Road to Hana with Luggage???

This will be our first trip to Maui!!! It will be our honeymoon and we are Very excited about the whole thing. My question is about the road to Hana. Hana sounds right up our alley so we booked three nights at the Homoa bay bungalows. Anyway, we would love to experience some of the stops along the way, but after reading about some of the petty theft I%26#39;m paranoid that our stuff will be stolen. We have booked a convertible and will have ALL of our luggage with us for the drive both ways. I just don%26#39;t think I could walk away forn the car holding everything we brought with us on vacation.

How big of a problem is this, and Is there some sort of mail or delivery service that will deliver our bags to Hana so we can take our time to enjoy the hikes?

You guys are all great!

Road to Hana with Luggage???

We didn%26#39;t do the Road to Hana thing, so I can%26#39;t really give you advice on the crime stuff. I%26#39;am sure you can use someone like the UPS store or something to mail you stuff. Hopefully this will bump you up so that someone that has gone on the Road to Hana can answer you. Good luck

Road to Hana with Luggage???

I have not done the whole road yet either but I think that since you are staying so close to many of the places you will want to spend the most time at you should just drive there.. with stops for taking in the view and not having to leave your car unattended. Then just use your bungalow for your ';base'; and have a stress free time. I think that after a long,,, long flight from MD that last thing you will feel like doing is hiking out to waterfalls.. I think that they next day would be so much better after some rest :) Just my thoughts though.

I do think that since you are going to be based out there for a few days that you are smart and will have much more time to just enjoy the hana area then us west maui people :) who do it in one crazy day :)

KBH Magic show

Has anyone been to the show? Is it any good? We have a 6 %26amp; 12 yr old. Originally thinking of Warren %26amp; Annabelle but they have an age limit. Thanks!

KBH Magic show

Just returned from Maui. Went to the Magic Show 5/19. The kids, 11 and 9 loved it. I personally could take a pass. From the adult standpoint Warren and Annabelle wins handsdown, but no kids there!

shiseido

Kona Makai vs Kona Isle

Looking for input as to whether to try Kona Isle, or go back to the Kona Makai this winter. There aren%26#39;t any comments on the Kona Isle on this sight.

Kona Makai vs Kona Isle

You posted on the Waikiki forum...that%26#39;s on Oahu. If you want to expand your question, post on the Hawaii forum. That forum covers all islands in case somebody has stayed at one of the condos but only visits another island%26#39;s forum.

Kona Makai vs Kona Isle

Spent a week at Kona Isle this past January. I also found little information in advance and I suspect it is because many who come there have been regulars for years. It is a quiet and VERY well kept complex. Nice beach, heated pool of decent size and good location. We looked at similiar priced complexes while we were there and found nothing any better. As a result we are coming back this year for two weeks.

Snorkeling/dinner cruises - Island of Lihue

Anyone have suggest for either snorkeling cruise or a dinner cruise?

Snorkeling/dinner cruises - Island of Lihue

Uhhhhhh, Lihue is a town on Kaua`i. Do you mean, maybe the island Lana`i? If so, both Paragon and Trilogy have cruises to Lana`i for snorkeling and a picnic lunch on the beach, with a performance sail on the way back, wind permitting. I like Paragon, but I%26#39;ve heard good things about the Trilogy trip, too. The food on Trilogy is a little better, but Paragon is the faster boat.

Snorkeling/dinner cruises - Island of Lihue

Just in case, you mixed up Lihue, where you land, and Kauai, the island.

There are several companies who have dinner sunset cruises along the Napali.. There are also shorter two hour cruises off poipu, and I believe might only be on sundays.

Day snorkel, napali cruises:

several companies, go out of port allen, on the west side, and have larger catamarans (50 ft ) , or more. A couple of smaller boats are out of the north shore. Probably depends on where you are staying.

Denny

Did you mean Ni%26#39;ihau?

I know nothing about Hawaii--but I want to go! Please help

My husband and I have been dying to go to Hawaii and are thinking about going in either October or January. I have no idea about anything--what are the different islands, what does each have to offer, etc. My husband likes history, diving and flying (he is a pilot) and I am looking just for good beach relaxing. Money is flexible--we aren%26#39;t rich but generally spend comfortably to take nice vacations. We would probably go for 7-8 days and would want to stay in one place (two at the most).

I know this is very open-ended, but I will take any advice I can because I am really at square one right now.

I know nothing about Hawaii--but I want to go! Please help

Aloha,

Each island has much to offer and there is no one better than the other, so you win regardless of which island you choose. I am glad you are going to focus on one island this trip, we hope you will return and get to know a second island in the future. I am partial to the Big Island so I will share my thoughts on that island, I am sure others will join in with their feelings on their favorite island.

October is considered low season except during Ironman which is held on Oct 13. I would suggest coming the last week of Oct. if you choose the Big Island. January is High Season so prices will be higher.

Kona has amazing diving opportunities because the water is so clear. Many divers return to the Big Island because of the clarity and beauty.

Check out ';LET%26#39;S GO SHORE DIVE%26#39;N%26#39; on the Kona Coast';

The Big Island also offers many cultural and historical opportunities.

Here are a few places you may want to look into. Feel free to email me for URL%26#39;s if you get stuck:

Hulihee Palace,

Kona Historical Society Museum, Captain Cook

Kona Coffee Living History Farm, Captain Cook

Parker Ranch Museum and Historic Homes

Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center,

Onizuka Center for International Astronomy,

Pacific Tsunami Museum,

Lyman House Memorial Museum

%26#39;Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii,

Also the biggie IMHO is

Volcano National Park!

We may have fewer beaches than the other islands, but they are beautiful and vary in sand color.

Here are jus a few to look into:

Old Airport State Park

A-Bay

Hapuna Beach (my favorite)

Kahuwai bay (near Hualalai )

Punalu%26#39;u (black sand)

I am not a pilot, wish I was! I am sure someone else will help you with that.

Have fun planning!

I know nothing about Hawaii--but I want to go! Please help

I might suggest that you buy a general Hawaii (state of) guidebook. Read about each of the islands and decide which one might appeal. If you are only going for one week, I would suggest you stay on one island. Certain parts, basically the north shores of some of the islands experiance big surf and more rain in the winter. October is also a less pricey time to visit. Please ask more questions.

Shanty has an excellent suggestion for you. Go buy a guidebook that includes the 4 major islands. Another way to suppliment that is to go to each island%26#39;s forum and type ';trip report'; in the search box. You can read tons of info about what other people have seen and done on their vacations. Once you get an idea about which island seems just right, come back on and post a few more questions. I second the idea of going in October. Great weather and cheaper prices add up to make a winning combination!

I, too, love the Big Island best. They are all wonderful and beautiful, but it holds something dear to my heart. It doesn%26#39;t have as many touristy destinations and feels more like visiting a remote, rural, tropical island, as does Kauai. Maui and Oahu have more sophisticated, city, tourist locations, although there are parts of both that are beautifully remote.

Have fun as you study, but if you decide to go in January, start getting things in gear. We always book a year in advance to get the best places if going during the high season.

I also agree with shanty, and I have found the Moon Publications has very good general Hawaii book. You need to some general research and then you will able develop some specific questions.

You say your husband is a pilot. Is he by any chance military, either active or retired? If so check in to the Hale Koa hotel. We stayed there last month (military only) and it is awesome and you won%26#39;t beat the price anywhere. We were on Oahu and there is plenty to do and see.

Have a great trip.

Lots of info:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862鈥?/a>

Looking for email address of church in Maui

We are going to Maui in July and hope to renew our wedding vows at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina. I had emailed the church to get info and they wanted some additional info from my local church. Well, now for the life of me, I cannot locate the email address for this church and time is passing quickly. Evidently, I have deleted the previous emails ; I can find info online about the church but cannot remember where I found the email address that I need again. If you can help, I will be forever grateful as this means a lot to me.

Thanks,

Sue from KY

Looking for email address of church in Maui

I think you should call information and just ask them.. long distance is free on cells :)

Looking for email address of church in Maui

You should be able to contact them using the following link:

marialanakila.org/contact/message/index.php

Thanks so much for your help; I had considered calling however, knew that there was a website. Thanks for posting the website; I have already checked it out and getting ready to email the info that is needed. It is really great to have a place that you can go to and have someone help you with a question. Thanks and blessings to you.

:-) Sue of KY

E komo mai!

No problem, I%26#39;m happy it helped!

advice regarding best acommadation & beaches for a family

hi there..

I know that it%26#39;s a short notice but...

were looking for :

best beaches around the island for snorkel %26amp; having fun ,relaxing time with very good beach excess.

apartment hotel (we need 2 to 3 rooms).

what is the nearest airport.

I must say that we stayed once at the Hilton (dolphin quest) but this time we%26#39;re looking to enjoy the beaches %26amp; nature the most.

are there any private tours to take ?

please let me know.

thanks.

wish you a great summer

:)

advice regarding best acommadation %26amp; beaches for a family

Aloha,

Welcome back!!!

Condo or house I think would be best.

How long will you be visiting us this time?

How many in your party?

Kona side or Hilo side?

What did you think of the Hilton?

Would you like to be up there again or another area of the island?

advice regarding best acommadation %26amp; beaches for a family

thanks for your knd words.

we%26#39;re coming for about 2 weeks.

2 adults + 2 boys (10 %26amp; 18 years old).

it seems like Mauna Lani %26amp; Mauna Kea are really nice so I might need to look for a house or a condo there.

I was looking at VRBO website %26amp; there are some nice resorts like Mauna Kea resort/beach resort,but then again - i%26#39;m not sure how far is it from the nicest beaches.

the Hilotn was great,but my son was 5 back then - now we can swim with dolphins in the open sea...

please let me know if you have any ideas for us.

thanks.

Mauna Kea is really nice, but is closed due to the Oct. %26#39;06 earthquake. However, Hapuna Prince, the sister resort, is still open and sits right off of Hapuna Beach. This is a lovely beach where you can snorkel with turtles and other creatures. You can also hike or take a shuttle to Mauna Kea%26#39;s beach which is gorgeous. I would recommend the Fair Wind II snorkel tour to Kealakekua Bay. They are fabulous and the snorkeling is amazing. There are lots of tours, it just depends on what you are interested in doing. These things I mentioned are all on the West side of the island - there are more lodging places available on this side as compared to the Hilo side. Hope this helps. Whatever you decide to do, you will have a terrific time, the BI is a great place to spend your vacation.

thanks so much for the input.

have few more questions :

so does Mauna Kea beach is OK to use or not ? and what would you think about these accommodation: (i%26#39;m not sure how close they are to the beach)

either the private homes or condos:

http://www.southkohala.com/sitepages/pid6.php

I was looking at the Mauna Kea Resort homes/condos %26amp; Mauna Lani Resort.so you happens to know if they are one near the other %26amp; where is that lovely beach ( with that lovely beach you wrote me about before).

yep - I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll have a great time anyway.

:)))

Aloha,

Mauna Kea Beach is fine to use, limited public parking so going early or late in the day gives you the best chance to have access.

I have no input on South Kohala Management, maybe someone else can share their input.

I love the homes above Mauna Kea, if staying in one of those gives you access to the beach that would be my vote. Before the earthquake staying in some of those homes allowed you access to the beach and other resort offerings so do ask questions.