<p>We just got back about 3 weeks ago now? We were there 10 days and did the big island and Oahu. Agree two islands is probably enuf. I’ve done 3 in the past, but even two felt rushed this time with our teen kids.</p>
<p>Agree that staying in Kona and driving three hours to Volcanoes National Park, may not be worth it. We stayed at Prince Hapuna Resort and loved it though. However, a full day in the car to and from VNP was no picnic. VNP by the way was a disappointment–big sign posted (NO LAVA FLOW today). </p>
<p>On the contrary, the catamaran to Cook’s Memorial Snorket Trip was to die for. It is supposed to be one of the top 5 international places for snorkeling. Hapuna Beach also top 5 beach internationally and you can snorkel in front of the hotel ($7 rental).</p>
<p>Oahu-we always stay at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Pricey, but they take good care of you. My kids enjoyed the Hawaiian Parasail Adventures the best (most reasonable in terms of price). Atlantis submarine overpriced and not too much fun. Dolphin Swim at Sea Life Park pricey ($180 each) kinda hohum.
PM me if you want more info. RuthChris steakhouse good, We love of course BeniHani at HHV–our favorite BH of all time, over Georgetown and LA’s. Go shopping at Hilo Hatties, didn’t do Pearl Harbor this time, but got some good deals also at International Market Place. Kids also loved Mandara Spa at HHV.</p>
<p>Restaurants on Maui: (gotta love this board! we travel…we eat…) Sansei (Kiheu and Kapalua) for Sushi. We have only gone to the one in Kapalua, but it is fabulous! Kimos (we share a prime rib), beautiful patio for drinks. Cheeseburgers in Paradise, wait isn’t wonderful sometimes but the burgers are big, juicy and good…did I mention inexpensive?
Plantation House (Kapalua) for dinner overlooking a golf course. Merrimans(the last two are splurges) beautiful view…but they try and sell you the expensive wine.</p>
<p>ellebud, thanks for your reviews. You should check out Dukes - they just opened in February. You can watch sunset from the patio, and the food is fantastic. Kimo’s is good. The Haagen Daazs ice cream shop in Whalers Village has killer macadamia nut ice cream! We were not happy that Pailolo Bar, the best sunset watching spot at the Westin Villas, did not serve any decent food after 5 pm!</p>
<p>Plantation House in Kapalua is my absolute favorite restaurant anywhere. Exquisite fish, fresh every day, with wonderfully unusual preparations. Fantastic serivice, amazing view…sigh. It’s just about perfect. I have sent two other couples there and they both loved it. You can make reservations ahead for sunset hours.</p>
<p>I have also eaten at Sansei in Kapalua, which was very good. Roy’s in Kahana (near Napili, in between Kaanapali and Kapalua) is also good.</p>
<p>I forgot one of our favorite restaurants: Mama’s Fish House!!! OMG, it is wonderful. If you go during the day you can watch the wind surfers. It is expensive, but so good. (Maui again). Fish…I guess there is a trend here…and delicious. And the macadamia nut ice cream is so worth the calories.</p>
<p>Fish and macadamia nut ice cream… the two major HI food groups :D</p>
<p>H and I are going to Oahu to celebrate our big anniversary. Staying in Ko Olina, as usual. Yay!!!</p>
<p>Highly recommend Orchids on Waikiki for a romantic dinner (book at sunset). Also agree with the suggestions of Sansei sushi in Maui. It’s an especially great value on the “early bird” (what can I say, we’re from Florida!).</p>
<p>If we go to Maui, any thoughts between Kaanapali or Wailea?</p>
<p>Honua Kai, Hyatt, Sheraton, or Marriott? (4 *, no 5"s for me)</p>
<p>For us, and I am only speaking for us, social scene in Wailea is like being in Beverly Hills. I don’t have to travel to stay at home. Having “pool jewelry” is not my thing. And yes, Kaanapali does have (in Whaler’s Village) Louis Vuitton and Tiffany’s, but I can ignore them.</p>
<p>We have stayed at the Sheraton and the grounds are beautiful. Pool is nice but doesn’t have the bells and whistles. The beach area is excellent, with the widest stretch of sand. Rooms are standard issue. If the Marriott you refer to is the timeshare/hotel on Kaanapali we stayed there (prior to timeshare) when our kids were little. The pool area is nice, lots of kids. They had an outdoor movie night (which we saw on an evening walk) which was well attended. While we have never stayed at the Hyatt the public rooms are just gorgeous. Very little beach sand so you have to walk back toward Whaler’s Village.</p>
<p>I’m definitely NOT a shopper. I’m more a B & B person, but as first trip to Hawaii, going with suggestions. Its the Hyatt Regency Maui resort. Snorkeling important</p>
<p>I would vote for Kaanapali over Wailea also, especially if you are traveling with your son. </p>
<p>Be sure to go to the beach by the Ritz in Kapalua. There is a state park there in conjunction with the Ritz beach. We took our kids body surfing there several times, and we walked over to the Ritz and had lunch at their outdoor restaurant. </p>
<p>Are you flying into Honolulu and then on to Maui? If you don’t have a direct flight into the larger Maui airport, you can fly from Honolulu to the Kapalua airport. That’s quicker for staying in Kaanapali-Kapalua.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone. Booked Sheraton today. I found the Ritz on a 24 hour special on Monday, and held it for few days. It was less expensive than any of the Hyatts/Westin/Marriott etc. After reading thru comments, talking to travelers, decided that was remote and not the place for a young man (unless he was going with a special friend). Altho travel agent pushed Hyatt for better amenities, the Sheraton has best beach, snorkeling. We can change hotels, but important to get flights now. I gave the travel agent the CC address, as her son is junior in HS.</p>
<p>If you stay at Kaanapali, the Sheraton is great. Snorkeling around Black Rock is right outside the door and the hotel is nice.</p>
<p>I personally prefer Wailea (there is much more there than shopping), but there are certainly good things about West Maui too.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend the guidebooks in this series (you can get them on Amazon or maybe in your local Borders): [Wizard</a> Publications, Inc. / Believable Guides for Unbelievable Vacations](<a href=“http://www.wizardpub.com/main/home.html]Wizard”>http://www.wizardpub.com/main/home.html)</p>
<p>Has anyone stayed at the Hale Koa? H and I are going to a wedding in Honolulu in January and decided to make it a week-long vacation.</p>
<p>We went over to the Hale Koa to check it out when we were in Honolulu 2-3 years ago. It’s very nice and a very calm and well-behaved crowd there. We would be happy to stay there. It is right next door to a park and then to the Hilton Village.</p>
<p>Though my girls and I know prefer Wailea, I’m thinking the first visit Kaanapali/West Maui is probably a better idea. Lahaina is a historical whaling village, and a huge part of Maui history. In the more modern parts of the island you can’t just pick up that kind of traditional Hawaiian feeling. My daughter also recommends the West Maui Zip Line tours. And the harbor at Lahaina is a great place to find parasailing and snorkel tours.</p>
<p>That said, there is only one road from Kihei to Lahaina, which is the way to Kaanapali from the main Kahaului airport on Maui. Accidents will close that road for 8 hours at a time. When that road is closed you can’t easily get around it. If you stay flexible it’s not that big of a deal. There’s always lots to do on either side of the closure if you happen to get stuck on the side away from your accommodations. (It was closed for one day out of the week two of the last four times I stayed in Maui.)</p>
<p>Bumping this back up for more specific questions about Maui.</p>
<p>As I may have mentioned earlier, H has a meeting in Honolulu in December. We are researching the options of extending the trip, and having our girls join us in Hawaii for Christmas. Since we’ve been to the big island and Oahu, we are thinking about Maui; however, we’d prefer to rent a place (house, townhouse, condo, etc.) as opposed to staying in a hotel this time. Would like to be on property that has a beach within a five minute walk of our door, and preferably a beach that has good swimming, snorkeling, etc. Our girls will be 24 and 21 when we go. We’d rather have a sort of quiet, out-of-the-way place and use a rental car to get to where we want to go, if/when we decide we want to leave the property. H would like a place where locating bike rentals is easy and trails are aplenty.</p>
<p>Which part of Maui should we be looking at for these restrictions.</p>
<p>Be aware that Maui has one main road to the NW. I love the resorts there, but we got into an expensive problem one visit. The highway is pretty much right along the beach. In certain seasons grass fires can close the road, and you can’t get to the airport or the main part of the island, even though it’s a “no big deal” at your resort. At those times they enforce the “no rental cars on this dangerous road” clause to your rental agreement and you can’t drive north and east around the head of the island to get back to the airport. (thank heavens, it’s a hair-raising trip even in a 4x4)</p>
<p>teriwtt: We looked into Hawaiian rentals at Christmastime, and it is difficult. Many or maybe most have a two-week minimum at Christmas vacation time. Also flights are very hard to get during this time. I have heard you have to get the airline tickets a year ahead, like in Jan. for the following Christmas. Lots of family groups go there for the holidays so the tickets go fast. </p>
<p>Also, everyone wants what you are looking for, a nice beach close by with good snorkeling. Usually you have to drive to the good snorkeling places.</p>
<p>You could look in Kihei. My sister stayed at condos there right on the beach and liked it. She stayed at the Maalaea Surf condos in North Kihei.</p>
<p>Please note: On TripAdvisor.com recent reviews of the Sheraton Maui have indicated several problems, including pool closure due to retiling. It may be just a temporary thing, but I would definitely check.</p>
<p>I have been to Maui 24 times. In all the trips I have taken there I have never experienced a road closure when it mattered (nor at any time during our trip was there a road closure.) The only challenge is that at a certain point in the road, if the conditions are “right” water can lap onto the road. We were in Maui one year when there was a mild earthquake, a tsumani warning and a hurricane warning. Yes, the water lapped up toward the road but it was fine.</p>
<p>I can be a worryer, make no mistake about that. But, we just went (and returned) from Europe. Went close to the volcano area…looked at the news the days up to the flight: no problem. Looked at alternative plans if our return trip was to be delayed…and then didn’t give it a second thought.</p>