| cycler15 |
I'm going to Hawaii for 8 days in late august / early september. I'll be at Waikiki (Oahu) for 4 days then Lahaina (Maui) another 4 days.
Any recommendations on specific sights to see, activities, restaurants?
In Oahu we'll probably do the typical stuff - Diamond Head, snorkle in Hunama Bay (sp?), Pearl Harbor. I've been here before but I'm going with people who have never been to Hawaii before.
I've never been to Maui before so any recommendations would be helpful. I plan on doing the drive to Hanna (I know this will take a full day). I also want to bike down the volcano. Is this worth it? Is it worth doing a day trip to Lanai or Molokai?
Thanks for any advice. |
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| MDteX |
If it's your first trip then I do suggest seeing Diamondhead, National Cemetery of the Pacific, the Arizona and the north shore.
On Maui you have Haleakala (sp) that is nice spot to visit or bike. The road to Hana which evokes quite a discussion whether it is worth the effort.
Just relax, enjoy the beaches, the golf or tennis if you play and a good drink. One of the best things was a massage on the beach on Ka'anapali. A drink, a massage and the sounds of the waves. You will be so relaxed you can't walk. (Now was that the massage or the drink...:8: ) |
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| phins2rt |
Hey cycler,
I just got back from Maui last Thursday. You are going to love it! The road to Hana and beyond is very cool! I would also recommend the drive from Kaanapali to Wailuku (northwest part of the island). A little more of a white knuckle drive if that's what you're looking for.
Snorkeling is excellent. I recommend a trip to Molokini (the crater off of souhtern Maui). There are plenty of things to see and do and Lahaina is right in the middle of it all. Do a search on Maui and you will find at least a couple of other threads that have some great suggestions too.
I wouldn't bike down the volcano (Haleakala) but that's just me. I have gone 50 mph enough times on my own bike that I didn't need to do it on those cruiser bikes they give you. YMMV.
And last but not least, you NEED to get the book 'Maui Revealed'. Good luck. |
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| Ceenit |
Done both islands several times...it looks like you have Oahu covered...
Maui is by far our favorite spot. We've done the biking down Haleakala. It was fun, but I wouldn't do it a second time. You have to get up pretty early to see the sunrise, then they bundle you up (cold up that high, especially in the am)...and you peel close off as you go down hill. We stopped at some spot for lunch which was also pretty nice. Again, I really enjoyed it but would not do it twice.
If you don't take the bike tour, it is definitley worth a drive up in the morning to see the sunrise!
I highly recommend a snorkeling boat trip around Lanai, It is a great opportunity to see some dolphin right next to the boat and the snorkeling is great. There is only one company that does the boat ride all the way around the island (Oceanriders I think). The full trip around is definitely the way to go...more snorkeling sites and the back side of the island has several half-submerged old shipwrecks that are awsome to see.
Take time to do lots of trails on your own without any formal tour ....lots of incredible stuff to see free of charge. The Road to Hana has lots of trails to take side trips on and see waterfalls, plan plenty of time.
And I agree "Maui Revealed" is a great investment. |
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| JimH |
| On Oahu: Visit the Polynesian Center if you have not seen, and have interest in that sort of entertainment. |
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| Ceenit |
| On one of our first trips to Oahu, we did the luau at the Polynesian center. It was superb....lots of interactive things before the luau, pretty good food, and very good entertainment. I'm not sure if it is still the same, but it was the best one we had been to on any of the islands. |
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| Fabvsix |
I've traveled to Oahu over 36 times in one year. HEAD East on Oahu, AVOID WACKY (Waikiki). There are some gorgeous beaches on the East and North East side.
Maui:
Everything is great about Maui. Take the boat tours to do snorkeling etc....worth the money !
My only concern is whether you really have enough time to both Islands in 8 days.
1 day to travel there
1 day to travel home
most of the day to go from one island to another. Take 3 out and your really left with 5.
I always tell folks you need two weeks min. to do two Islands and see most of it !
Mahalo and Aloooooooooooooooooooooooha ! |
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| nightguy |
Most importantly you're doing the trip in the right order. Walk all over hell first and then relax; unless you're with my wife who insisted we needed to go do something after sitting in the sun for 2 hours on Kaanapali.
This was my second trip to the 2 islands. We went in Feb. '03. We did the road to Hana up to about 9 miles from Lindbergh's grave. The weather was starting to turn and I was getting carsick even though I was driving. I probably wouldn't do it again mostly because my wife was a little freaked. It's not possible to travel much farther in a Cavalier without voiding your rental agreement anyway.
Other thoughts:
We didn't rent a car on Oahu...we got there the day of the pro bowl and a shuttle and then public transit worked just fine going to pearl harbor and the dole plantation Plus, there are a lot of break-ins. Come to think of it, we hardly used the car we had on Maui.
For the second time in a row, I forgot a flashlight for climbing Diamond Head. This time, not many other people had them either. Bring one !
We found an awesome Chinese restaurant several blocks off the main drag on Waikiki. I'll try to find it. I think we ate at the Sheraton restaurant....got there early enough to have an awesome view of Diamond Head.
Do you have a condo in Lahaina ? If you need foodstuffs, stop at the Wal-Mart that's not far from the airport. Everything there is regularly priced. You'll crap yourself if you have to pay the prices they have at Safeway near the resorts.
I'm told that the luau we did at the Kaanapali Hyatt is the #2 luau on the island. I thought it was pretty good.
I scuba dived Molokini when I went 10 years ago....that was a once in a lifetime sight. Very cool. |
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| cycler15 |
quote:
Originally posted by Fabvsix
My only concern is whether you really have enough time to both Islands in 8 days.
1 day to travel there
1 day to travel home
most of the day to go from one island to another. Take 3 out and your really left with 5.
I always tell folks you need two weeks min. to do two Islands and see most of it !
I didn't count the travel days. We'll actually be in Oahu 4 full days and Maui 4.5 days. We'll actually be gone 10 days. |
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| cycler15 |
Thanks for all the advice guys...
I'll remember to bring a flashlight for Diamond Head. We didn't have one last time we went and my girlfriend was kinda freaked out climbing that steep narrow passage in the dark.
Sounds like people recommend biking down Haleakala. Have to check with my girlfriend and our other friends if they are up for waking up at 3am to make it to the sunrise on time. Can anyone recommend a specific company to go with? I hear some companies give you really crappy bikes. I just want to make sure we get something fairly decent. I guess if we can't wake up early enough, we can always drive there to see the sunset.
I'll definitely have to get Maui Revealed.
I'm staying at a condo in Maui, so I'll have a kitchen. Great idea to get foodstuffs at Walmart.
Too bad my trip is still 2 months away... I can't wait. |
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| minsane |
| Almost had the exact same trip for our honeymoon (5 days in maui and 5 days in Oahu). My suggestion is to not pack your day with activities that it has you running around all day. Instead, we wish we spent more time relaxing and enjoying the great weather. Also, the bike ride is not worth it IMHO. You'll just be tired and cold. Have a great time and we're already planning on going back. ENJOY! |
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| nightguy |
>>Can anyone recommend a specific company to go with? I hear some companies give you really crappy bikes.
Your condo should have a concierge. They should be able to hook you up with somebody decent....hopefully they've done some of the stuff.
Upon further review, I'm not sure how much we were able to buy at Wal-Mart. There may be other places around there too. I think we did end up going to Safeway for some stuff, but we got the Club Card which saved a lot. |
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| Robyjo |
Have a great trip! It would be nice if you were able to spend a little more time, but budget certainly is a factor.
Take a look at the threads Worm pointed out, but Maui Revealed really is an awesome guide for the most part, and I do have to highlight that if you can spare an evening, go to Warren & Annabelle's magic show in Lahaina (north end of the strip). Worth the $$ for the entertainment.
Let us know how it goes...
Rob |
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| bzboy |
When you're in Waikiki make sure to grab the little booklets of things to do that are given out free along the sidewalk. They have really good coupons in them and they also describe lots of activites to do. They have books for Oahu, Maui, other islands. You can save lots of money by doing so and find lots of activities to do and they have maps in them.
During the day i would suggest doing other stuff and save the walking around Waikiki till night. It is totally safe and that's when all the freaks come out to :D |
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| MDteX |
You should have fun no matter what. As someone stated, don't overplan. Relax and enjoy the views and the weather.
We are going to Kauai in about 4 weeks. It will be our 4th visit to that island which is our favorite. Less crowded, laid back and nice golf courses. :D |
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| gdot |
Some friends and I went to Maui last September. We stayed in a condo in Kaanapaali. We cooked a lot of spam, portugese sausage, eggs and rice. There's a Costco by the airport where you can stock up on some stuff before heading to your destination.
The golf there is great. The snorkeling was awesome. The road to Hana was beautiful, but it just wasn't worth it for me. It was nice to do just to say I've done it, but I'm probably not gonna do it again. It literally took the whole day and by the time we got to the end we found out the pools were closed. |
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| greatscot |
quote:
Originally posted by JimH
On Oahu: Visit the Polynesian Center if you have not seen, and have interest in that sort of entertainment.
Our church owns and operates the Polynesian Cultural Center, and I'm told its the top Hawaiian tourist spot. Also, when on Maui, do the Road to Hana and get one of these: |
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| MesaBeige |
Yea - More Maui, less Oahu. And stay longer - you'll love it!!
quote:
Originally posted by cycler15
I'm going to Hawaii for 8 days in late august / early september. I'll be at Waikiki (Oahu) for 4 days then Lahaina (Maui) another 4 days.
Any recommendations on specific sights to see, activities, restaurants?
In Oahu we'll probably do the typical stuff - Diamond Head, snorkle in Hunama Bay (sp?), Pearl Harbor. I've been here before but I'm going with people who have never been to Hawaii before.
I've never been to Maui before so any recommendations would be helpful. I plan on doing the drive to Hanna (I know this will take a full day). I also want to bike down the volcano. Is this worth it? Is it worth doing a day trip to Lanai or Molokai?
Thanks for any advice.
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| mullysalt |
| It's in between Kehei and Wailia right accross the street from the ocean. Maui is amazingly beautiful, take a day for the road to Hana. Rent a Jeep. Have fun!!!!!!!!! |
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| greatscot |
quote:
Originally posted by mullysalt
. . . Maui is amazingly beautiful, take a day for the road to Hana. Rent a Jeep. Have fun!!!!!!!!!
Oh Yeah! |
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