Maui pics

[klamathcraig]

I just finished uploading our recent Maui photos and for those who might be interested, they can be viewed at [url="http://community.webshots.com/user/aces324-date"]Maui - May 2004[/url]. We stayed at the Aston Ka'anapoli Shores for a week and were very satisfied with this property. We stayed in a garden view, one bedroom condo on the fourth floor. The condo was very roomy and nicely appointed. The garden area at this property is very mature and is very well maintained. Evenings on the lanai were a joy. I think every room facing the garden has at least a partial ocean view. Also, we found the restaurant on site to have good food and excellent service.

We will be returning to the islands in September for an NCL cruise on the Pride of Aloha. We have rented a car for the day at Kona and will mainly be looking for photo opportunities. Does anyone have any suggestions for where we can get the best use of our camera for our one day stay in Kona?

Craig

Island Dreams
[url="http://www.island-dreams.us/"]http://www.island-dreams.us/[/url]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;9;19;20;0;00&timezone=GMT-1000[/img]
NCL Pride Of Aloha 09/2004
Tahitian Princess 03/2003 FP/Rarotonga
Renaissance R3 10/2000 French Polynesia
Celebrity Meridian 01/1993 Southern Caribbean
Costa Classica 03/1992 Eastern Caribbean
Crown Princess 06/1991 Western Caribbean

[coiran]

Did you rent a car and do the road to Hana on your own or take a limo/van tour? What was the total time it took there and back??

NCL PRIDE OF ALOHA Oct. 2004
SUN PRINCESS 2004 Caribbean
REGAL PRINCESS 2003 Europe
GOLDEN PRINCESS 2002 Canada New England
SUN PRINCESS 2002 Panama Canal
SUN PRINCESS 2002 Mexico
DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean
DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean
SEA PRINCESS 2001 Alaska
REGAL PRINCESS 2000 Mexico
REGAL PRINCESS 1999 Panama Canal
PACIFIC PRINCESS 1999 Europe
SUN PRINCESS 1998 Caribbean
ROYAL PRINCESS 1996 Panama Canal

[klamathcraig]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by coiran:
Did you rent a car and do the road to Hana on your own or take a limo/van tour? What was the total time it took there and back??<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We rented a compact car and did the road to Hana on our own. If you rent a Jeep, be sure to slather up with the sun screen! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif[/img] We were on Hwy 36 (just out of Kahului) by 8 AM. We didn't get back to this point until 5:15 PM. Keep in mind that we made a lot of stops for photo opportunities. We did the road to Hana, full circle. The five mile gravel section of the road was a piece of cake and barely slowed us down. You may find some travel data that describes this stretch as treacherous. We found this not to be the case. It was very well maintained. Those folks prone to car sickness might find the road to Hana a little overwelming. However, my wife, who gets car sick at the drop of a hat, did fine. This may be due to the fact that we stopped and walked around so frequently. I must say, the road to Hana was one of the highlights of our trip.

Craig

Island Dreams
[url="http://www.island-dreams.us/"]http://www.island-dreams.us/[/url]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;9;19;20;0;00&timezone=GMT-1000[/img]
NCL Pride Of Aloha 09/2004
Tahitian Princess 03/2003 FP/Rarotonga
Renaissance R3 10/2000 French Polynesia
Celebrity Meridian 01/1993 Southern Caribbean
Costa Classica 03/1992 Eastern Caribbean
Crown Princess 06/1991 Western Caribbean

[TrqoisWtrs]

Great turtle shots - I love those guys! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.schmaili.com/top_bilder/sch_gif/68.gif[/img]
[url='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008'][img]http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/26/26_11_10.gif[/img][/url]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Premier Royale 1985
CCL Holiday 09/89
CCL Tropicale 09/94
CCL Fantasy 02/98
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 06/01
CCL Fascination 08/02
CCL Imagination 01/03
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 07/03

[CSloan]

klamathcraig -
Great shots, thanks. Any suggestions for good snorkeling spots from land?

[klamathcraig]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CSloan:
klamathcraig -
Great shots, thanks. Any suggestions for good snorkeling spots from land?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

CSloan -- Here's a rundown on the best sites in the area we stayed (Kaanapali):

West Maui
Honolua Bay - North of Kaanapali on Hwy 30, six tenths of a mile north of marker 32. Park along road. There's a gate that you can walk around. Head down the dirt road to the water.
Honokohau Bay - North end of West Maui, four miles past Honolua Bay entrance.
Kapalua Bay - Just north of Napili. From Lower Honoapilani Hwy, turn left on Napili Pl. Right before you get to the Napili Kai Beach Club turn into the parking area on the right. Look for the blue access sign, marked 219 and walk down to the beach.
Honokeana Bay - Also, off the Lower Honoapilani Hwy, just north of the Napili Point Resort. Park on the street and walk through the parking lot to a lava rock entry to the bay (safe access when bay is calm).

For more info on snorkeling the other great sites on Maui, check out this great guide: "Snorkel Maui and Lanai" by Judy and Mel Malinowski. Hope you have as much fun as we did. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif[/img]

Craig

Island Dreams
[url="http://www.island-dreams.us/"]http://www.island-dreams.us/[/url]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;9;19;20;0;00&timezone=GMT-1000[/img]
NCL Pride Of Aloha 09/2004
Tahitian Princess 03/2003 FP/Rarotonga
Renaissance R3 10/2000 French Polynesia
Celebrity Meridian 01/1993 Southern Caribbean
Costa Classica 03/1992 Eastern Caribbean
Crown Princess 06/1991 Western Caribbean

[This message was edited by klamathcraig on 06-17-04 at 10:15 PM.]

[CSloan]

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out the guide too. We'll be there in late November.

Cathy

[coiran]

klamathcraig

Did you go to Hana and return on the same route or continue driving completely around to the southeast? I heard that the road beyond Hana gets real bad and rental car agencies don'ant youto drive it??

Ron

NCL PRIDE OF ALOHA Oct. 2004
SUN PRINCESS 2004 Caribbean
REGAL PRINCESS 2003 Europe
GOLDEN PRINCESS 2002 Canada New England
SUN PRINCESS 2002 Panama Canal
SUN PRINCESS 2002 Mexico
DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean
DAWN PRINCESS 2001 Caribbean
SEA PRINCESS 2001 Alaska
REGAL PRINCESS 2000 Mexico
REGAL PRINCESS 1999 Panama Canal
PACIFIC PRINCESS 1999 Europe
SUN PRINCESS 1998 Caribbean
ROYAL PRINCESS 1996 Panama Canal

[klamathcraig]

Ron - Get your hands on "Maui Revealed" (Wizard Publications Inc), commonly refered to as the "blue guide." On page 73 there is a chapter titled "Can a Rental Car Go All The Way?" I believe it offers the best advice on traveling the "five mile stretch." We found that there were actually worse parts of the road to Hana than the infamous "five mile stretch." In fact, this question is asked so many times at the Ranger Station at 'Ohe'o Gulch that they have posted a sign that states the road is "passable for all vehicles." In any event, I think the worst thing that could happen if there were a mishap with your rental vehicle on this stretch of the road is that any extra insurance that you may have purchased may not be valid. Or you may have to pay for your own tow back to the pavement. In any event, it was well worth the risk for us.

Craig

[Beryl]

Thank you Craig for the wonderful photos of Maui! It is my favourite place on the planet (at least the parts of the planet I have seen so far [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]) and your photos were a fabulous chance for me to visit once again...even though it was only through cyber space [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img] !

Cruising! It's like being in the Garden of Eatin'!