We are leaving for Maui next Friday. I'm hoping for restaurant and activity recommendations from all you Hawaii veterans. This will be my first time on the islands.

We are staying at the hyatt close to whalers village. Also, my wife will be 7 months pregnant so, unfortunately, we can't do anything high adrenaline. I thought we might go whale watching and I'd like to get over to see Pearl Harbor if possible. We were planning on booking activities through the hotel for ease but I'm open to suggestions there as well. We'll buy a snorkel set once we get there since the rentals are outrageous.

Thanks guys!

Road to Hana for sure. I think it will be ok for your wife. Have fun!

You can rent a basic snorkel set from snorkel bobs for fairly cheap. Don't just buy a cheap set at walmart. My wife actually bought a snorkel bobs mask because it fits her well, but we live in Hawaii and use our stuff a lot. Take the snorkel trip to molokini. We enjoyed that a lot. Sunrise on haleakala. Round of golf in Kapalua.

In the Hawaiian Airlines magazine, they run a couples special for like $315 for a half day at Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea that includes lunch. Includes hour long couples massage.

Eat at Mama's Fish House, excellent food. Colleen's Cannery in Haiku is a nice hidden gem as well.

Eat here:


http://coconutsfishcafe.com

By far the best restaurant we ate at, and fairly inexpensive for the island.

The road to Hana and the sunrise on the volcano are definitely worth it. The sunrise is worth doing the first morning you are there because most likely your sleep schedule will be messed up anyway.

Have fun!

Don't go on the Sugar Cane Train, just don't!

http://www.sugarcanetrain.com/

Black Rock by the Hyatt is a pretty good snorkel place and it's right there for you.

Old Lahaina Luau is probably the best one. The food is great I thought. It's buffet style. Great sunsets too.

https://www.oldlahainaluau.com/

Pacific Whale Foundation does a good job on the whale tours out of Lahaina.

Best restaurant I have been to there is Merriman's in Kapalua a little north of you. Great food and view is amazing, if you want something nice.

Personally I think the entrees at Mama's Fish House are just as expensive as Merriman's.

http://www.merrimanshawaii.com/kapalua/

Duke's Beach House was fun and the food was great too. They had a special with Opakapaka fish. It was fantastic. Try that fish if you can.

http://www.dukesmaui.com/

We usually try to frequent the Pioneer Inn Grill & Bar in Lahaina as last time I was there it was owned by an Aggie. I would get the calamari.

If you want to drive north and see the Nakalele Point Blowhole, you can get out and walk just a little ways to see it from a high point. It's just past mile marker 38. Leave your car unlocked and don't leave anything behind. Seems strange but the locals will case that place for unsuspecting tourist at times. Also you can see many whales at several cliffs and look outs.

Bring your binoculars!


[This message has been edited by aggiedata (edited 2/16/2014 10:27a).]

old lahaina was a great show. the food is pretty average at best but that's to be expected at any of the luaus.

road to hana is a must do. drive yourself though. don't take a bus.

+1 for Pacific Whale Foundation. I believe this is prime whale season, so book it right away on the website, don't wait until you get to the hotel.

Unless you are there for at least a week, I would skip the road to Hana on my first trip. It is an all-day commitment from the Lahaina area and given your wife is 7-months pregnant, motion sickness could be a real issue.

Food-wise, our favorite nice meal in Lahaina is Mala. Casual-food, we always go to Aloha Mixed Plate. For a great breakfast/brunch, the Plantation House at Kapalua is outstanding and the view of the golf course and Molokai are very nice.

It's the islands, so don't forget it is OK to just relax..

If you are going to drive the road to Hana, get the book, Maui Revealed off Amazon or where ever. It good for all Maui, but especially the road to Hana.

http://www.amazon.com/Maui-Revealed-The-Ultimate-Guidebook/dp/0971727937

I think most of the fun is exploring Maui on your own. Finding that hidden beach or waterfall.

Check out the Black Sand beach on the road the Hana. IF you feel really adventurous, check out the Red Sand beach in the town to Hana. The hike is easy but be prepared with proper shoes. Not sure your pregnant wife would be up for it. Also the locals don't like to point you to it. Read your book.

Check out Charles Lindbergh's grave at an old church past Hana. Chances are you will be the only ones there.

Warning: Prepare to spend most of the day driving for the road to Hana. Start early, and let the locals pass you, pull over as you can't out drive them on those roads.

[This message has been edited by aggiedata (edited 2/16/2014 10:23a).]

I also would agree with above, book your whale watching trip now!

http://www.pacificwhale.org/content/book-cruise

Go out of Lahaina, and book the larger boat, the Discovery. You can get the smaller boats, but the larger boat has food, drinks, and a bathroom. Thinking about your wife.

We always try to book a morning cruise.

I would also agree with skipping the road to Hana this time. Its always a double edge sword. On several occasions we had issues with road sickness with a few of my female friends. A few times the last two hours on the way home was pure hell. Just thinking of your wife of course.

They don't make the "I survived the road to Hana" t-shirts for nothing!

[This message has been edited by aggiedata (edited 2/16/2014 10:13a).]

LG, report back when you return. My wife and I are headed there in a few weeks and staying at the same hotel. With all the good recommendations and options I know we won't be able to fit it all in so trying to narrow the choices down. Have fun!

Check out what we saw from the Discovery off Lahaina two trips ago. I hope you get this lucky! I just got back last week from Maui, and we saw many whales, but this guy was really close to the boat.

http://instagram.com/p/e-zUZ8FV3o/

Thanks for all the recs guys! I appreciate it. My wife is getting pretty pregnant, but she is just getting to where walking tires her out more than normal. The motion sickness is more worrisome though. She gets motion sick sometimes, even before pregnancy.

No ideas on seeing Pearl Harbor?

Tell me more about how long you are staying?

Your issue is getting there and back on the right day.

First of all you need to make sure you guys have a tour ticket.

You need to reserve your ticket now, not when you are there:
http://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm


Are you flying into Honolulu, then to Maui or direct to Maui from Dallas on AA for instance?

We have flown through Honolulu and stayed a night on Waikiki beach to see Pearl Harbor, then flew to Maui. That's the easiest way, but it's probably not an option for you at this point.

You have two ways to get to Honolulu, the bigger airport OGG, or a close by, smaller airport near you, Kapalua Airport.

I have had friends fly out of Kapalua's small airport on Mokulele Airlines to Honolulu to see Pearl Harbor then back. It saves you from going back to Kahului OGG. But it's a Cessna. I'm not a big fan of the small planes. They said it was a little bumpy. Once you land, you can get a cab to Pearl Harbor. I also think there is a bus as well.

Plan on spending at least 3 to 4 hours at Pearl Harbor. There is a film, museum, and the memorial itself which includes a boat ride.


[This message has been edited by aggiedata (edited 2/16/2014 7:28p).]

as mentioned, you can definitely fly out of Kapalua airport, which would be highly recommended if you are deadset on going to Pearl Harbor. The small planes can be a bit bumpy but they are fine for island hopping.

That said, like the Road to Hana, I might leave Pearl Harbor for another trip. With travel, it will take an entire day.

Thanks guys. We are flying direct to Maui. I'll talk to the wife and see what she thinks. Another thing she would get to take dramamine for. I don't think we'll ever vacation on Honolulu so unless we'd fly in for a night like recommended above, we'd have to spend a day on it this trip or another.

We'll be there Monday-Sunday I think.

get a convertible for your trip. i like jeeps but the rain comes and goes so quickly especially on the road to hana that is nice to be able to put the top down or up quickly at a push of the button.

If your pregnant wife is like mine, skip Hana. It about did her in when we went and she wasn't pregnant then. I can't imagine taking a 7 month preg lady on it and living to see the end of the day

I took my six-month pregnant wife a few years back. Whale Watching was pretty easy, though the boat rolls quite a bit and prego's dont have great balance. Also, motion sickness will be an issue.

Molokini trip will be the same issue.

We did Hana, but just rode in the car, we didnt go on any hikes. The car ride was a beating, but we stopped a lot and got out as needed. We also took a long stop at a crappy restaurant in Hana. Finding places to stop for a bathroom was a rough.

We did Haleakala during the day. We missed the magical sunrise, but we decided we were ok with that.

Spent a lot of time at the pool. Rented a cabana at the adults only pool for one day. Took a few books and that was probably our best day.

We also drove around the North side of the island, which has some great views from the road. You need to be a little adventurous to do it, the drive is hairy in a few places.

Also, snorkeling was a little tough for her. Swimming in the currents with a beachball under you isnt the easiest.. She managed, but got scared a few times.

We are actually getting a convertible, so great advice!

I'm just afraid is going to be a damn Chrysler. I want a Mustang ie Camaro!