Been at Monkeypods for 10 minutes and already met 2 other Aggie couples here. They are going to have to start paying for advertising on TexAgs.

We walked over to Maui Brewing Co. and had a few pints in their small hospitality room back in 2011. We did not go on a tour (not sure they even have one), but their beer was awesome. HEB here in Houston carries a few of their lines. Bought a souvenir pint glass and a shirt for the wife so it was definitely worth the visit.

Leaving for Oahu and Maui in the morning. Thanks to all that contributed to this thread. I printed out the key recommendations. We are staying in Hana while on Maui in a vacation rental house. I figure that will be a good way to enjoy some of the best scenery and relax.

Do Kauai and Big Island...Maui and Oahu are way too commercialized....

We're flying into Maui in 3 weeks and flying out of Honolulu a week later (only way the frequent flier miles would work out).

This is our first trip to Hawaii. We've already got 2 days in Maui booked with hotel points, and plan to stay 2 more days in Maui and then 2 days in Honolulu.

Aaaanyway, question is IF we do plan on tripping over to Hana (considering we've got 4 total days on Maui), should we stay in Hana 1 or even 2 days? Some of this thread makes it sound like it would be staying in New Jersey when you go to NYC.

I'm not sure why you would stay in Hana. That being said I have never stayed there.

Maui is a tourist spot, but that's the point! If I wanted to go camping I would go to the mountains of colorado. I want to be pampered a d sip coffee at the four seasons while looking over the water.

I do recommend driving the Highway. It's beautiful. Also go to the lavender farms up in the upcountry.

Hana is good for a day, but I wouldn't hang out up there.

Thanks. Exactly what I was asking

If I was going to do the road to Hana again, I would stay in Hana without a doubt. We stopped in a ton of places on the way out that we only had a little time at 7 sacred pools at the end before turning around and driving the whole way back. I would have loved more time there to sit and relax at night and in the morning before the mobs of people got there.

If I go back, I definitely stay in Hana for a night or two and use it as a base of operations to venture out from. I would have loved more time at the black sand beach but we had several other stops we wanted to see and had already been on the road for hours. There were many other exploring opportunities that we didn't get to do because, again, just not enough time on a day trip. To me, the scenery on the road was the best on the island so I wish I would have stayed two nights there.

wellp, consider me confused then.

We went in June and stayed one night in Hana and I would highly recommend it. We were able to see so much more because we stayed the night. I also recommend going the back route out of Hana. It's the complete opposite of the front side but just as beautiful. Some pics from our trip.

Front side of Hana





Back side of Hana

Start on the north side and do the whole circle, by the time you get to the south side, you'll hit 45 mph and feel like a race car driver

Do the hike to Waimoku falls (same area as 7 sacred pools) that was recommend on this thread. Probably one of my favorite things we did in Hawaii

[This message has been edited by Wrec86 ag (edited 8/3/2013 6:33p).]

Haha. Apparently im not one for scenic views!

Just wanted to thank all those that have contributed to this thread. The wife and I just spent a week in Maui. Here's my contribution:

Sunrise at Haleakala - Glad we did it but wouldn't ever do it again. We did it the first day there (Saturday), left Ka'anapali at 3:15 AM which got us there with about 15 minutes to spare. The parking spots filled to capacity so folks just started parking in the empty space jamming the parking lot. Some of those blocking the exit pathway took their sweet time getting back to the car so leaving the area was a test of patience. The actual sunrise was spectacular and yes it's cold up there...VERY cold. Make sure to dress accordingly and bring gloves. My hands were numb after taking pictures for about 10 minutes.

Road To Hana - We rented a 4 door Jeep with a hard top and it was perfect for the two of us. The top over the driver and passenger easily popped off and stowed in the rear. Being the driver I really appreciated the open top as I was able to get some amazing views without taking my eyes off the road for too long. I would suggest that you and the passenger have a good idea of what stops you want to make before heading out for this trip. We had the book mentioned in this thread and it was great, but the wife didn't spend much time with it so it was difficult for me to remember all the stops I wanted to make. I drove right past several of them without knowing until I saw the next mile marker. We ate lunch before Hana where there was a "jungle shopping center" on the ocean side of the road. It had a coffee shop, a few folks selling crafts and 2 or 3 food options. I had the pork taco and it was super tasty. On Google Maps the location is labeled "Terry the Weaver". I really enjoyed the drive on the back side of Hana. Glad we had the Jeep for that section as it gets pretty bumpy in spots.

Golf - I splurged on a package at Kapalua that was a 3 hours lesson in the morning, lunch and your choice of a round at the Plantation or Bay course. The Bay course just had the greens punched so I went with the Plantation course. This is the one that the PGA kicks off their season with in January. It was by far and away the best golf experience of my life. The package included rental clubs which were top notch (Titleist 913 woods, AP2 irons and a Cameron putter). The course was pretty difficult and having not played it before there were several "hit and hope" shots due to the elevation changes. The greens were immaculate, fast but fair. The Bay course is supposed to be quite a bit easier, but I don't think it offers the views that the Plantation course does. If you're looking to play while on Maui, I would highly recommend splurging on this package. The lesson was great, lunch at The Plantation House gave me a view of how the 1% of the 1% must live and the course was just phenomenal.

Helicopter Tour - We did the West Maui and Molokai tour with Blue Hawaiian. It was about a 45 minute flight. The wife and I both really enjoyed it. Absolutely amazing to see some of the islands that you can only get to by helicopter. After touching down at the heliport you can by a DVD of your trip for $25.

Food -

Mama's Fish House - Outstanding, pricy but totally worth it. Make sure to call when you're booking a reservation as the online options were terrible (before 5:30 or after 8:30). Had no problem getting a sunset reservation when we called.

Flatbread - A+ pizza

Maui Brewing Brewpub - Great beer selection, surprisingly good food at a good price. Beer battered deep fried brie served with a caramelized pineapple sauce...holy geez that was good.

Ululani's Shave Ice - Awesome. Make sure to get some ice cream on the bottom.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. Can't wait to go back. If you're at all on the fence about going to Maui just do it. Thanks again to all the posters on this thread.

We are going again in May and really debating the Haleakala bike at sunrise. They are picking us up at 1:45AM on the first morning and we get back at noon. I've done it and remember it being kind of a beating...but the wife has never been.

We did the bike ride our first morning there. The early time worked out well because our bodies hadn't acclimated to the time change yet. 01:45 Hawaii time = 06:45 Texas time.

I know, I'm just being a baby because I've done it. The $300 price tag is not my favorite either. I hope the wife enjoys it

Just got back.

We stayed in Kaanapali as I have Lifetime Platinum on Starwood and they really upgrade you well (beach front room all on points, free buffet breakfast on beach, etc). Visited Grand Wailea and the whole Wailea area is nice as well. Could not go wrong with Kaanapali or Wailea in my opinion.

Kaanapali was a great beach and the Westin has a dynamite pool area. Pool is not isolated but never overcrowded either. In fact, the beach is sometimes downright underutilized as more people are in the pool. We spent considerable time here, beach and pool. Walking beach. Running the beach. Swimming the massive cave and waterfall laden pool. Really a nice setup.

Activities

• Parasailing (with UFO). Thought this would be adventurous but it is more relaxing and a great experience. Short-lived but really nice.
• Road to Hana. The Maui Revealed book was spot on here. Had heavy rains just prior and the waterfalls were overflowing. I forgot how beautiful this was. Every stop was unique and amazing. Black sand beach. Red sand beach. White sand beach. Giant waterfall. Private waterfall. Hidden waterfall. Yep. Aunt Sandy's banana bread was as good as advertised.
• Helicopter over Molokai. This was like a movie. Highly recommend. I was blown away. I have heard Kauai has an even better helicopter tour, but I was awestruck over Molokai.
• Snorkeling got rained out, but I will say Triology was really really good to work with. I used them 20 years ago as well.
• Heard about an ATV activity but we couldn't fit this in, but my boys would have gone crazy on that one.
• We cheated and did Haleakala at sunset. We were fighting a tropical storm so we had massive cloud cover that day. Which could have made it a waste but instead we saw sunset above the clouds which was surreal in its own right.

• Also did the blowhole. Worthwhile for sure.

Food

• We never did Mama's. Rereading this thread I am regretting that. Next time, right?
• So a rather obscure restaurant in Kula near Haleakala was downright wonderful. Kula Bistro. No oceanside view. Nothing pretentious. But really top flight food and actually affordable by Maui standards. Really recommend. They had legit Italian for those that don't like or are tired of fish.
• Coconuts in Kihei near Wailea. Recommended on texags. Good, nothing amazing. But incredibly cheap by Maui standards and for a family that was worn out from the beach, this was a pretty nice way to end the night and not drop $400.
• So a rather unusual recommendation. Teddy's Bigger Burgers in Lahaina. Kinda fastfood but they had a Lahaina style burger that was a Hawaiian version of The Chicken's Freddy burger (but with pineapple added). This was Five Guys quality, which I wasn't expecting. Again, for feeding a family, this was actually a good burger with no fuss.
• Ululanis was as advertised as well.

Sounds like a good time. Thanks for the writeup. Brings back good memories.