3 Days in Maui...What should we do? (Kihei, Lahaina: condos, hotels)

[ARTabone]

I am going to Maui on Friday, July 25th. I am only going to be there until Monday morning then I am going to another island. It is going to be my husband and I we are in our late 20's and are looking for some great stuff to do on the island. Neither of us like the really commercialized tours. I know that Maui is very commercialized but I don't like the cheesy touristy stuff. We would prefer things that the locals would do instead of the tour companies. I would really like to do a zip line tour but I don't know which companies are reputable. Any suggestions? Where can we find good snorkeling? We really don't know what to do? Please help!

[JuliaHuff]

rent a car, and drive to Hana Road, buy a booklet before hand, or print out on line all the places where to stop, to mae sure you dont miss anything on the way. it should take the whole day-because you will be stoping. there are waterfalls, bamboo forest, tropical gardens, it is unbelievable. I would suggest spending the night in Hana, we rented a cottage for $90. You can go to Seven Pools in the morning-it is at the end of Hana road, it is the most beutiful place we've ever seen-you hike to this stunning waterfall, through Guava and Bamboo forest and through tons of smaller waterfalls.
On your last day I sugest you drive to the volcano crater, it is really awesome.

[whynot?]

JuliaHuff's recommendations are good ones. There is one zip line company on the way up the volcano (Haleakala) if you go up that way. There is another in West Maui at the new Kapalua Adventures center. The beaches are great, obviously, as is the snorkeling. If you want to reveal where you're staying, I can recommend things that might be nearby. Driving around Maui can be quite time-consuming if you have only three days.

[JuliaHuff]

i would not recommend wasting time on the beaches-there are beaches everywhere, but the unique nature that is on Maui-not, it is one in a lifetime chance to see it, you should use it. We spent 3 days on Maui-were hiking the whole time-to waterfalls, forests, remote beaches, there is so much to see .it is not worth wasting 3 days on laying on the beach. also, for the evening, we went to a Luau, really liked it, it was fun. and we really loved Hana.

[ARTabone]

I am going to be staying in Kihei. I really don't know where to start. I would like to see things that are more unique to Hawaii than other places. I've been to a few beaches (I live in FL and have also been to the Caribbean). I don't really want to spend all of my time in the car driving around. I feel like I do that enough.

I am also going to spend Monday 7/28 afternoon through Friday 8/2 in Lihue. I know nothing about this island. Most of the days I am going to be on my own because my husband will be working. What types of things would be good to do alone?

[whynot?]

Here are a couple of driving times for some of the things that have been recommended. Kihei to Hana: about 60 miles, at least 5 hours with stops. Kihei to the top of Haleakala volcano (10,000 feet alt.): about 30 miles, at least 3 hours with stops. (Mileage and times are one-way in each case.)

Both are really beautiful, but with only three days, doing both of them fills your whole trip, basically. The Hana road is a gorgeous two-lane, mountainside/seaside/forest drive with breathtaking scenery. There are waterfalls, an arboretum, traditional Hawaiian villages, fruit markets, amazing trees and flowers. Magnificent heliconia grow wild in the forest and bloom in July. Mangoes could drop right down into an open-topped convertible.

Haleakala, by contrast is a drive up a mountain on a two-lane road. You pass through gorgeous farmland, eucalyptus forest, then get above the tree-line and up into the clouds and volcanic scree. (Go early in the day for the best viewing. The moisture tends to gather at mid-day.) You can see the Big Island on a clear day; Lanai, Molokini, and Molokai most any day. On the way up, there's the zip line I mentioned earlier, and a lavender farm, a few roadside stop options to see protea growing, poinsettia hedges.

The other zip line I mentioned is at Kapalua Resort in West Maui, about 45 minutes from Kihei. Most of West Maui is beaches, resorts, and Lahainatown (an old whaling town and new tourist town).

For a shorter drive, south of Kihei (about 20 minutes, past Wailea) you might like Makena and the lava fields. The drive (again a "challenging" two-lane road) goes past some really picturesque coves and beaches (and fine homes), and ends up in the Mars-looking lava field from Haleakala's last eruption. It's dry and hot and there's just a gravel road through (basically) big rocks.

About the most "Hawaiian" thing about Kihei is its beautiful beaches. The rest is just resort town with condos, hotels, restaurants, traffic, and trinkets. It is a "local" town, in that "real people" live there, too. It's a pretty typical beach town like you might find in Florida or South Carolina.

Lihue is the airport town on Kauai. There's not much to Lihue other than the airport. Kauai is incredibly beautiful, though, with big rivers, lush foliage, a "grand canyon," sea cliffs, and "the wettest spot on earth." The resort-y areas of Kauai are Poipu (south), Princeville (north), and Kepaa (north/central). The little town of Hanalei is a gem if you're up on the north coast. Similar to Maui, driving times around Kauai are lengthy -- things are farther apart than they appear on a map, and GoogleLocal directions seem to assume a 65mph speed limit, when most of our roads are 35-45.

[JuliaHuff]

Artobone, listen to me, and go to Hana, when you are talking about not wanting to drive-you really dont know what you are talking about! the road has hundreds of waterwals, spectacular views, you pull over all the time and hike to gorgeous places. it is the best thing you can do on Maui, trust me. when we drove to Hana, at some of the spots cars would just stop on the road and people would run out-because they were overwhevelmed by the scenery
we did not plant to stay in hana, but when we got there, we just could not brin ourselves to leave, we changed our plane ticket, found a room, and stayed in Hana.

here are our pictures-the second part is from Hana road, take a look:

Picasa Web Albums - Constantin - 2007 Oct - Ha...

[eekwine]

The drive to Hana is a memorable adventure & if you are looking for authentic Hawaii on Maui, Hana is the closest you can get

[gemfem29]

Find a beach with 8 feet shore breakers and go body surfing!!!....
It's soo fun!

[brkbowma]

1. DON'T DRIIIIIIIIVVVE TO HANA.Too long, will take up all day) 2. Do go to the top of Haleakala and watch the sunrise 3.Go to Wailea Beach, Big Beach, and Keawakapu(lower entrance.) Just my opinion