Our cruise experience--pre-cruise on Maui

[annecolorgreen]

September 14th--awoke at 0500 (EDT) and arrived in Maui (after a flight change in Oahu--poor planning on our part) at about 6 pm (Hawaii time). We had to get our rental car and then drove to Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. We arrived quite late and hungry and were surprised that a friend had sent a lovely fruit basket wrapped in ti leaves and a bottle of champagne. Perfect ending to a long day. We left the balcony doors open (had screens) and could hear the waves crashing on the beach. We had no trouble sleeping :).

 

September 15th--Woke at 2:45 am and quickly made coffee and dressed (having a coffee maker and small refrigerator in our room was wonderful--I even filled a thermos for our trip) for our trip to Haleakala for the sunrise! The drive didn't bother me, but my husband was bugged by the curvy road in the dark and was happy to finally reach the summit. We arrive about 5:30 am for the 6:10 am sunrise and it was already getting light. The clouds below us and the sun coming up were beautiful! During our visit, a lady from the parks department chanted at sunrise and then gave some history and details about the area (they didn't do this a few days later when our friends were there). On the way down, we stopped at the visitor center where they had a nice example of a silversword plant which we did NOT see at the lookout spot.

Next, we stopped at the Paradise Flower farm in Kula to pick up our leis for our vow renewal later that night (they weren't ready yet but agreed to deliver them for free later which they did). I did get some nice pictures of the ladies making some leis--very friendly. Further into Kula, we stopped at Grandma's Coffee Shop and got an amazing chai tea latte and a tropical muffin--yum. This place was nothing to look at--but clean and very friendly. Kind of a "Cheers" atmosphere--lots of locals and the girl working the counter knew their orders ahead of time. Our friends went a few days later and ordered an omelette that they said was very good too. Next door was a small store--much less friendly--I wouldn't go back.

Back to the hotel for a nap on the beach and to get ready for our vow renewal and luau. We caught a cab to Lahaina as we didn't want to have to worry about driving after drinks at the luau. Before meeting with our minister, we stopped at "Betty's Cafe" in the 505 Front Street shops area and had a mai tai. They have a happy hour each day from 2-5 pm with cheap drinks. The mai tai was good but the margarita was not. Tiki bar atmosphere. I think they do a cheap lobster night on Wednesdays too.

Our vow renewal was the best part of my trip. :D We got a recommendation for a local minister from the reservation lady from Feast at Lele. His name is Richard Murray and is part-owner of Hula Cookies and Ice Cream (more on that later). He brought a lady from his church to take pictures and did a wonderful job. We were on the small beach in front of the "Feast" area. He gave us a print out of what he said and our vows. A very special time for us. If you are looking for someone, you can contact Richard at 808-870-9085. He didn't quote us a price (he doesn't have a "business"--just does this on the side) but we ended up giving him $125 and his helper $40 (although she didn't want to take it). Very nice people.

The Feast at Lele was incredible!!!!!! We booked early so had front row seats and it was so worth it. The drinks were free flowing and you could order more than one at a time if you wanted to (we did once as I wanted to try port wine and wasn't sure I would like it). They had optional professional pictures at the beginning that were so good, we actually bought some!! The food was excellent--I really enjoyed trying new things--even the poi. I will say that you could "watch" the show from Betty's if you wanted to but you would really miss out on the wonderful overall experience. A cab back to the hotel was the safest thing ;).

 

September 16th--a short morning run along the pathway in front of the hotels at Ka'anapali that runs along the ocean front (why don't we have one at home in Indiana? ;)) followed by the free breakfast buffet the hotel provides in exchange for giving you some historical info on the hotel, available activities, and info on the island. This is NOT a time-share presentation--very good food, entertainment, and information. Now, off on our adventure in our jeep. There were lots of great beaches north of Ka'anapali, but my first goal was to find the Nakalele Blowhole. It was at mm 38 1/2 to park and I already posted info about specifically how to find it. Quite the adventure but well worth it. Next, we tried to find the Olivine Pools but there was some broken auto glass in the parking lot so we skipped it. On the way back, we stopped at the DT Fleming Park (nice beach area with restrooms, showers, picnic tables, shade) and did a quick stop at the overlook for the Honolua Beach which is a sheltered cover with a HUGE shallow coral reef area. It was extremely crowded so we didn't try to snorkel. There were even tour boats docked here. Did I mention the views from these cliffs? Oh my. It's well worth the drive even if you don't make any stops and wouldn't take too much time (maybe an hour there and back?). From some previously posted information, I knew better than to try to make the "loop"--sounds very dangerous beyond the Olivine Pools area.

Back to the hotel and we got ready for our evening meal at Mama's Fish House in Paia. We weren't sure how long it would take to get there and were a little early, so stopped at the Ho'okipa Beach which is the beginning to the Road to Hana. In the early evening, the windsurfers come out and it is mesmerizing to watch them. Bring binoculars and a camera.

Mama's Fish House was so expensive and so worth it. We arrived a bit early and walked the small beach in front of the restaurant. Make sure to notice the gecko walkway and the banyan tree archway as you go into the restaurant. Even the restroom was neat! We had asked for a "table with a view" for our reservation and we were up front in the open air restaurant. The wait staff was super attentive and they had even printed a "Happy 25th Anniversary" greeting and left it on our table. The manager came over and wished us a happy anniversary and gave me a lei. Another staff member gave us a copy of that days menu and sent it home with us. The fish is caught that day and the menu printed with the type of fish, the name of the fisherman who caught it, and the area in which it was caught. I had "ono" and my dh had the lobster. Dessert was creme brulee with a lilikoi topping for dh and homemade tahitian vanilla ice cream for me and we had kona coffee prepared at the table with a french press. The food was amazing. After the sun set (a great view from here), we headed back to the hotel and sat in the outdoor bar area and enjoyed the entertainment--very talented trio. By the way, the drinks at our hotel weren't very good unfortunately.

 

September 17th--awoke early again but it was the best time for snorkeling in front of the hotel at the Black Rock at the Sheraton. AMAZING. We saw some sting rays and even swam with a turtle! I saw a unicorn fish, the Humuhumunukunukuapua`a, some wrasse of various types, yellow tang, and lemon butterfly. How fun--and exhausting. The wind picks up on this side of the island in the afternoons which makes the water cloudy. By the way, we had an HD Flip video camera and bought a waterproof case for it and it worked very well for underwater pictures (you can take a still from the video). It was also helpful during "wet" above water video ops like at the blowhole.

We dressed and drove to Lahaina which was a great place to explore if you liked to shop or enjoyed history. I enjoy history. The banyan tree was worth a stop just by itself. We had our first shaved ice--crappy--at Lappert's (more like a snow cone). We tried to walk to Aloha Mixed Plate for lunch but it was WAY down Front Street and so we backtracked and went to the Lahaina Fish Co. instead. My fish chowder and mahi sandwich were very good and the view was nice. We did a quick stop at the Baldwin House. We did stop at the Hula Cookies and Ice Cream shop and had a kona coffee/choc chip cookie and it was so good that we stopped later at the store in Kihei and bought some more for my friend and I and my husband had an amazing REAL Hawaiian shaved ice at that location.

We drove to the other side of the island to check out the parking situation at the port as we were keeping our rental car. We decided the best thing was to park at the airport since it was so close and to take a cab there from the ship on day 1. From there, we drove up to the Iao Valley and to see the Iao Needle and it was SO worth the drive (fairly close to the cruise area if you stop in Kahului). It was so beautiful and peaceful. My husband and I had been bickering (we were tired) and he thanked me over and over for suggesting this stop. It was very peaceful. I ran into the Bailey House quickly to check it out and it was worth the time (and money--$7). Lots of "Hawaiiana".

Back to the hotel and took a walk before heading over in front of the Sheraton next door to watch the torch lighting/cliff diving at sunset. Dinner was at Leilanni's after a 20 minute wait and their kalua pork nachos was ONO...and so was the Hula Pie (which could easily provide dessert for four). Sadly, we couldn't eat it all.

September 18th--RACE DAY! I had decided ahead of time to compete in the Taco Maui 5K (there was also a half-marathon and marathon but they were later that day and the next). I met some nice people and one of the girls ended up running with me which made it more fun. We did fairly well. We finished ahead of the boy who looked to be about three years old. :o Back to finish packing up (after a quick shower) and then down to the hotel lobby for the kukui nut lei ceremony (held each hour from 8 am to noon). That was a nice ending touch.

 

Overall, the KBH was a great place to stay. The hotel staff was super friendly, it wasn't "snobby" at all, our room was clean and nice, the entertainment was great, and the activities that had daily were fun (I made a lei but we were too busy for anything else). They had a large lawn area where you could lay out on lounge chairs and have some privacy and/or lie by the pool. There were cabanas for rent beachside. I would definitely go back there.

[riofriotex]

Great review! Thanks for sharing, especially as I'd like to go back to Maui some day.

[sue402001]

Awesome review Anne, I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful time!

[bbiggar]

We been to Maui 8 times and didn't go to a few places you mentioned. These being the West Maui Moutain area. We will try and find these places in a little over four weeks when we return. :)

 

The KBH is a nice hotel if you like quiet, we have made friends with many staff there. We are so excited to be seeing them again soon. As for the drinks at the bar, they are very strong, but good. Just a matter of opinion I guess. The grounds you will see only beauty, grass and beautiful trees, my favorite the plumera.:) No concrete pool jungle here.

[Iwannabeatraveler]

Anne- Thanks for the great review. I have 2 questions. 1: When you did the Haleakala Sunrise, were there any restrooms up there? We are doing a tour with bike down and I am worried about having the need "to go"! ( especially if we bring "to go" coffee!)

The other question I had is where did you buy the waterproof case for your flipcam? Do you know how much it was? it worked pretty well for snorkeling without leaks?

Thanks!

Andrea

[annecolorgreen]

You are so right about drinks--we all have our own opinions. To be honest, we didn't taste two mai tais in the whole state that tasted the same ;).

 

Question #1: YES, there are restrooms at the summit! (a tad chilly though) I used that one and then another at the Visitor Center on the way down!:rolleyes:

 

Question #2: I bought it online at amazon.com. It worked VERY well!

[Iwannabeatraveler]

Thanks! Did you just look for Flip cam case for a search?

[annecolorgreen]

This is it: (if you have the HD version) http://www.amazon.com/Flip-Video-Underwater-UltraHD-Cameras/dp/B002OT4NN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1286289615&sr=8-1