle it.  Bring boogie boards/surf boards if you have them.  

Hana is a very laid back part of Maui.  The scenery is incredible, esp if you can take your time.  Too many people are rushing through it in order to make it back to their hotels on the other side of the island.  Staying in Hana provides the opportunity to just be for a few days.  I think it would be an excellent choice to stay there in between the touristy areas of Kaanapali and Wailea.


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## susiequeve (Aug 9, 2008)

Just came back from Maui, we stayed at the Wailea Marriott for the week.  The hotel is very nice, but there's no beach there.  To the right is Uula Beach and to the left is Wailea beach, both within walking distance but we drove to Wailea Beach instead.  Be careful of those waves.  I got tossed around one day by this HUGH wave and lost my prescription sunglasses.  I know, I shouldn't have been wearing my glasses in the water, but I'm blind as a bat.  LOL  Just an FYI.


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## Hoc (Aug 9, 2008)

howard said:


> How far of a drive to Hana is it from the airport?



It's not very far in distance, but depending on who is in front of you and how comfortable you are on a narrow, twisting road, the drive is usually between 3 and 6 hours.  Also remember that Hana itself is not much.  It is the road to Hana that has all that you want to see -- the hikes off the side to the waterfalls, and beautiful jungles, incredible, breathtaking beaches and seascapes, climbs up the mountains to catch views of misty valleys and rainbows.  Hana itself is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere with one general store, a red sand beach, and not much to do.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Aug 9, 2008)

Have you tried prescription goggles? Mine are from aquagoggles and cost less than $25.
Liz


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## susiequeve (Aug 11, 2008)

Liz - Good idea about the aquagoggles.  I'll look into it.  I've already lost two very expensive pairs of RX sunglasses at the beach.  Thx.


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## gstepic (Aug 11, 2008)

*What about IAO valley*

Not sure if I spelled it correctly. We will be heading back to Maui middle of October for 8 days. We spent 3 on Maui last November and not nearly enough time to do what we wanted to.

On our way from the airport we stopped at Iao valley which was pretty close. It was pretty overcast and we did not have a lot of time. there were few short trails but maybe there were some places where we could take longer hikes. It seemed like a very nice area to hike around.

We never made it farther north than Whalers Village area, we will be staying at the Valley Isle which is a little farther north. We would be very interested in learning about areas to hike close by so this thread is helpful. From reading the revealed book the drive around West Maui can be interesting. I think he said it was safer to go west to east because you are on the inside lane, but safe may be a very relative term on that drive.

We are really looking forward to returning to Maui.

Gary


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## Henry M. (Aug 11, 2008)

A couple of weeks ago I went on a hike in Kapalua that I hadn't heard of before. The Kapalua resort is going to open up to 100 miles of trails and the one I went on was the first phase. It is free, but you have to take a free shuttle from the Kapalua Adventure Center (next to the golf course club house, where the Vino's restaurant used to be, for those familiar with the area).

The hike was very nice. You have a couple of options. There are some fairly easy and short trails at the beginning that take you through an arboretum. then you can hike about a mile up the Honolua Ridge, a little steeper than the other trails but not too difficult. Finally, you can double back the Honolua trail to where the shuttle dropped you off and wait for another shuttle to take you back, or from the top of the Honolua trail you can hike down the Kahana Trail (about 5.75 miles) down to the Adventure Center.  It is mostly downhill but there are some steps and some steep uphill areas near the end. All in all a very nice hike.

I've also hike the Waihe'e Ridge trail, described in the Maui Revealed book and it was very nice. You have to go early or you'll get socked in by clouds.

I also hiked to La Perouse Bay at the end of the road that goes through Wailea. I didn't see a real good place to get in the water to snorkel as all the entries were pretty rocky, but the hike itself was pleasant and interesting. Driving through the lave fields was cool too.

I've only seen the trails near the parking lot at Iao Valley, but perhaps someone else has experience going a little further in. I've seen lots of locals bathing in the river so you can do other things besides hiking there.


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## Hoc (Aug 12, 2008)

gstepic said:


> On our way from the airport we stopped at Iao valley which was pretty close. It was pretty overcast and we did not have a lot of time. there were few short trails but maybe there were some places where we could take longer hikes. It seemed like a very nice area to hike around.



Good, easy hiking, but moist.  Therefore, lots of mosquitos.  Also, some of the better parts of the hiking areas are privately owned and can be shut down a lot of the time.


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