[Tyga11]

We are travelling to Hawaii the second week of August for a week. My girlfriend and I have never been. I picked Kapalua because the reviews say it's less touristy than the south shore and the beaches are nice but who knows.

We are renting an AirBNB and I have a few questions:

- We went to St. Croix last year and I was able to rent a small charter boat for 5 hours for around $1K. Is this feasible to do to snorkle?

- What are the best beaches we should go too that are quiet with not that many people? Do all of the beaches except the harbors have crazy waves?

- We're renting a car and want to access the black sand beaches. Is this worth it?

Any other pointers? I don't trust trip advisor for the most part so appreciate any insight.

We enjoy relaxing on the beach, eating out & snorkeling but no crazy activities. My fear is there's going to be a million tourists and HI is commercialized (I've heard both things)

[HXS]

Definitely do Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.... the best Asian fusion/sushi in Hawaii.

We did Kapalua Ziplines many years ago and it was unbelievable. I checked out their website just now and it seems like they added more features since the last time we went.

If you're driving to Hana, stop by Waiʻānapanapa State Park. It has a black sand beach and you can hike along the coast also. Unfortunately it's a small beach so I wouldn't go there to sunbathe and relax. Can get quite a bit crowded but the black sand and blowholes are pretty cool.

Edit: Forgot to mention Mama's Fish House on the road to Hana. And also the poke in any Foodland is delicious!

[E92inNC]

Watching the sunrise on Mount Haleakala is an absolute must, VERY beautiful view. You have to go online a get a ticket for it if you want to drive yourself. There are bus tours but they park in an area below where you’d park and the drive up and down is fantastic.

For snorkeling you can book a boat to the Molokini crater near Wailea. We had ours cancelled because we had kids and the weather was picking up, they said they would’ve taken us out if it was only adults.

The Road to Hana is also a must, there are lots of places to stop along the way so plan on this being a full day trip. If you have a 4x4 people say to keep going south past Hana so you can do a full circle of the island.

I don’t remember the restaurants but being a seafood lover, there no end in choices. The food trucks that comes out at night is really good too. Try to get in a luau if you can, the show and food was both quite good.

[Nachbar]

Originally Posted by E92inPHX

Watching the sunrise on Mount Haleakala is an absolute must, VERY beautiful view. You have to go online a get a ticket for it if you want to drive yourself. There are bus tours but they park in an area below where you'd park and the drive up and down is fantastic.

For snorkeling you can book a boat to the Molokini crater near Wailea. We had ours cancelled because we had kids and the weather was picking up, they said they would've taken us out if it was only adults.

The Road to Hana is also a must, there are lots of places to stop along the way so plan on this being a full day trip. If you have a 4x4 people say to keep going south past Hana so you can do a full circle of the island.

I don't remember the restaurants but being a seafood lover, there no end in choices. The food trucks that comes out at night is really good too. Try to get in a luau if you can, the show and food was both quite good.

We did the Hana full circle with a Mustang Convertible. Was pretty scary tbh. Would not recommend it 🤪

[Bc2005]

A few years ago we stayed in Lahaina, and we went snorkeling on many of the beaches up on the northwest coast. Hawaii beaches are all public access (state law), so the challenge is to find parking. We found that arriving at about 7:00 AM there was a nearly open parking lot, and we could spend the morning snorkeling and plan for a nice lunch later.
It may not be worthwhile to hire a boat if you only plan to snorkel. Maui has some nice beaches with coves that have depths down to about 15-20 feet, but once you get farther out you may be in deep ocean. There is usually a lot more rock formations and wildlife to see if you stay closer to the shore. The primary advantage of being on a boat is that the captain should know the best locations.
We did snorkeling off a boat on Oahu as part of a tour and they took us out where we could swim around turtles and other wildlife. It was not expensive, and snorkeling was an option if someone just wanted the boat ride.

[DETRoadster]

We went to Maui in October at the height of Delta. The black sand beach required reservations to be made 48 hours in advance. Of course, we discovered this as we rolled up in our car wanting to go. Same with the lava tube thats on the way to Hana. Also, the tropical gardens that's on the way to Hana was closed. That stuff may all be relaxed and open now, but just check first.

Personally I thought the road to Hana sucked and was a waste of a day. We hit the road at 6:00 to miss traffic and were successful at that. I cant imagine being stuck behind some old ass grandpa for hours on that road. They really should re-name it the road through Hana as there's virtually nothing there. Not really a destination as the name would have you think it is.

[Tommy-G]

Its strange, most of the free world dreams of traveling to Hawaii but I have zero interest in ever going. Maybe its the flight to get there for me or the $$$$$$$

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Its strange, most of the free world dreams of traveling to Hawaii but I have zero interest in ever going. Maybe its the flight to get there for me or the $$$$$$$

I actually don't want to go - I would rather go back to the Caribbean

[Tommy-G]

How much is a car rental?
I heard people were renting U-haul vans b/c rentals were insanely expensive.

[GOLFFRR]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

How much is a car rental?
I heard people were renting U-haul vans b/c rentals were insanely expensive.

we went to Kauai (AMAZING PLACE) last september and I was paying 200$ a day for a POS honda accord lol. IT was all I could get! I used Toro app. all the rental car companies were sold out for months.

[E92inNC]

Originally Posted by Nachbar

We did the Hana full circle with a Mustang Convertible. Was pretty scary tbh. Would not recommend it 🤪

Brave. For us the rental place explicitly told us not to take their car off road and I didn’t want to put up with the hassle

Originally Posted by Tyga11

I actually don't want to go - I would rather go back to the Caribbean

Looking forward to visiting the Carribeans myself. How much did it cost per person?

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by E92inPHX

Brave. For us the rental place explicitly told us not to take their car off road and I didn’t want to put up with the hassle



Looking forward to visiting the Carribeans myself. How much did it cost per person?

We went during the height of Covid last year so I don't know how much it costs now. I paid $300 a night for a studio which had a kitchen overlooking the ocean. I think the airfare was $500 a pop.

The resort we stayed at was https://sandcastleonthebeach.com/

We had the beach to ourselves as there were no cruise ships. It was pretty amazing. I miss travelling during COVID

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by Tommy-G

Its strange, most of the free world dreams of traveling to Hawaii but I have zero interest in ever going. Maybe its the flight to get there for me or the $$$$$$$

I've also never really had an interest in going. Once we did go, I was underwhelmed. But not because it wasn't beautiful. For me personally, if I travel that far and spend that kind of money I like to have a sense of adventure knowing that I've stepped into a completely different world. Going to Hawaii to me was like going to any other state in the US, just with beautiful views.

[wtwo3]

I can't speak for Kapalua specifically, but can provide a list of things we really enjoyed in Maui.

Definitely go for the sunrise at mount Haleakala. Our daughter threw up on the ride over all over the backseat of the car (toddler, overstimulation from flying and then waking up super early, etc etc) and we nearly turned around, but getting there it was WELL worth it and so glad we were able to do it. The views are incredible and pictures don't do it justice. Even the drive up the mountain itself is awesome. Make sure you book ahead of time since it gets filled up and they have limited spaces. And when you do book, make sure to get there reasonably early.




The Maui Pineapple tour is a fun little activity, and the pineapples are some of the freshest and juiciest we've ever had. It's a pretty relaxing tour as they bus you out to the pineapple fields.


A Luau is a fun little evening thing to attend and an entertaining way to learn a little about the history of the island. Plus you'll get a chance to meet people sitting at your table.


The road to Hana (Hana Highway) is a must-do drive (if you enjoy driving). Although they have tour buses that go there and back the same day, I'd recommend driving the road if you're up for a fun and sometimes tricky drive on narrow cliff roads. But don't do it if you or your significant other get motion sickness. There's plenty of places to stop along the way to enjoy views and various waterfalls. We ended up staying the night in Hana to break up the drive, so that's always an option. Just be aware that lodging in Hana is pretty limited. There's also an audio tour that you can play along the way, but make sure you download it as cell service is spotty along the route.



The Black Sand Beach off the Hana Highway near Hana is a pretty cool attraction, but I wouldn't go there unless you're already planning to do the road to Hana.

[larsek]

i did - by accident - kahekili hwy when I was there in 2012. was a bit scary at times esp with oncoming traffic, but also very beautiful. definitely pack some warm clothes and drive up haleakala by night to see the sunrise. rd to hana can be a nice drive subject to traffic. the black sand beach there is not bad. hana itself didn't catch me.

[Tyga11]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I knew HI was a tourist trap and it's looking even more bleak now.

[UncleWede]

Consider places other than the big island.

I went for work 20+ years ago, but Kauai was great! Stayed in a condo in Poipu, about an hour from Lihue because speed limit is pretty much 25 everywhere. Another hour around the coast to Polihale (I lost the keys to the car in the surf, but the water is so clear I found them just by walking the shoreline). In Poipu you just walk out to the reef and snorkel.

Poke is so good, and so many different choices. Swordfish was my favorite.

And don't call management about the swarm of termites, or all the geckos eating them. They don't care

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I knew HI was a tourist trap and it's looking even more bleak now.

Depends on where you go in HI. I find the Big Island WAY better than any of the other islands. Maui and Oahu are the major tourist traps. Kauai isn't so much, but it's quite a small island with little going on. The Big Island is vast in comparison, it's more old Hawaii, and less touristy. If your goal is self-directed adventure and less touristy stuff, then the Big Island is where you want to go. Stay in Kona or Waimea and then travel the island. Tons of beaches, tons of hiking, tons of snorkeling, cliff jumping, the volcano, the Saddle Road, and go stand in snow near the top of Mauna Kea. The island is full of microclimates. The Hilo side is like a rain forest/jungle. The Kona side, arid and in some places, like the moon (former lava fields). The north part of the island has rolling plains and pastures. The place is nuts.

I've been there 5 times and my wife about 10 times. My wife's sister lives on the Big Island, just north of Hilo.

The island is what you make of it and is freaking beautiful. The Caribbean doesn't hold a candle to it. It's not even the same ball game.

[aktif8]

Originally Posted by Nachbar

We did the Hana full circle with a Mustang Convertible. Was pretty scary tbh. Would not recommend it 🤪

We did it in a Cooper s convertible. We loved it

[overfreeze]

If you do the Road to Hana, do the full circle. The second half of the drive was much more enjoyable for me. The landscapes and the views were incredible. I did the drive in a Honda Fit and it wasn't that bad.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by overfreeze

If you do the Road to Hana, do the full circle. The second half of the drive was much more enjoyable for me. The landscapes and the views were incredible. I did the drive in a Honda Fit and it wasn't that bad.

+1 the scenery on the back was awesome. Just take it slow and you should be fine.

[PKL]

been to Lahaina area of Maui three times. You picked a great spot. Check out my favorite restaurant Monkeypod.

Check out Napili Bay. we always stay at Napili Kai resort. It is a truly magical special place. My heart is in Napili