I.Dup. Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Where did you stay? Did you rent a car (I'm assuming this is a must?)? How did you save money while there? How much would you expect to spend on food, per person, per day? Do you have to schedule snorkeling or do you just go out and snorkel? What kinds of things would you recommend doing/scheduling (boat rides? jet skis? aquarium?)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Do the volcano. It's a whole day deal. Plan carefully for daylight. Do not use a sports car / convertible on the island. The Road to Hana requires a jeep. Do not eat buffets if you can help it. :) My top Maui tips in a nutshell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Hi blessed We live in Honolulu and have island hopped over to Maui quite a few times. It is beautiful. Food is expensive. Do you plan on taking all of the kids? What time of year do you plan on going? Oct thru March is the rainy season. Wailea on the south side is wonderful. I would definitely examine what your goal for the trip is. Maui is actually quite a large island and you will absolutely need a car to do any sightseeing. There is much to be said for the slow pace of island life, I would be careful not to overschedule. There are snorkel tours available or you just rent equipment and venture out at any of many nice spots. Dining out in Maui can be world class. We usually get a room with a kitchenette so we can make light lunches but it is still expensive: milk is $7.50/gal, bread $4/load, 1lb deli meat is easily $10.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I had two thrifty trips to Maui. I brought a peanut butter jar from home and picked up bread and fruit there. I was spending most of my time hiking or swimming, so restaurants weren't important to me. I rented mask and fins from dive shop and just went to different beaches on my own. I did rent a sedan car and drove it around the gravel road to Hana. It voids the warranty of the rental and a person was killed by a rock avalanche on that section of road while I was there. The drive was lovely, but our thoughts were with the deceased park ranger. I signed up for guided tours on Mount Haleakala. I loved bird watching in the rainforest. One trip we brought a tent and camped there. Camping was free after you had the park pass. I did like the aquarium that had native species. I also found a farmer's market (great produce), a youth hula dance recital and generally tried to avoid the "tourist" scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I found this link very helpful. Click the little blue windows to see the entire article: http://www.familyvacationcritic.com/maui-family-vacation/dfv/ Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 I found this link very helpful. Click the little blue windows to see the entire article: http://www.familyvacationcritic.com/maui-family-vacation/dfv/ Alley Thank you!! Hi blessed We live in Honolulu and have island hopped over to Maui quite a few times. It is beautiful. Food is expensive. Do you plan on taking all of the kids? What time of year do you plan on going? Oct thru March is the rainy season. Wailea on the south side is wonderful. I would definitely examine what your goal for the trip is. Maui is actually quite a large island and you will absolutely need a car to do any sightseeing. There is much to be said for the slow pace of island life, I would be careful not to overschedule. There are snorkel tours available or you just rent equipment and venture out at any of many nice spots. Dining out in Maui can be world class. We usually get a room with a kitchenette so we can make light lunches but it is still expensive: milk is $7.50/gal, bread $4/load, 1lb deli meat is easily $10.... Oh wow, see that is what we thought about HI ($$$). How does anyone afford to live there? Dh's best friend just moved there and we are considering it but we wonder how we will ever afford to live there?? What does your husband do? I would love to take our whole family and plan for a vacation next year, probably in November sometime. Would it rain a lot? I thought Kauai was the really rainy island? I am looking at vacation rentals on VRBO. I had two thrifty trips to Maui. I brought a peanut butter jar from home and picked up bread and fruit there. I was spending most of my time hiking or swimming, so restaurants weren't important to me. I rented mask and fins from dive shop and just went to different beaches on my own. I did rent a sedan car and drove it around the gravel road to Hana. It voids the warranty of the rental and a person was killed by a rock avalanche on that section of road while I was there. The drive was lovely, but our thoughts were with the deceased park ranger. I signed up for guided tours on Mount Haleakala. I loved bird watching in the rainforest. One trip we brought a tent and camped there. Camping was free after you had the park pass. I did like the aquarium that had native species. I also found a farmer's market (great produce), a youth hula dance recital and generally tried to avoid the "tourist" scene. That sounds lovely. I just might have to go all by myself, LOL! Do the volcano. It's a whole day deal. Plan carefully for daylight. Do not use a sports car / convertible on the island. The Road to Hana requires a jeep. Do not eat buffets if you can help it. :) My top Maui tips in a nutshell. Why no convertible? Is the volcano worth it, more than being on the beach? Why no buffets? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie75 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We drove a rented Mustang convertible to Hana. No problems. It probably voided a warranty though. You can snorkle for free by the big rock in front of http://www.sheraton-maui.com/ and see lots of fish. It's easy to walk to from any of the hotels or condos in Kaanapali. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShannonS Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Hi blessed! My husband is active duty US Navy, he is actually stationed in Japan right now but we stay here. We are fortunate to be partially insulated from the high cost of living here; the military covers our housing and we have access to the commissary, where groceries are substantially cheaper and tax free. We are also on the main island of Oahu. Maui is more expensive because of additional shipping costs. It is tougher without military perks. My friends that are local either live with multiple generations under one roof, are professional, or hold multiple jobs. Kauai is the rainiest island, but we all get rain in the winter from the cool winds coming in from the northeast. The winter also brings very strong surf conditions to north and eastern shores. If you are coming in the November with small children, I would Definitely stat on the south side for safety reasons alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 The Road to Hana requires jeep. We did it in a van a dozen years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) I don't have anything to add really, but I went last year and it was amazing. You can snorkel at a lot of beaches. I had the best time at Kam 3 (Kamehameha I think). We saw an octopus! I also personally loved the lavender farm. You'll need to rent a car. I didn't even make it to the volcano, but I'm saving that for another trip. Have fun! I'm so jealous! I was wrong. Kam 3 had the great tide pools. Ulua beach is where we saw the Octopus. It probably doesn't matter, all the beaches are amazing. Edited July 26, 2012 by MindyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 The Road to Hana requires a jeep. If you go beyond Hana, yes it does. That section includes middle-of-nowhere dirt/gravel/rough stuff. BUT check your rental agreement. Some prohibit driving that stretch of road, even if you rent a Jeep. A member of our party rented a Jeep, and drove that stretch of road (which of course was expressly prohibited in the agreement, but as the renter said, why do they rent out Jeeps if not to drive that stretch of road? ;)). We picked up a... some spiky thing that is only used on the ranches in that area, which destroyed a tire, and boy did the rental place have a lot of questions when they got the Jeep back. If you get a convertible, or take the top off the Jeep, be super careful about sunburn. One possible money-saving tip -- check out condo rental prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I love Maui. :001_wub: Quite possibly my favorite place on earth. I've only been twice, but both times we stayed on Ka'anapali Beach, once at the Marriott, once at the Sheraton. The nice thing about the Sheraton was that there was decent snorkeling right off the beach -- the hotel is located by the Black Rock. The whole of Ka'anapali Beach is lovely because there is a walkway in front of all of the hotels, by the beach. So one can cruise up and down trying out all of the different restaurants. Are you taking kids? if so, the Ka'anapalii Beach Hotel might be a good option. It is right next to the Sheraton, so you would be near the Black Rock. Plus they have lots of activities for kids. Sigh. I always wanted to go back and take my kids there. Alas, since having kids, we can't afford to go to Hawaii anymore. LOL! They were worth it, though. Most days, anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 If you go beyond Hana, yes it does. That section includes middle-of-nowhere dirt/gravel/rough stuff. BUT check your rental agreement. Some prohibit driving that stretch of road, even if you rent a Jeep. . Oh okay. We were traveling with a baby and toddler so we didn't go past Hana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemaker Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We were recently there and we went all the way around the road to Hana in a rental van. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, my husband was drivning though, there is no chance I would of driven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Where did you stay? There is a guy named Pierre who rents out the guesthouse on his property and also a room in his house. We stayed there. We found him online probably on Vacation Rentals by Owner. We got a free trip out on his boat as well. Did you rent a car (I'm assuming this is a must?)? Yes, unless you plan to just stay on the resort property and not really see/experience the real Hawaii. Because the resort Hawaii is all fake. How did you save money while there? Plate lunches are inexpensive and have tons of food. When we stayed on the big Island a plate lunch plus an order of french fries would feed our family of four (kids were 7 and 5) for lunch. Also, we traveled with carry-ons only to Maui so we really couldn't buy too much without having to buy new luggage as well. There is a lot to be said for just enjoying the free stuff like the beach, walking around the little towns, driving around the island and seeing the sights, etc. We did pay for the ride the bikes down the mountain thing and the pineapple plantation tour. We'd skip the tour and I was too scared to ride my bike so rode in the van instead. How much would you expect to spend on food, per person, per day? I don't know. But there is a Walmart on the island so you could pick up snacks and drinks there if you have a mini-fridge. Buy fresh fruit from the farmer's market and just go out for big lunches or small dinners. Do you have to schedule snorkeling or do you just go out and snorkel? Nope, you can rent gear and just go out on the beach. We liked SnorkelBobs. What kinds of things would you recommend doing/scheduling (boat rides? jet skis? aquarium?)? Nothing. If you want to spend the money you can do a lot of junk like this. We really just enjoyed going native, enjoying the beach, driving around the island, eating local food and talking to people. We had breakfast at Starbucks most mornings and meet some really neat people. Maui is an island of enchantment. It is really a beautiful magical place but you have to get away from the resorts to experience that. Hope you have a wonderful trip.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 Thank you all for the specific tips! We wouldn't be going until next year at the soonest, but I am really looking forward to being able to go at some point. My sister goes several times a year and stays for a month in the summer but we don't talk much so I can't get all this info from her. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 We've been three times, and done it both expensively (honeymoon) and cheaply (5th and 10th anniversaries). I can second Vacation Rentals By Owner website. We paid about $100/night for a 2 br 2 ba condo (5 years ago), right across from the beach in Kehei (I forget the name of the beach but I think it was Kamaaoli Sands 3 - something with a 3). Kids loved it. You could eat on the patio and watch the whales in the ocean (we go after Thanksgiving). Maid comes every 3 or 4 days. We shopped at Costco (near airport) to save on food. Most condo places have a common area with grills you can use and a pool. The public beach was nice, lots of shade, picnic tables, nice water to swim and for littles to play. Not crowded, either. I think on Maui you need a rental car. You can go to Lahania (my boys could have spent hours climbing on the old banyon tree), up the volcano, to Hana, to the north side to watch the surfers/sailboarders (cannot remember the name of the town - Pia or something?). There is a train ride to take (never did this ourselves) I think to an old pineapple or sugar plantation, and an aquarium that is supposed to be nice. You can rent snorkel gear for $30/week from Snorkel Bobs, which are located all over the place in little shopping centers. I liked what I saw right off the beach just as well as I did when we went on an expensive snorkel trip. The last time we were there (5 years ago) we took the kids on this submarine tour. They loved it. It was interesting and fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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