Trip Report -- Oahu & Maui

We got back a little less than a week ago from a 12 day trip to Oahu and Maui. I can鈥檛 say that the weather was entirely cooperative, but we tried to not let it affect us. I was six months pregnant, so we were somewhat limited in our activities. Sorry this is so long; we write it for our photo album as well as a guide to future travelers.

Oahu (Nights 1 %26amp; 2)

Hotel 鈥?Halekulani

Restaurants 鈥?House Without A Key, Keos

We only spent two nights in Oahu. I know we probably missed out on a lot of the fabulous opportunities that island had to offer, but really wanted to spend the majority of our time in Maui.

We stayed at the Hotel Halekulani. This was a lovely hotel. The staff was incredibly helpful and gracious. I agree with other posters that they should consider room renovations to stay competitive with other Hawaiian luxury hotels, but the beds were comfortable and the view from our partial ocean view room was fantastic. We were on the 10th floor, which we were told is the highest partial ocean view floor.

We ate our first dinner at House Without A Key (the Halekulani鈥檚 casual restaurant). This was very nice and is situated right along the water. They also have nightly live entertainment which complements the flavor of Waikiki perfectly. We also had the breakfast buffet both mornings, although given the location of the hotel, you could easily find less expensive options. The buffet was excellent though.

Our second night we ate at a Thai restaurant a few blocks from the hotel called Keos. We asked the concierge for a suggestion on a casual dining place. We love Thai food and were not disappointed with Keos. The ginger Mahi-mahi was excellent.

The first day my husband did a surfing lesson with Hawaiian Fire Surf School, and I went along to watch. We thought the experience was great. We were very glad that we decided to go with this surf school, because they take you to a beach 30 minutes away from crowded Waikiki. We were the only group on a gorgeous stretch of sand with perfect learning waves. Our group was small, so the ratio of surfers to instructors was almost 1:1. He got up on his first wave!

Our second day we really only had the morning, so we just explored Waikiki beach and relaxed by the pool.

In general, Waikiki was nice, but very touristy. I wouldn鈥檛 fly halfway across the world just to go there but it鈥檚 fine for a quick stopover.

Maui

Hotels 鈥?Ho鈥檕ilo House, Hotel Hana Maui, Four Seasons

Restaurants 鈥?

West Maui - BJs pizza, Hula Grill, Mala, Sansei, Cilantro

Hana 鈥?we rotated between the three eating options at the hotel

Wailea 鈥?Ferraros, Humuhumunukunukuapua

We reserved a mid-sized car through Avis. I am glad that I didn鈥檛 splurge for a convertible as it rained too much to enjoy it. The car we got was a Chevrolet HHR, which kind of looks like a PT Cruiser. I would not recommend this type of car. The windows were weirdly small for such a large vehicle and we felt the sight lines were restricted by the frame. Our car was also bright red which screamed tourist and made us feel like we were driving around in a fire engine. I suppose I could have switched vehicles, but I really just wanted to get out of the airport.

West Maui (Nights 3-6)

Our first four nights in Maui we stayed in West Maui at Ho鈥檕ilo House. This six room hotel is located a little south of Lahaina in a residential neighborhood a mile or so up in the mountains. We really liked the laid back nature of the hotel and the views are amazing. Our room had an enormous bathroom and a great lanai. Our only complaint was that there is no bathroom door, which does not allow for a lot of privacy. It was also a bit of a pain to have to drive to the beach and out to eat. But, if you are looking to get away from the crowds in West Maui, this is a good option. The continental breakfast consisted of two types of cereal, delicious freshly-baked muffins, fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. We thoroughly enjoyed it each morning.

When we arrived in Maui, we headed to Lahaina to find something to eat. We ended up at BJs Pizza for some casual carbo-loading.

Day 1 鈥?We rented snorkeling equipment and beach chairs from Snorkel Bobs in Lahaina and headed out to the Black Rock. We had a little trouble finding parking, but ended up in the Ka鈥檃napali shopping center and had our parking pass validated later at Hula Grill. The beach is beautiful but it was incredibly windy that day. We couldn鈥檛 leave anything on the sand unattended or it would blow in the water. You could only enter the water right next to the black rock because the shore break was so intense. We did enjoy the snorkeling though and saw some turtles, which are my favorite. After being sand-blasted and drizzled on for a few hours, we headed to the Hula Grill for lunch. Originally, we were seated outside at the barefoot bar, but they moved everyone to other areas after the palm fronds started coming down because of the wind. The food at Hula Grill was very tasty and they have a great location right on the beach.

In the afternoon, given the windy conditions, we drove up to Honolua Bay to watch the surfers. The surf was certainly impressive and the surfers who actually got in the water even more so! On the way back, we stopped at DT Fleming Beach and watched more surfers. It is amazing to see the really young kids head into the water when the waves are 8-10 feet.

That night we ate dinner at Mala in Lahaina. We thought this restaurant was excellent and had some really great healthy options.

Day 2 鈥?We woke up to sunshine and much less wind, so we headed to Kahekili beach. The parking was very convenient and the facilities are excellent. We showed up early and there was plenty of parking spots right next to the beach. The swimming was pretty good (i.e., sandy bottom) as you headed down towards the black rock. We were not that impressed with the snorkeling opportunities (in front of the pavilion) because the water was not that clear. We ate a late lunch at Cilantros in Lahaina. This reminded me a little of Chipotle, but with more interesting and pricier options.

That night, we went to the Old Lahaina Luau. We were able to walk around for a good hour before the rain started. And then it started pouring and didn鈥檛 let up until the show was over. Needless to say, everyone and everything was soaking wet. The free ponchos helped with our clothes, but it was really hard to enjoy the food and show. Still, the performance on the whole was impressive.

Day 3 -- We decided to do a snorkeling trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation to Lana鈥檌. Our boat (Ocean Quest?) was very large and virtually empty, so there was a lot of space to spread out. We had an uneventful trip out to Lana鈥檌 whale watching and a nice, but chilly snorkeling excursion. On the way back, our captain spotted a whale shark, so we stopped and checked that out for a while. They are enormous and sort of float on the top of the water eating. I know they are vegetarians, but I still would be a little scared to come across one while snorkeling. It was a good 20 ft. long. On the way back towards Lahaina harbor things got interesting. We had extremely rough seas and a number of the passengers got seasick. We sat in the back of the boat which helped with the motion sickness, but we got drenched by the waves.

That night we went to Sansei in Kapalua for dinner. I couldn鈥檛 partake in the sushi, but my husband thought it was excellent.

Hana (Nights 7-9)

We puttered around our hotel in the morning and then headed out to Hana. Since we were staying in Hana, we felt it would be better to wait until after the morning rush. We ate lunch in Paia at the Fish Market, which was casual but tasty. We had rain intermittently on our drive to Hana. Because of all the rain that month, all of the waterfalls were enormous and dirty brown with silt. We didn鈥檛 make all the stops on the drive, but it was fun nonetheless.

We arrived at the Hotel Hana Maui late afternoon. The grounds of this hotel are exceptionally beautiful and we loved staying here. It was very quiet and with the winter storms felt both remote and romantic. Originally, we booked a garden suite, but I was concerned that it would be too noisy, because our room was right next to a small road. When I asked the front desk about getting another room, they upgraded us to an Ocean cottage for free! It was a really nice surprise. Our ocean cottage had fantastic views and a beautiful interior. On our first night, we stupidly left a package of candy out on the counter while we were at dinner. We returned to the room to find it had been attacked by bugs. Lesson learned, and we never had another problem after that.

There are not that many places to eat in Hana, so we really stuck with the options at our hotel. Our first night in Hana we ate at the Hana Ranch House which is affiliated with the hotel. One of our guidebooks gave it dismal reviews, but we were pleased with the dinner options. We ate there again a couple days later and the lunch was not nearly as good.

We also ate in the lounge at the hotel and were able to enjoy some Hawaiian music and impromptu Hula dancing.

Our last night, we attended the Hawaiian buffet and Hula show at the main restaurant at the hotel. The food was MUCH better than the food from the Lahaina Luau. The dancers were also very different. The Old Lahaina Luau is all about flash and the dancers are young girls. Most of the dancers in Hana were quite advanced in age, but we found them very graceful and beautiful. It was interesting to experience two different types of Hula.

We ate all of our breakfasts at the hotel since it was included as part of our package. Everything is a la carte and the menu had a great variety. My favorite discovery was ripe papaya with lime.

In general, we spent most of our time Hana relaxing. We had a lot of rain, so we were not too eager to venture out. We did go to Wai鈥檃napapa Park, which we thought was beautiful and a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Again, the surf there was incredibly rough which provided great photo-ops at the blowhole, but only a few brave souls ventured into the water at the black sand beach. We also drove past Hana to the Seven Sacred Pool park. This was a little disappointing because the pools were completely washed out and we had to pay $10 to look at them. We opted not to do the hike at that park because of the rain and rumors of flash floods. We also checked out Hamoa beach which would have been wonderful if the weather was a little more pleasant.

My favorite activity in Hana was the spa. The hotel spa is in a perfect spot overlooking Hana Bay and is very relaxing and tranquil. Even if you don鈥檛 book a service, hotel guests can use the whirlpools, steam rooms and plunge pools. I was surprised at how few people took advantage of the facility. I had both a massage (with my husband) and an aquatic renewal massage. The aquatic renewal was a new experience for me. It involved floating around in a small warm pool while a therapist subtly manipulated my body and moved me around in the water. I am not doing a very good job of describing it, but it was incredibly relaxing and perfect for a pregnant lady!

Although we loved Hana, we were we were a bit waterlogged and ready for South Maui. Our drive back on the Hana highway was interesting. It rained the entire way. In fact, it rained so much that part of the mountain seemed to be crumbling on to the road and there were workmen out cleaning it up. I was a little nervous since this is the only way out of Hana, but we made it back safe and sound.

Wailea (Nights 10-11)

We arrived at the Four Seasons ready to enjoy the warmer and dryer weather. Our room was available when we checked in around 12:30. We opted for the cheapest room here 鈥?the mountainside view room. The view was certainly less than desirable, but the room itself was beautiful and we still got all of the other 4S amenities.

We spent the next two days in a cabana by the pool. Actually, I spent the entire time in a cabana, but my husband spent Sunday afternoon watching the Superbowl in the game room. We are from NY, so this was an important game that surely did not disappoint! I loved the cabana service at the Four Seasons. Everyone was so accommodating. It did irk me to see people out early reserving space way before they actually showed up; however, this seems to be a common problem at resorts. The official policy at the hotel is you can only leave your chair for 20 minutes (except for lunch). I never saw that enforced, but there seemed to be enough space for everyone. I guess I鈥檓 just amazed at people鈥檚 sense of entitlement and selfishness.

A quick note on food. We were a little bit put off on how expensive the food was here. This was mainly our fault since we never ventured away from the 4S or the Grand Wailea. And I know that we chose to stay here, so it鈥檚 our own fault. But, we live in NYC and still felt that some things were a bit ridiculous. $70 for the two of us to eat a cold breakfast buffet is absurd. It would have been much smarter for us to stock our empty fridge with some items. Despite the cost, all of our meals here were excellent.

We ate our first night dinner at Ferraros. It was a spur of the moment decision as we didn鈥檛 feel like getting back in the car. We really enjoyed our experience and the ambience of the restaurant and it was nice to have some Italian food after nights of Hawaiian influenced seafood. We also ate both of our lunches here, which were both very tasty and convenient. (Is it obvious yet that we had descended into new depths of laziness?)

Our last and final night in Hawaii was spent at the Grand Wailea Humuhumunukunukuapua%26#39;a restaurant for sunset. Despite the slightly cheesy setting (grass huts on a lagoon), the view was beautiful and the food was excellent. We both really enjoyed our fish dishes.

Our last morning was spent in a cabana (of course) looking at the ocean and dreading the flight home.

We had a fantastic first trip to Hawaii. It is truly a beautiful place. I wish it had been a tad warmer and a lot less rainy, but this just means we will need to go back.

Trip Report -- Oahu %26amp; Maui

Lovely report...and amazingly good natured with all that rain and 6 months pregnant! If you can be this calm, you%26#39;ll be a great mom!