Maui - rent a car - recommended sights to see

well after serious consideration and reading a ton of reviews I think we are going to skip Hana , rent a car and do more of a leisurely, relaxing day or two on maui (also since the three previous day's will be very packed )

What places would you recommend we see ?

Thanks for all your info - it has been very useful :)

well after serious consideration and reading a ton of reviews I think we are going to skip Hana , rent a car and do more of a leisurely, relaxing day or two on maui (also since the three previous day's will be very packed )

What places would you recommend we see ?

Thanks for all your info - it has been very useful :)

On our two trips to Maui, we have done the road to Hana, spent part of a day on Kaanapali Beach, walked around in Lahaina and had lunch, and snorkeled off Molokini. But the highlight to me, and we have done it both trips, is to rent a car and drive up Haleakala. It is a beautiful trip, unbelievable views, and there are other things to see and do also along the way such as a winery and botanical gardens. On the way back to port, we followed an alternate route with beautiful scenery, small towns and shopping. It brings you out on the road to Hana near the town of Paia where my fav restaurant, Mamas Fish House, is located. We stopped there for dinner, and it was a short drive back to the ship. Perfect day in Maui.

This would be my choice for two days on Maui - I've listed the stops in the order that would probably be best to do them. Since you've got such busy days leading up to Maui, I wouldn't do sunrise at Haleakala ... I'd go in daylight and enjoy the scenery on the way up and down.

One day:

- Haleakala (Kula Lodge Restaurant is on the way - a good place to stop for lunch on the way back down, or breakfast if you get an early start from the ship)

- A beach in South Maui

- La Perouse Bay (to see the lava fields from Haleakala's last eruption from the late 1700's.)

Here's the route.

The other day:

- Iao Valley

- Nakalele Blowhole (this is the furthest point, so I would head there from Iao Valley and work your way back to the next stops - the drive to Nakalele is very scenic, especially between Kapalua and Nakalele - I don't think you'd regret not doing the RTH if you do this drive.)

- Kapalua Beach (good swimming & snorkelling) & Kapalua Coastal Trail if you like walking (Napili Bay is next door, to the south, easy to walk to from the public parking area for Kapalua Beach, and it's a beautiful swimming beach.)

- Whaler's Village & Kaanapali Beach

- Town of Lahaina (historic sites & shopping)

Here's the route.

Note that you would need to add about 30-40 minutes to return to the cruise port from S. Maui (depending on where your last stop is in S. Maui) and about 50 minutes from Lahaina.

You could change the order of the stops in S. Maui ... e.g. go to La Perouse Bay first and beach after ... same with W. Maui ... do the stops in the order that you want to. If time is short in W. Maui, you could drop a stop...e.g. Kaanapali Beach/Whaler's Village.

A good and very compact guidebook with a good map, that would be useful for your 2 days is this one.

This would be my choice for two days on Maui - I've listed the stops in the order that would probably be best to do them. Since you've got such busy days leading up to Maui, I wouldn't do sunrise at Haleakala ... I'd go in daylight and enjoy the scenery on the way up and down.

 

One day:

 

- Haleakala (Kula Lodge Restaurant is on the way - a good place to stop for lunch on the way back down, or breakfast if you get an early start from the ship)

- A beach in South Maui

- La Perouse Bay (to see the lava fields from Haleakala's last eruption from the late 1700's.)

Here's the route.

 

The other day:

 

- Iao Valley

- Nakalele Blowhole (this is the furthest point, so I would head there from Iao Valley and work your way back to the next stops - the drive to Nakalele is very scenic, especially between Kapalua and Nakalele - I don't think you'd regret not doing the RTH if you do this drive.)

- Kapalua Beach (good swimming & snorkelling) & Kapalua Coastal Trail if you like walking (Napili Bay is next door, to the south, easy to walk to from the public parking area for Kapalua Beach, and it's a beautiful swimming beach.)

- Whaler's Village & Kaanapali Beach

- Town of Lahaina (historic sites & shopping)

Here's the route.

 

Note that you would need to add about 30-40 minutes to return to the cruise port from S. Maui (depending on where your last stop is in S. Maui) and about 50 minutes from Lahaina.

 

You could change the order of the stops in S. Maui ... e.g. go to La Perouse Bay first and beach after ... same with W. Maui ... do the stops in the order that you want to. If time is short in W. Maui, you could drop a stop...e.g. Kaanapali Beach/Whaler's Village.

 

A good and very compact guidebook with a good map, that would be useful for your 2 days is this one.

These are great ideas. If you are looking for a online guide that gives your directions by roads and mile markers, I found the guides on this site to be very handy. It's a little old so most of the pictures are missing. But the roads and sights are still there. :)

http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/byotgdxm.htm

Thanks for the great suggestions for our two days in Maui Susan m