Maui Trip.. HELP!

Heading to Maui in a couple of weeks. Taking several family members with me this time. Looking for fun things to do. Have HAPA tickets for Stella Blues one night. Where is the best Luau? Any other music venues anyone can recommend? Bar stuff is out... it's a family affair this time around. Where is all the fun stuff on Maui? Thanks in advance.

I went to Maui a few years back for work. I dont know about the best luau, because I've only been to one, but Old Lahania Luau was pretty cool, good food and nice show. I would try and go to Haleakala. If you can go to the summit at sunrise or maybe the bike tour down the mountian. Also the Road to Hana is pretty cool, it takes a while but there are some cool sights and you can go to the other part of Haleakala with the seven pools and some other exibits. You might beable to drive around the south side of the island, which I have heard is cool but it was closed when I was there.

Da Kitchen in Kihei, I think, has some good local foods for good prices.

Where abouts in Maui are you staying?

As mentioned, the Road to Hana is an adventurous drive. If you do drive it, give way to the locals when possible. Haleakala for sunrise or star gazing at night but take lots of WARM clothes inc a touque/hat and gloves! You'll need a 4x4 to get to the summit or if by car, you're limited to the highest lookout point. Your rental company will warn you of this.

Whaler's Village for some shopping and dining. There's some walking around at Lahaina. While not Hawaiian, Dave's BBQ in Lahaina is soooo good and family friendly! For local Hawaiian food, there's Aloha Mixed Plate in Old Lahaina. Very inexpensive and family friendly too.

Someone mentioned that there's a few tide pools just around Kapalua. I didn't know about them until I got back home. Doh!
You can take a drive up to Makawao in Upcountry and stop by Komoda Bakery for some tasty cream puffs. If you can find it, there's the Surfboard fence at Ka'Ohu Farms in Peahi.

For beaches, check out Kaanapali, Kapalua and Black Rock beaches. At Black Rock near sunset, there's the traditional lighting of the tiki torch and diving off the rock.

Have fun! Most jealous!

If you happen to be in the Lahaina area when a cruise ship anchors you might want to go down and listen to the folks from the Senior center play across from the Pioneer Inn on the corner of the dock. They're really good and the family will have stuff to see around there while you listen. They're usually there by 9 AM but you might want to ask a local.

Whatever you do, don't buy anything from Maui Shirts on Kupuohi Street! The owner is just a rude, grumpy old fart. I can't believe he can keep his business going with that kind of attitude.

Check out http://www.slackkeyshow.com/calendar/ for the best slack key guitar and ukulele players at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. I've never been myself, but the show was started by a friend of mine and the resulting slack key albums culled from these live shows won Grammys for 4 out of 5 years running.

You didn't say when you'd be in Maui, but if it's 12/19 the lineup is great: Ledward Kaapana - Slack Key Guitar GrandMaster

George Kahumoku Jr.

Da Ukulele Boyz

Sterling Seaton

Wainani Kealoha

Napili Kai Beach Resort Aloha Pavilion

Enjoy!

musiccityuker said:

Heading to Maui in a couple of weeks. Taking several family members with me this time. Looking for fun things to do. Have HAPA tickets for Stella Blues one night. Where is the best Luau? Any other music venues anyone can recommend? Bar stuff is out... it's a family affair this time around. Where is all the fun stuff on Maui? Thanks in advance.

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Luau...The Old Lahaina Luau is probably the best, but no fire knife!!
Snorkel...The best is tha Ali'i Nui. All you need are sunglasses and a swim suit, they provide EVERYTHING!! Free pick up and return, sunscreen, equipment, instructions, breakfast, mid morning snack, hot lunch buffet and fresh juices, sodas, Maui beer, champagne, wine. They alternate trips between Molokini crater and Turtle point. At Turtle point you will see AND swim with hundreds of turtles. Plus there is a great and very coloful reef that houses all the fish. There is NO crowd unlike Molokini crater and the boat can carry 140 people but they take about 40...no crowds.
For Zip Line go to the Flyin Hawaiian...they are the best plus they have the longest line at 3600 feet and you hit speeds up to 65mph!! Great views of the mountains and the ocean of both sides of the island.

SPOILER ALERT!!
(Photos from Haleakala)

I also recommend the trip to the top of Haleakala to see the sunrise. I went to the summit with one of the tour vans that provides bicycles to ride partway down the mountain. The van picked me up at my motel in Kahului at about 3:00 a.m. and we were at the Visitor's center by 5:00 a.m. (It IS very cold there, at about 10,000 feet, so if you do this, definitely dress for temps in the 30s and 40s F.) After sunrise, the van took us to a few other lookout points before driving out of the National park and hooking us up with bikes for a 15-mile ride most of the way down the mountain. Then we went to breakfast. It was a blast.

rocko said:

Check out http://www.slackkeyshow.com/calendar/ for the best slack key guitar and ukulele players at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. I've never been myself, but the show was started by a friend of mine and the resulting slack key albums culled from these live shows won Grammys for 4 out of 5 years running.

You didn't say when you'd be in Maui, but if it's 12/19 the lineup is great: Ledward Kaapana - Slack Key Guitar GrandMaster

George Kahumoku Jr.

Da Ukulele Boyz

Sterling Seaton

Wainani Kealoha

Napili Kai Beach Resort Aloha Pavilion

Enjoy!

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:agree: I think one of the shows is called "The Legends of Slack Key" I haven't been to Maui since I started playing the uke, but I caught this show a few years back.

mds725 said:

SPOILER ALERT!!
(Photos from Haleakala)

I also recommend the trip to the top of Haleakala to see the sunrise. I went to the summit with one of the tour vans that provides bicycles to ride partway down the mountain. The van picked me up at my motel in Kahului at about 3:00 a.m. and we were at the Visitor's center by 5:00 a.m. (It IS very cold there, at about 10,000 feet, so if you do this, definitely dress for temps in the 30s and 40s F.) After sunrise, the van took us to a few other lookout points before driving out of the National park and hooking us up with bikes for a 15-mile ride most of the way down the mountain. Then we went to breakfast. It was a blast.

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This is definitely a great thing to do. The crater is amazing and the bike ride is just plain old FUN!

gyosh said:

This is definitely a great thing to do. The crater is amazing and the bike ride is just plain old FUN!

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I would so do the bike ride. We were planning on it but my sis chickened out. Isn't there snow up there now?

Trinimon said:

I would so do the bike ride. We were planning on it but my sis chickened out. Isn't there snow up there now?

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Was up there a couple weeks ago and there wasn't any snow. I actually like to hike into the crater (which isn't technically a crater, btw) when I visit. The landscape is incredible and different. This past visit we ended up visiting some farms in up country since we were already up there.

didgeridoo2 said:

Was up there a couple weeks ago and there wasn't any snow. I actually like to hike into the crater (which isn't technically a crater, btw) when I visit. The landscape is incredible and different. This past visit, we ended up visiting some farms in up country since we were already up there.

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