so far in Maui--Nakalele blowhole, mama's fish house, feast at lele, sunrise...

[annecolorgreen]

Aloha from Maui! We are here pre-cruise and I wanted to be sure and let you know a couple of things in particular before I forgot. I may or may not get back on to answer questions right away as our cruise leaves TOMORROW! :D

 

First, from the Revealed book p. 190 (Nakalele Blowhole hike): this is an excellent hike and well worth the experience! But, I'll give you a couple of hints. Park to the right of the parking lot. as you go toward the sea, veer to the right if you want to avoid SOME of the hike (you won't see the sea arch) but it's a tad less harrowing. The spot we went down was just below the flat area that had a rock circle--assuming some type of religious ceremony area. To avoid some of the hike, go to the right of this--even to the dirt road to the right. If you go to the right, be on the lookout for white splotches on the rocks--paint--that will kind of guide you down the first hill. If you don't use this spot, just keep going right and you will end up at that spot after you cross in front of the light beacon. Now, hug the cliff as you pick your way to the blowhole. I had one harrowing experience where my life passed in front of my eyes as I climbed--but there was a better path closer to the cliff. You will see a tiny blowhole--keep going. Before you get to the "real" one, you will see a huge change in the rocks (acid warzone) and a large flat area--the blowhole is just a bit further and you will see the spray. It is amazing! We took an HD video camera with a waterproof case and got some amazing pictures! Now, there DID appear to be another area that you could climb down from if you looked up the cliff (WAY up), but that looks much steeper and less safe. I would say this was a "moderate" hike.

 

Next, the Feast at Lele was SUPER wonderful. If you want to feel "special", this is the luau for you. Your servers are wonderful and attentive, you receive a lei and mai tai as you enter, the view of the sunset is amazing, the photographers did an outstanding job (I even liked our pictures!!), and I loved the way you are served food between performances and actually have time to enjoy it and relax between courses. (the earlier you book the better--we had a front row table that was perfect)

 

Last night, we ate at Mama's Fish House in Paia. If you can afford this place--GO. Once again, I was made to feel very special. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and they created a special "congrats" note for us, the manager came over and presented me with a lei, and the food was to die for.

 

One more thing: the sunrise at Haleakala is freakin' COLD. I thought I was prepared--nope. I mean, it's the warmest month in Maui after all ;). I wore, tennis shoes (many poor folks had on sandals), jeans, short sleeve shirt and a jacket, gloves, ear muffs, a thin blanket and had a carafe of coffee (HIGHLY recommended). I still froze. If you don't want to pack much, I would recommend instant handwarmers. They are small and lightweight. Oh, you know what else might help?? Those thermal care back warmers like you use when you injure your back. They last for hours.

 

That's all for now. Aloha!

[CruisingGoddess]

Thanks for the tips!! Have a wonderful time!!

[sceptic]

The handwarmers/backwarmers are a great idea!

 

The best prepared people on the summit usually have a blanket (borrowed from the condo or cabin) plus the other accessories you mentioned, but it's so relentlessly cold and typically windy that you'd have to dress like you're skiing in Montana in January to be truly warm. But the handwarmers! Brilliant - insanely easy to buy and small to pack.

 

Again, bravo.

[FloatYourBoatSince2003]

Loving that up-to-the minute report! Have a great trip...nice to hear that it's started off so well.

 

Cheers!

[AussieChick78]

You've made up my mind!

 

I could not make up my mind about doing a luau in Maui. But, the Feast at Lele sounds terrific. I'm also looking at staying in Lahaina that that night, so that we can enjoy some drinks, and won't have to worry about finding a carpark back at the ship at that time of night! We are planning to do the RTH earlier that day, so it would be nice to relax before the luau too!

 

P.S. Have fun on your cruise! Bon Voyage!

[jillyfish]

Anne~ Sounds like you are having a marvelous time!! Enjoy, Hawaii is all around wonderful!! Congratulations on your 25th Wedding Anniversary!! Have a great cruise!

[sue402001]

Thanks for sharing with us Anne!

I had to lol at the mention of the sunrise at Haleakala as that is what my 2 sisters will be doing next April. Now I need to decide if I want to warn them. :D

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Happy Anniversary! Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to hear all about your cruise, too.:D

[smrtypnts]

Aloha from Maui! We are here pre-cruise and I wanted to be sure and let you know a couple of things in particular before I forgot. I may or may not get back on to answer questions right away as our cruise leaves TOMORROW! :D

 

Next, the Feast at Lele was SUPER wonderful. If you want to feel "special", this is the luau for you. Your servers are wonderful and attentive, you receive a lei and mai tai as you enter, the view of the sunset is amazing, the photographers did an outstanding job (I even liked our pictures!!), and I loved the way you are served food between performances and actually have time to enjoy it and relax between courses. (the earlier you book the better--we had a front row table that was perfect)

 

 

One more thing: the sunrise at Haleakala is freakin' COLD. I thought I was prepared--nope. I mean, it's the warmest month in Maui after all ;). I wore, tennis shoes (many poor folks had on sandals), jeans, short sleeve shirt and a jacket, gloves, ear muffs, a thin blanket and had a carafe of coffee (HIGHLY recommended). I still froze. If you don't want to pack much, I would recommend instant handwarmers. They are small and lightweight. Oh, you know what else might help?? Those thermal care back warmers like you use when you injure your back. They last for hours.

 

That's all for now. Aloha!

 

Thank you for these 2 tips and other information. I ski and I wouldn't have thought to bring the hand (or feet) warmers...but now I will.:)

 

I am very interested in your Feast at Lele. What time did you have to be there? I have searched all over their site for this info and can't find it.

[annecolorgreen]

You arrive at the Feast at Lele at about 6 pm (a little down time at the beginning for photos, drinks, etc...) and then it ends about 9 pm I think. It is located in a little shopping area that I think is actually called "505 Front Street" and is a nice place to hang out if you get there a bit early.

 

I journaled my trip and will be posting a review soon!!

[annecolorgreen]

Oh, AussieChick, just a "heads up" about doing the RTH first. Do NOT try to do the complete loop and then make the Feast at Lele. It takes FAR longer than you will think. We made very few stops and started about 8 am and got back to the ship (Kahului) at 6:40 pm (you wouldn't get to Lahaina any earlier). I would recommend only going to Hana and then heading back the way you came if you want to make it to Lahaina in a timely manner. The back side takes way more time than we thought it would. Even trying to drive to Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) would probably take more time than you have.

 

Hope this helps!

[AussieChick78]

Oh, AussieChick, just a "heads up" about doing the RTH first. Do NOT try to do the complete loop and then make the Feast at Lele. It takes FAR longer than you will think. We made very few stops and started about 8 am and got back to the ship (Kahului) at 6:40 pm (you wouldn't get to Lahaina any earlier). I would recommend only going to Hana and then heading back the way you came if you want to make it to Lahaina in a timely manner. The back side takes way more time than we thought it would. Even trying to drive to Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) would probably take more time than you have.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the tip, I was planning on doing the full loop but will probably go to Hana and back now. I does look deceptive though, It definately looks like a shorter route going the back way, just goes to show!:D

 

BTW, I'm loving your review so far!

 

Cheers, AussieChick78

[smrtypnts]

Oh, AussieChick, just a "heads up" about doing the RTH first. Do NOT try to do the complete loop and then make the Feast at Lele. It takes FAR longer than you will think. We made very few stops and started about 8 am and got back to the ship (Kahului) at 6:40 pm (you wouldn't get to Lahaina any earlier). I would recommend only going to Hana and then heading back the way you came if you want to make it to Lahaina in a timely manner. The back side takes way more time than we thought it would. Even trying to drive to Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) would probably take more time than you have.

 

Hope this helps!

I would really like to go to Oheo Gulch as well as Feast at Lele. I have asked this basic question of several people over the year I've been getting information for Hawaii--Do you think if I were to go to Oheo Gulch first without stopping along the way and then making my stops on the way back, I would stand any better chance of being able to "do it all"? Obviously, it's going to depend on traffic and how often and how long I want to stop, but what's your gut say?

[annecolorgreen]

That's possible, but I would definitely try to get going as early as possible to beat the tour buses. Since I didn't drive back from there, you may want to hunt up some other reviews of someone who did to see what time they made it back. It's probably 45 minutes from Paia to Lahaina and you don't have to be there until 6 pm. If you wanted to change before the show, there are several fast food type places along the way where you could do that. I wouldn't think you would have time to make it back to the ship to clean up.

 

If you don't think you can make that, I will say that our dinner at Mama's Fish House was extra special--just not a luau. It's a nice place to have a relaxing dinner and is in Paia right at the beginning (or end) of the Road to Hana. AMAZING food and service and a beautiful location. We especially enjoyed watching the windsurfers there. That would save you the drive to Lahaina.

[smrtypnts]

That's possible, but I would definitely try to get going as early as possible to beat the tour buses. Since I didn't drive back from there, you may want to hunt up some other reviews of someone who did to see what time they made it back. It's probably 45 minutes from Paia to Lahaina and you don't have to be there until 6 pm. If you wanted to change before the show, there are several fast food type places along the way where you could do that. I wouldn't think you would have time to make it back to the ship to clean up.

 

If you don't think you can make that, I will say that our dinner at Mama's Fish House was extra special--just not a luau. It's a nice place to have a relaxing dinner and is in Paia right at the beginning (or end) of the Road to Hana. AMAZING food and service and a beautiful location. We especially enjoyed watching the windsurfers there. That would save you the drive to Lahaina.

Thank you very much!!