When to visit: The best time to visit Hawaii is when the crowds are small, prices are (relatively) low and the weather is good. The period between early October and mid-November bring the best deals – obviously you will save money on airline tickets and hotel bills but other bonuses like free room upgrades, easy access to popular restaurants and especially deep discounts for tourist activities will be enjoyed. Weather isn’t a problem although it can be a bit toasty early in October.
How to make a reservation: Hawaii is one of the most popular destinations for the tourism packaging industry. Virtually every airline that flies to Hawaii sells packages including airfares, hotel and rentals. You can also book flights, hotels and cars separately on individual company websites. Some hotels have lodging packages that include car rentals. I’ve found the internet tourism companies (pleasantholidays.com, expedia.com, etc…) have the best rates – We have booked our recent trips to Maui with pleasantholidays.com. You don’t get frequent flyer miles or frequent hotel stay miles with many of the discount packages – it pays to check to see if there is a significant price difference between booking a flight on the airline website and booking the car/hotel package with pleasantholidays.com separately (we have done that before) so you can pick out your seats and get frequent flyer miles. Also be aware that many hotels don’t add taxes to their quoted prices but many travel packagers give you a total price including tax. Costco’s travel service also has some good deals, especially for certain condo rentals – but you may have to wait for a long time (30-60 minutes) on the phone to get to an agent. Basically, you could go crazy checking all the permutations of discount travel reservations but at least take a look at the pleasantholidays.com website as in our experience have been the cheapest with the widest range of hotel options (total dive to five star resorts) to fit all tastes and budgets.
Where to Stay: There are two major tourist areas on Maui – Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina/Kapalua (West side of Maui) and Wailea/Makena which are toward the southern tip of the island. In addition, the Travel Channel has named Kihei which is a town on the way from the airport to Wailea as the place to find the best condo rental deals in Hawaii. We always stay in the Wailea area because it tends to be less windy, has great beaches, and is less congested. Advantages of the Kaanapali/Kapalua area include more tourist activities, more shopping and more restaurants. Halloween is a big deal in Lahaina and be prepared for gridlock if you want to drive around on that day. If you want to play golf, the 3 courses at Wailea and 2 courses at Makena are hard to beat. If you want to do a lot of activities/shopping it makes a lot of sense to stay in the Lahaina area to reduce driving.
A word about accommodations – There are a huge number of places to stay on Maui and one can find great deals if you do a little research. For adults guests where price is no object, Kapalua has the Ritz-Carlton and Wailea has the Four Seasons Maui. Whether staying or just strolling through the grounds, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina is one of the most beautiful resorts anywhere and boasts a rich variety of animals in an artificial tropical zoo. We like staying at the Grand Wailea Resort with its water park including a collection of interconnected pools and water slides. Families may want to stay at the classic Wailea Ekahi Village, a collection of comfortable condos next to the beautiful Wailea Beach. It pays to figure out what activities you want to do before deciding on a hotel – it makes no sense to spend lots of money on the Grand Wailea if you want to spend most of your time windsurfing on the other side of the island. For the most part, all the beaches on Maui are great for most vacationers who want to lie on the sand and play in the surf. Specific activities like surfing and windsurfing require going to beaches away from the tourist areas for the best conditions and teaching. Also keep in mind people who stay in the hotels of a resort area tend to get better tee times and preferential greens fees. When looking for a place to stay on Maui its helpful to start at a travel website like pleasantholidays.com, expedia.com or hotels.com to get lists of hotels, price ranges and amenities available. From a list of potentials you can look at various internet sites like yahoo travel and the travel channel to look at specific comments by past patrons.
Ray and Traci’s Favorite Places to Eat
- Azeka’s Ribs & Snack Shop – Many places sell marinated beef ribs – “Kal-bi Ribs”, “Korean Ribs,” but Azeka’s Ribs are world famous since 1976 and are found in Azeka’s snack shop in Kihei. You can buy complete prepared meals with ribs or better yet, buy 1 pound of marinated uncooked ribs per person and have your own barbecue! If you eat at one place during your visit to Maui, make it Azeka’s Ribs!
- Sansei Restaurant & Sushi Bar – Two locations are found on Maui, one in Kihei and one in Kapalua and this restaurant was featured on Rachael Ray’s $40 show on Maui. Food is half price as a late night special!
- Stella Blues – Looking for a “regular” restaurant to take a break from plate lunches and delicious ribs? Try Stella Blues in Kihei which has a nice selection of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Seafood, vegetarian dishes, pancakes and desserts – they are all available.
- Hakone Restaurant at the Maui Prince Hotel (Makena) – On Saturday nights (we found that the date changed from Monday to Saturday nights on our last visit), Hakone has an all you can eat Japanese buffet including sushi and all sorts of Japanese foods. The buffet is pricy ~ $50, but the amazing spread of all you can eat delicious foods can’t be beat.
- Humuhumunukunukuapua’a – Named after Hawaii’s state fish, Humu’s is a floating restaurant at the Grand Wailea Hotel. Below the restaurant swims a variety of hungry fish that love to munch on pieces of bread diners throw into the water. Besides the fish show, you can find a delicious $50 steak and lobster entrée found among choices of fish and meat entrees with Hawaiian influences. To keep the meal somewhat economical, stay away from the drinks!
- Aloha Mixed Plate – The plate lunch is a Hawaiian institution: it includes a main fish or meat entrée, rice, and macaroni salad. Aloha Mixed Plate has been a favorite on the and is located in Lahaina behind the Cannery Mall.
- Da Kitchen – Looking for a cheap and filling meal in Kihei? Look no farther than Da Kitchen! (A location in Kahului also exists). Salads, Burgers, Steaks, Ribs – its all here and cheap, cheap, cheap! Warning – do not have lunch here before a big dinner – the huge meals will ruin your appetite.
- Longhi’s (Locations in the Shops at Wailea mall and the original location in Lahaina) – Looking for a place for a great breakfast? Longhi’s fits the bill – fresh fruit, French Toast, Pancakes, etc…Good food!
