Hawaii review- long & detailed

We just got back and it's fresh in my mind so I thought I'd write a review to help other Hawaii-bound couples out.

We flew out on Monday morning on American Airlines from LGA to Maui with a short stopover in Chicago. We used miles to upgrade to first class and if I can recommend only one thing- that would be it! It is so worth it! They treat you like kings & queens and you start to feel badly for the people in coach at the same time thinking that you could never go back to coach after being in first class (of course we will have to after this trip!). The seats in first class on long trips are amazing- you are almost totally reclining so it's great to sleep! They feed you such yummy food and you can basically have anything that you want at any time.

We got to Maui on Monday at 3:30 PM. We rented our car at Alamo (prepaid) and we got a convertable- definitely the way to go! You really get to see so much more with the top down!

We drove to our hotel- they Hyatt Regency- and were very excited! It's a big hotel on the south end of Ka'anapali beach and we loved it. It has 3 sections of rooms- we were in the middle section with a partial ocean view room. Our room was really cute- the bed was absolutely amazing! Our view looked into the mountains but if you went on to the lanai and looked to the left, you had a great view of the ocean. It was great! The pool is huge with a ton of pool chairs all over the place. It's a bit busy but it's ok. There are different areas to go into and we had fun exploring. They have a slide which we both tried but I didn't like it because water went up my nose. My husband loved it, though. The drinks were delicious! One point- it is really hot on the west side of the island so by 3ish, we were dying and had to either go in the pool or go inside. Other great things about the hotel: they had a lot of really cute shops, they had great restaurants (will go into more detail later), they had a concierge and a thing called Aloha Services. This was great because there were basically 2 places to help you plan acitvities and dinner reservations and we were never waiting long.

The first night, we ordered in room service and passed out by 9 PM.

Tuesday- we went to the pool for a few hours and then decided to go into Lahaina town. It's about a 15 minute drive and it's really cute. It's right on the ocean so it's a nice walk. The main strip- Front Street- is lined with restaurants and touristy shops but they are fun. That night, we went to dinner at a sushi restaurant called Sansei. it is in Kapalua which is about 15 minutes north of the hotel where the Ritz Carlton is. So many of our friends raved about it that we had such high expectations. It was good but no better than our local sushi restaurants in the city. If you like sushi, it's definitely worth going to!

Wednesday-
We played golf at an amazing golf course. Well, my husband played golf and I drove the cart. It was a nice way to spend the morning! We played at the Bay Course in Kapalua and it was beautiful- the course went right along the ocean and there were some georgous views!

That night, we went to the Old Lahaina Luau. I made the reservations about 5 months before and we had excellent seats! It was a great show- the dancers were amazing and the entire show was great. The food was ok- it's not the main reason you go there but it's decent. They roast the big pig- which I refused to see. But a lot of people were crowded around it and seemed to like it. I would definitely recommend this luau- but make reservations in advance! The sooner you make the reservations, the better your seats will be.

Thursday- this was our favorite day. We did the Haleakala bike ride and we loved it! We made reservations with Maui Mountain Riders about 2 weeks before we went. My SIL used this company 5 years ago and recommended them to us and we are so glad that she did! They were wonderful! They pick you up at 2:15 AM from your hotel room. Yes, it's early but it's totally worth it. You will be grumpy that morning but you get over it. They take you to their main office near the airport to watch a safety video. Then, you get back in the van and go up to the top of the mountain. There are 12-13 people in each van and 2 leaders. When you get up to the top of the mountain, it's cold and they give you a yellow lined windbreaker suit (pants, jacket & gloves). We dressed very warmly anyway (you need to) so I was wearing, shorts & a tank top, then sweat pants & a sweater over that. Then I put the yellow suit on. And I brought a ski hat liner because my head gets cold. Definitely dress warmly if you go- it's about 30 degrees up there! I felt like the Michilin Man but I was warm so I didn't care. The sun comes up at about 5:45 and it's really spectacular! You are literally above the clouds so you watch the sun start coming up and then it finally breaks through the clouds. It's really amazing and totally worth it! And by that time, you are totally awake because it's so cold. Your group goes down the mountain based on when you get up to the top. There are about 400 people up there and each bike company has about 8 vans up there. Each van goes on it's own. Our company preferes to go last and we did. During the wait, our leader took us to a lot of really cool places around the top of the mountain and we saw some really amazing things! He was extremely knowledgeable about Hawaii and the mountain- he's been doing this every day for many years. I am sure that the people who went down first had a great trip but it was really great to get to see things that they didn't see- it made it even better for us! Anyway, we got on our bikes by about 8. I was really nervous but I got over it quickly. You ride single-file behind the leader and the van is in the back. The leader & van driver talk to each other the whole time with radios so we are really safe. If you get scared and want to ride in the van, you can. They are really cool about that. We stoped a few times to take pictures which was really fun! We stoped about 2/3 down to have breakfast at a cute restaurant (already paid for) and then we finished the rest of the ride. We finished in a town called Pa'ia and went to the beach for a few minutes. We were back at our hotel by 1 PM and we were tired but so energized from the ride! It's definitely a must do! It's not hard at all- you barely pedal at all- it's all downhill but not too steep. I highly recommend doing it- especially with Maui Mountain Riders!

That night, we were so tired that we cancelled our reservations for dinner and ordered in room service. We were asleep by 9.

Here are some pictures of the sunrise & bike tour.

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Message edited 7/20/2004 11:49:01 PM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Sounds good so far....thats where FH and I want to go...Maui and the Hyatt...please finish more tomorrow or Monday!

Thanks!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Ooh!! I can't wait to hear more! We're staying at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club when we go next year. I'm glad you had a great time!!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

congrats

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Friday:

We decided to do the road to Hana. We had dinner reservations at Mama's Fishhouse (amazing- review below) for 8 PM so we decided to start out for Hana at 10 instead of earlier. It was great because there was basically no traffic. There is a Shell gas station on the corner before you turn onto the main highway to Hana that has a kiosk where you can get a guided CD- any concierge can tell you where it is. It costs $20 and it comes with a map, CD and DVD to watch when you get home. The CD is good- it tells you exactally where to go on the road to Hana. We followed it and it was good. BUT, my honest opinion is that we didn't do the best thing. The best sites on this road are past Hana- the town of Hana is around mile 33 and the big, amazing waterfalls are around mile 44. By the time we got to Hana, we were tired & cranky so we just decided to go back. I wish we had done it differently. So, this is my recommendation---- go on this drive but go straight to the big things around mile 40 (the seven pools, etc). Spend time doing that because it is supposed to be amazing. You have to go back the way you came down the mountain anyway so on your way back, you can stop at all the other things on the way. if you do that, you don't need the CD- just use a book like Maui Revealed- it's great! I wish we would have done that!

We made a 8 PM reservation at Mama's Fishhouse in Pa'ia. It is on the way back from Hana so it's good to do that night. It's casual like every other place. We found outdoor showers at the black sand beach in Hana so we rinsed off and changed into clean, nice shorts for dinner. Mama's is amazing! It is such a nice restaurant that sits on a georgous beach! We got there early, around 7ish, and we were able to watch the sunset which was georgous!!!

Here is a picture of the sunset in front of Mama's:

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Message edited 7/20/2004 3:27:31 PM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Mindy thank you - I am off to hawaii in a few weeks and I am making reservations now - great review!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Sounds like you had a wonderful time... I can't wait to hear the rest of your review!

For those that do the road to Hana, definitely go past Hana, and to be honest, we even drove the road that the rental car companies tell you not to... but it is the most amazing scenery you will ever see in your life. The road is a little treacherous and there were times I got a little freaked out, but it was so worth it, and once you get to the paved road again, there is a winery with free tastings!!!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Saturday:

We did a snorkel trip that day. We booked it through the concierge at the hotel and we went with a boat called Four Winds II. It's a big boat and since I have a weak stomach, we thought a bigger boat would be best. It was- except don't sit on the top level if you get seasick- I did and it was not a pretty sight. The boat was nice- we did the morning trip so we were there at 7 AM and they give you breakfast and coffee. It takes about an hour to get to Molkini and it's a really nice ride. They show you how to use the snorkel if you don't know how which is nice. They give you all the snorkel equipment plus boogie boards and floatiation devices. We got there by 9ish and swam in the ocean for about 2 hours. You could get on and off the boat- it was very realaxed. We brought an underwater disposable camera but we were convinced to rent a better one from them. I just dropped off the film so I will let you all know if that is worth it or not. Anyway, they have a BBQ lunch and open bar for the rest of tbe afternoon and then start heading back to Maui at about 11. We saw some cool sea turles on the way back and they actually stop the boat so you can get a closer look at them. I would recommend this company- they were nice, helpful, and generous. The food was good, although I usually don't have BBQ lunch at 11:30 AM but it was still good. It was $79 each which wasn't so bad.

Saturday night we had dinner reservations at Nick's Fishmarket which is a restaurant in the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wilea. It was about an hour away and a very nice drive. The restaurant was excellent. Expensive but worth it. We both had fish and it was delicious! I highly recommend this restaurant! Make reservations early.

Sunday:
we had breakfast and then left for the airport to go to Kauai.

REVIEW OF THE HYATT IN MAUI:
We loved this hotel. It was our first stop so it really seemed like paradise to us! It's a big hotel at the south end of Ka'anapali beach. It's about 45 minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from Lahaina town and 15 minutes from Kapalua. It's in a great location. It is on the west side of the island and it gets really really hot there in the afternoon. I could barely stand to sit out at the pool for long without going in. But it's georgous! The pool is big and has waterfalls, a slide, and a kiddie section. There were pool chairs all over and we never had a problem finding one that we wanted. They have hammocks along the beach which were nice to hang out in at night. I felt that the overal vibe to the hotel was upbeat, very very friendly and happy. The staff is very attentive and constantly greet you by saying "Aloha"- I barely heard the word "hello" spoken at all. They have a great concierge and an office called "Aloha Services" which was great because both were able to help with activities and reservations. We really liked this hotel- and they have a "honeymooners reception" every Monday where they have an open bar for honeymooners for an hour. It is really nice and I highly recommend this hotel!

Our room was in the center tower and we had a parital ocean view which was nice. We looked into the mountains and the ocean. Here is a picture:

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Message edited 7/20/2004 3:26:00 PM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Sunday: we flew to Kauai. The flight was easy- about 1 hour. We rented our car (another seabring convertable) and headed towards our hotel (the Hyatt). The hyatt is about 20 minutes from the airport and it's a pretty drive.

The Hyatt in Poipu is gerogous! The hotel itself is a lower structure and very spread out. The lobby is amazing!

They have a georgous pool that looks more like a lagoon than a big round pool. There are a bunch of different areas, some bridges, waterdalls, a slide and a lot of different areas with lounge chairs. I loved the pool! They also have a great man-made saltwater lagoon with sand. Here are pictures from the hotel- the first picture is from the lobby. The second picture is the lagoon. The third picture is a hut on the lagoon beach that we sat in. The fourth picture is a view of the part of the pool from our hotel room.

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Message edited 7/20/2004 3:58:09 PM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

This information is just amazing! Thank you so much for posting. You have no idea how helpful this is!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

It is my pleasure! I know how much other people's reviews helped me so i am more than happy to help! I am a "planner" and very organized about this stuff so maybe my craziness will help some of you with your trips!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

WOW, what a great review. It will come in so helpful on our trip.

THANKS!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Sunday night we had dinner at Tidepools. It is a restaurant in the hotel at the Hyatt. It is great!!! We had a 7 PM reservation and it was perfect because it was still light outside but we got a nice view of the sun setting over the beach. The restaruant is open-air with a thatched hut roof and is surrounded by a pond with fish. It's a really cool, serene enviornment. We both had their mahi mahi which was amazing! I highly recommend this restaurant. It wasn't too pricey. Here are some pictures:

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Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Monday we went on a helicoptour tour with Air Kauai. A few people had recommended them to us and Kauai revealed gave them a great review so we went with them. All helicoptour tours are pricey but you know that going in- it's totally worth every penny! We booked it 2 days before- they had a lot of times available. They take 6 up at a time. We were both a bit nervous before but as soon as we got in and took off, we were fine. Marc & I were in the back row and I was on the end. Every seat is great because they have extra large windows so you get great views. I took most of the pictures because I was on the end but he could have too. It's amazing because you really can't see all of these parts of Kauai unless you're in a helicoptour. You can see some of it from boats but not as much as we saw. It was truly an amazing experience that we both loved! We definitely recommend doing this and we highly recommend Air Kauai. Here are some pictures:

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Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

After the helicoptour trip, we decided to do a little souvineer shopping so we went to the Coconut Marketplace. It's about 15 minutes away from where the Air Kauai office is (which is near the airport). It's an outdoor "mall" with a ton of touristy shops. They have good prices and you can really find anything that you're looking for. We did a lot of damage there but we got most of the gifts for family & friends out of the way there.

Monday night we had dinner at Roy's in Poipu- it is in the Poipu Shopping Village which is about 5 minutes from the Hyatt. It is excellent!!! You definitely need reservations- it gets very very busy! We decided to go late (8 PM) so we had time to relax beforehand. There is no view so you can go whenever you want, really. The food there is excellent and the service is great! There are Roy's restaurants all over Hawaii and even here in NY but we really liked this one. We decided to do it in Kauai rather than Maui because there were too many other amazing restaurants in Maui that we wanted to go to and not as many in Kauai. I highly recommend this restaurant! I had the ahi (tuna) and my husband had ribs and we both loved our meals. Sorry- no pictures here.

Since we were so busy in Maui, we decided to take the last 2 days in Kauai and just relax. We spend one day at the pool and the next day at the lagoon. The beach was really nice too but we prefer lounge chairs to laying in the sand so we stayed at the pool & lagoon.

Monday night we had dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Hyatt called Dondero's. Honestly, it was not that great. Neither of us were overly impressed with our meal. I ordered sea bass and it was so fishy that I had to send it back and get pasta. I would say that it is a decent restaurant but nothing spectacular. Just my opinion- others might love it.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Our last night in Kauai we had reservations at a restaurant called the Beachhouse. It's about 15 minutes away from the Hyatt and is a MUST DO!!!!! It is amazing! The restaurant sits right on the ocean and you literally watch people surfing while you eat. The food is amazing- I got scallops which were seriously out of this world! My husband got filet mingon which he loved too. Although the food is amazing (it was my favorite meal the entire trip), the view is what draws people there. The sun sets right over the beach and you get the most beautiful views of it from there. They have a professional photographer who takes pictures there at sunset- we got one and it is amazing! I can't scan it in so I can't share but I can post other pictures we took there before sunset.

The only catch- you have to get a 6 PM or 6:15 or even 5:45 reservation to get the best tables. They have a row of tables right along the rim of the restaurant facing the ocean. Those go the fastest so the earlier that you are there, the more of a chance you will have to get one of those tables. The concierge at the Hyatt convinced us to take a 6PM reservation for this reason and although I prefer to eat later, I was so thrilled we did it! I am sure that the other tables are great and the views are probably amazing too but these are the best tables and it's really worth it. They are really cool and don't rush you out so we actually finished our meal close to 8 PM. We took a ton of pictures, had a great view of the ocean and the sunset and had an amazing dinner! Take my advice- make a reservation for 6- you won't regret it! Make it as soon as you know your plans. We made ours about a week before and were fine. Here are some pictures:

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Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Review of the Hyatt in Kauai-

we loved it! It has a more laid-back luxury feel to it than the one in Maui. The staff was friendly and definitely attentative but more hand-off unless asked. There were always waitresses at the pool and staff was always very helpful but I felt like we were more on our own there which was nice too! It is very peaceful and calm there. There are kids but it wasn't overwhelming to us. They have a small adult only pool and I went there once but it was not bad at all in the main pool. There are so many differnet sections to lay out by the pool that you have a lot to pick from. The rooms were really nice and the bathrooms were huge (which I loved!!!). The bed was so comfy! We had a partial ocean view room which was great because it looked straight onto the pool and to the left was the ocean. As I mentioned above, the hotel is really spread out so some of the rooms are pretty far from the lobby which can be good and bad. Our room was kind of far and it took a while to walk there but the grounds are so georgous that we loved the walk! One other little complaint- unlike the Hyatt in Maui, this hotel only had one concierge desk and they were always super busy, especially in the mornings!

Our rate came with breakfast each morning which was great. The buffet was a little better at the Hyatt in Maui but this buffet was excellent too! The breakfast restaurant is Ilima Terrace and it's georgous- it looks right onto the ocean and there are swans swimming around the pond right in front. It's a really peaceful way to start your day off to! I am glad our breakfast was free because they charge $20 per person. It might be worth it for people who eat a lot for breakfast but I don't so I would not have been happy to pay $20 each day for the little that I eat. Try to get it included if you can! It will save you hundreds of $$$!

Oh- I don't think I mentioned that we had a convertable- it was really great! That or a jeep is highly recommended on all of Hawaii. You really get to see so much and the weather is so amazing that you always want to drive with the top down!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

OHAU:

On Thursday, we went to Ohau. My husband really wanted to go to Pearl Harbor so we went for one night. This is just my opinion but I didn't like it. It is extremely commercialized, very very toursity, and I saw it as a combination of South Beach and chinatown and the south street seaport with a little 5th Avenue mixed in. After leaving Kauai, it was almost a shock to my system. We stayed in the Sheraton Wakiki and I didn't love it. It was a decent hotel but I found the rooms to be a bit old. It wasn't bad and again, I might have just been reacting to the difference between that and the Hyatt in Kauai but I was not thrilled. We walked along the main street and saw some of the other hotels and they seemed nicer. For example, the Sheraton Moana Surfrider looked really nice. We didn't see the rooms but the lobby was really nice, calm and they had a big porch with big rocking chairs. It looked really nice! The Hyatt also looked really nice.

We went to dinner at a place that is apparantly very popular there- Dukes. It's in the Outrigger Reef hotel right on the beach. You have to have a reservation- they were mobbed! The food was ok- nothing compared to the food we had in Maui & Kauai but decent.

Friday, we went to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. We arranged to go with Discover Hawaii tours- the concierge arranged it. It was $15 each and that is reasonable. Unfortunatly, the van left without us eventhough we were there before the pick up time. I called the company and they sent another van but the original driver didn't seem to care- he had most of his passangers so he "just left". I was not pleased. We got there and waited on line for tickets. The tickets are free but you still have to wait on line to get them. The tickets are for the movie and then you get on a Navy ferry to go to the Arizona Memorial. The shuttle company said that our tour would be done and back at the hotel by 12:30 but unfortunatly, our tickets for the movie & ferry were not until 12:30. It caused a little problem for us because we were supposed to check out by 2 but thankfully, we called the hotel and they let us keep the room until 6 PM (for a $75 fee). So, we got the tickets at 10 AM and the show was not until 12:30. So, we went exploring Pearl Harbor and found that there were other battleships & museums you could visit for fees. We decided to go to the USS Missouri which was cool. That was the ship where the Japanese surrendered in WWII and it was used in Desert Storm then made into a museum. It was about $20 each and worth it because it gave us something to do for 2 hours and it was fun- my husband loved it (as most men would!). I will post some pictures below.

Tips for visiting Pearl Harbor & The USS Arizona Memorial:

1. Go early!!!!!!!!!!! Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis and when they are done giving out tickets for their last show of the day, they are done and if you get there when that happens, you are out of luck.

2. Prepare to wait on line. The line wraps around the block but it goes slightly fast.

3. Don't bring a purse, bag, backpack or anything that you can't put in your pockets besides a camera. No camera bags are allowed! They are very strict about this and they will make you leave your purse with the security.

4. Prepare to do something else after you get your tickets. We had 2 hours to kill but we had fun. I guess if you get there really early, you might be able to go right in. But that was not the case for us and we were there by 9:45 AM. Also, give yourself time in case you have to wait.

Here are some pictures:

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Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Last one: flights.

Everyone always asks about the flights so I will tell you about our's. We bought our tickets and then upgraded to first class with frequent flyer miles. If you have them, USE THEM! It is totally worth it! We used American Airlines and it costs 15,000 miles each person each way so if you want to go first class round trip, it will cost you 60,000 in total. It was absolutely worth it!!!!!!! I can't stress that enough! If you just got engaged and are planning a trip to Hawaii, get an airline credit card and start building your miles up now! Put everything for the weddding on that credit card that you can! You get 10,000-15,000 just for joining so you are 1/4 there. Originally, we didn;t have enough for round trip so we just upgraded on our flights to Hawaii. Then, over the year, we built up enough and were able to upgrade on our return flights.

First class is amazing! they treat you like kinds & queens. They serve you good food, warm nuts, unlimited drinks, and our's had a sundae cart! We had big, fluffy pillows and nice blankets. Depending on what size the plane is determines what the seats will be like. We flew from LGA- Chicago and it was a small plane so our seats were big but they weren't as good as our seats on the next leg of the flight. From Chicago- Maui, we had a wide bodied plane so the seats were huge, had leg rests and the seats reclined a lot so you were as close to flat as possible. It was great!!!

The flight time wasn't so bad. I am sure it went by faster because we were comfortable but it really went by fast. They keep you occupied with movies, tv and food- even in coach! Plus, you sleep!

We'd never flown first class before so it was a real treat and I hope I can do it again one day!

I hope this review helps. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help! FM me.

Oh- one last thing... in Maui, we met up with Jackie (JAX) and her husband Brad for drinks. We were staying at the same hotel at the same time. It was really nice meeting them- they are so nice! Hi Jackie!!!

Mindy

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Message edited 7/20/2004 7:52:25 PM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Here are some more pictures. The first set is from the golf course and the second set are from the Luau. Both were in Maui (see the first post on this thread).

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Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Thanks for your review. It sounds like it was a terrific trip.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

WOW! what a wonderful, detailed review!! Thanks!

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Message edited 7/21/2004 10:47:05 AM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Hi, I had a question regarding your visit to the Old Lahaina Luau. Did you reserve seating at the Conventional Tables or Traditional Seating (mats & cushions)? I hear you get the best view from the Traditional Seating area, because its right in the front. Is that where you were?

Oh and we're also eating dinner at The Beachhouse in Kauai, looks like I'll be making reservations for 6:00pm also!

Message edited 8/11/2004 10:36:54 AM.

Re: Hawaii review- long & detailed

Thanks so much on your review on Hawaii this was great!! My fiance and I are going to Kauai and would also like to island hop!!