Maui vs. Kauai late Sept before Waikoloa?

[elaine]

So to round out my "Stay an extra week in Kona," and "what's there to do in Kauai," posts let's make this a trilogy with "Maui vs. Kauai?" We love low key, authentic vibe, which makes me eschew Maui. But, maybe I'm short changing it, as we also love easy hiking, scenic drives, and shore snorkeling, so Maui might fit the bill. We went to Maui 15 years ago with 3 kids ages 3-7 and a grandma-so very limited activities and we've have never driven the Road to Hana.
So, for late Sept/early Oct 2021, for a relatively active couple (60), should we add Maui instead of Kauai? And if so, where to stay-location and resort? We do love a top notch resort, but will be at HGVC at Waikoloa for a week, so we're OK to have less glamorous digs in Maui. Trading via RCI. thanks. Elaine

 

[slip]

We love Kauai but in your situation, I would recommend Maui. It seems like a perfect time for you to make a return and see how much has changed on Maui. We prefer Kihei on Maui but you may prefer Lahaina or Kahana.

 

[Luanne]

+1 for Kihei, but that is where we own so we are prejudiced.

For some reason I've never been that hot on Kauai. I've been there 3 times now, and it just hasn't grabbed me. Not the way Maui and the Big Island have.

Check on the road to Hana. Last I heard it was closed except to residents (and I don't mean of the island of Maui, I mean of the area) .

 

[elaine]

Check on the road to Hana. Last I heard it was closed except to residents

due to Covid or other reasons? Not going til next year. but road to Hana would be a big reason for Maui.

 

[geist1223]

We also prefer the Kihei area. Currently the Road to Hana is closed except for people that live out there. There is Sunrise on Haleakala, zip lining, snorkeling, hikes, waterfall pools to swim in, etc. Both are good choices. Hiking down into the Crator, which is not a true Crator as Haleakala is a shield volcano. We did this in the afternoon and got back to the parking lot for sunset and a picnic dinner.

 

[Luanne]

due to Covid or other reasons? Not going til next year. but road to Hana would be a big reason for Maui.

I would think the closure is COVID related.

As I said we own a timeshare on Maui. Started going there in 1986. It took many, many years before we did the road to Hana. Our dds were too little and I didn't think I could contend with "Are we there yet" for hours. After they got old enough for the drive we went a few times. But I personally could not drive that road, which meant dh had to do the drive there, and back. So, at some point we stopped doing it. So, Maui can be "done" without Hana, but if you haven't done it at least once I would recommend doing the drive, if the road is open. We also have never gone up Haleakala for the sunrise.

 

[slip]

For me the Road to Hana is one reason we prefer Kauai over Maui. I’ll do the Road to Hana once a trip but I am not going to drive that road often so that closes off a lot of the island. The road on the north side isn’t much better either. Maui is a beautiful island though.

 

[lynne]

We love Kauai but in your situation, I would recommend Maui. It seems like a perfect time for you to make a return and see how much has changed on Maui. We prefer Kihei on Maui but you may prefer Lahaina or Kahana.

Totally agree with Jeff. Upcountry Maui is great for exploring, and you will not lose an entire day traveling. Hawaiian air had 1 non-stop from KOA to LIH but I am not sure if it is still on the schedule. If you have to stop in HNL, you will waste an entire day. The flight between OGG and KOA is fast and pleasant. We love both Kauai and Maui, but Maui offers a bit more for us.

Additionally, you can fly Mokulele which is like taking a tour without the high cost between the two islands. They usually fly over Haleakala prior to descending in Maui and the kite surf viewing from the aircraft is second to none. Other benefit is no TSA - take your groceries with you!

 

[luv_maui]

due to Covid or other reasons? Not going til next year. but road to Hana would be a big reason for Maui.

Yes, due to covid-19 reasons. However, my spouse read somewhere on some hawaii Facebook thing supposedly indicated it was back open. We drove it last Friday but MANY local painted signs indicated it was closed, no visitors. We made it to hana and the main park by the water and it was PACKED! No parks before hana were open, no bathrooms until we got to hana with portapody bathroom which we used then came back to Lahaina. Some short stops for waterfall looks or scenic views, but it was our fastest roundtrip road to hana - due to essentially no stops. Interesting learning from Maui app (thank you to @nite Maire for the excellent recommendation). Even black sand beach was officially closed although some were illegally getting by the gate - which we did not do. Currently NOT worth doing since everything is closed. Biggest issue was no place to stop for bathroom.