The last of our three stops was Maui and the longest of our three stops.
We arrived to our wonderful B%26amp;B, Hale Huanani, in Kihei and were more than satisfied. I would highly highly recommend them for your stay in Maui. We were set up with everything we could have possibly needed for our stay in Maui including little things like having milk, juice, cereal, and popcorn already in our room for us.
We then went to dinner at Bada Bing for dinner. We shared a yummy pizza, but service was a bit slow.
Our first morning we drove out to Lahaina and walked along Front St. then up to Whalers Village and Kaanapali Beach. Did a little walking and then headed to Ma%26#39;alea Harbor for our Pacific Whale Foundation whale watching tour. Very information and saw lots of whales, including one that did over 20 tail slaps! Highly recommend this tour. We ate lunch at the Maui Ocean Center, which was very good. Then back to the B%26amp;B to get ready for the OLL. I loved the OLL. I don%26#39;t understand some of the bad reviews on here. It tells the story of how Hawaii got to be and many cultural aspects of Hawaii. The food was great and the drinks were plentiful!Everyone was very very friendly throughout the whole evening.
The next morning we headed out to go to Hana. We went to Foodland and packed our picnic and were to Pa%26#39;ia by 8:15 which seemed to work out great. We did pick up the driving CD, but followed Maui Revealed and didn%26#39;t really need the CD. Traffic was never a problem and we really enjoyed the roads and lush greenery. We stopped a lot along the way and walked to many waterfalls. There hasn%26#39;t been much rain lately so they were not at their best for flow, but still good to view. We had our picnic right on the oceans edge. I can%26#39;t remember the name of where, but it was just before getting to Hana and was an off road that led quite a few miles to the ocean. Beautiful! We decided to continue and take the whole road around. It is such a differnet view on the other half. We even had cows crossing the road! It was definately worth the scenery. We stopped at the Tedeschi Winery and enjoyed a sampling. We do a lot of wineries and found their wines to be just okay, but still bought some because it was from Hawaii! We then ended our day at Mama%26#39;s Fish House. This was spur of the moment because I couldn%26#39;t decide before leaving on whether or not to make a reservation at the end of the Hana day. Many people mentioned being too exhausted or not feeling well after the drive. We were a bit tired, but definately did not get sick...and I am prone to motion sickness. We had an amazing dinner at Mama%26#39;s. When we pulled up they said without a reservation the wait would be an hour which we were okay with, but then when we walked up the sat us immediately. Loved the papaya bisque that they start you out with. I had the Ono and it was amazing!!! On the way back we stopped to do a bit of shopping at Hilo Hatties.
The next morning we were up early early for our Trilogy Molokini snorkeling tour. We loved the tour. Both of us had never been snorkeling and they were great about helping us get started. They began our trip that morning with warm cinnamon rolls and coffee,hot chocolate and fruit. After our first snorkel they had chips and salsa and then after our second snorkel they had a bbq chicken lunch. I wasn%26#39;t feeling great though (prone to getting sea sick) so I didn%26#39;t eat much of the lunch, but I hear it was good. They also gave us chocolate sundaes on the way back to harbor. The experience of snorkeling was great. The first stop at Molokini had a ton of differnet fish to see and the second stop we got to snorkel with turtles! A great tour!
After we went back to the B%26amp;B to clean up and then off to Costco to develop our underwater cameras. We also picked up Mac Nuts and some snacks at the Snack Bar. Do they have a gas station at this Costco because we looked all over outside and couldn%26#39;t find it!
Then we went to Warren and Annabelle%26#39;s that evening. I haven%26#39;t laughed that hard in a long time. Excellent show. I almost didn%26#39;t buy tickets, but am so glad we did. It was great!
We headed back to Kihei after the show hoping to eat at Roy%26#39;s but we got there at 9:45 and they stopped seating at 9:30. After calling a few other restaurants we realized they were all closed in Kihei and didn%26#39;t want to drive back to Lahaina so ended up at McDonalds....ugghh...
The next day we began with Haleakala. A great drive up and views while going up and down. After we drove back to Costco to pick up our photos and then on to Iao Valley. We then went to Wailea and had some beach time. That evening we had dinner at Nick%26#39;s Fishmarket that was excellent. The service was top notch. Probably the best I%26#39;ve ever had and we%26#39;ve eaten at some really fancy restaurants here on the mainland. The food was outstanding, but I would still put Mama%26#39;s food above theirs.
Our last day on Maui started off going to Nakele Blowhole and the Olivine Pools. The Blowhole was blowing at a good force to get the grasp of it all. We then headed back to Lahaina for one last stop at Hilo Hatties and a few shops on Front Street. We had lunch at Aloha Mixed Plate and really enjoyed it. Great prices and food was good. Service was a bit slow. We then went for more beach time and then off to the Fairmont to watch the sunset before leaving Maui.
We absolutely loved our trip to Hawaii and did so many different things. Everyone on our trip seemed so nice and genuinely wanting to make our trip a good experience. I felt that Hawaii has done a good job at not getting too overly touristy, but just the right amount to help tourist get around and enjoy the islands.
If you have any questions about Oahu, Big Island or Maui I would be glad to answer them....not that I am expert, but just someone who had a great first experience to Hawaii!
Trip Review: MauiWow! You packed so much into your stay on Maui. In retrospect, which island did you enjoy visiting the most this trip? I know that%26#39;s a difficult question. I love them all, but I find that Maui is the one that keeps calling me back.
Trip Review: MauiI prefered Maui, but my husband prefers the Big Island. Another great reason to visit Hawaii...everyone is happy!
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