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Make your dinner reservations now!

zentraveler

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I've eaten both lunch and dinner at Mama's. They do a great job on their food presentation, but their prices are substantial.

But for me the killer is the hour drive that it takes to get from the Kahana area to Paia, and driving the return trip in the dark. If I want a nice dinner, I'd rather choose a place less than 15 minutes away.

Both times we had an interior table with no view and the service was so-so. Plus we had another major issue that I won't go in to on this forum. So from a "value proposition", IMnsHO, it isn't worth the drive time or the $$$$.

We ate there once while staying in Paia and up country and I have to say we were underwhelmed. I live in San Francisco and used to high prices, which we knew going in, but there was nothing that either us felt was worth the price, trouble to get a reservation etc. Felt busy and very touristy. Maybe an off day, but I am still a bit mystified. Been reading on this forum for a long time and we are clearly in the minority so YMMV. But I agree with BJRSanDiego ( whose name I mangled in the first iteration).
 
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Tamaradarann

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We seem to be in the same camp as @Luanne in that we eat out for dinner almost every night wherever we travel. Eating at great restaurants and trying new wines is one of the reasons we travel in the first place, so why cook? We will generally only use the kitchen for breakfast and snacks and only rarely do we eat much lunch. We watch our calories and save them for dinner! Also, why should my wife have to cook? It's her vacation too.

Even at home, we tend to eat out more often than a lot of people do, and being able to regularly eat at the great local restaurants in Hilton Head is one of the main things that drew us to that island and led it to become the location of our vacation home. The thing we missed most last year with the pandemic was restaurants being closed or limited to outdoors only.

I totally agree with you "Why should my wife have to cook", therefore, I don't. But to save money and calories on our retired persons budget, for our very long vacations, we eat almost all of our breakfasts and lunches in the Timeshare. My husband makes cut up vegtables, salads, and drinks everyday before dinner even when we eat out which also saves money. He either cooks dinner or occasionally we will eat. We usually eat out if we are meeting friends or family or if we are going to a show or other event where dinner is either served or it is more convienient to eat out.
 

Henry M.

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We ate there once while staying in Paia and up country and I have to say we were underwhelmed.
Same here. I like the location, but the food I've had has not been all that impressive and has not been worth the price. It would not be my favorite restaurant even at half the cost.
 

SHG

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When we stay at Wailea Ekahi Village, as we are next month, I go out every morning and pickup up a newspaper and an incredible cinnamon bun from The Cinnamon Roll Place in Kihei. By the time I get back, the coffee is ready, and I enjoy breakfast on the lanai.

005%20Wailea%20Ekahi%20Village-X3.jpg


I'm drooling already. :cool:
OK, the cinnamon bun looks awesome, but a printed newspaper??? They still have those?? Old school! (and I love it!)
 

Luanne

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OK, the cinnamon bun looks awesome, but a printed newspaper??? They still have those?? Old school! (and I love it!)
I will also pick up the little tourist magazines, or whatever you want to call them, that are out in front of the little market. We use the two for one coupons for breakfast at Fred's (also in the same center) when we have breakfast out there.

P.S. My husband is the one who does the cooking and he enjoys a break when we are on vacation. I enjoy the break from the clean up. :D
 

skimble

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Are they still doing Covid contact tracing at the restaurants? Before we were allowed to be seated, we had to give the restaurants our contact information. This was in June.
 

artringwald

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OK, the cinnamon bun looks awesome, but a printed newspaper??? They still have those?? Old school! (and I love it!)
In Hawaii, I often read three newspapers, the eEdition of the Minneapolis paper, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and the Maui or Kauai paper. I certainly don't read every article, but it's so much easier to skip over articles when reading hard copy.
 

slip

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Are they still doing Covid contact tracing at the restaurants? Before we were allowed to be seated, we had to give the restaurants our contact information. This was in June.

Yes, if you are dining in you still have to give contact information.
 

klpca

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I've eaten both lunch and dinner at Mama's. They do a great job on their food presentation, but their prices are substantial.

But for me the killer is the hour drive that it takes to get from the Kahana area to Paia, and driving the return trip in the dark. If I want a nice dinner, I'd rather choose a place less than 15 minutes away.

Both times we had an interior table with no view and the service was so-so. Plus we had another major issue that I won't go in to on this forum. So from a "value proposition", IMnsHO, it isn't worth the drive time or the $$$$.
I agree with you. Between the drive and the prices it has just never been our thing. I love great food and I love a great view but Mama's hasn't delivered on those when we have eaten there. We also have had interior tables even when requesting an outside. We will make it just a bit easier for those of you who enjoy it.
 

CalGalTraveler

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I like Mama's. Great fish but fish is easy in Hawaii including buying from Costco and grilling at your TS. I found the General Store in the upcountry interesting because they made a lemongrass curry with the fish. Dukes has a great fish preparation too. Something I cannot make easily at home.

When it is just two of us we eat most dinners out. When I have the family we go out to fine dining once a week, do some takeout and the rest bbq and cook because restaurants with a group are a hassle and expensive.
 

NTP66

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1. We like Kimo's, but for our previous two visits, we wound up in the upstairs corner table right where the sun hits every part of your body because their shade is broken. Will probably skip next year for that reason alone, because we know we'd be getting that same table

2. Re: using a kitchen with a timeshare - couldn't disagree more. For us, we don't visit Maui to cook our own meals. It's vacation time

I'm glad that Jim posted what he spends, because it makes me feel better about how much we spend dining out. :D
 

Luanne

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I agree with you. Between the drive and the prices it has just never been our thing. I love great food and I love a great view but Mama's hasn't delivered on those when we have eaten there. We also have had interior tables even when requesting an outside. We will make it just a bit easier for those of you who enjoy it.
I was just saying to dh that I really enjoyed the times we went to Mama's, back when you could park your own car, the prices were more reasonable, and we could pretty much get a table with a great view every time we went. So, I'll just look back on those great memories (especially when my then 2 year old daughter, who is now 33, had a huge banana split put in front of her. Her reaction was priceless.)
 

Luanne

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1. We like Kimo's, but for our previous two visits, we wound up in the upstairs corner table right where the sun hits every part of your body because their shade is broken. Will probably skip next year for that reason alone, because we know we'd be getting that same table

2. Re: using a kitchen with a timeshare - couldn't disagree more. For us, we don't visit Maui to cook our own meals. It's vacation time

I'm glad that Jim posted what he spends, because it makes me feel better about how much we spend dining out. :D
We haven't been to Kimo's for dinner for awhile. Again, it's the driving back at night that is the biggest deterrent. So we'll go for lunch (which is served downstairs) or later in the afternoon. The last few times we've gone we've gotten MaiTais and split Hula Pie. Don't knock it until you've tried it. :thumbup:
 

SHG

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It seems that many of you have been going to Maui for years (some of us may be envious). Several enjoy dining out and have been to Mama's and other notable restaurants. Most of your restaurant dining seems to be at more expensive locations (by my standard). So a challenge: What are some of your favorite places that are NOT so high end? Say $30/pp or less. This may be a bit more difficult for you big spenders...*smile*
 

Vagabonder

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It seems that many of you have been going to Maui for years (some of us may be envious). Several enjoy dining out and have been to Mama's and other notable restaurants. Most of your restaurant dining seems to be at more expensive locations (by my standard). So a challenge: What are some of your favorite places that are NOT so high end? Say $30/pp or less. This may be a bit more difficult for you big spenders...*smile*
Costco? Fleetwoods wasnt too bad-
 

SHG

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Costco? Fleetwoods wasnt too bad-
LOL! OK, I guess Costco technically qualifies... And I am sure everyone eats there at one time or another, even though we don't really go there to eat...
 

Luanne

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It seems that many of you have been going to Maui for years (some of us may be envious). Several enjoy dining out and have been to Mama's and other notable restaurants. Most of your restaurant dining seems to be at more expensive locations (by my standard). So a challenge: What are some of your favorite places that are NOT so high end? Say $30/pp or less. This may be a bit more difficult for you big spenders...*smile*
Okay, here are some of our favorites that won't break the bank (most are in Kihei since that is where our timeshare is):

Coconuts, we go to the one in Kihei that is in the same center as the cinnamon bun place
Fabiani's
Cafe O Lei
Sensei
Monkey Pod (it can be expensive, but you can do dinner for under $30 a person if you choose the right items)

There are also a lot of places that have, or used to have, Happy Hour or early dining menus. You can save a bit that way.
 

klpca

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I was just saying to dh that I really enjoyed the times we went to Mama's, back when you could park your own car, the prices were more reasonable, and we could pretty much get a table with a great view every time we went. So, I'll just look back on those great memories (especially when my then 2 year old daughter, who is now 33, had a huge banana split put in front of her. Her reaction was priceless.)
I remember having a fabulous brunch at a large hotel that at the time (1986) was the last resort at the time in Wailea (the Intercontinental maybe?). It was about $50 at the time and we were good until dinner, lol. Those were the days!
 

Luanne

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I remember having a fabulous brunch at a large hotel that at the time (1986) was the last resort at the time in Wailea (the Intercontinental maybe?). It was about $50 at the time and we were good until dinner, lol. Those were the days!
Could be. That Intercontinental is now the Marriott.
 

klpca

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Could be. That Intercontinental is now the Marriott.
It felt pretty bougie at the time but it was really the best deal in town.
 

bnoble

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It seems that many of you have been going to Maui for years (some of us may be envious). Several enjoy dining out and have been to Mama's and other notable restaurants. Most of your restaurant dining seems to be at more expensive locations (by my standard). So a challenge: What are some of your favorite places that are NOT so high end? Say $30/pp or less. This may be a bit more difficult for you big spenders...*smile*
We haven't been to Maui yet, but on Kauai we've had *great* luck with food trucks.
 

Luanne

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It felt pretty bougie at the time but it was really the best deal in town.
We used to love to go there for drinks. They had a really nice bar. That was before it became the Marriott I think.
 

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I noticed after making an open table reservation that the confirmation seemed to have the incorrect time, but then I realized that my computer had changed it to my time zone. If I saved it and added to my calendar it come up with the correct time. FYI-
 
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