Finally!!...our November '06 Hawaii Honeymoon Review!!!
Since DH and I have heard nothing but amazing things about Hawaii and Maui in particular we decided that is where we wanted to go. DH also likes to gamble so we decided on a stop in Vegas for a few days on our way home. Maui was absolutely breathtaking!! The island is gorgeous, the water, beaches, our resort, food, and people are all great! Everywhere we went the people were so nice and helpful when we needed them to be. Here is my review and places we recommend to go see, and eat at as well as things to do that we enjoyed.
The Sheraton – Maui
We arrived here at about 3pm local time and were able to check right into our room. We had a bellboy assigned to us and he took all our bags and escorted us to your room which was an oceanfront room and the view of the beach and the rest of the room was beautiful! We had a full balcony with a table and two chairs and it was so nice to sit out there and have a drink at night & watch the sunset over the ocean. We also had pre-paid for breakfast every day at the resort which was such a good idea. The buffet breakfast there is great, there is so much food and it is all very good!
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We were in our room for only a little bit when we got a knock on our door and I got up to open it and there was a man from the hotel there with a bottle of Champagne and 2 champagne glasses for us compliments of the Sheraton. It was so nice to sit there on our balcony watching the sunset on our first night there and drink the champagne!
Food
Maui Taco:
We had heard about this place before even got down to Maui and decided on our first night that it would be a good place to go for something that wasn’t expensive but still had good food. We drive into town and found the place which is in a little strip mall and is the kind of place where you order inside but have to sit outside because there is no where to sit inside. We had heard the prices were great and who ever told us wasn’t lying! There was nothing on the menu that was more than $7.99 and for that you got a combo which included 2 tacos, soft, hard or a combo, chicken, beef, pork or island fish (which was only $1 more) and then you also got refried beans & rice. It was great, probably our cheapest meal while we were there. We liked it so much we went back for lunch later in the week.
Capische?:
We saw this restaurant in one of the Maui books we had picked up in the airport and DH loved the look of the lamb chops in the advertisement picture so we decided on Tuesday night that we would go check it out. We were a little leary of an Italian restaurant in Hawaii, but after it had rained all day that day and we didn’t do much else so we decided a nice dinner was in order and we’d try it. We had to drive about 45 minutes east to Wailea to another resort called Diamond Resort and Capishe? was there. It is a smaller restaurant with all of the tables out in a patio setting and it was soo nice! The weather was beautiful after it had rained all day so it was nice to be out there. Unfortunatley for DH they did not have the lamb chops that night so he had Ahi Tuna which he said was great and I had Veal Marsala which was by far the best veal marsala I have ever had!! Definitely recommend this restaurant, absolutely worth the drive over!
Here is their website: Capishe?
Burger Place:
Ok, this is bad, I can’t remember the name of the place exactly, but it was Johnny’s something and was right there on the left as you turned from 30 onto Ka’anapali Pkwy to go to the resorts. We went there for lunch on Wednesday and it looked like such a dive when we first walked in, it is a bar with some tables set up as well but we heard they have great burgers and since that is what DH wanted that day we figured we’d try it. Well, people were right again, DH said the burgers were great and I had a chicken sandwich that was very good as well and their fries were so yummy!!
As far as dinner, we accidently missed dinner Wednesday night because jetlag caught up with us and we went to take a nap at around 5:30 and wound up sleeping straight through til about 8am the next morning…this will now forever be known as out 14 hour nap! =)
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse:
Thursday night we decided it was time to have steak and see how that was in Maui since it is one thing we hadn’t tried there yet. We heard about Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and decided to go there for dinner. We didn’t feel like driving that night so we took the shuttle from the hotel into Old Lahaina town which is where the restaurant is located and walked over from there. The steaks were great and once again we were very pleased when we left there =)
Here is their website, they have steakhouses all over the US: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Mama’s Fish House:
So Friday we were leaving the resort to go on our all day excursion to The Road to Hana but first I stopped by the concierge and decided to get directions. Realizing we would pass Mama’s Fish House I asked if she could make reservations for us for that night when we were on our way back and she did. DH”s cousin had gotten married the month before us and said they didn’t get to Mam’s fish house so we were determined to get there. Such a good thing we did!! I do not like fish, but figured I would tuff it out and try it and it was soo yummy!!! I had Opakapaka which was Red Snapper and it really didn’t taste like fish at all, I can’t remember what DH had, but I know he enjoyed it =) Another nice thing is that this restaurant is right on the water and you can walk around, take pictures and hang out while you wait for your table or they give you this little card to go to the bar and get a drink and then they just transfer it to your dinner bill.
Website: Mama's Fish House
Old Lahaina Luau:
An absolute must do!! I guess this falls under food & activities =) We both really wanted to go to a Luau so we made the reservations through them directly earlier in the week and planned on going the last night we were there, so Saturday it was. We had heard 2 things, one was that it was the best laui on the island and that is pretty much why we booked this one, and second we heard that the price includes unlimited liquor so don’t drive there. We listened and took the shuttle into town again and honestly we really didn’t have to. We drank soo much that night but the drinks were so weak that we didn’t get drunk, but better safe than sorry right? The laui was amazing, the food was buffet and good, but the pork from the pig that was cooked in the ground in the IMU was amazing, by far the best pork I have ever had!! Oh yeah, and we had seats on the lawn which were great, you actually sit on little pillos at a low table and it definitely wasn’t easy for my DH who is about 6’1”, but for me it was great and we had the best view! I definitely suggest asking for the lawn seating when booking =)
Activities:
Spa @ The Sheraton:
Since it rained on Tuesday we decided that it would be a perfect day for a massage. We decided on a 25 minutes couples massage and it was like heaven! We were going to try and go back another day but we just wound up not having time for it.
Wave Runners/Jet Skiing:
DH really wanted to do this so I went along with it. Our concierge at our resort called over to the Hyatt and got us a reservation for that afternoon. We got over there, parked and walked over to the umbrella on the beach that we were told to go to. We were then taken out to the jet ski’s by motor boat and they had their own little floating island that they worked off of. We only booked a ½ hour time slot but that was enough. I rode on the back of DH’s jet ski because I was too scared to drive my own. He had so much fun and I was just clinging on for dear life, lol. It was definitely fun though =)
Atlantis Submarine:
This sounded like a fun thing to do so went to an Expedia office and booked through them because they had better prices than the hotel did. I was a little scared at first thinking I would be so far under water but it wasn’t scary being on there at all. We had to go into Old Lahaina town and go down to the piers, check in and then take the ferry out to where the submarine was. We got to see the submarine surface and then got on it, where we were sitting on benches in the middle in order to see out of the port hotels (which were pretty big). We went down as far as 133 ft below sea level and it was amazing! SO many fish, we saw a shipwreck and we even got to see a shark sleeping at the bottom that was said to be the same size as me, about 5ft in length!
http://www2.atlantisadventures.com/maui.cfm
Road to Hana:
There really aren’t enough words to describe this, it was possibly the most amazing thing ever! The day before we were planning on doing this we went & bought a cooler, snacks, sandwiches & drinks so that we would have enough to last us the day and it was such a good idea. We left the hotel after we had breakfast there and were on our way. There is a lot of hiking, climbing over rocks, walking on slippery, muddy terrain, but it is all so worth it! The waterfalls are mesmerizing!! We saw black sand beaches, waterfalls, hiked through a bamboo forest and just had a really good time together. When we booked the submarine at Expedia they have us a CD to play in the car during the drive and it was great, I definitely recommend getting the CD somehow because ti guides you, tells you mile markers and gets you to all the important things you want to see. The only gripe we had was that you really have to pay attention, there are no really clear signs that tell you where things are. Also, the roads are very narrow and the bridges are one lane and that’s one lane for coming & going so you have to yield to make sure there is no one coming from the other direction before you can cross the bridge. We had a great time and it was such a great experience to do all of this!
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DH on the Black Sand Beach
Sunrise at the Top of Haleakala:
We woke up one morning and left out hotel by 3:15am in order to drive to the volcano named Haleakala and then drive all the way to the top to watch the sun rise. The top of the volcano is 10,000 feet high and we thought we were never getting there, lol. It was pitch black driving up the volcano and for a while it seemed like we were the only ones going up there but fortunately we finally caught up to other cars and realized we weren’t the only ones to wake up so early to do this. It was soo beautiful up at the top, but until the sun started to rise it was pitch black out & VERY cold, probably only about 40 degrees at the top!!! Watching the sunrise though was beautiful!! I think the pictures speak for themselves!!(you can even see the clouds in some of them):
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Vegas
We decided to stay in Vegas for a few days on our way home and so happy that we did! We had a great time, didn’t win any money, but it’s ok cause I wasn’t really expecting to anyway. I’ll make this part of the review short =) We stayed at Ceasar’s Palace and it was beautiful!! Definitely one of the biggest hotels on the strip (at least I thought so). The room was nice and the bathroom was beautiful! It is located right in the middle of the strip so we were able to get around to just about everything pretty easily. We walked up and down the strip to see the hotels. We got to take a Gondala ride at the Venetian which I was so excited about and also went to see the water show at the Bellagio which was amazing, so beautiful & breathtaking, I was like a little kid standing there in awe!
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We ate at Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse one night which is in the Venetian hotel and the other night we ate at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill which was right by the casino’s in Casesar’s and across from Pure’s entrance.
The Sheraton – Maui
We arrived here at about 3pm local time and were able to check right into our room. We had a bellboy assigned to us and he took all our bags and escorted us to your room which was an oceanfront room and the view of the beach and the rest of the room was beautiful! We had a full balcony with a table and two chairs and it was so nice to sit out there and have a drink at night & watch the sunset over the ocean. We also had pre-paid for breakfast every day at the resort which was such a good idea. The buffet breakfast there is great, there is so much food and it is all very good!
We were in our room for only a little bit when we got a knock on our door and I got up to open it and there was a man from the hotel there with a bottle of Champagne and 2 champagne glasses for us compliments of the Sheraton. It was so nice to sit there on our balcony watching the sunset on our first night there and drink the champagne!
Food
Maui Taco:
We had heard about this place before even got down to Maui and decided on our first night that it would be a good place to go for something that wasn’t expensive but still had good food. We drive into town and found the place which is in a little strip mall and is the kind of place where you order inside but have to sit outside because there is no where to sit inside. We had heard the prices were great and who ever told us wasn’t lying! There was nothing on the menu that was more than $7.99 and for that you got a combo which included 2 tacos, soft, hard or a combo, chicken, beef, pork or island fish (which was only $1 more) and then you also got refried beans & rice. It was great, probably our cheapest meal while we were there. We liked it so much we went back for lunch later in the week.
Capische?:
We saw this restaurant in one of the Maui books we had picked up in the airport and DH loved the look of the lamb chops in the advertisement picture so we decided on Tuesday night that we would go check it out. We were a little leary of an Italian restaurant in Hawaii, but after it had rained all day that day and we didn’t do much else so we decided a nice dinner was in order and we’d try it. We had to drive about 45 minutes east to Wailea to another resort called Diamond Resort and Capishe? was there. It is a smaller restaurant with all of the tables out in a patio setting and it was soo nice! The weather was beautiful after it had rained all day so it was nice to be out there. Unfortunatley for DH they did not have the lamb chops that night so he had Ahi Tuna which he said was great and I had Veal Marsala which was by far the best veal marsala I have ever had!! Definitely recommend this restaurant, absolutely worth the drive over!
Here is their website: Capishe?
Burger Place:
Ok, this is bad, I can’t remember the name of the place exactly, but it was Johnny’s something and was right there on the left as you turned from 30 onto Ka’anapali Pkwy to go to the resorts. We went there for lunch on Wednesday and it looked like such a dive when we first walked in, it is a bar with some tables set up as well but we heard they have great burgers and since that is what DH wanted that day we figured we’d try it. Well, people were right again, DH said the burgers were great and I had a chicken sandwich that was very good as well and their fries were so yummy!!
As far as dinner, we accidently missed dinner Wednesday night because jetlag caught up with us and we went to take a nap at around 5:30 and wound up sleeping straight through til about 8am the next morning…this will now forever be known as out 14 hour nap! =)
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse:
Thursday night we decided it was time to have steak and see how that was in Maui since it is one thing we hadn’t tried there yet. We heard about Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and decided to go there for dinner. We didn’t feel like driving that night so we took the shuttle from the hotel into Old Lahaina town which is where the restaurant is located and walked over from there. The steaks were great and once again we were very pleased when we left there =)
Here is their website, they have steakhouses all over the US: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Mama’s Fish House:
So Friday we were leaving the resort to go on our all day excursion to The Road to Hana but first I stopped by the concierge and decided to get directions. Realizing we would pass Mama’s Fish House I asked if she could make reservations for us for that night when we were on our way back and she did. DH”s cousin had gotten married the month before us and said they didn’t get to Mam’s fish house so we were determined to get there. Such a good thing we did!! I do not like fish, but figured I would tuff it out and try it and it was soo yummy!!! I had Opakapaka which was Red Snapper and it really didn’t taste like fish at all, I can’t remember what DH had, but I know he enjoyed it =) Another nice thing is that this restaurant is right on the water and you can walk around, take pictures and hang out while you wait for your table or they give you this little card to go to the bar and get a drink and then they just transfer it to your dinner bill.
Website: Mama's Fish House
Old Lahaina Luau:
An absolute must do!! I guess this falls under food & activities =) We both really wanted to go to a Luau so we made the reservations through them directly earlier in the week and planned on going the last night we were there, so Saturday it was. We had heard 2 things, one was that it was the best laui on the island and that is pretty much why we booked this one, and second we heard that the price includes unlimited liquor so don’t drive there. We listened and took the shuttle into town again and honestly we really didn’t have to. We drank soo much that night but the drinks were so weak that we didn’t get drunk, but better safe than sorry right? The laui was amazing, the food was buffet and good, but the pork from the pig that was cooked in the ground in the IMU was amazing, by far the best pork I have ever had!! Oh yeah, and we had seats on the lawn which were great, you actually sit on little pillos at a low table and it definitely wasn’t easy for my DH who is about 6’1”, but for me it was great and we had the best view! I definitely suggest asking for the lawn seating when booking =)
Activities:
Spa @ The Sheraton:
Since it rained on Tuesday we decided that it would be a perfect day for a massage. We decided on a 25 minutes couples massage and it was like heaven! We were going to try and go back another day but we just wound up not having time for it.
Wave Runners/Jet Skiing:
DH really wanted to do this so I went along with it. Our concierge at our resort called over to the Hyatt and got us a reservation for that afternoon. We got over there, parked and walked over to the umbrella on the beach that we were told to go to. We were then taken out to the jet ski’s by motor boat and they had their own little floating island that they worked off of. We only booked a ½ hour time slot but that was enough. I rode on the back of DH’s jet ski because I was too scared to drive my own. He had so much fun and I was just clinging on for dear life, lol. It was definitely fun though =)
Atlantis Submarine:
This sounded like a fun thing to do so went to an Expedia office and booked through them because they had better prices than the hotel did. I was a little scared at first thinking I would be so far under water but it wasn’t scary being on there at all. We had to go into Old Lahaina town and go down to the piers, check in and then take the ferry out to where the submarine was. We got to see the submarine surface and then got on it, where we were sitting on benches in the middle in order to see out of the port hotels (which were pretty big). We went down as far as 133 ft below sea level and it was amazing! SO many fish, we saw a shipwreck and we even got to see a shark sleeping at the bottom that was said to be the same size as me, about 5ft in length!
http://www2.atlantisadventures.com/maui.cfm
Road to Hana:
There really aren’t enough words to describe this, it was possibly the most amazing thing ever! The day before we were planning on doing this we went & bought a cooler, snacks, sandwiches & drinks so that we would have enough to last us the day and it was such a good idea. We left the hotel after we had breakfast there and were on our way. There is a lot of hiking, climbing over rocks, walking on slippery, muddy terrain, but it is all so worth it! The waterfalls are mesmerizing!! We saw black sand beaches, waterfalls, hiked through a bamboo forest and just had a really good time together. When we booked the submarine at Expedia they have us a CD to play in the car during the drive and it was great, I definitely recommend getting the CD somehow because ti guides you, tells you mile markers and gets you to all the important things you want to see. The only gripe we had was that you really have to pay attention, there are no really clear signs that tell you where things are. Also, the roads are very narrow and the bridges are one lane and that’s one lane for coming & going so you have to yield to make sure there is no one coming from the other direction before you can cross the bridge. We had a great time and it was such a great experience to do all of this!
DH on the Black Sand Beach
Sunrise at the Top of Haleakala:
We woke up one morning and left out hotel by 3:15am in order to drive to the volcano named Haleakala and then drive all the way to the top to watch the sun rise. The top of the volcano is 10,000 feet high and we thought we were never getting there, lol. It was pitch black driving up the volcano and for a while it seemed like we were the only ones going up there but fortunately we finally caught up to other cars and realized we weren’t the only ones to wake up so early to do this. It was soo beautiful up at the top, but until the sun started to rise it was pitch black out & VERY cold, probably only about 40 degrees at the top!!! Watching the sunrise though was beautiful!! I think the pictures speak for themselves!!(you can even see the clouds in some of them):
Vegas
We decided to stay in Vegas for a few days on our way home and so happy that we did! We had a great time, didn’t win any money, but it’s ok cause I wasn’t really expecting to anyway. I’ll make this part of the review short =) We stayed at Ceasar’s Palace and it was beautiful!! Definitely one of the biggest hotels on the strip (at least I thought so). The room was nice and the bathroom was beautiful! It is located right in the middle of the strip so we were able to get around to just about everything pretty easily. We walked up and down the strip to see the hotels. We got to take a Gondala ride at the Venetian which I was so excited about and also went to see the water show at the Bellagio which was amazing, so beautiful & breathtaking, I was like a little kid standing there in awe!
We ate at Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse one night which is in the Venetian hotel and the other night we ate at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill which was right by the casino’s in Casesar’s and across from Pure’s entrance.
