Help with what to do on Maui

[paul18222]

Cruising into Maui, on the POA, Oct 13TH. My port is Kahului and I am renting a car at the airport. I have reservations for a luau, in Lahaina, at the Old Lahaina Luau, 5:00 PM. I figure, I will be in the car at 9:00AM. I need help with, what to see or do, between these hours. Any help would be appreciated.

[cat shepard]

Not sure what your interests are.

 

You can check out Tours by Locals, if you want popular ideas. Though we are only doing  tours by Local on the Big Island, we got ideas of what to do from them on other islands.  And the tour guide we chose is working with us to customize our tour.

 

We decided not to rent cars on the islands because we all want to enjoy as much of the islands as possible, and some of the roads require the driver’s full attention. Maybe after we visited a few times, it would not matter as much.

 

My ship anchors off Lahaina, and I will be zip lining mid-morning to early afternoon,  exploring Lahaina, and in the evening attending Old Lahaina Luau. 

 

Hope you have a super trip!

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by cat shepard
Add helpful info

[paul18222]

We were thinking of mainly doing some sightseeing and hoping to plan a route around the Island. We do not, want to do, the Road to Hana. Beaches and waterfalls would be nice.

[Silver Sweethearts]

You might google "101 Things To Do On Maui" for a starter.

[CruiserBruce]

Or just look down the board for all the many discussions about things to do on Maui.

[RSF Cruiser]

Buy or check out from your library Maui Revealed. There are "Revealed" books for each of the islands, and although we've been to Hawaii many times, mainly on land tours, we always take our Revealed books with us. Not only do the authors give opinionated reviews of sights, restaurants, activities, tours/excursions, and hotels, they explain why they like or dislike something, so you can evaluate if you might agree with them or not.

[Astro Flyer]

3 hours ago, paul18222 said:

We were thinking of mainly doing some sightseeing and hoping to plan a route around the Island. We do not, want to do, the Road to Hana. Beaches and waterfalls would be nice.

 

For waterfalls the Road to Hana is easily the best spot but use caution...last week a very experienced hiker fatally fell 300 feet.  Whatever you decide to do check the weather conditions first because some wonderful places can quickly become extremely dangerous.

 

I wouldn’t recommend driving Kahekili around the northern end either because of the narrow section of basically one lane road around Kahakuloa that makes the RTH look like a highway.

 

You might want to consider the Wailea area for several good beaches...some are developed with facilities & others are easily accessible undeveloped beaches.  Past Makena is the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve with the most recent Maui lava flow from the late 1700s.  If going to Makena’s Big Beach it’s a beautiful sandy beach but when there are shore-breaks it is the most dangerous beach for spinal injuries.

 

Before the OLL you could explore some of the historical old town of Lahaina which previously was the whaling center of the world & also briefly the capital of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

 

https://lahainatown.com/lahaina-harbor-map.php

 

https://lahainatown.com/lahaina-historic-walking-tour.php

 

 

[Beachiekeen]

The problem (not that it's a problem to be on Maui!) is that suggestions such as beaches and hiking will mean you are sort of grubby by the time the OLL starts.  Lahaina is HOT so I would save that for the hour or two before the luau. 

 

Just the drive from Kahului along the west Maui coast is beautiful.  There will be lookouts along the way you can pull off on for a picture or two.  You could drive all the way north west to the Nakalele Blowhole (MM 38.5).  This is a beautiful drive, you could get out here and view the blowhole from the upper parking lot.  (You can hike down but you will need to be wearing proper clothes and footwear and take your time and it's somewhat challenging.)  Stop and get some banana bread at the stand there.

 

Then make your way back stopping at the Honolua Bay overlook (MM 32).  If you wanted to stop in Kapalua, you could have an early lunch right on DT Fleming beach at the Ritz Carlton Burger Shack.  My husband and I usually share a burger, fries and a milkshake and it's plenty of food.  We have also just sat outside and had a drink.  Or drive to Napili Bay and stop at the Sea House  at the Napili Kai resort--another great beachside restaurant for lunch or a drink.

 

Just make sure you are driving via HI-30 S and HI-30 W--do NOT drive I-340, the Kahekili Highway!  

 

Another thing we have done is go to Kaanapali beach and walk the beachwalk there.  It is a nice stretch of beach lined with shops and resorts and a paved beach path.  This would be a good place for a happy hour cocktail before heading to Lahaina.  Stop at Hula Grill and have a drink with your toes in the sand (park in the Whalers Village parking and I believe they will validate it).  You can walk the entire beach path from the Kaanapali Beach Hotel to the Hyatt.  The Hyatt is a pretty hotel with birds and penguins in the lobby.  I think they have a Ululani's shave ice there too and there is a Ono Gelato in Whaler's Village.  I also LOVE the lava flow at the Tiki Bar at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel.

 

Driving south to the beaches is another idea.  The Wailea beach path is another paved beach path lined with resorts and it is a nice scenic walk and it can be fun to go in the different resorts and have a look. You can drive as far south as La Perouse Bay to see the old lava fields (this is a pretty narrow drive though and it will be hot there.  But seeing the blue water against the black lava really is a thing of beauty.) Go to Kihei and get fish tacos at Coconut's and shave ice at Ululani's!

 

Once in Lahaina, walk around and see all the shops, get some ice cream at Lappert's, cool off under the Banyan tree and do the walking tour.

 

I would map out some of these routes on Google so you can get a feel for where you are going and of course be mindful of your time if you drive all the way to NW Maui.  You can also download the Gypsy driving app for Maui which can help you with your drive also.

 

https://gypsyguide.com/tour/maui/

[princeton123211]

20 hours ago, paul18222 said:

We do not, want to do, the Road to Hana. Beaches and waterfalls would be nice.

If you want to see waterfalls, you sort of have to do the Road to Hana, or at least a decent section of it. For beaches you wouldn't have to drive it-- north of Lahaina you have Kaanapali and to the south you have Wailea. As others have mentioned, Makena can be a bit rough for swimming-- you can add the beaches north at Kapalua to that list as they can be dangerous with the rocks. Personally I think that Kaanapali beach is a great option for a day tripper as you have Whaler's Village there and a bunch of good dining options. 

[Beachiekeen]

I think NW Maui is the prettiest scenery on all of Maui and it would be a shame not to see it if you had the chance, even if you just drive.  To me, it's a great alternative to the RTH, without the waterfalls.  Then stop in Kaanapali and spend the afternoon before heading to Lahaina.  South Maui is beautiful too.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 8/9/2019 at 11:31 AM, paul18222 said:

We were thinking of mainly doing some sightseeing and hoping to plan a route around the Island. We do not, want to do, the Road to Hana. Beaches and waterfalls would be nice.

 

There is no easy route "around the Island". The rental car companies ban using their cars on several sections of any route that would take you "around". Download and read the Maui Drive Guide.

 

To me the two alternatives are a) go Upcountry, like Makawao and Kula and then head to Lahaina or b) see the Iao Valley, drive to Kapalua, have a nice lunch at the Ritz Carlton or Sea House at Napili, then go to Lahaina and see the town before your luau.

[Beachiekeen]

Another thought I had was Iao Valley/Kepaniwai garden/Bailey House Musuem, then the Maui Tropical Plantation and then if you wanted, the Maui Ocean Center before Lahaina.  Iao Valley and the Plantation are easy walks with lush vegetation and tropical plants and flowers.  The Mill House at the plantation is a great place for lunch.  There is a tram tour and ziplining at the plantation, but you can also just walk around for free.  If you had time, you could drive as far as Kaanapali before Lahaina and the luau.  This plan keeps you a little less hot and sweaty before the luau.  The tradeoff is, you don't get to see as much of the coast. 

 

This would also be a nice thing to do day 2 (going as far as the ocean center) if you will still have the car, as is a drive upcountry.

[paul18222]

We only have the rental for one day, but if all goes well, we may rent for the second day. The important thing was the luau, then everything after that, is a bonus. I was thinking of the Ioa valley, then the southeastern coast, then to Lahaina.

[Cruisingirl2012]

We are just planning on taking the Hoppa-on Hoppa Off bus.  The website shows all the stops and looks like a fun thing to do for sightseeing.

 

[CRUISEDEALER]

On 8/9/2019 at 1:31 PM, paul18222 said:

We were thinking of mainly doing some sightseeing and hoping to plan a route around the Island. We do not, want to do, the Road to Hana. Beaches and waterfalls would be nice.

Download the app Shaka Guide. It can help guide you on the road.

[PCWalton1]

Just a suggestion for your luau. if you don't want to look too road weary for the luau you can bring along an outfit to change into. Across the street from Old Lahaina Luau is a small mall that has public bathrooms where you can change. 😁

[paul18222]

Is this Luau a fancy affair? It seems like many people are concerned with the way they will look.  

[KeepCalmBearOn]

8 hours ago, paul18222 said:

Is this Luau a fancy affair? It seems like many people are concerned with the way they will look.  

 

Yes, pretty sure they insist on shoes AND shirts.....