re: Maui must-dos

I went to Mama's for lunch with my wife while on our honeymoon. We went more for the views than the food. If you keep this in mind, then you can keep the cost down while having a lunch with an incredible view.

Keep in mind that if you go for dinner then the view (the main selling point IMO) is mostly lost.

If you're going to spend money on food in Maui then I'd recommend Lahaina Grill. By far the best meal of our trip.

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I drove from Wailea to Hana and back in about 6 hours. I personally think the entire Hana deal is over rated.

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That seems pretty fast. Did you do all of the stops along the way?

I think my wife is pretty dead set on not doing it all in one day and spending the night in Hana. I'm not sure why she cares since she won't be driving.

I mean...isn't the biggest part to the Road to Hana doing all the stops along the way?

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special Luau

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Feast at Lele is family style dining as opposed to a buffet so we chose that one and enjoyed it very much.

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Oh, Mama's Fish House.

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Man. Everyone recommends this place. Its hard for me to fathom the prices on this place but I guess I'll have to go.

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Did you do all of the stops along the way?

Nope. I've done a lot of driving on three of the islands and didn't find the road to Hana to be all that special.

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WTH?? The purpose of Road to Hana are the cool stops along the way not the actual road.

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WTH?? The purpose of Road to Hana are the cool stops along the way not the actual road.

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Oh boy, we have a know it all Hana road expert among us I see.
The purpose of the road to Hana is to get to Hana. Nothing more or nothing less. Anything you can see on the road to Hana can also be seen in other locations. There is not a damn thing unique about the road to Hana. You need to get out more often.

I've been to many places on the globe and Maui is still my favorite. Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour. Flies you around Haleakala and is amazing. The old Lahaina luau was really good and supposedly more traditional and one of the best on any island in Hawaii.

For a kinda of unusual recommendation. Warren and Annabelle's magic/comedy show in Lahaina is REALLY good. Highly recommend.

Been to Maui about a dozen times over the last 20 years. It depends what you like to do, but I typically stay in Wailea (I've stayed in condos, Four Season, Grand Wailea, Fairmont). If you have kids and depending the time of year, the water features at Grand Wailea will be a hit. If just adults, I personally like the vibe at the Fairmont better than the Four Seasons - it's way more chill. But the swim up bar at the Four Seasons perched in the ledge over the beach is pretty cool.

If you are into activities, there's tons to do. At any of the Wailea resorts, you can snorkel off the beaches and you'll be close to Turtle Town where the sea turtles group. You can paddle board or wind surf as well. Some provide surfing lessons, but I've surfed over near Kanapali.

Head to Makena Beach if you want a very laid back vibe. Big Beach is long and beautiful. Little Beach is a clothing optional/hippie/gay beach, but it has some of the most reliable body surfing on the island if you are into that.

I've done the self guided downhill biking from Haleakala and recommend that. You decide when/where to stop, etc.

Snorkeling trip to Molikini is always cool if you like a good boat ride and decent snorkeling. The snorkeling off of the lava field past Makena is better, but not easy to access.

Drive over to the Iao needle near Wailuku for a quick 1-2 hr nature excursion - easy to get to but you quickly see an entirely different piece of the island.

I love stopping all over the road to Hana and have stayed overnight there several times. Catching the red sand beach, black sand beach, various hidden waterfalls, Hamoa Beach where you can see the 2 snow-capped peaks of the Big Island is cool. The 7 pools are cool when the water is flowing. The hike to the big waterfall a couple miles back is also great. I've done horseback riding via Hana stables along the beach there - pretty cool. Drive the entire loop.

Drive up to Kula upslope and there are tons of things to see including both coasts.

Restaurants at the hotels along the beach in Wailea are great. Mama's and others in Paia are also great. Monkey Pod in Wailea is fun and if you like amazing hole in the wall sushi, there's Koiso in Kihei.

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Any suggestions on places to get macadamia nut pancakes?

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Kihei Caffe is really good if staying in that area.