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Halfway to Hana or West Maui Tour


Sandyrella
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Thank-you for all of your input regarding the two tours. In the end we decided to book the Taste of Hana tour through a local tour company. It is about 6 hours long instead of 9-10, and I think it will give us a good idea what this part of Maui is about.

 

On another note, do you think that Kaapanapali Beach would be a good choice for us if DH wants to rent a standup paddle board and I want to plop myself in a chair with a good book and a frosty beverage? Are there any other beaches nearby that you would recommend more?

 

 

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Thank-you for all of your input regarding the two tours. In the end we decided to book the Taste of Hana tour through a local tour company. It is about 6 hours long instead of 9-10, and I think it will give us a good idea what this part of Maui is about.

 

On another note, do you think that Kaapanapali Beach would be a good choice for us if DH wants to rent a standup paddle board and I want to plop myself in a chair with a good book and a frosty beverage? Are there any other beaches nearby that you would recommend more?

 

 

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Kaanapali is our favorite beach- I think it feels less touristy than Wailea, although there are still plenty of hotels and restaurants etc. All of the hotels have surf shops where you can rent equipment.

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Kaanapali is our favorite beach- I think it feels less touristy than Wailea, although there are still plenty of hotels and restaurants etc. All of the hotels have surf shops where you can rent equipment.

 

 

Great to hear! Do you know if we can rent equipment even if we aren't staying at one of the hotels?

 

Kaanapali is a perfect spot for SUP and enjoying the beach with a good book and umbrella drink. And, if you have time there are great spots for lunch or get lunch to take down to the beach. Cherie

 

 

Sounds perfect! The beach and area look amazing. I might even get to do a bit of retail therapy at Whalers Village if the sun becomes too much for me. [emoji4]

 

Thank-you both for your feedback!

 

 

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Great to hear! Do you know if we can rent equipment even if we aren't staying at one of the hotels?

 

 

 

 

Sounds perfect! The beach and area look amazing. I might even get to do a bit of retail therapy at Whalers Village if the sun becomes too much for me. [emoji4]

 

Thank-you both for your feedback!

 

 

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You can rent equipment at any of them without being a guest. If you're going to be near Whalers Village there is a rental spot at the Westin next door or the Whaler condos on the other side. Both are right on the path along the beach. You'll most likely want to paddle toward the Sheraton and Black Rock as the natural jetty creates a sheltered cove that has less chop.

 

Hula Grill at Whalers Village is a great place to grab a bite or a drink. Also great under the radar spot is Kaanapali Beach Hotel- old school 60s place that hasn't really been updated. Great tiki bar in the courtyard. It's between Whalers Village and the Sheraton.

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We were on Star Princess a couple of years back in April and we took a tour to the Haleakala Crater. It was fabulous. We took such wonderful pictures. We were then brought to lunch at some wonderful gardens and watched a dance show. We arrived back in Lahaina directly across from the pier at 2 pm and spent three hours strolling the lovely streets, walked to the Coach Store, and visited the Wyland Gallery, people watched for a while then it was time to board the ship, oh, before that my son administered medical care to a passenger who had suffered a medical emergency, then we boarded boarded at 5:30 pm. Poor passenger had to remain in Maui. There is no way we would have done the road to Hana. That jaunt is a 8 hour affair. The roads are windy and if you are touring with the ship you will be in a 8 to 12 passenger van - not the most fun. This is something you would want to do on a land based tour or on a trip when the ship overnights in Maui, as will be the case with us when we do a cruise in 2019 with Radiance of the Seas.

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Or the West Maui Adventure:

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Nakalele Blow Hole
  • Honolua Bay
  • Lahaina town
  • ʻĪao valley
  • Kahakuloa Village
  • Clifftop Gallery
  • Tide Pools

 

Can I jump in on this threat reference the original post. We are also doing two days in Maui and our port is Lahaina. At this point I plan on doing Lahaina and Haleakala at sunset the first day and then was considering renting a car to tour west maui the second day. Any input from people who have been there on how easy it will be to do this DIY as opposed to a tour? If we would get a lot more out of it on a tour we would consider that. I've pretty much ruled out road to Hana for this trip, where we dock just takes too long to get to the beginning and we don't enjoy spending the entire day driving.

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TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Nakalele Blow Hole
  • Honolua Bay
  • Lahaina town
  • ʻĪao valley
  • Kahakuloa Village
  • Clifftop Gallery
  • Tide Pools
Can I jump in on this threat reference the original post. We are also doing two days in Maui and our port is Lahaina. At this point I plan on doing Lahaina and Haleakala at sunset the first day and then was considering renting a car to tour west maui the second day. Any input from people who have been there on how easy it will be to do this DIY as opposed to a tour? If we would get a lot more out of it on a tour we would consider that. I've pretty much ruled out road to Hana for this trip, where we dock just takes too long to get to the beginning and we don't enjoy spending the entire day driving.

 

You can certainly do this yourself, but you are mainly visiting only west Maui (with the exception of Iao Valley (which is not in west Maui and is closed for the time being) and Haleakala (which will be a several hour drive each way). We aren't suggesting Hana, but you might want to spread out a bit on your touring so you can see more of Maui.

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TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

 


  •  
  • Nakalele Blow Hole
     
  • Honolua Bay
     
  • Lahaina town
     
  • ʻĪao valley
     
  • Kahakuloa Village
     
  • Clifftop Gallery
     
  • Tide Pools
     

 

 

 

 

You can certainly do this yourself, but you are mainly visiting only west Maui (with the exception of Iao Valley (which is not in west Maui and is closed for the time being) and Haleakala (which will be a several hour drive each way). We aren't suggesting Hana, but you might want to spread out a bit on your touring so you can see more of Maui.

 

 

 

We aren’t going until April so hoping Iao valley will be open. Any other suggestions for things that can be combined with iao valley? We aren’t beach people.

 

 

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We aren’t going until April so hoping Iao valley will be open. Any other suggestions for things that can be combined with iao valley? We aren’t beach people.

 

If you happen to get a rental car for day one also, head out to central Maui and perhaps stop at Maui Ocean Center or even Maui Tropical Plantation as you head to Iao Valley. From there head to Paia and make a right on Baldwin Avenue (in the center of "town"). Head up Baldwin and beyond (beautiful views) to do Haliimaile, Makawao, Kula and such (google the diverse range of things to see and do "Upcountry"). You will be just a short distance from the entrance to Haleakala and can wind up driving up there for your sunset views. These are just ideas, of course, and keep in mind we are partial to Upcountry because we live here. You can also go to south Maui, but that is more for beach activities/walking. On day two you can do west Maui, and you will be more close at hand to your ship and will be better able to tell when to head back to the tender dock.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I like the way you think [emoji4] Along the lines of one man’s junk is another man’s treasure?

 

DH has been watching YouTube videos and as much as he prefers not to do long tours, he is convinced that we have to do the complete RTH, however we’ll have to book the ship’s tour to make sure it doesn’t leave without us if we are late.

 

I was worried about a big bus tour through the ship but I’ve been told that there are no big buses on this road.

 

 

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Think we may be on the same cruise just got off the phone with Celebrity. The road to Hana through the ship is in a #0 person open air bus @ $169pp

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Think we may be on the same cruise just got off the phone with Celebrity. The road to Hana through the ship is in a #0 person open air bus @ $169pp

 

With all due respect, we are unaware of any open air busses on the Road to Hana, especially if you meant to say 30 passengers instead of #0. What is the name of the tour company?

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With all due respect, we are unaware of any open air busses on the Road to Hana, especially if you meant to say 30 passengers instead of #0. What is the name of the tour company?

 

 

 

Yeah- was going to say that I've never seen an open air bus and have done the drive a ton of times. The tour "busses" are usually minibuses that are converted from regular vans. Nothing that even approaches the size of a coach bus (they wouldn't make the turns) and nothing open air.

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With all due respect, we are unaware of any open air busses on the Road to Hana, especially if you meant to say 30 passengers instead of #0. What is the name of the tour company?

 

There is a tour company who says they have "open air" and "air conditioned" vehicles for the RTH. Possibly they mean that the windows open to let fresh air in. Cherie

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  • 2 months later...
What tour operator would you suggest for Road to Hana day trip? We are on POA 3/31 sailing. Want to make sure its a small group if possible. We heard about Shore Trips from our Travel agent. Any input would be appreciated. THANKS!

 

 

 

Rent a car and drive it yourself. Super easy.

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Rent a car and drive it yourself. Super easy.

Super easy for passengers but the driver needs to concentrate on the road & not on the scenic RTH. ;)

 

Maybe Hawaii Dreamin prefers to have a guide drive them to have a more relaxing experience.

 

HD...can’t help with your question because we drive our car when going to Hana.

 

What tour operator would you suggest for Road to Hana day trip? We are on POA 3/31 sailing. Want to make sure its a small group if possible. We heard about Shore Trips from our Travel agent. Any input would be appreciated. THANKS!
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I did both last month - Road to Hana and West Maui. First is more scenic, second more “touristy”. I found the Road to Hana more interesting and scenic - but will you have enough time? We went with Valley Isle excursions and were back around 4:30. But if there are any delays on the road, you might be cutting it close.

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Hope it's ok if I jump on this thread too :) We are sailing on POA Sep 1 and are planning on renting a car for both days. We are wanting to go to the Old Lahaina Luau, Lahaina, Kaanapuli beach, Whalers Village and at least part of the RTH. The Luau will obviously be the first day. My question is should we do the RTH along with the Luau the first day? It would make sense to do RTH the 2nd day since the other places are close together, but doing RTH the day we leave makes me nervous. Also, are we missing anything that we should do? TIA!

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Hope it's ok if I jump on this thread too :) We are sailing on POA Sep 1 and are planning on renting a car for both days. We are wanting to go to the Old Lahaina Luau, Lahaina, Kaanapuli beach, Whalers Village and at least part of the RTH. The Luau will obviously be the first day. My question is should we do the RTH along with the Luau the first day? It would make sense to do RTH the 2nd day since the other places are close together, but doing RTH the day we leave makes me nervous. Also, are we missing anything that we should do? TIA!

Of course it’s ok to jump on this thread where everyone can share their experiences. :)

 

If it were me, I’d drive the RTH on the 2nd day & if you get uncomfortable with the time then you could reverse direction without driving the entire route.

 

Here’s a link to the Maui County emergency updates including road closures:

 

https://www.mauicounty.gov/AlertCenter.aspx

 

Here’s a phone number for Maui County road closures:

 

Road Closure Advisory Line

 

Phone: (808) 986-1200

This is the best site I’ve found for Hawaii weather:

 

https://www.hawaiiweathertoday.com/

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  • 2 weeks later...
You can rent equipment at any of them without being a guest. If you're going to be near Whalers Village there is a rental spot at the Westin next door or the Whaler condos on the other side. Both are right on the path along the beach. You'll most likely want to paddle toward the Sheraton and Black Rock as the natural jetty creates a sheltered cove that has less chop.

 

Hula Grill at Whalers Village is a great place to grab a bite or a drink. Also great under the radar spot is Kaanapali Beach Hotel- old school 60s place that hasn't really been updated. Great tiki bar in the courtyard. It's between Whalers Village and the Sheraton.

 

 

 

Thanks for your help and I apologize for the long delay in responding but I see others have been keeping this thread alive [emoji4]. We've been finalizing all of our other plans for this trip.

 

The Kaanapali Beach Hotel sounds like a fun retro kind of place to check out.

 

Just wondering, since my hubby has never done SUP, do you think it would be better if he signed up for a lesson or should he just attempt it on his own. He's quite athletic but not as young as he thinks he is [emoji6]. To be honest, my biggest concern is him not knowing the currents,etc.

 

Lastly, we are not against taking a cab or Uber but is there public transportation from Lahaina to the beach?

 

 

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