Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Off to Hawaii

iMav

iMav

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 20, 2008
366
9
Columbus, WI
Taking the family to Maui next week. I'm not terribly excited, but the wife and kids certainly are. :)

it's the first time we've been. Anyone have suggestions on thing we should not miss while there?
 
rdowns said:
Take the drive to Hana.
Click to expand...

Jaro65 said:
If you can, try to make it to the top of Haleakala to witness a sunrise or sunset.
Click to expand...

those are the two that came to mind here as well. the drive to hana is quite the adventure with the locals going full tilt on a twisty two lane... exciting and beautiful! the sunrise over the crater is awesome, but would point out it's a bit chilly at the top before sunrise, so bring a sweatshirt or coat or something.

don't know where on the island you are staying, but if you are near Kihei, check out Hawaiian Moons natural foods which is part grocery, part salad bar, and all awesome. we always stay up the hill in a b&b, walk down and get stuff to go, and then walk just across the highway to Kamaole beach park to eat and watch the whales. there was (still i hope) an awesome mexican place (maui tacos?) in the same little strip mall. good times.
 
iMav said:
Taking the family to Maui next week. I'm not terribly excited, but the wife and kids certainly are. :)

it's the first time we've been. Anyone have suggestions on thing we should not miss while there?
Click to expand...

How can you not be excited to go to Maui?:confused:
 
The aquarium should be avoided. I was not impressed in the least. Stay away from the snorkel tours. You can see more fish and turtles on your own at Black Rock or just about any beach down the west side of the island. The snorkel rental shops have a good map of the best snorkeling beaches. Road to Hana is lovely but very bendy. Bring some crystallized ginger to eat along the way. I found the beaches to be quietest just before sunset but the fish are around first thing in the morning.

If you are down near Wailea, Ulua beach is a gem! Parking can be a bit of a problem but maybe not this time of year. Say Hello to "Lefty" if you see him.

EDIT: I'll just add that Kahului has both a Costco and a Walmart in case you need something. Kihei has a 24hr Safeway.
 
Take a boat ride to Malakini island about a quarter mile from shore. It is an inactive volcano crater head protruding just above th water surface. Great for snoheling inside the crater bowl and scuba diving down the outer walls. Fantastic colors of sealife not to be missed.
 
Try to watch LOST while you're there, because you're on...the island.

I love Hawaii, the only rough part about it is the jet lagg. You'll sleep and sleep until you can't anymore and finally wake up and its only like 6:30am.
 
mgguy said:
Take a boat ride to Malakini island about a quarter mile from shore. It is an inactive volcano crater head protruding just above th water surface. Great for snoheling inside the crater bowl and scuba diving down the outer walls. Fantastic colors of sealife not to be missed.
Click to expand...

Maybe you're confusing this with some place on Greek islands? ;)

But you're right. Molokini is THE place to go for scuba or snorkeling. While the ocean swell lifts the sand near the shore and thereby rather severely limits the visibility, the picture is completely different at Molokini, which offers a pretty remarkable visibility. I really enjoyed diving there.
 
The thing about Molokini is that you really have to set out in one of the early morning boats, otherwise the trip is bumpy. Also since the OP has kids, I'm not sure they would like to jump off of the boat into 40ft of water, although I admit it is crystal clear. When we went, the operator did a sweep of the island first with a fishing line hanging out, which I gather is illegal. We only had 15min in the water and since the crater wall was about 50 yards from the boat, most of the time was spent swimming to the wall and back. I saw more snorkeling around the beaches on my own schedule but maybe I just had a bad charter at a bad time.
 
Jaro65 said:
Maybe you're confusing this with some place on Greek islands? ;)
Click to expand...

Nope; same place. I just got the spelling wrong.

The nice thing about diving down the crater wall is that you can just descend straight down from the boat and see all kinds of life forms tucked into the crevices in the wall. An easy dive for those who aren't into swimming very far.

Oh, and expect to pay a LOT for fresh fruit and veggies. I was surprised how expensive pineapple was, especially considering that they grow it there (or at least in Oahu).
 
Molokini is awesome! Our family went there and did snuba. The water is crystal clear with lots of fish. I highly recommend it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back