Wow, what a fun trip! First let me say that I really enjoyed reading the views, suggestions and comments from everyone on TripAdvisor this past year. It was a big help in planning this vacation. There were seven couples including ourselves in our little group.....hence the name ';Texasfriends';. We are all friends in our fifties, with the exception of one couple (the grown daughter of one couple and her fiance). Only two couples have been to Maui previously, and it was fun to visit Maui and see Maui again through the eyes of the other five couples who had never been there. Since my DH and I have been to Maui about 6-7 times, I volunteered to do all the planning and bookings.
Wed. 5/30---Flight from DFW was an hour late leaving due to storms in the area. In fact many passengers did not make connections, and the plane was only half full. Several people were able to stretch out in the middle seats and take naps. My DH and I flew first class with AA miles. I don%26#39;t think I can ever fly to Maui in coach again after that experience! We arrived in Kahului about 45 minutes late at 4:05 PM. We shared a SUV (Chevy Trailblazer) with another couple. Hubby got the vehicle while we got the luggage and waited on the curb. We used Hertz, and it was quick.......DH IS A Gold Member and I am automatically an authorized second driver. We were the first two couples out ';of the gate';. Some of the others lugged their baggage onto the shuttle and had to wait a little while in line. They were about 20 minutes behind us. (I told them how to do it.....but they didn%26#39;t listen.......)
While our luggage did fit in the Trailblazer, we had to put the 2 sets of golf clubs on top----just for the ride to our destination. Hubby was smart enough to pack several bungie cords just for this purpose. (Smart, huh?)
We (5 vehicles) met at the Safeway in Lahaina to gather snacks, drinks, and breakfast items for our condos. Hubby stayed with our vehicle while we shopped. We were through shopping by the time the last couple arrived at Safeway. They were stuck in some rush hour traffic. One couple stopped at Walmart, but didn%26#39;t stay long because they said Walmart did not have all the things they were looking for.
We stayed at the Kapalua Ridge Villas--------Loved it!!! We rented through Ridge Realty, who I highly recommend. Each couple had their own 1-bedroom villa with the most spectacular ocean views I have ever seen. My DH and I had never stayed that far north before, having stayed previously in the Wailea area and Kaanapali. I would definitely stay here again. The villas were very clean, had everything you needed, and lots of room to spread out. We unpacked and made a quick run to Subway in Napili for a quick bite to eat before crashing!
Thursday 5/31--- Woke up around 4 AM, sat on the lanai for a bit. Then we put on our swimsuits and headed for the Ma%26#39;alaea Harbor for our Trilogy snorkeling excursion to Molokini and Turtle Town. We had a blast! While the snorkeling wasn%26#39;t the greatest (for seeing lots of fish), we did have a good time on the boat. We did see some turtles at the second stop. The food was great, the crew was fun----they had a great sense of humor as well as being educational. It is BYOB, so we brought our own small soft-sided coolers with a few beers. It was a ';perfect day';.
We drove back to Kapalua and 6 of us had booked the Warren and Annabelle%26#39;s Magic (%26amp; a lot of comedy) Show. Loved it!!! The appetizer plate was really good and the drinks too! My first Lava Flow of the trip! Warren is a ';hoot';, we laughed until our sides hurt. We thoroughly enjoyed the 2-hour show.........but not so much the 1-hour Annabelle piano part!
Friday, 6/1----Gazebo for breakfast. Really good. Got there at 7:30 and had to wait about 30 minutes. Had the mac nut pancakes. So fluffy!
Four of the guys played golf at the Kapalua Plantation Course. Of course, they loved it and actually played pretty good. I went shopping in Lahaina with a friend. I didn%26#39;t buy a thing! We ate at the Cool Cat Cafe. Food was good, but service was a little slow. Then at 3 PM she and I went to the Barefoot Bar for a tropical drink and the live music. We had fun there and thought this might be a good spot for our group later in the week.
Four of us had dinner at the Sea House Restaurant in Napili. I was disappointed. The service was really slow......we waited 45 minutes for our food. The food was rather bland, but okay. The best thing about that place is the view. Waitress offered us free dessert since we had to wait so long for our food, but we declined as we were meeting friends at the Ritz for drinks. Nice gesture though. Another couple had breakfast there and loved it; in fact they went back for lunch there later in the week, and liked it too! I guess we were there on a bad night. I had sea bass, by the way.
The Ritz Carlton was lovely. We enjoyed our drinks and heard about everyone else%26#39;s day. A few had gone to the Ritz Spa, some went to Fleming beach.
Sat. 6/2--- Ate on the lanai; can%26#39;t get over the views! Eight of us went to the Swap Meet in Kahului. I thought it was a waste of time. Yes, you can get some cheap souvenirs for small kids and friends, but ';buyer beware';, if you want my opinion. We bought a bag of roasted peanuts to snack on. Too much ';junk'; and it was really hot there. Four of us drove to the Tesdechi Winery. Enjoyed it. We bought a case of six, 5 Pineapple Blanc and 1 Blush. Our friends didn%26#39;t care for it----to each their own. We drove to the Kula Lodge for lunch. Loved it. I think this is a must do! The food was great--had burgers and onion soup. Wish we would have also ordered a pizza cooked in their brick ovens outside. They looked great! The views are to die for there!
We all went to the Old Lahaina Luau that evening. Again, another great time had by all! Everyone loved it! The luau was very well organized, food was good, and the show was good. Some of our friends tipped the bartender to get stronger drinks. Lots of good pictures taken that night. We booked this six months ago and requested regular table and chair seating. We didn%26#39;t want to sit on cushions on the ground. Glad we did, because the people on the mats did not look comfortable at all. They ended up leaning against the rock wall to watch the show. Our seats were fantastic.
Sun. 6/3--- I had two spa appts. at the Ritz. Wonderful! Ate lunch with friends at the Ritz casual restaurant by the beach. Really good.
The guys were all going to play golf at the Wailea Gold Golf Course, but due to a bad wreck on the highway, and the highway being closed for almost four hours, they had to call and cancel. They were able to get on the Kaanapali Course. Even though this was not their choice in golf courses, putting everything in perspective, since an eight-year old boy died in the wreck, they were appreciative to get to play golf. This was a sad day and our condolences go out to the family. This was discussed in another posting today.
We also had to cancel our group dinner and fun night out at Mulligans on the Blue since we were not in that area Sunday. We ended up at the Hula Grill. Food was fantastic. A lot of friends said that was their best meal of the week. Hubby and I got a dessert that night as it was our 34th wedding anniversary.
Mon. 6/4--- We drove one couple to the airport as they had plans to spend the day in Honolulu and tour Pearl Harbor. My DH and I took advantage of getting up really early to ';do the road to Hana'; as we had never driven it before. We ate breakfast at Charley%26#39;s in Paia, there was only one other couple in there. Food was good and quick. We headed out------scenery was lovely. Stopped to take pictures many times, but did not feel up to hiking. (Years ago we had done a helicopter ride, so I know how beautiful the waterfalls are) We did take some side roads that many others were not taking. We ended up driving all the way to Lindberg%26#39;s grave and glad we did. The road in general was in much better shape than I had imagined and not once did I feel unsafe. We are glad we did it, but it is not something that I ';need'; to do again. We did buy some banana bread on the way back and it was delicious. Hubby was tired of driving after this one! Lots of traffic going the other way as we were heading out. Glad we did this early......as the traffic was not bad at all.
We drove back to Kahului and had a late lunch at Da Kitchen. Wow, those are huge portions! I had a popcorn shrimp salad and hubby had the teriyaki beef plate. Both were good. The place was packed at 2:30 in the afternoon! We drove to the Iao Valley and Needle which we had not done previously. Nice drive, beautiful views, and doesn%26#39;t take very long. We did get out and hike the trails and took several pictures. We took our shoes off and waded in the stream. Looked like it was going to rain, but never did. We drove back to Kahului and had to kill about an hour before our friends landed at 5:45 PM. So we ended up at Costco......just like we do at home! I bought a 6-pk of Mac Nut Chocolates there for friends at home.
Picked up our friends at the airport. They had a wonderful time in Honolulu. I don%26#39;t know all the details, but they were picked up by a military officer whose mother-in-law is a friend of theirs. They had basically an escorted visit to Pearl Harbor, the Missouri, had lunch on the base, witnessed a military retirement dinner of someone there, saw where the officer and his wife lived, and picked their son up from school. Our friend had bought a book on Pearl Harbor there, and then met one of the surviving pilots from the war whose plane was pictured in the book. They were able to get his autograph on that page. It was really special.
We drove back to Kapalua and cleaned up and went to dinner at Vino%26#39;s nearby. It was excellent! Probably one of my favorite meals and the prices are good too. I had scallops on fettucini noodles in an excellent sauce. Vino%26#39;s offers full portions and half portions on a lot of dishes. The half portions are just right for ';us girls';. Loved it!
Tues. 6/5--- Relaxing day. Hubby and I went to Kapalua Beach, then Fleming Beach. Fleming Beach had the red flag up and no one was in the water. We enjoyed the Ritz%26#39;s swimming pool and hot tub. I met up with the girls and we spent most of the day at the pool. Had lunch at the Ritz main dining area. Service was slow, but meal was good. Hubby and three friends played at the Kapalua Bay Course. They had a good time.
We had a group dinner at Kimo%26#39;s that night. Loved the views there. Food was great! Service was good, but it took a little while to get the check.......we had asked for seperate checks! Got some great sunset view pictures.
Wed. 6/6-- Packed up and drove down to the Wailea and Makena area to show our friends. Went all the way south to the lava fields. They were amazed! Ate at the Sea Watch Restaurant at the Wailea Golf Course. Great food, service, and views. They also had a great 70% off sale going on in the pro shop. Hubby bought a couple of shirts.
Drove to airport, used a porter to transport bags. We didn%26#39;t have to wait in the long line. Only took about 10 minutes. He saved us $80, as the box of wine would have cost $80 as it was an extra bag and over our minimum, so he says. ?? Anyway I tipped him well and it was worth it not standing in the AA line. Went to the bar for a beer. Plane left on time.
Overall, we had a great trip. We enjoy going places with our close friends, as it gives my hubby someone to golf with and me someone to shop and spa with. Everyone raved on the wonderful time they had. (Some went parasailing in Kaanapali, and did the new zipline near Lahaina)
We will be back! Mahalo for reading this long report!
Trip Report May 30-June 6, 2007
Wow, sounds like a really, really nice vacation! Thanks for sharing!
Trip Report May 30-June 6, 2007
Thank you for this post! We%26#39;ll be in Maui in about one month and staying in the Kapalua area. We%26#39;ll also be going to many places you mentioned. Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time! One question though, at about what time did you leave for the Road to Hana?
now thats what i call a TRIP REPORT!! maui novices could do a lot worse then printing out texfriends report and pretty much copying that itenerary.
good job tex.
Reply to: myvicisslow----- We left the Kapalua area at 5:45 AM to get to the airport at 6:30 to 6:45. Our friends flight left at 7:30 (they like to be early). Anyway we were in Paia around 7 AM, I believe. Not much traffic going to Hana at that time. I was really amazed at the traffic around 10 AM! But it could be that many of these people were going to spend the night in Hana.
Mahalo for taking the time to report. Sounds like you had a good time. Were you impressed by the serenity of where Lindburg is buried? We were there alone and it was so peaceful. Sounds like you did a lot of work, but your friends were grateful.
shantybob---Yes, I was impressed with the serenity of where Lindberg was buried......we too were the only ones there. Had to ask an old hippie on the road which turnoff to take as it wasn%26#39;t well marked. Took several pictures there. Glad we were able to see it.
TFs:
Great report - thanks so much for sharing it. Kapalua sounds nice, we might have to consider it for our next trip.
I can%26#39;t think of a better friend to have than someone who can plan such a fabulous Maui vacation!
Mahalo!
I finally found enough time this afternoon to read your report. It all sounded great, even the not so good meal. I have always wanted to take friends to Maui just so they could have the great experience but everytime we travel with people, we all get so annoyed by each others idiosynchrasies. It sounds like getting separate accommodations and having your own itineraries really helps. I think it can be just as fun to hear about a friend%26#39;s adventure.
Wow, what a report! Thank you for taking the time to write it up... You do not have to apologize for writing your long report. It was well thought out and done.
Glad to hear that even with the bad meal, you found something positive....
Showing friends around the island can be exhausting, but it is fun to see the look in their eyes when they see the beauty... I know because I have had friends who were first time visitors from Virginia and also from California.
For me, visiting Lindbergh%26#39;s gravesite has always been a great experience... ... the serenity of the area and the cliffside views of the ocean were amazing! I have been there numerous times and it is always the same feeling.
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