Afternoon in Maui

[mskaufman]

We are going to see sunrise at the crater in the morning and should be back on board by 10 am and looking for options near the ship for the afternoon.

[CruiserBruce]

19 minutes ago, mskaufman said:

We are going to see sunrise at the crater in the morning and should be back on board by 10 am and looking for options near the ship for the afternoon.

Refresh our memory....at Kahalui or Lahaina.

[Silver Sweethearts]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

We are going to see sunrise at the crater in the morning and should be back on board by 10 am and looking for options near the ship for the afternoon.

Given your schedule, you will be aboard the Pride of America, which will dock in Kahului.  The ship sails at 6 p.m.  What sort of options do you have in mind?

[BermudaBound2014]

Are you overnighting in Kahalui on Pride of America or are you overnighting in Lahaina? The only way you will see sunrise is on an overnight. From Lahaina you will want to leave no later than 4 am (maybe earlier). You already have the sunrise reserved or are you taking an organized tour that has made reservations for you? All these are important for how we recommend the remaining time in Maui. 

[CruiserBruce]

16 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Given your schedule, you will be aboard the Pride of America, which will dock in Kahului.  The ship sails at 6 p.m.  What sort of options do you have in mind?

Appreciate your investigation. Nice if the OP would confirm, or put this important info in their original post.

[mskaufman]

On 5/29/2023 at 8:34 PM, CruiserBruce said:

Refresh our memory....at Kahalui or Lahaina.

Kahalui

[mskaufman]

8 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Are you overnighting in Kahalui on Pride of America or are you overnighting in Lahaina? The only way you will see sunrise is on an overnight. From Lahaina you will want to leave no later than 4 am (maybe earlier). You already have the sunrise reserved or are you taking an organized tour that has made reservations for you? All these are important for how we recommend the remaining time in Maui. 

We are on POA and have sunrise already booked (3:40 am departure) on the second day.  First day we have the road to Hana booked.  Question is whether we should just chill when we get back to the ship or is there something we can do befor 5pm all aboard?

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

We are on POA and have sunrise already booked (3:40 am departure) on the second day.  First day we have the road to Hana booked.  Question is whether we should just chill when we get back to the ship or is there something we can do befor 5pm all aboard?

 

If you are booking sunrise on your own (not with a tour) and taking your own car, I would absolutely suggest staying upcountry for the day. Do a little hike at the top of Haleakala. Head to the Lavender farm, goat dairy, ranch, etc.. Go to Kula lodge for lunch. It's quite lovely. Plenty of things to see. Silver Sweethearts lives upcountry and will be able to give you great suggestions.

 

If you have a tour that is going to drop you back off at the ship in Kahului, you can walk to Kanaha Beach to watch kite surfing. If it's a Saturday you can walk to the farmers market at the University. Unfortunately, Kahalui is an industrial port. Not too much in the immediate area.

 

You can also familiarize yourself with the bus system and/or uber and head to Ma'alaea Bay for the afternoon. I enjoy the marina there and the Ocean Center is a great way to spend a couple hours. Be sure to stop in the 3D Humpback movie. Caution, IMO; Uber/lyft aren't great on Maui, so if you do take an uber anywhere make sure you have pre-arranged a ride back. The bus system will run on-time and is a very reliable form of transportation if you want to go that route. 

 

All depends on if you have a car or are with a tour for the sunrise :). 

 

Hope that helps, Enjoy Maui 🙂 

Edited May 31, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Silver Sweethearts]

1 hour ago, mskaufman said:

We are on POA and have sunrise already booked (3:40 am departure) on the second day.  First day we have the road to Hana booked.  Question is whether we should just chill when we get back to the ship or is there something we can do befor 5pm all aboard?

Our personal opinion is that you will have had a pretty full schedule to that point and your bodies might do well to take a nap to get some rest so you will be refreshed.  There is really nothing to see in Kahului anyway.  At the very least, have a tall cool one by the ship's pool and chill out (snooze) there.  Enjoy!

[princeton123211]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:34 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

Go to Kula lodge for lunch. It's quite lovely.

Gladly will second this. Went there for the first time this past time and wondered how we hadn't been there all the years we've been going to Maui. The main dining room and bar are cozy but the garden terraces below are amazing-- beautiful views down into the valley. Italian-ish menu with a focus on pizza from their wood fired brick oven right in the garden next to you. Would highly recommend if you are upcountry. 

[Silver Sweethearts]

10 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Gladly will second this. Went there for the first time this past time and wondered how we hadn't been there all the years we've been going to Maui. The main dining room and bar are cozy but the garden terraces below are amazing-- beautiful views down into the valley. Italian-ish menu with a focus on pizza from their wood fired brick oven right in the garden next to you. Would highly recommend if you are upcountry. 

 

We haven't been there in quite some time, but we did hear that the entire property was sold last year after the long-time owner passed away.  The new staff has mentioned some changes will be made.  We'd be curious to know if they are working with new menus/food offerings already?  Any indication of that?

[princeton123211]

11 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

The new staff has mentioned some changes will be made.  We'd be curious to know if they are working with new menus/food offerings already?  Any indication of that?

It was my first time there in April after hearing about it for years-- so not sure if I saw glimpses of what was to come or what was the old menu. It was very good-- nice menu full of fresh salads, some pastas, sandwiches (we were there at lunch), and of course their pizzas. 

 

We were driving back the other way from Hana so was a convenient stop before heading towards Lahaina. Views are great and the garden terrace, with the little stream running through it and the pergolas, was very pretty. 

[Silver Sweethearts]

4 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

It was my first time there in April after hearing about it for years-- so not sure if I saw glimpses of what was to come or what was the old menu. It was very good-- nice menu full of fresh salads, some pastas, sandwiches (we were there at lunch), and of course their pizzas. 

 

We were driving back the other way from Hana so was a convenient stop before heading towards Lahaina. Views are great and the garden terrace, with the little stream running through it and the pergolas, was very pretty. 

 

Thank you!

[mskaufman]

Thanks for the good advice.  We will probably play it by ear depending on how tired we are.

[BermudaBound2014]

@Silver Sweethearts The menu has changed. It was quite different this year than in the times past, but in all honesty we got the pizza from the brick oven and it was the same (delicious). If I'm not mistaken the folks that operated Cafe O'Lea at the Dunns golf course are now running Kula Lodge food.  

[Silver Sweethearts]

From what we understand, food service at Kula Lodge is now run by Raul Bermudez (formerly the chef at the now closed Five Palms in Kihei).  As far as we know, the people who ran Cafe O Lei at the Dunes in Kahului no longer have that restaurant.  The new tenants at that location have named the place "Fuego", and we believe the theme is Argentine.  At least that is what we hear.  It is fun trying to keep up with all the new/old/in limbo restaurants here...