Hawaii what to do and where to go ?

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Back in 2016 when the exchange rate was brutal I also did a 10 day trip to Maui for $1200 CAD all-in. Still the trip I'm most proud of in terms of keeping costs low haha.

Flight was like $350, minivan for $18/day, lived out of $30/night hostel rooms and met a bunch of nice people from around the world, ate Costco pizza for most of my lunches and also bought a $2 styrofoam cooler at Walmart put in prepped sandwiches from Costco in there which saved bundles while splurging a bit with takeout for dinner, went on a snorkeling excursion to Molokini that was paid for by attending a 2hr timeshare presentation.

One of my favorite trips too irrespective of cost. Most trips I like to keep overall costs to under $180-200/day inclusive of flights and everything else.

Yup, that is a perfect example of Hawaii on the cheap. Like I said it can be as cheap or expensive as you want, there is something for everyone there which is one reason I like it so much. Flight deals are extremely common too. The $3XX deals we got in 2016 maybe not as common, but $400-500 is very common throughout the year to all the islands. Car rentals are dirt cheap in my experience. If you don't stay in beachfront property and eat at Mama's Fish House every day, it can be surprisingly cheap, especially if you are just there to relax/hike/explore/snorkel.

[90_Shelby]

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Any tips for Maui over christmas around Wailea?

Seems like it’s going to be a shit show of business.

What did you do or like around Wailea?

[killramos]

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What did you do or like around Wailea?

Pool and beach days mostly, that’s what you are paying for at the resort. Just accept that everything is going to cost an arm and a leg. Everything.

Hit up ABC or the other grocery store at the shops early on and grab some food, if you can cut a couple meals out it will help a ton with costs.

I stayed at Andaz, Skip the buffet for breakfast and order a la carte which was way better value and more interesting food.

Food everywhere was pretty well really good, don’t go to longhis it was a dump. Best dinner I had was at Morimotos at Andaz, great sushi for (relatively) reasonable prices. Matteo’s Osteria was great for off the resort Italian, every hotel has a car service that will drive you to and from anywhere in the Wailea area. A lot of people recommend Tommy Bahama for food, prices are reasonable but I found the menu super boring, good place to take white women or children who won’t eat anything.

We did the luau at the grand Wailea which while expensive was a lot of fun, it was open bar and I got myself blasted on Mai Tais, really good show and good for kids. Pay the extra 10 bucks for premium since it guarantees you a good seat and a dedicated server for the table. Some of the seats were super far and everyone ended up sending their kids to sit on the ground close to stage.

We rented a mustang from the hotel for a day and did the whole drive around the island thing, I felt like Lahaina proper was a dump and just full of cruise ship trash. My wife and MiL for some awedul reason felt like the best thing to do was go shopping, but after I dropped the MiL off we took the car up the north coast most of the way to Hana which was fun, had dinner in Paia which was an awesome town and had way more reasonably priced food.

If you are going to drink at the hotels drink beer, the bikini blonde is a great beer and available everywhere. Mixed drinks are a huge waste of money.

The whole place kindof felt like Vegas, big line of hotels along the beach and you can visit pretty well any of them and spend money.

A friend of mine wanted to take his kids on an outrigger tour, giant waste of money. His kids freaked the fuck out and wouldn’t get off the boat. That was a thousand bucks down the drain. If you can swim just go snorkeling yourself pretty well anywhere rocky, our hotel had complimentary equipment and go pros if you don’t have your own.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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If you can swim just go snorkeling yourself pretty well anywhere rocky,

Hawaii has some very dangerous areas and some strong rip currents, and signage is not always accurate - I would not recommend this. There are lots of areas that look very safe/calm that aren't. Always research where you plan to snorkel rather than just jumping in anywhere you think might be good. There are even areas on the Kaanapali hotel strip that have dangerous currents not far from the beach or on certain sides of the reefs.

[killramos]

I didn’t encounter anything like that in Wailea but fair point.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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I didn’t encounter anything like that in Wailea but fair point.

Depends on the time of year as well - just something to be aware of anyway. For example Queen's bath in Kauai looks like a tranquil tub, until a rogue wave rolls in and washes people out to sea - I have seen it happen and I have seen people get slammed on the rocks so hard they had to call an ambulance. Then it was calm again and looked rather inviting.

[89coupe]

We go every year and have come to love Maui. I use to love Oahu but the older I get the more I enjoy just relaxing.

I rent from the same 3 ladies every year in Maui, they each own a number of very nice units in Ekahi Village in Wailea. 2019 we booked a brand new renovated two storey unit, can’t wait.

One of the ladies has a nice website that shows off her units. I haven’t found a better place for the value, quality and location. https://bestwaileacondos.com

The view from our lanai.


We love the luaos, I think it’s a preferred thing. Also depends on which one you book. If you are in Oahu, Paradise Cove is hands down the best imo. https://www.paradisecove.com

As for Maui we have done three different ones and still haven’t decided which we like best.

We have done the one at the Grand Wailea, Marriot in Wailea & the Hyatt Regency in Lahaina.

I think our favourite activity in Hawaii is the catamaran tour with Alii Nui https://www.aliinuimaui.com just awesome. They take you to a number of amazing snorkeling spots and offer food and drinks along the way.

For beaches it’s a toss up, so many beautiful spots on all the islands, all depends on what you like. For Oahu I don’t think you can beat Lanakai(Kailua)beach park & Waimanelo beach park on the east coast. Sunset beach and Waimea beach parks for the north shore.

For Maui our favourite beaches would have to be Mokuleia beach on the west side, Ulua beach in Wailea and Big Beach at the southern point. Mokuleia also has an amazing snorkelling area as it’s a marine reserve.

We did a helicopter tour in 2017 in Oahu, we booked with Blue Hawaiian, definitely worth doing it at least once.

If it’s your first time in Maui, definitely check out Haleakala, I prefer the sunset over the sunrise as you can see where everything is and you are not fumbling to find your way around. Dress warm as it gets quite cold.

Another great touristy thing to do is the road to Hana, lots of great stops along the way and many beautiful waterfalls and views to be had. The end destination would be the seven sacred pools and the pipiwai trail to Waimoku falls.

As for restaurants, everybody has different tastes but if I were to recommend at least one it would have to be Mamas Fish House, the food is incredible, but be prepared for the big bill.

[89coupe]

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I didn’t encounter anything like that in Wailea but fair point.

There are some nasty riptides at Big Beach that can be very dangerous for younger kids or for people who don’t understand how to swim out of them.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Another great touristy thing to do is the road to Hana, lots of great stops along the way and many beautiful waterfalls and views to be had. The end destination would be the seven sacred pools and the pipiwai trail to Waimoku falls.

The Road to Hana (Piliani HWY) doesn't actually end and most people go well past Hana itself - it goes all the way around to the West side and reconnects with the main Highways. It's a bit of a slow go for a short bit, but really nice with some very unique scenery past Seven Sacred Pools. If you've never done it, I recommend you do the entire road. There's lots of time after the Seven Sacred Pools / Pipiwai Trail Hike to finish the road and you get a gorgeous sunset on your way back.

[89coupe]

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The Road to Hana (Piliani HWY) doesn't actually end and most people go well past Hana itself - it goes all the way around to the West side and reconnects with the main Highways. It's a bit of a slow go for a short bit, but really nice with some very unique scenery past Seven Sacred Pools. If you've never done it, I recommend you do the entire road. There's lots of time after the Seven Sacred Pools / Pipiwai Trail Hike to finish the road and you get a gorgeous sunset on your way back.

I have, numerous times, feels like you are on Mars at a certain point.

[DustanS]

.

[msommers]

The only place that resembles Mars is at the top of the volcano, definitely not along the highway.

Chris Myden sent a notice out that YYC to most of Hawaii is <$400 round trip.

https://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-...ncluding-taxes

[taemo]

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The only place that resembles Mars is at the top of the volcano, definitely not along the highway.

Chris Myden sent a notice out that YYC to most of Hawaii is <$400 round trip.

https://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-...ncluding-taxes

Yup, I went

yesterday when I saw that, was debating Maui or Big Island in April but booked Puerto Vallarta instead before that deal.
Not a big issue though as we wanted an all inclusive vacation and a short flight but Big Island is still on my bucket list.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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The only place that resembles Mars is at the top of the volcano, definitely not along the highway.

Maybe not Mars-like but last section of that highway looks like this which is probably what he's referring to:



Haleakala definitely looks more like another planet:

[89coupe]

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The only place that resembles Mars is at the top of the volcano, definitely not along the highway.

Chris Myden sent a notice out that YYC to most of Hawaii is <$400 round trip.

https://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-...ncluding-taxes

The southern part of the Piilani Highway just past the Pahihi Gulch the highway passes through lava rock channels, feels like you are on a different planet




Further along you also pass by a number of cinder cones that sit adjacent to both sides of the highway.

[89coupe]

You can also take Makena road from the south side and drive into the lava fields, they also feel like being on another planet.

[max_boost]

Tempting! YYC Deals Alert: Calgary to Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, or Kona, Hawaii - $358 to $399 CAD roundtrip including taxes | some non-stop flights

[msommers]

Crazy, I do not recall seeing anything like that when I was there April 2012. Makes me wonder if the landscape changes often over the year/seasons. Closest thing I remember even quasi-Mars on that loop is this:

DSC_5553-44 by msommers00, on Flickr

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Great drive nonetheless

DSC_5560-47 by msommers00, on Flickr

DSC_5580-52 by msommers00, on Flickr

DSC_5675-62 by msommers00, on Flickr

DSC_5586-53 by msommers00, on Flickr

[89coupe]

Some photos I took along the road to Hana.

[2Legit2Quit]

Fuuuuuuuuuu deals so tempting, $450 from PEI to Kauai or $430 from PEI to Kona....fucking cheaper than flying PEI to Calgary. Have been to Oahu and Kauai before, checking out Kona is tempting but loooooooove Kauai.