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So which of you hilljacks has rubbed enough

IUAPEX

IUAPEX

Senior
Jan 26, 2002
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Greensboro, NC
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kauai, but I have never been to Maui. Last trip for my daughter's senior year in HS and taking my 13 year old son as well.
 
IUAPEX said:
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kaui but I have never been to Maui.
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Zeke is the one to ask. I loved Kanaanapli beach, but that was 25 years ago.
 
I stayed at Ritz in Kapalua for 5 nights in November of 2001. Did 3 nights in Honolulu and 5 nights in Kauai on same trip. Wish I could have stayed in Maui longer...it was by far my favorite. And Kapalua is gorgeous and the Ritz was beautiful (hotel, beach, pool, food, etc.). And only 15-20 minute drive to Lahaina for night life. One of my top 3 vacations ever.

Ritz_KapaluaMaui_00173_Galleries_1280x720.jpg
 
IUAPEX said:
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kauai, but I have never been to Maui. Last trip for my daughter's senior year in HS and taking my 13 year old son as well.
Click to expand...

Not what you asked, but I take work "boondoggles" through a co-op that we are in for the owners/execs and I just don't like the hassle of getting to Hawaii. Especially when I get a direct flight to the USVI and can rent a house on St Johns with beaches/snorkeling that to me rivals Hawaii. We did those 2 trips in successive years and I thought the USVI was much more enjoyable and truly more of a vacation because I didn't burn a full day each way getting there. If you're gone for 8 days, that's a quarter of your trip.

We did most of the stuff you mentioned in HA (no heli ride), and they were great. I also really enjoyed a hike we took through the rain forest. We hiked out to a couple waterfalls and swam in them. It was a blast and I think kids would love it. I'm sure you can find it on travel sites. My wife loves goats and we visited the Surfing Goat dairy also. That might be popular with the fam. Fun to see the goats, learn about the operation of a goat farm and sample/purchase goat cheese, etc....
 
IUAPEX said:
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kauai, but I have never been to Maui. Last trip for my daughter's senior year in HS and taking my 13 year old son as well.
Click to expand...
I was in Maui spring 04. Had a blast.
Stayed at a friend's apartment who was living there so no help on hotels.
Went spear fishing with one of his friends, found a small waterfall off the Hanna highway that we jumped off of into a freshwater spring.
 
The best thing you can do in Maui is the Haleakala Crater Sunrise. Look for the path to the right away from the group. (You will probably see other people heading that way... It's not long and it's easy.. The view is way better). Get your asses up when it's dark and make sure you're at the top when the sun pops. It will be one of the most incredible things you've ever seen. Take jeans and a sweatshirt because it will be cold. Trust me on this one.

Lahina is cool and great for food.

Big Beach is great and Kaanapali beach is cool but a bit crowded and touristy. There is good snorkeling there and jumping off black rock is really fun but you needs ballz to do it. Kaanapali would be good for the kids.

Road to Hana kind of sucks to be honest and if you have kids take some snacks, water, and maybe some video games or something.

Do a Luau. The kids will love it and the pork is delicious. Have a sober driver because most are all you can eat/drink.

Fairmont is nice and great for the kids. They have an awesome water slide that is fun after a few rounds. The kids will spend the entire day on it. It's not exactly cheap though, and I've heard people say you can more for your money in the area, but it's very kid friendly. (Four Seasons, Ritz) The Kaanapali Beach Hotel is nice and way cheaper if you want to stay more north closer to Kaanapali/Lahina. Don't expect luxurry though, and take advantage of the champagne brunch.
 
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I love Maui, though I've only been there to visit my son when he lived in Wailuku, so I don't know much about all the tourist things to do but there's a whole lot to do in Maui with a family besides beaches, which of course are world-class in their own right.

Get up super early one morning and drive up to the top of Haleakala before sunrise. You can see your shadow on top of the clouds as the sun rises, and it's quite an amazing view. But if you do, be sure to dress warmly, it gets quite cold up there. You can also rent bikes and ride them back down the mountain.

Lahaina is a decent way to spend an afternoon/evening with the family with all their shops and restaurants. There's a lot of cool stuff right around there actually. including a huge-ass Banyan tree that takes up a whole block, and the sacred birthing stone on the waters edge where the queen would give birth. If you go to Lahaina and you're up for something more like what the locals would eat, go to Aloha Mixed Plate, where they serve the big portions of food on paper plates, and the place has an amazing ocean view. It's great at sunset. Also for local breakfast fare, stop in a 7-11 and get Hawaii's version of a Bento which are either a piece of fried chicken, or spam (or both) with either mac salad or rice. Maui locals are crazy about spam and mac salad.

Makawao is an upcountry ranching village with some cool stuff to see including some funky restaurants, etc. It's a good place to get a more local vibe of Maui as opposed to all the tourist beaches. Has a western feel to it; there's a big rodeo held there on July 4th, and I remember specifically there being a fantastic Mexican restaurant there.

Also a must-see is Iao Valley just outside of Wailuku.
 
The Vid said:
The best thing you can do in Maui is the Haleakala Crater Sunrise. Look for the path to the right away from the group. (You will probably see other people heading that way... It's not long and it's easy.. The view is way better). Get your asses up when it's dark and make sure you're at the top when the sun pops. It will be one of the most incredible things you've ever seen. Take jeans and a sweatshirt because it will be cold. Trust me on this one.

Lahina is cool and great for food.

Big Beach is great and Kaanapali beach is cool but a bit crowded and touristy. There is good snorkeling there and jumping off black rock is really fun but you needs ballz to do it. Kaanapali would be good for the kids.

Road to Hana kind of sucks to be honest and if you have kids take some snacks, water, and maybe some video games or something.

Do a Luau. The kids will love it and the pork is delicious. Have a sober driver because most are all you can eat/drink.
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I was writing my response as you posted yours so didn't meant to double up on what you said, but I do agree with everything you said.

Agree too on the Road to Hana thing. There are spectacular views but the kids may get bored. When we did that, we drove the whole thing, way past Hana with the plan being to circle all the way around. But there had been a rock slide or wildfire or something, and the road was closed. And there is no other road. The only thing we could do was turn around and drive all the way back, and it was getting late in the evening by that time. So we were driving fast to try to get through all the hairpin turns before dark. After having just done it, we weren't thrilled about doing it again especially that fast, and we were all basically carsick by the time we got out of there.
 
I agree with Road to Hana. It's just too long , but I get motion sickness too and it's very curvy! The sunrise at the volcano is very cool! I did a helicopter ride for the first time last year and it was pricey, but pretty fun, with amazing views. Paia is a cute town with some nice shops and good restaurants. Also it's close to some of the good surfing spots, which is fun to watch. Whale watching that time of year should be good too, ands snorkeling. I have a boat to recommend and lots of food recommendations too. Some of the resorts are fabulous. We went to a reception at the Hyatt Regency and it was pretty amazing. If you are interested in being in Lahaina, right on front street, look into Lahaina Shores. It's definitely not a fancy resort, just a pool and hot tub. But I love the location and being able to walk to all the restaurants. There's also a sports bar next door to watch March. Madness games and a place that rents surfboards, stand up paddle boards, and kayaks. My friend owns a condo there, so I'm with her every March. When is your spring break?
 
Would love a boat recommendation ... Definitely interested in that. We found a nice home with a pool and hot tub just outside Launiupoko. Not beach front, but 2 minute drive to it and with a jeep rental and all the activities I'm not too worried about it.

We also looked at several resorts and love certain ideas of the resort, but also like the privacy of our own place, pool and hot tub (for Mrs. IUApex and I of course).

Definitely want a good idea on where to watch some of the games and love local restaurants ... Pretty much all my wife and I did when we were in Kauai.
 
Thanks to everyone ... Good information ... Definitely moving the sunrise to the must do items and road to Hana to the "maybe not" list.

Our kids are pretty active and love the outdoors, so hiking, kayaking, etc will be good.
 
IUAPEX said:
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kauai, but I have never been to Maui. Last trip for my daughter's senior year in HS and taking my 13 year old son as well.
Click to expand...

I never leave the United States
 
IUAPEX said:
coin together for a trip to Maui (I know some were just there for the basketball debacle).

Planning a trip over spring break ... Eight nights, looking into renting a house on the ocean or near ocean front with a pool/jacuzzi.

Any beaches you would recommend (we are staying west side)? Any particular activities (I know the pitfalls this question can lead to) you would recommend for a family of four? We are going to helicopter, snorkel, road to Hanna and are thinking about zip line and kayaking.

Wife and I have been to Kauai, but I have never been to Maui. Last trip for my daughter's senior year in HS and taking my 13 year old son as well.
Click to expand...
The Road to Hana is pretty intense when the road's crowded. Plan a full day for that one, and you'll definitely need to bring your own food. But if you make it out there, the seven pools are really, really cool.

If you've got the cash, Mama's Fish House is killer but pricy. The Fish Market is really good and relatively affordable. 808 Grindz was my favorite Breakfast joint -- it's better quality than your typical greasy spoon, but you're not paying for ambience. Be prepared to wait, though, if you're going during prime brunch hours.

Make sure that you don't leave your bags within view in your car, particularly if you're in heavily trafficked areas. My brother left his backpack in view in the car, we had a break-in, and he lost everything.
 
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