Just got back - Maui is paradise

My husband and I got back from Maui about a week ago. We started talking about when we could visit again before we even left. We have traveled extensively (my husband moreso than myself) and have been all over the United States, the Carribean, Mexico, as well as a few European countries. Without a doubt, Maui is the most beautiful place we have ever had the pleasure of visiting. For all of you who live on Maui, thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to enjoy your island of paradise. We had gone to Oahu 12 years ago and my husband disliked it so much, it took me this long to talk him into going to Hawaii again. Not that there is anything wrong with Oahu at all. He just didn%26#39;t envision all of the commericalism/ tourism. By the second day in Maui, he was considering the possibility of moving there. I have a lot of pictures to post and a lot of info to post about the Hyatt Regency, the excursions we took and the island in general. 95% of everything we have to say is nothing less than outstanding. I will post more in the days to come. For those of you who are getting ready to go, savor every moment; it definitely goes by way too fast.

Just got back - Maui is paradise

Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time, my wife and i leave Sat. Morning for our first trip to Maui.....any suggestions either must do%26#39;s or dont%26#39;s for us? Thanks in advance for the help!

Just got back - Maui is paradise

We just returned back from our first trip to Maui, the Big Island and Oahu and loved every minute of it. I can%26#39;t imagine a a trip with more opportunities of things to do!

As to the other post, there is so much to do, it is hard to know where to start, but some of my favorites were the OLL, Road to Hana, Snorkel tour with Trilogy and watching the sunset at the Kea Lani. Have a great trip!

How long are you staying and what sort of things interest you? I love snorkeling so the one of the main highlights of our trip was taking a snorkeling trip with Paragon over to Lanai. If you are into whale watching, you don%26#39;t necessarily need to book a separate whale watching trip. When we saw whales, Paragon would head in the general direction of where they were located so we could get a better view. I would definitely visit Lahaina. Is a really great area for shops, restaurants, etc. We stayed close enough and found ourselves down there several evenings to have dinner and watch the sunset. We also did a day trip to Hana. Was very beautiful (definitely get the Maui Revealed book so you can get ideas on where to stop and what to see). Is a very natural environment so you%26#39;re not going to see signs everywhere saying ';Stop Here'; or ';Waterfall There'; That being said, it was also very grueling. It is about a 50 mile road or so with over 600 hairpin turns and over 50 1 lane bridges. It took over 3 hours to go one way and we made very few stops. You will want to leave early and get back before dark. Try to rent a convertible for the drive, would be most worth it. These are just a couple of ideas based on what we did and what we enjoyed while we were there. If you enjoy your trip even half as much as we did, you will have a truly wonderful time. Enjoy!

Boundformaui:

Wondering if you could give some specifics about your excursion to Lanai with Paragon. My husband and I are trying to decide between Paragon %26amp; Trilogy.

Thanks in advance!!!

Hi, sure no problem. The cost was approximately $153.00 per person. We left at 8:15 a.m. out of the Lahaina harbor. There was a crew of 2, Captain ';Fitz'; and Darcy, but I heard Darcy say that there is normally a larger crew. I think they may have been a little short handed because of the holidays. You would have never noticed though because Darcy was constantly making sure everyone was taken care of. They take a max of about 24 or 25 people I think, but we had 19. That may be why the cost is a little higher because you get the benefit of going with a smaller group. There was a continental breakfast available when we left consisting of different kinds of pastries, cakes, fruits and juices. On the way to Lanai, we saw some whales in the distance so we detoured over towards where they were so we could get a closer look. We then continued on to Lanai to an area called Manele Bay. Was fantastic. The salinity in the water was such that you didn%26#39;t need any type of floatation device. You couldn%26#39;t have sank if you tried. There was a wide variety of fish. This is where I definitely appreciated the smaller group of people. When we first got there, there were a couple of other boats that were carrying a lot more people and they were obviously swimming on top of each other. They left shortly after we got there which made for a great experience. Afterwards, they took the boat around to the nearby beach (Hulopo%26#39;e Beach) area and dropped us off with individual picnic baskets filled with items which you request in advance (as in choice of sandwhich, salad, etc). It was about a 5 minute walk to the actual beach area but well worth it. We spent about an hour to an hour and a half at each area. Soft drinks and beer were also unlimited, although it was not a ';booze cruise'; at all. On the way back, we also some whales and detoured to try to get a closer look. We also stopped to take a swim and go underwater to see if we could hear the whales. We were served a glass of champagne and brownies as we headed back to port. We arrived at approximately 4:00 p.m. It was a very good day and a major highlight of my trip. I have posted some photos on this website but it takes a few days for them to show up. For what it%26#39;s worth, I will definitely be booking future trips with this company again when we go back. Hope this helps. Have fun.

Paragon is our favorite boat. We go out with them every time we go to Maui if at all possible. I don%26#39;t think they ever increase rates to make up for fewer people, though. One of their claims to fame is that they don%26#39;t overcrowd the boat.

Thanks for the reply and the great information. I think we are looking for a much more intimate experience and it sounds like Paragon would be a wonderful choice.

Trilogy trip to Lanai leaves from Whaler%26#39;s village on Ka%26#39;anapali beach, so you don%26#39;t need to drive to Lahaina.

Yeah, but it%26#39;s worth driving to Lahaina for Paragon. %26lt;G%26gt;

The trip to Lahaina is really not that far at all and I agree, well worth it for Paragon. We parked in a lot about two blocks away from the harbor. Since we didn%26#39;t have to be there until 8:15, we went early and had a great breakfast at the Pioneer Inn. Great food and very reasonable prices. Depending on where you are staying, you may very well be closer to Lahaina than the Whaler Village anyway. In actuality the two are in close proximity to each other (what maybe 2 miles or so?). Like you, we did some comparison shopping for what we were looking for and Paragon just happened to be the company that provided everything that we were looking for in a snorkel trip. Initially we were sold by the small group, the location where the boat was located (Lahaina) and as it turned out, the staff and the services that they provided. Others will tell you Trilogy, Four Winds, Pacific Whale Foundation, etc. It just boils down to determining what you want from the excursion and which company best seems to meet your individual needs/wants. Hope this helps