The weekend of July 4, 2010, I photographed three weddings in three days (Stacy & Tom, Gina & Frank, Gera & Joe), and in the course of chatting with the Brides and Grooms in between photographs, I realized that all three couples were headed to Hawaii for their honeymoons. Since Hawaii is probably my favorite place on the entire planet that I have been fortunate enough to visit, this news immediately launches me into an often repeated list of favorite places to eat, drink, and see on the Hawaiian islands. Inevitably, there’s no way a couple is going to remember anything of the details I spill out on their wedding day, and I usually wind up having to send them an email late the night of their wedding in the hopes that they’ll check their email before departing on their Hawaiian vacation.
So if you’re planning a hawaiian vacation, here are some of my recommendations if you’re specifically visiting the islands of Maui, Kaui, and Oahu. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Maui three times, Kaui once, Oahu once, and the Big Island of Hawaii once as well.
The first question to ask yourself is do you want to stay on one island for the duration of your trip, or split your stay between several of the different islands? Each island offers different experiences, so if variety is the name of the game, feel free to “island hop” between several of the islands, spending a few days in each location. However I would prefer to spend the entire trip on one location for several reasons. First, you’re provided the opportunity to experience your selected island on a very in depth level. Second, you also have the option of taking a “day off” from sightseeing and activities and simply lounge by the pool in your cabana and sip drinks with umbrellas in them. And third, you seed the idea in your mind that this will not be your only trip to the islands, and you have a lifetime ahead of you to experience everything the entire island chain has to offer (what a better excuse for your 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries!).
Maui
If you’re only going to experience one island, Maui is your best bet for your first trip. The “Valley Island” contains everything you could ask for from a tropical paradise vacation destination, from a variety of resort locations, incredible scenic beauty, top notch restaurants and a huge assortment of activities and shopping locations to choose from.
I’ve stayed in two of the main resort areas on Maui, the Kaanapali beach area, and the Wailea beach area. Kaanapali is located a bit closer to the airport, and to the main shopping/restaurant center of Lahaina. While the hotels sometimes have more families and kids around the pools, the Kaanapali area is one continuous beach, with all the hotels on the strip sharing the access. Wailea, on the other hand, is a bit more sleepy and slower paced, but the hotels are separated along the coastline, with each hotel having its own semi-private stretch of sand to call its own. As I’ve previously mentioned, whether you are on your post wedding honeymoon, or just a vacation, there is no shortage of activities on Maui, regardless of what you prefer. Here are a couple of things that just about anyone can do:
Bike Down The Volcano
This is why you stop to take pictures....you don't want to be admiring views like this while cruising down the mountain on a road with no guardrails!
Yes, you heard me, I said “bike down the volcano.” There are several tour groups that operate the bike tours that start at the summit of Mount Haleakala and cruise to the ocean, and we used Maui Mountain Riders. You might hear stories of how dangerous or scary it is, but honestly, if you keep you eyes on the road and only look at the scenery when the group pulls off to the lookout points, you’ll be fine. Definitely take advantage of the 5 hour jet lag and book one of the “sunrise” trips that pick you up from your hotel at around 2am, and have you at the summit in time for sunrise. The advantage of the sunrise trip is the view is clear all the way down (clouds often shroud the mountain in the afternoon, and the afternoon tours spend most of their time riding through a cloud), and you’re finished in time to spend the rest of the day at the pool. Also, don’t think that because it’s a 35 mile bike ride that you have to be in any kind of shape to do it…..you only pedal about 400 feet the entire trip, and gravity takes care of the other 30+ miles.
Road to Hana
Gas up the rental car (hopefully you’ll rent a convertible…well worth it), pack some snacks, and head out on the twisty road to Hana. Everyone says you can’t take the road all the way around the island without a four wheel drive vehicle, or that you’ll void the insurance or rental car agreement, but we made it all the way around in a Ford Mustang. The backside of the island is a bit gnarly of a road, but the view is worth it. This is a side of the island not a lot of people see, and is completely unlike anything else on Maui. You’ll also knock several hours off of the day trip, and arrive back to your hotel much earlier than if you simply drive the road to Hana, and then turn around and head back the same way.
Sarentos on the Beach
This is one of the best restaurants we ate at on Maui, for a variety of reasons. Sarentos doesn’t look like much from the outside (it’s located in a Best Western Hotel), but once you step inside you know why it’s so highly rated. The sunset view during dinner is unlike any on the island, and the attention to detail from the service staff is incredible. We dined there on our honeymoon, and were fortunate enough to return almost a year later with another couple. When we made the reservation on our return trip, they asked “have you ever dined with us before?” to which we simply replied “yes we have.” When we checked in with the hostess, she not only greeted us by our names, but proudly announced “Welcome back, and congratulations on your upcoming anniversary.” I honestly have no idea when or where during our previous visit a year earlier that we were on our honeymoon, but they obviously took good notes. The other detail I particularly liked was our waiter having our selected bottle of wine prepared without us actually ordering it. He just overheard us discussing the wine options, and we came over to “take our order” he already knew what we wanted and had it ready for us.
Waiehu Golf Course
Waiheu golf course, view from the 10th green looking down on the front nine that runs up against the ocean.
If you play golf, there’s no shortage of incredible golf courses on Maui. The courses at Kapalua and Wailea host PGA and Senior PGA events, and the Kaanapali courses are pretty nice too (I think they’re kinda flat, with not as much ocean exposure or elevation changes as the Wailea and Kapalua course). However any of those courses will run well in excess of $150 per round (and I’m being nice in the case of Kapalua). I think there are discounted rates available if you stay at certain hotels and book your round through the conceriege, so definitely give that a shot as well. But the real hidden gem for golfers on Maui is Waiehu Golf course located back near the main town of Kahului (where the airport is). People don’tbelieve me when I say this, but if this course was located in any of the resort areas, and spent a bit more money on greenskeeping, the daily fee could easily crack $300 per round. The first nine holes are on a flat section right along the ocean, with the second nine up in the hills above providing a scenic view down towards the ocean. Last I heard I think the daily fee is about $65 per round, including cart. I also believe they are OK with non-golfing spouses simply riding along for the day as well,which is something I doubt would be allowed at the resort level courses.
The “Blow Holes”
If you’re up for a day of simply driving around and exploring the island, take a roll up past Kapalua on the northwestern-most point on the island, and there are several stops where you can pull off, take a short hike out onto the cliffs where the incoming waves actually crash beneath you and shoot up through holes in the rocks, creating a miniature geyser like effect. You’ll need a good pair of shoes or hiking boots (we saw one couple in flip flops, and they didn’t look too happy), and there is a chance you can get wet if you’re not careful about where you’re standing. I don’t know the exact location, but if you pick up a copy of “Maui Revealed” from Amazon, I think they mention the exact spots. This book is also dead on with just about every recommendation, so pick up both the Maui version, as well as the Kaui version.
Windjammer Dinner Cruises – STAY AWAY!!!
So not everything is picture perfect on Maui. We booked this dinner cruise because the boat “looked like” a sailing schooner, rather than the more prevalent catamaran type boats that take people on snorkeling day trips and dinner cruises out of Lahaina harbor. Big mistake. The thing was a slow moving power barge that has sails but were never really used. The food was scary, grey mystery meat “prime rib,” and you were wedged together at a bench table with six of your closest stranger friends. The only saving grace was we were right on the railing, which made for a nice view, but if you were stuck inboard anywhere, it was really hot and you couldn’t see much. Our second trip we booked a catamaran dinner cruise that actually picked us up right on Kaanapali beach. Your feet get wet boarding the boat, but it’s OK because you can’t wear your shoes on the boat anyway. The crew was really friendly, answered tons of questions, the food was a lot better (hamburgers, cold cuts, beer, wine, mai-thai), and the whole evening was just much more enjoyable. Although there was the rumble of the boats motor while heading in and out of the beach, the crew was not afraid to raise the sails and actualy “sail” the boat, which also made for a much more enjoyable evening. It kills me that I can’t remember the name of the second dinner cruise, but just stay away from the Windjammer boat.
Kaui
By the time we made it to Kaui several years later, we were definitely in a “less active” vacation mode, and Kaui fit the bill perfectly. While we heard there are things to do such as hiking, mountain bike trails, kayaking and canoeing, we just wanted to enjoy the pools, scenery, and good restaurants of the islands. The biggest dissapointment for us on our Kaui trip was the restaurant recommendations were very “hit or miss” compared to Maui, where just about everyplace we went was very good.
The Beach House
Located near the Poi-Pu area, this place is famous on the island not only for its incredible food, wine and service, but for the outrageous sunset views offered from just about every table. You’ll want to check out what time the sun sets on the days you’re visiting, and call ahead to book your reservation accordingly.
This is the view from our table from the Beach House Restaurant on Kaui
The Poi Pu area has a small shopping mall, as well as a couple of other good places to eat. Definitely check out Brenneckes On the Beach for lunch, Also Keoki’s Paradise in Poi Pu is really solid as well. If you’re a beer drinker, try their Hapaa, which is a blend of Longboard Lager and a Kona Red (i think).
Napali Coast boat Trip
At first I’ll admit that I wasn’t really sure what to expect out of this one, but everyone says that you have to see the Napali coast to really appreciate it. This is where they filmed scenes from Jurasic Park, as well as s long line of other movies. It’s only a half day trip, and the views are definitely spectacular. The only downside is depending on the weather, the sea swells can really kick up when the boats come around the northern side of the island, which makes for a pretty good roller coaster ride. The seats are padded, but there were a few swells where I think they should’ve had seatbelts as well! Our boat captain pointed out a bunch of spots on the cliffs that you can actually hike to, which would be pretty cool if you’re into that kind of stuff. All you have to do is drive into the Napali Coast state park and hike towards the clifs from the other side. The food on the trip wasn’t much to write home about either, but again, you’re paying for the view, not the cuisine on this one.
One thing that was pretty cool was when we were leaving the harbor and heading up the coast, a school of bottle nosed dolphins cruised right up to the boat and escorted us along for several miles…..take a look at the video below.
Dolphins on the Napali Coast from Jay Crihfield on Vimeo.
The Chickens
It wont’ take you long to realize that Kaui’s most entrenched citizens are the wild chickens that you will see EVERYWHERE. Our first morning on the island I thought we were on a farm because of the rooster crowing outside our hotel window. The crazy thing is, they don’t just crow in the morning….they do it all day and all night long. I think the story of how they got to Kaui said something about a hurricane that blew up a couple of chicken farms, and since there are no natural predators on the island to naturally control their population…..they’ve since expanded their ranks.
Helicopter Tours
Kaui is supposed to be the best island destination for taking a helicopter tour, and I’d have to agree that the chopper is probably the best way to see Waimea Canyon. We took the more pedestrian route though because while I took a helicopter tour on the Big Island, as I’ve gotten older the thought of the ground rapidly rushing upwards to kill me doesn’t sound all that appealing.
