Hello Helpful Forum Members!
I%26#39;ve been spending the past few weeks browsing the awesome forum here, mining facts and opinions from the wealth of posts and replies. You can truly lose yourself for hours just browsing through the topics and imagining the sights, sounds, and smells of Maui.
We%26#39;ve never been to any Pacific islands, so Maui is our first foray to that side of the world. We%26#39;ve done tons of travel around the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Check out our snorkeling photos from Grand Cayman and Cozumel:
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I%26#39;m bring my girlfriend of 10 years to Maui to get married. We are going to pretend like we are rich and stay in an oceanfront villa in Kapalua. It is ridiculously expensive (for a single night we could pretty much take a full 4 day all-inclusive vacation to Cozumel I%26#39;ll bet!) but we want to do-it-up right on this trip, so we%26#39;ll suffer through paying off the debt until Christmas. We are coming in mid-June and staying for 10 nights and we are bringing 3 of our nieces and nephews with us (ages 10, 13, 15). They are all very good swimmers and snorkelers..so we are excited to have them along with us. For the wedding, our parents are flying out for 7 nights each, but that is all that is coming to the wedding since we wanted a nice, low-key ceremony. We don%26#39;t have to plan everything down to the nth degree - we are very flexible and footloose, but I figured why not run the itinerary past this most knowledgable group of people here! I%26#39;ve been reading through ';Maui Revealed'; and it is a hilarious guide book. It is a fun read and isn%26#39;t dry and stale like some books. I highly recommend it. Well, at least right now I do, if we do some things in the book and they turn out to be crap I%26#39;ll revise my comments in late June.. %26lt;wink%26gt;
Day 1 (Saturday) - We arrive in OGG at 5PM after leaving Charlotte and connecting through Phoenix. Now, I%26#39;ve read that we should consider going to Costco before we head to Kapalua, but I%26#39;m seriously doubting that we can get to Costco before the 6PM closing time since we have to grab a rental car and get our luggage and all of that. We are hoping to upgrade to a 4-door Jeep because we want to enjoy the open air traveling on the island (we won%26#39;t leave any valuables in the Jeep!)..but we%26#39;ve not found a single place where you can actually RESERVE a 4-door Jeep. So that will be pot-luck I guess. Assuming we can%26#39;t get to Costco before it closes, are there any other grocery stores we can stop at that are open later on a Saturday night?
Day 2 - NO ACTIVITIES PLANNED! We figure this day will be an ';Explore Kapalua'; day. The reason we picked Kapalua is because we are avid hikers and snorkelers and the property around Kapalua seemed perfect for roaming around, hiking, and snorkeling. The kids like to snorkel, but they also like the pool..so I figure we can mix and match a bit. I%26#39;ve been reading about some good breakfast places down the road toward Kaanapali but we%26#39;ll probably only splurge and eat out a few times since we%26#39;ll be doing most of our breakfast/dinner stuff at the condo. QUESTION - What kind of driving times can we expect between say Kapalua and Kaanapali and Lahaina? The mileage looks short, but I know that can be deceptive.
Day 3 - This day is up in the air still. I%26#39;ve been attempting to contact Maui Kayaks to see if the Makena/Wailea Explorer trip is doable for our youngest nephew (10 years old). Marisa and I are both strong paddlers, so we figure in a tandem with the nieces we can take care of them, but with an odd number of people in our party (5) we would need someone (perhaps the guide) paddling with the youngest. The trip sounds like so much fun and is listed for ages 8+. It sounds like more fun and adventure than the other tours listed on their site (Turtle Town Adventure) so we are hoping they eventually respond to our emails. Other kayak tour operators have a 12 year old age limit for their more ambitious trips. Anyway, the tour lasts until around noon or so, then we will trek back up to Lahaina for our appointment with our marriage licenseing agent (guess we better not miss that!). Our afternoon we will probably spend snorkeling around West Maui.
Day 4 - Paragon sailing trip to Molokini! This sounds like fun. The Paragon vessel looks a bit more exciting than the alternative (Trilogy), plus we read that they don%26#39;t require flotation vests (ugh). Ideally I would have liked a paired trip with Molokini AND Lana%26#39;i but I don%26#39;t think we are going to be able to swing that this time. Our pseudo-family (3 borrowed kids) is driving up the price of this vacation. Maybe on another visit we%26#39;ll hit Lana%26#39;i. After the sailing trip (ends around 1300) we%26#39;ll probably again strike out for scenic beaches and then retreat to Kapalua and meet up with both our parents who are flying in that evening.
Day 5 - Jungle Tour Maui. Yeah..I know..I read the messages on the forum that are a bit critical of Alec, but he actually sounds like just our kind of guy. For this trip we are leaving the kids with our parents and just my girl and I are going to head out. It sounds like Alec runs a unique tour and we are excited to run around areas that we would otherwise probably never find. I%26#39;ll post photos and a trip report for sure when we get back (if we get back..gulp)..
Day 6 - WEDDING DAY! Again, using Trip Advisor put us on to a good connection. We are a simple couple with simple tastes (err..except for the whole Kapalua thing I guess..) so we are going with Rev. Ron, the Maui Marrying Man! He has been GREAT to work with thus far via e-mail. His photographer looks like she is fantastic based on her photos at her website: http://paradisefoundimages.com/ We are super-excited about this. We are going to have it on Makena Surf Beach at sunset. Keeping with the simple theme only our parents are going to be there. We are hiring a videographer and a musician to play a bit of music while Rev. Ron does the ceremony. QUESTION - After the ceremony and photos are done..we are a bit clueless on what to do. Obviously we will all want to go have dinner somewhere - any suggestions on something nice, but affordable for a semi-big group (say 10 or so people)? (Don%26#39;t say the Luau because we are doing that the next night!). Suggestions on where we should go eat that night would be appreciated...
Day 7 - Nothing on the day schedule because we figure we%26#39;ll be recovering from the wedding libations. I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll go exploring again (perhaps the rugged area north of Kapalua or something?). That night though we are all going to the Old Lahaina Luau. I%26#39;ve heard it is a great show. Other luaus sound fantastic too..but we had to pick one!
Day 8 - Blue Water Rafting tour along the Kanaio Coast. Now this trip looks like fun. All the trip reports I%26#39;ve read have commented how great the tour guides are and how exciting the ride is. Great snorkel spots are on the menu and I think the kids will enjoy the wild ride. Maybe have to slip some Dramamine into their eggs in the morning perhaps. Our afternoon is free.
Day 9 - CONSIDERING, but not completely sure if just Marisa and I will do the Haleakala bike ride thing. If we do it, we%26#39;ll do it with the tour operator that just drops you off up there but doesn%26#39;t herd you down the slope. We tossed around the summit sunrise thing..but we%26#39;ve spent so many nights in the high Sierras freezing our butts off on camping and hiking trips that we might forgo the whole sunrise thing. If we could find a ride up the last 3,000+ feet, I%26#39;d prefer to actually rent the bikes in town and be able to start the ride from the true summit area, but I don%26#39;t know how to find a ride since the tour operators have to start from that lower visitor center. Still working that one out. Notice this tour is scheduled AFTER our wedding in case we wreck and lose some teeth or get road rash.
Day 10 - Completely open right now. Nothing on the agenda.
Day 11 - We have to leave. But not until 9PM or so..so I figure we will use this as ';shopping day'; or something. Probably grab a quick last snorkel in the morning before check-out time and then do some trinket shopping and soak in the last of the island. We won%26#39;t leave our luggage in the car unattended (!).
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So what do you think? We are jammed up with tours or anything..and we are really flexible. I know we can%26#39;t see everything and we don%26#39;t want to schedule back-to-back-to-back trips..so we just accept that there will be lots of things we will have to catch on another trip. If it were just Marisa and I we%26#39;d definitely do the Hana Highway and hike up to some of the off-the-beaten path falls and stuff, but with 3 kids in the back of the Jeep I don%26#39;t want to force them to a long day of riding around and perhaps getting car sick. Besides, Alec with Jungle Tours might be taking us down that same road, so we won%26#39;t have to drive and we can keep our heads on a swivel looking at all the great scenery.
I posted looking for ideas, ways to make the plan better, suggestions, things we shouldn%26#39;t miss if we are conveniently located during a certain tour..etc.. And PLEASE..wish for good weather on our wedding day! %26lt;g%26gt;
Thanks in advance for the advice..and thanks to EVERYONE that has posted trip reports and opinions in the past to Trip Advisor. This is a great place to browse.. We%26#39;ll be posting up a huge trip report with photos when we get back. For sure.
Regards!
BeachAV8R
10 days in Maui...critique this itinerary..
I%26#39;ll answer a couple of questions for you...first of all congrats! Sounds like a great plan.
Skip Costco you can stop at Safeway in Cannery Mall at the north end of Lahaina, or Star Mart Just a few minutes north. There is also the Market in Kapalua but don%26#39;t know their hours.
It%26#39;s about 10 minutes to Kaanapali and another 5 or 10 to Lahaina from Kapalua.
Check with Kapalua Adventures about all the hicking etc...they%26#39;ll be a great source for you.
You%26#39;ll get lots of recs for you big dinner. Nearly every time we have eaten at Leilani%26#39;s there have been wedding parties there..we love it but Seahouse, Merriman%26#39;s and Pineapple grill are all closer to you.
Oh yeah..that first morning go about 2 minutes south and have breakfast at the Gazebo...great way to start your trip with kids
10 days in Maui...critique this itinerary..
Since you are getting married in South Maui you might want to look at eating in Wailea/Kihei or Maalaea Harbor area.
Capishe?
Ferraros
Five Palms
SeaWatch
Cafe O lei
The last three will be a little less than the top two.
Thanks for the info Mamma. We will consider Safeway for sure. As a matter of fact, we are probably going to get them to do a small wedding cake for us.
We%26#39;ve heard that Merriman%26#39;s is fantastic..so maybe after the wedding we%26#39;ll retreat back to Kapalua and have dinner there perhaps.
And roger that on the Gazebo..I%26#39;ve read good things about their breakfast!
Barefoot - Thanks for those suggestions too. I%26#39;m a little worried about getting back up to Kapalua in time to eat dinner after our sunset wedding ceremony. I figure by the time the photos are taken and we out of there we might be too late to make the drive up north and get in someplace for dinner. So perhaps South Maui is a good idea for the after wedding dinner. Thanks for those suggestions..I%26#39;ll start researching!
Regards!
BeachAV8R
BeachAV8R - It looks like a great trip! If you trip report is an much fun as the inenerary, I will look forward to it. When are you traveling?
Re: dinner plans after your ceremony - another suggestion is Prince Court at the Maui Prince Hotel, a lovely setting. Otherwise the previous suggestions are excellent.
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Wish you all the best!
BeachAV8R -
I%26#39;m getting married on a Makena beach too. We%26#39;re doing a morning ceremony and we decided to host a reception on a private lanai at Merrimans Kapalua which we are very excited about. The big downside to that choice was the distance. And we have more time than you do to get over there. If you%26#39;re thinkig of going there though, you%26#39;re welcome to PM me or ask me here and I%26#39;ll pass on the costs, contacts etc I have for there.
We originally wanted to do the dinner in south Maui, but fell in love with Merriman%26#39;s on accident! (a TA-er suggested we try it on our recent wedding scouting trip and it was wonderful!). I%26#39;ll give you a run-down of some south Maui restaurants we considered.
Seawatch - at the wailea golf club. Really pretty, nice views (although by the time you get there it will be too dark to see much) and decent food. IMHO its consistent in food quality, but if you%26#39;re a foodie you may find it a bit lackluster. Not bad - just a bit simple. VERY popular location for weddings and wedding receptions.
Nick%26#39;s Fishmarket - at the Kea Lani resort in wailea. Good food. Very good. Had we not found Merriman%26#39;s this would have been our wedding reception location. No beach or water views, but a gorgeous setting inside the resort. Good and bad - the resort is fantastic, but you run the rish of people walking by the tables in their towels on their way to their rooms from the beach or pool.
Sarrentos - in Kihei very close to wailea. It%26#39;s the sister restaurant to Nick%26#39;s (by owner - not the same menu) BY FAR THE BEST VIEW - absolutely stunning beachfront location. The reason we didn%26#39;t go for it? They did a tasting menu for us knowing we were there trying to choose a reception location - we made plans with them and Nick%26#39;s well in advance - and the food was just so so. In fact, I%26#39;d call it hit or miss. Some stuff was great and some was plain bad or bland. We were blown away by the location, and very underwhelmed by the food. Juat my experience though - I%26#39;m sure after I post this someone will disagree.
Joe%26#39;s - in wailea at the wailea tennis club. A for food - C- for location/atmosphere. No real views and the interior doesn%26#39;t look like a high end or even hawaiian restaurant. More like a chili%26#39;s or tgi Fridays. Christmas lights and kitschy bar decor. SUPER good food - we hit this place evry year we go and its yummy heartwarming food - meatloaf, seared ahi, ono etc. IMHO not a wedding dinner location if only for the atmosphere and lack of views but worth going if just for a regular meal.
Roy%26#39;s - in Kihei. Not much to say. Terrible strip mall location. Convienent, but absolutley no views. Superior food and it%26#39;s pacific rim / hawaiian with a pretty big menu and to die for chocolate souffle. We go here often on our trips too, but didn%26#39;t bother to visit on the wedding scouting trip because we knew that the location was icky.
Other places we considered -
Humuhumu%26#39;s at the Grand Wailea resort - we ruled this one out due to the food being high priced - not to be unexpected at a high end resort - but pretty setting over saltwater ponds loaded with fish. Hut-like structures over the ponds - very differnt looking and gets a B for location / atmosphere.
Mama%26#39;s fish house - in Paia - IMHO its too far for you to drive afer the ceremony, but its certainly a place I would put on your list as a must visit. The beach in front is gorgeous. Good food, although we%26#39;ve always had better lunches there than dinner. The cost is a downside - most certainly one of the more expensive places to eat on Maui.
So there you go! You got all of my ideas and didn%26#39;t have to use miles or pay for a rental car or hotel room like we did a couple months ago, LOL. I have photos of almost all of these locations, so PM me if you want them. It%26#39;s all subjective too - remember these are just our opinions, and remmeber you%26#39;ll be on MAUI! How bad can it really be??? =)
Hope its helpful for you %26amp; your fiancee.
Lot%26#39;s of great info here so far. My only suggestion is to not over schedule yourself. It is your honeymoon afterall. Leave plenty of time to just kick back and enjoy the beach and the trade breezes.
Definitly check out the Kapalua hiking trails. you can see maps here...
kapalua.com/adventures/…hiking.php
We%26#39;re on the island now and did the Coastal Trail yesterday and it was terrific. Plan to do the village trails in the next few days and will be reporting on that afterwards.
Just curious... why are you getting married all the way down in Wailea if your are staying in Kapalua. Kapalua and Oneloa beaches in Kapalua are great places for a beach wedding. Just sayin...
LesRose - Thanks for the advice. We are traveling in the second week of June. Really, really looking forward to it!!
Lightnin - Thanks for all the great input. I%26#39;ve been researching the restaurants and there are so many fantastic ones to choose from it makes my head spin. I think I%26#39;ve narrowed it down to:
Humu%26#39;s at Grand Wailea
Seawatch
Sarento%26#39;s
Nicks %26lt;- My favorite!
Mala Wailea
Five Palms
Since it will be dark I don%26#39;t know that oceanfront is a requirement..and it seems like prices are going to be crazy no matter where we take our very small wedding party..
VCSnowbird - Thanks..we%26#39;ve left a lot of room in the schedule for wandering around, I think we are going to find we will enjoy just getting in the Jeep and wandering off to find good snorkeling spots. We live to snorkel..and it looks like there is an abundance of that in Maui! I%26#39;m a pretty good windsurfer too..but I%26#39;m not sure I can squeeze in a session or not. Perhaps..
As for the wedding location, I had asked Rev. Ron about getting married on Oneloa Beach right outside of our condo in Kapalua, but he recommended South Maui for a better chance at good weather. He said Kapalua weather can be a bit more finicky and windy.. But Kapalua and Oneloa sure do look nice in the photos I%26#39;ve seen!
Thanks for the tips folks..
BeachAV8R
BeachAV8R - I agree with the Marrying Man. In fact we renewed our vows at Makena! Just be sure to allow lots of time to get there from Kapalua I would advise at least two hours, - you might be able to do it in an hour but I wouldn%26#39;t cut that so close.
';another suggestion is Prince Court at the Maui Prince Hotel, a lovely setting.';
The Prince Court closed last year.
kiawahine - I thought they were merely remodeling? Times are tough though - Of course if they are closed they are off the list - we had dinner at Molokini lounge since the Court was closed, same kitchen, service and lovely view -
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