HELP - we leave Saturday!

My DH is wondering if there are any good bars close by. We are staying at Hale Pau Hana in Kihei and he would like to go out at night for drinks...any suggestions?

HELP - we leave Saturday!

WHat about Hapa%26#39;s Brew Haus? Has anyone ever been there?

HELP - we leave Saturday!

You can walk across the street and find several bars. Moose McGillicuddy%26#39;s is there and several others. (Be careful crossing the street on the way back!)

Fred%26#39;s mexican and Mooses are right across the street. Cafe O%26#39;lei also has a bar and you could walk down the road to Kalama Village for more nightlife. Or, you could do what we do and blend up drinks in our unit and enjoy them on the beach,

Have a wonderful time

Carol, Fred%26#39;s has a pretty good fish taco too. Yummy yummy... Their margaritas are great,

Bada Bing is in that same general area too. The food isn%26#39;t good according to some condo mates, but a decent bar.

Hapa’s is no more. Bada Bing is a ways up the road at Kalama. If you are going to go there I’d recommend Lulu’s, Duck %26amp; Dog, Tiki Lounge, even Life’s a Beach before Bada Bing!

I am starting to feel that post Maui depression starting in.

The first few days weren%26#39;t too bad..it was warm and sunny here and we took a weekend camping trip last weekend after we got back but now I am feeling a little blue and a little homesick feeling for Hawaii. Maybe the fact that it%26#39;s raining here doesn%26#39;t really help either.

I am starting to feel that post Maui depression starting in.

Hey addicted! I%26#39;ve been back 2 weeks and I%26#39;m still feeling that Maui Blues (isn%26#39;t that a eating place in Kehei?)

But with much advice from TA people, I realize that I need to regroup and get it together for my next trip. So that%26#39;s what I%26#39;m doing...planning for the NEXT time...and Hell YES there will be a next time for all of us!

Maui is the best!...

I am starting to feel that post Maui depression starting in.

Know exactly what you mean! That%26#39;s why I pretty much have the Maui TA forums on one screen nearly all the time while I%26#39;m working!! Sounds pretty lame, but it%26#39;s about the only thing that keeps me sane!!!

Hey, at least you can print %26amp; frame your reservations for next year %26amp; look at them when you get too blue!!!

;(

Maui post departing depression???

Try to concentrate on helping others on this forum and avoid thinking of your own problems...... ;-)

Yea Maui! Do you think we can all just travel to Maui all the time and enjoy the Valley Isle. Have some caring and help the caddyshack out of his Maui blues OK?

I%26#39;m sorry about that Seattle rain also...maybe it is good for tourist brochures. (My only west coast experiences are LA and San Fran...via Yosemitte....AWESOME!)

well senility has set in again...that post was for addicted...but at this point, it%26#39;s for anyone who wants to chime in....(except for you Bud!)

Well, since I%26#39;m the official self-titled ';Dr. Phil'; of TA Maui forums, I%26#39;ll try %26amp; assist with any psychological issue related to The Valley Isle...

%26#39;Guess it helps when the Dr. also suffers from MPDD....

We%26#39;re making progress already! On our 1st day of therapy, we%26#39;ve coined a new diagnoses, MPDD = Maui post departing depression!

;D

Dr. Phil....I%26#39;m very confused and I don%26#39;t understand why I%26#39;m not STILL on Maui....and I%26#39;m angry about that...help me.....

I%26#39;m feeling it Broddder and i havent even left yet-Wifey cried on the way to the airport home in 94......

30 days to Maui!!!!!

mex25

It appears there are a number of with GFM syndrone (Gone from Maui syndrone) I hope I never get over it. Help me Doctor Phil Maui Dude if you can....If my worst problems are dreaming about being on Maui, then you know....I think I%26#39;ll be OK.....

God! Some day I%26#39;m going to learn how to type...I%26#39;m sorry about the spellings...

beach wedding on North shore

We are getting married on July in Kauai - just 2 of us. We would like it to be a beach wedding on North shore, but the question is how crowded are the North side beaches during July (Saturday midday)?

Is it possible to find some nice quite beach location with easy car access where we could have our ceremony and photos without people in the background? Any ideas welcomed.

beach wedding on North shore

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

I think that if you contact a good wedding photographer here on the island and explain what you want -- he or she undoubtedly will have suggestions for you as to the type of beach that you want.

Wedding photographers here are very skilled and knowledgeable about all the beaches that are good for wedding photographs and which will have the amenities you describe.

Good luck!

Malama Pono,

Janet

shiseido

Sugar Beach Or Kaanapli?

I can%26#39;t decide between the Sugar Beach Area or Kannapali area. Which do you prefer and why? What are the pluses and minuses. Aren%26#39;t the beaches/weather better in Sugar Beach?

Sugar Beach Or Kaanapli?

Kaanapali is more of a resort area than Sugar Beach. It%26#39;s a great area to stay, close to Lahaina and the beaches are great. It is more expensive than the Sugar Beach area and more touristy. For a good swimming beach you will want to stay right in Kaanapali resort area, anything north will not have very good swimming beaches until you get to Napili. The Honokowai area just north and the Kahana area have many oceanfront complexes to choose from for less $$$.

I also love Sugar Beach for the weather and the cost, it is located at the north end of Kihei. The beaches just south of Sugar Beach until you get to the Kamaole beaches in South Kihei tend to be a little rocky but there are still many many great places to stay. If you are looking at The Sugar Beach Resort area, that beach is perfectly acceptable for swimming and the beach is long, you can walk for miles. It does tend to be slightly more windy there but it can be windy anywhere on the island at any time. It%26#39;s also a quieter area. Some people may like that and some might not.

There are many places to stay in Kihei that are also great and affordable. You may also want to explore South Kihei as well.

Sugar Beach Or Kaanapli?

Quite a few places on Maui (West and South) are ON beaches, but not directly on beaches that are good for swimming/snorkeling. If you are considering Sugar Beach, I%26#39;d also look farther south to S. Kihei and Wailea to find the best beaches for swimming/snorkeling. They begin with the Kamaole beach parks and extend south through Wailea.

Aloha! Sorry, but I must chime in here.... While more of the beaches in South Maui are continuous, I MUCH prefer the diversity and selection of beaches to the North (West)!

I honestly feel that once exposed to the nicer beaches either South (Kihei-Wailea) OR North(Kaanapali-Kapalua) of Sugar beach, you would feel cheated hanging there. (JMHO!!)

Keep in mind, in West Maui, Kahekili/Keka%26#39;a (or ';Airport';) beach is located on the Kaanapali/Honokowai border %26amp; is one of the cleanest, nicest beaches on the island. Also, you are a VERY short drive to: Kapalua beach, Napili beach, DT Flemming (excel boogie boarding), Oneloa, Slaughterhouse, Honolua bay..... and, of course famous Kaanapali beach....etc etc...

Lastly, you will be less than 15 min from Lahaina %26amp; %26lt;10 to Whalers Village! While Kihei has some ';interesting'; bazzar-type shopping, I don%26#39;t care for the ';Shops at Wailea'; vibe...

Remember, I make no bones about being a (north) West Maui purist, and there are many who will say it%26#39;s best to be South!!! (eh, Sue??)

They are both great. If you are on a budget and want to stay on a good swimming beach and in an oceanfront condo then I would opt for Sugar Beach.

The Mahana in West Maui is another great place to stay oceanfront although the beach is not good for swimming.

The up side to staying on a beach that is pretty to look at and walk on but not good for swimming is you tend to get out an explore more. When we used to stay at The Mahana we would explore other beaches alot. Now we barely leave the property we stay at.

Thanks for the advice. I think it is making me more confused though. I was looking at Kaanapali shores (good price), but it appears that it is actually north of Kaanapali. So I was thinking to stay within that price range maybe it would be better to go down to Sugar beach. Would Kamaole area better? I don%26#39;t need to be in the middle of everything, but it would be nice to have a few stores/restaurants within walking distance.

Problem is, stores and restaurants get established where there%26#39;s a customer base -- traffic. Kaanapali has a lot of high rises. Lahaina has a touristy Front Street. So...businesses want those venues.

I don%26#39;t do a lot of walking on Maui that isn%26#39;t on beaches. It%26#39;s hot on the concrete and I%26#39;m not on Maui to shop, but to enjoy Maui. If I want to shop I drive to shopping. That%26#39;s just me, of course. There are vistors who want to ';mingle'; and want to ';people watch'; from their lanais.

The Lahaina/Kaanapali area is the more densely-populated area of West Maui. Farther north in Kahana, Napili, Kapalua it is quieter. Wherever you are in West Maui, you are out on the NW lobe of the island -- a bit more of a trek to sightsee the rest of Maui.

Sugar Beach is kinda all-by-its-lonesome there at the north end of Kihei. You will definitely be driving to *anywhere*. But...it%26#39;s a nice central point from which to tour the island.

South Maui has been our choice: S. Kihei and Wailea.

Do remember that Maui is a small island. You can cross the valley in 30 minutes. You can travel from Wailea to Lahaina in less than an hour.

the area just before kihei and after it seemed more trashy... trash on side of road etc.. the parks looked a bit dirty too IMO. The west maui area seemed a bit cleaner and better maintained. It might not always be that way but it was for the 3 times we drove south.. so my vote is for Kanapali area or north.. But we will always want to be near honolua bay for the great snorkeling :) We like the honokowie ( sorry about spelling) area.. we stayed at the maui kai and loved it but the mahana looked nice too. The beach worked fine for us to swim at.. and we could also snorkel there too :) Just my opinion :) I think I am a west maui snob though :) But hey you are on maui and it is all good anyways :)

Wailea is very pretty just south of Kihei if you have the $$$ to spend. Kaanapali Villas is located on a great swimming beach. You would probably like it there. You just won%26#39;t have a unit very close to the ocean like you would at Sugar Beach.

If you do decide on Sugar Beach, you won%26#39;t be isolated. You can drive to The Maui Ocean Center where you will find a variety of restaurants. Practically around the corner. You can also drive into Kihei for lots of places to eat and shop.

Guess what Chisue...... An ABC store opened a couple of weeks back in the old Suda Store. Right across the street from the Kihei Canoe Club Hale. There is also a sign up that says Suda is opening a new place off the Piilani Hwy.

Shawna,

If you%26#39;re confused it%26#39;s because you%26#39;ve managed to step into the West Maui-South Maui debate that happens on this forum when someone poses a question like yours. My take on it is this:

Both West and South Maui are among the most beautiful vacation spots in the world and most people would have a wonderful time in either. There are some differences between them but they%26#39;re minor compared to the total experience of just being in Maui. I personally like West Maui better but that%26#39;s entirely a matter of personal taste and preferences. I can understand why some would like South Maui better and I also like some things about South Maui better myself.

My recommendation: Stay a few days in both places if you have time. If not stay in one and explore the other on day trips. That way when you come back you%26#39;ll have developed your own preference.

Enjoy your time in Maui whatever you decide.

My $0.02.

Going on a trip, need advice please!!!

Is it safe to go horseback riding while pregnant?

Going on a trip, need advice please!!!

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Not quite sure why this question is posed in this forum, but --- when I worked for a horseback riding stable here on Kaua%26#39;i, we would not take pregnant women - unless they had a Doctor%26#39;s note saying that it was alright, and even then, it was sketchy. Why take the risk?

Maybe someone else more equestrienne-savvy than myself could answer your question.

Malama Pono,

Janet

Going on a trip, need advice please!!!

This website might be insightful as it addresses it....

womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/pregnancy/fit.cfm

When I was pregnant, I would not risk it.

As a fellow pregnant woman, can I suggest that you talk to your doctor/midwife about this and not a message board!!!!

I will tell you that my OB told me that it was okay to do some things that I would consider risky early on in my pregnancy (like ride rollarcoasters...which I chose not to do). I personally prefer to error on the side of caution with this sort of stuff. Talk to you health care provider!!!

When is the best time to purchase inter island flights?

This is for the trip I am planning in May 2008, so I have some time. We%26#39;re purchasing our Chicago to Honolulu tickets with miles (part of the reason that I%26#39;m planning so far out!), but we are paying out of pocket for the inter island portion to Lihue since it will cost us an additional 10,000 miles each to add the Hawaiian airlines portion. Our other (no additional cost) option was to fly to Lihue through LAX, but I decided against that one because the flight doesn%26#39;t get in until 8:30pm. That doesn%26#39;t seem like a good idea when you are traveling with a baby and a preschooler!

Here%26#39;s my question...the inter island flights seem pretty reasonable to me (but what do I know) at $39-59 for the outbound part of our trip. Should I be purchasing the inter island tickets when they ticket my Honolulu flight or should I be waiting?

Also, I don%26#39;t know if anyone knows the answer to this...it%26#39;s not a Kauai question, but it seems like there are a lot of people here that use their miles for their flights. We%26#39;re getting 4 seats on the flight from Chicago to HNL so the baby has a seat. I was thinking about not buying a seat for the baby on the Hawaiian flight. Is that going to screw us up in anyway? The only thing I could think of that might be a problem is baggage. I%26#39;d need to make sure that the gate agent doesn%26#39;t check any of our bags under the baby%26#39;s ticket.

When is the best time to purchase inter island flights?

They have been running specials (limited number of tickets of course) for as low as $9. It really doesn%26#39;t matter how far out you book them, just get them when they are cheap if you can. $39 is the ';normal'; price for a one island hop but even still, those tickets can be gone if you wait too long.

As to the baby question the island hops are short duration so there really isn%26#39;t a need to book a seat for the baby if you are ok with one on your lap for say a 1/2 hour or so.

When is the best time to purchase inter island flights?

Regarding the baby question... like you said, don%26#39;t check bags under the baby%26#39;s name for the originating flight. If they codeshare, then they can be checked to final destination. Ex: AA and Hawaiian codeshare, so when we leave next week, we will show our AA confirmation along with our Hawaiian confirmation at checkin so bags will be checked through to our final destination. Our 9-month old does not have a seat on either flight (AA was with AAdvantage miles, HA was with $39 fare). Therefore no bags will go in her name either way. (Also make sure to check on the ';legal connect time'; with your original airline for the HNL airport before booking your interisland leg.)

Keep an eye out for those $9 fare wars. Sure, we spent ';too much'; by jumping on the $39 fare a while back and saw other options for $9 - but oh well. We did take advantage of the $9 for a day trip over to the Big Island to see the volocano during our first week in Hawaii.

Have fun!

Another thing to keep in mind, is that airlines tend to change flight times periodically. So by the time next May rolls around the Chicago-Honolulu flight may have changed it%26#39;s flight times 30-60 minutes. So I find it best to wait till it is 2-4 months before the trip to buy the inter-island portion of the flights. Hawaiian Air will now charge you if you need to change the flight time after you have purchased the ticket.

If you%26#39;re able to go online and find the $19 specials or the next lowest fare of $39 one-way, I%26#39;d grab it. These two lowest fares go fast. After that they go up to $59 one way and then $79. You%26#39;ll see that as time ticks on the fares available for purchase are going up. This is GENERAL RULE OF THUMB. Now that%26#39;s not to say that they won%26#39;t throw out a doggie bone now and then for a flight that has has some seats left still. That usually happens with flights that are earlier a.m. or later evening. Most folks from the mainland are arriving around crunch time, that is high noon and early afternoon. This is when it%26#39;s hard to get the cheaper fares so if you are also arriving at crunch time grab the best deal you can find, fast.

We%26#39;ll be arriving at crunch time. If we can get flights for $39, I%26#39;m going to grab them. If there aren%26#39;t any $39 flights left, should I be holding out for a sale or just go for the $59?

Okay...so I just went back to the Hawaiian Airlines website to look at the flights and now the only fares available for my outbound flight are the $59 ones. Will they release more of the $39 ones or are they gone? Seems crazy that the $39 fares are gone for next May when it looks like $39 fares are available for next week!

I agree that it might be better to wait. Our flight for the end of June was booked in January and has changed 8 times by as much as two hours!

sdfjhalkf....Do you have any United Air miles? You can purchase R/T Aloha Air inter-island flights for 5000 United miles. If you can get the $39 special it%26#39;s probably not worth using miles but if it%26#39;s higher it may be worth it.

I would hold up and see if any of the $39 fares show up again. May is low season. Also remember that the airlines do not release all of their seats at one time. They do it in dribbles. Chances are pretty good you might see a lower fare than the $59 one way. But Hawaiian airlines just announced some major money issues and had to go through some cost cutting measures. This could go one way or the other.

Last year I booked a package in March for a trip in November. The inter-island carrier was Island Air. By the time September rolled around, they had eliminated that flight, and the next closest (available) flight was four hours later. Very luckily, we were able to fly direct and get a refund. So be careful if your itineraries are not linked. I%26#39;d recommend waiting until about 3-4 months out to start watching fares. Plus, if the wars are down to $9 now, you know it%26#39;s not too long before go! will be giving out their flights for free.

now or later

I am going to Maui In Feb 2008 and was wondering if I should book the whale watching now or wait until I am there?

now or later

You shouldn%26#39;t have any problem at all booking when you get there. We went with the pacific whale foundation and really enjoyed it. We actually booked it the same day that we went. I suppose if you really wanted to you could book ahead if it makes you feel. better but you definately shouldn%26#39;t have to though.