Maui Vacation Advice (Kihei, Lahaina, Pukalani: rental car, rentals, condo)

[Jaybee]

My wife and I are considering visiting Maui in March. Tentative plan is fly Alaska Airlines from Sacramento to Maui and stay 5 nights. I've done some research about the various areas to stay and narrowed the options down to Lahaina/Kaanapali vs. Wailea/Makena. It looks like we'd really be better off renting a compact car in either case. I'd like to get the input of residents and visitors with local knowledge. Some info about us might be helpful. We are both mid 50's, healthy and somewhat adventuresome. Would be interested in snorkeling, whale watching, sight seeing, beachcombing, etc. We like fine dining. We'd prefer to stay at a nicer (4 to 5 star) resort hotel. Would be looking to have a room with an ocean view and options for on premises dining and entertainment.

Which area would you recommend -and more specifically, which resort?
Thanks in advance for responses.

[Fizzy Bear]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

My wife and I are considering visiting Maui in March. Tentative plan is fly Alaska Airlines from Sacramento to Maui and stay 5 nights. I've done some research about the various areas to stay and narrowed the options down to Lahaina/Kaanapali vs. Wailea/Makena. It looks like we'd really be better off renting a compact car in either case. I'd like to get the input of residents and visitors with local knowledge. Some info about us might be helpful. We are both mid 50's, healthy and somewhat adventuresome. Would be interested in snorkeling, whale watching, sight seeing, beachcombing, etc. We like fine dining. We'd prefer to stay at a nicer (4 to 5 star) resort hotel. Would be looking to have a room with an ocean view and options for on premises dining and entertainment.

Which area would you recommend -and more specifically, which resort?
Thanks in advance for responses.

Check out Turtle Bay Hotel, it's definitely ocean front ~ have a great time and don't touch any 'tiki idols' could bring bad luck ~

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by Fizzy Bear

Check out Turtle Bay Hotel, it's definitely ocean front ~ have a great time and don't touch any 'tiki idols' could bring bad luck ~

Thanks for that Fizzy. I did a search for Turtle Bay Hotel and found only the one on the north shore of Oahu-not Maui. Could it have been rebranded?

[TwoByFour]

Whales start their northerly migration around March, so early March would be better time to visit than end of March.

[whtviper1]

Yes, Turtle Bay is on Oahu - not Maui.

Wailea/MaKena and Kaanapali/Lahaina are very different from each other. Wailea is quieter and much more upscale (Four Seasons, Fairmont, Grand Wailea, and more - there are plenty of dining options but be prepared to spend a lot of $$$$'s in that area. It is very nice.

Kaanapali does have nice hotels - but they tend to be more on top of each other, you have your standard Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt, etc - and Lahaina is closeby, which has more nightlife.

Beaches and activities are plentiful in both areas.

They are so different, consider breaking up the trip and stay in both areas.

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Yes, Turtle Bay is on Oahu - not Maui.

Wailea/MaKena and Kaanapali/Lahaina are very different from each other. Wailea is quieter and much more upscale (Four Seasons, Fairmont, Grand Wailea, and more - there are plenty of dining options but be prepared to spend a lot of $$$$'s in that area. It is very nice.

Kaanapali does have nice hotels - but they tend to be more on top of each other, you have your standard Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt, etc - and Lahaina is closeby, which has more nightlife.

Beaches and activities are plentiful in both areas.

They are so different, consider breaking up the trip and stay in both areas.

I'll just tack on a couple of points to Viper's tips:

I think five days is a little short to spend time checking in/out more than once and would suggest Wailea. Sunnier weather, beautiful resorts, excellent restaurants and some nightlife in nearby Kihei with a little more local feel. It's also an easier drive to/from the airport.

Lahaina is worth checking out, but my guess is you'll go there once on your trip and that'll be enough. (It's about a 45-minute drive.)

Defiintiely rent a car if it's your first trip t Maui. You'll want to spend at least one day seeing some of the sites.

Hint: The beaches are nicest in the mornings before the wind kicks up. In the afternoon is when you'll want to go exploring and siteseeing.

[Rido]

Are you tied to money?

Get a cheap rent a car.
Do you care about a resort?

I honestly think the restaurants in maui suck overall. I am from Texas.

I rarely go to the west side so here is my review for the rest.

Best bang for the buck is in Paia for sure. Milagros ahi tacos are better than fish market IMO, Cafe Dezami(mispelled?).

Better higher in restaurants include Mama's fish house. I havent been there in years.

There is a local restaurant called Cafe Carmen which opened up in the business park. It is in a business building, but the breakfast is properly portioned, the owner is really nice, and the interior design is awesome. It looks kind of weird when you enter, but it is legit.

Coconuts for fish tacos, however jaws food truck is great too. I love Opakapaka.

Tiki lounge has great pizza, but I am sure you want fish.

Pita paradise in kihei(not wailea) is pretty good. I recommend going there. Fresh catch everyday, and they have always been nice.

Monkey Pod has super good burgers. Grass fed beef. Awesome for the price. I am surprised it tasted as good as it did.

Sansei is good. Hit up the happy hours, 30 minutes after they open on certain days. Thursday and friday from 10pm+ they have 50% off. Panko crusted Ahi is amazing. Great seafood.

For good quality fruits hit up the local farmers markets. The fruits there are more exotic and much better priced. Better to support local business. You will see stuff like lilikoi, starfruit, lychee, rambutan, guava, etc. This is stuff you wont have easy access to on the mainland.

In regards to tourism. Snorkeling is always awesome. DO NOT GO IN MURKY WATER. Hit up molokini if you can. I havent been there in 13 years but it was a memory I will always cherish.

If you are short on time Haleakala is not where you want to go, biking down there sucks too.

If you want to hike and love nature, go to Hana for sure. I loved going there. Long hike but it is amazing. bring mosquito repellent. There are banana bread shops on the way. I love the bread, so fresh and moist.

Iao Valley is nice to hike through too, but be careful and follow the stream.

Lahaina is ok, very touristy but the banyan tree is always amazing to see. Alot of history there.

For high end quality sailing with a wonderful staff check out Alii Nui Sailing. I know one of the people who work on the ship. Her name is Pam, she is wonderful and very friendly. I haven't been on it but the reviews have always been great.
Maui Sunset Sails ? Dinner Sails on Maui ? Maui Dinner Cruise ? Maui Evening Sail ? Maui Dinner Sail

If you like beer be sure to pick up some Maui Brewing Company beer.

Please buy local made gifts. The people need the support and they are legit products. Dont buy some cheap POS made in china, its not a true Hawaiian gift.


Best of luck to you. shoot me a message if you have any questions

[davephan]

I recommend staying in a VRBO home or condo instead of a hotel. For us, it was a much better experience. You can also do some cooking at 'home' and you aren't stuck eating out every single meal, which gets tiring. Don't go too cheap with the car rentals. We made the mistake of using 'Advantage' because it was the cheapest. They don't pick you up at the standard rental pickup area at OGG. We found that out after going through some hassle. The Advantage cars were all beat up with scratches and dings on all sides of the cars. I'm normally not very fussy about rental cars, but it felt like driving around a beat up junker. The rental cars were more expensive on Maui than on the Big Island. Don't rent from the cheapest company! We learned from that mistake!

Lahania is very touristy! I don't think I would want to stay there. I stayed in a VRBO in Pukalani, which was fairly centrally located. Some things to do are to see the Iao Valley Needle, which I thought was the most beautiful area of Maui. The road to Hana was an adventure. It is very twisty with lots of waterfalls and places to stop along the way. Make sure to go there early in the morning so you can eat lunch in Hana and get back before dark. The Kula Botanical Gardens is nice to visit and walk around. The Piilani highway on the south side of the island is a nice drive. Very unusual forest areas there. The road gradually gets worse as you get closer to Hana. We turned around before the road got too bad. Take the Honoapiilani highway from central Maui to Lahania. There are many beaches along the way. As you continue on Honoapiilani highway past Lahania, don't go too far in northwest Maui. The road becomes one lane and very scary during the daytime. We had to turn back. Same thing on the east side of Maui, east of Hana, the road becomes one lane and very scarey. We turned back there too.

You can check out videos of the one lane roads on Youtube.

[Jaybee]

Thanks to all for the tips. We also bought a travel guide and received a mailed booklet from the Hawaiian tourist bureau. With those resources, and using the internet to price the various resorts, we've opted to stay at the Sheraton on Kaanapali Beach. The resorts in the Wailea area were quite expensive, and we weren't interested in renting a condo/fixing our own meals for this short duration stay. We do intend to zipline, whale watch and perhaps take the dinner cruise while on the island. I'm also wondering if taking the ferry to Molokai is worthwhile as a daytrip.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

and we weren't interested in renting a condo/fixing our own meals for this short duration stay.

You'll like the Sheraton - and I agree, cooking on vacation seems kind of wrong to me.