Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with maui

Maui High-speed Internet

jimmereeno — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:32:29 -0800

Any high-tech work-from-home Maui residents? If you work from home on Maui and absolutely definitely depend on having rock-solid high-speed internet access... where do you live and where would you avoid moving? Is there a single company that offers access? Related question... are power-outages a regular occurrence that would affect location too? mahalo.

Accomodations and activities in Maui, in March!

charmedimsure — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:19:17 -0800

We ended up biting the bullet on tickets to Maui for our spring break in March yesterday (arriving 3/10). You guys were awesome when we went to the Big Island last year- where should we stay and what should we do in Maui? We need to find a hotel (or week-long VRBO/Airbnb rental) this time- no campervan- and we have no idea even what part of the island we should base out of, let alone a specific place to stay. Ideas? We will probably rent a car unless it turns out that's not necessary, and probably don't want a big fancy resort-y type place.

I know absolutely nothing about Maui, except that it is warm and new to me. We love snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, biking, wildlife/nature/tidepools etc., most active-type things, farmer's markets, shave ice, good restaurants with a decent vegetarian option, and enjoy a limited amount of beach-sitting. Where should our base camp be, and what should we not miss?

Where to park at the beach?

KimikoPi — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 01:25:18 -0800

Going to Maui. Where do people park cars to visit various beaches? I'm planning a trip to Maui for this December. I'll be renting a car and staying at a hotel that's not on any beach. So when people visit the various beaches in Maui, are there parking lots? Where do people park?

Maps to license

Muirwylde — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:37:56 -0800

Where can I find maps to license for print media? I'm specifically looking for maps of the Hawaiian Islands, especially the Island of Maui with major roads and towns indicated. To reiterate, this is for print media, not for the web. I'm assuming I need to license this, although if there are free or public domain sources I would be interested in those too.

Cheap car rentals in Hawaii?

Jaybo — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:10:19 -0800

Cheap car rentals in Hawaii? We're doing a family trip to Hawaii (4 adults and a child) in January 2012 for two weeks, spending one week on Kauai and one week on Maui.

We'd like to rent a car for one week on each island but after some initial web surfing, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the options.

We could book direct with any of the major rental chains, use sites like Expedia or Hotwire, try one of the many specialty sites that claim to offer wholesale deals like HawaiiCarRentals.net or DiscountHawaiiCarRental.com which say they give you the "best deal available" but don't even quote you a company or a price when you submit your request or book as part of a package when we book our flights via our airline.

Any tips or thoughts on renting cars in Hawaii?

PS - I'm also wondering about that other vital question - is a convertible *really* worth it in Hawaii?

Scuba and Snorkel on Same Boat Trip?

bkhahn — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:38:34 -0800

Looking for a Maui company that will do Scuba and Snorkel on the same trip - any suggestions? I'm SCUBA certified, my wife isn't, we'd like to go on the same boat together but do our own things. It looks like Maui Magic and Trilogy both no longer offer this as an option. Any other thoughts?

Broken in Paradise

threeturtles — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:12:50 -0800

I'm leaving for Maui in two days. I'm pretty damn familiar with the island, but anyone have anything in particular I should do in the two weeks I'm there? Especially in the cheaper, low impact arena. My husband is recovering from a nasty bout of illness and I have chronic back pain, so we'll be keeping it mellow. Cool, lesser known places to visit, shop, eat, snorkel? We're staying with relatives in West Maui, but we can roam the island at will. Like I say, we know Maui pretty well after several visits, but I thought I'd give Mefi a chance to point me to something cool.

Any Maui activity ideas for between check out and late flight?

tehdiplomat — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:10:58 -0800

We're leaving Maui tomorrow and the flight is at 10.30pm. We got a late checkout (1pm) but what is there to do that can take up huge blocks of time? We've already gone to Hana and up to Haleakala, and would rather not do them again. We're staying in West Maui(Honokawai), but we could drive down to South Maui if it matters. I think we'd prefer to stay off the beach since the wife is a bit sunburned, and the prospects of showers before the flight are limited. We've already looked into getting an extra night, but it doesn't work out with the condo. Any other suggestions are good suggestions.

Where should two lazy, crazy kids honeymoon in Maui?

mostlymartha — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:38:50 -0800

What part of Maui should we go to for a relaxed, romantic honeymoon? After a fair bit of research, we're thinking of renting a condo, probably on the West side, although even that's not firm. The question is which part of Maui? This thread has us leaning toward Napili or Kihei but since we've never been there before it all feels a bit like a shot in the dark, especially since condo rental sites like VRBO are so huge and confusing. If we go with the West side of the island, VRBO lists Honokowai, Kaanapali, Kahana, Kapalua, Lahaina, and Napili. There's Kihei and Wailea on the South. The thread I read made Kihei sound lovely, but a lot of what I've read suggests that the South is really crowded and touristy.

We'd like to spend around $1200 for seven nights. It's important that we're within strolling distance of a pretty, comfortable, paddle about in the water and lie on the sand beach. We'd really love a patio. Access to a pool would be nice.

I plan on cooking a fair bit, so we need to be within an reasonable drive of a grocery store, but we'd also like to be a walk/easy drive from restaurants and other shopping.

We'd prefer something not super crazy crowded with tourists. We don't surf and don't have kids. We're basically lounge around somewhere romantic and picturesque, reading a book and sipping a cocktail types. Any recommendations for the town or condo complex that would suit us best?

Suggestions for things to do to learn about Hawaii's native cultural history while in Maui.

TheManChild2000 — Wed, 26 May 2010 06:24:28 -0800

What are some things I can do/see on my upcoming trip to Maui to best learn about the island's native cultural history? I'm interested in the pre-European part of Hawaii's history (although I'll probably check out some of the Whaling-period stuff) and would like to take advantage of actually being there to learn and experience more. What would be some places I could go to (are there ruins? really good museums? etc) for this? And if there are places where the reality hasn't been blunted so as to not offend delicate non-native tourist sensibilities, even better. And now that I think about it, the European-takeover period would probably be interesting to learn about too, so throw that on the list.

I am operating under the assumption that there's more available than just luau's at the resorts and other corny tourist stuff... I hope that's correct.

American Flatbread Company

samsarah — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:06:51 -0800

What is the relationship between American Flatbread and Flatbread Company? My close friend has loved and talked about American Flatbread in Vermont for many years. On a recent trip to Maui, we were excited to visit the Pacific outpost of his favorite Vermont restaurant. We've always referred to this restaurant as "Flatbreads." The only problem is, upon further research, we learned that the Maui restaurant is actually a different restaurant than its Vermont counterpart.

Similar Name.

Similar pizzas.

So what's the deal? Is it an Ana's/Boca Grande type situation or are my friend and I just stupid?

Only You Can Help Make Maui Awesome!

joelhunt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:29 -0800

Where should we stay in Maui? "We"are my wife and I (early 30s) and our son (will be 19 months).
We want to probably rent a condo somewhere on Maui in early February. We're looking for someplace clean and cheap (who isn't?), hopefully in a good location on the island. Looking for suggestions, ranging from the vague (general area in Maui) to the specific (name of a great condo complex).

We'd like to be close to a beach, ideally. We'll be renting a car. Also, any suggestions on must-do activities or things that are awesome for a small family with a toddler to do are appreciated.

Aloha? (Is that right?)

West Maui December Surfing

GleepGlop — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:02:31 -0800

West Maui (Kaanapali beach) in late December. Is the surf going to be appropriate for a beginner? My family and I are going to be staying at the Hyatt in West Maui in late December and I hear that the waves can be epically huge in December on the North shores of Hawaii. What will the western shores of Maui be like? I couldn't get a straight answer out of the concierge.

Hawaii Stand Up!

cashman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:23:29 -0800

Looking for the best of Hawaiian Reggae - songs like those that get played on Q103 Maui. I'm looking for excellent Hawaiian Reggae songs to jam to - the kind that would play on Q103 Maui. They can be decades old or new as the last few years. Tempo of any sort is fine, I just want great, great sound. Classics, hard-hitting new stuff, uniquely vibrant sounds and beloved artists - give me the best.

If I could name a single song to help, I would. I just heard Q103 for a few hours last year and I want some more of that great music. I do remember one song that had something about "this island life" (something like 'what is it about this island life that makes it so great' and it wasn't teoman) MeMail me if you need more info, email's in profile if you need that.

Gifts to represent ten cities for an anniversary.

librarianamy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:22:57 -0800

Help me distill these ten cities/regions into a giftable essence: Boston, Maui, San Francisco, New Orleans, NYC/Hoboken, Ann Arbor, Toronto, Outer Banks NC, Central PA (Dutch Country), Columbus OH. This year marks our tenth wedding anniversary, and I would like to give my husband something that represents the ten cities/regions that mean the most to our relationship (other than where we make our home).

If you were to give one gift representing one of those regions, what would it be? If you are from one of those areas, what is it that you crave the most when you "think of home"? I'm looking for something meaningful as a gift, not just a symbol of the area (so for New Orleans, I'd lean more towards a good gumbo cookbook than I would some plastic Mardi Gras beads).

I have some ideas, but in some cases we spent only a memorable week there, no more, so I might be missing something really stellar and neat that shouldn't be missed, gift-wise. We lean more to locally owned companies than large well known chains, indie book and music stores more than sports teams, museums more than beaches, and are big foodies. We live in Pittsburgh, so items must be able to be purchased online and shipped within a 2 month period. I'd really like these to be symbols of ten great years with an amazing man, so I don't want to be shortsighted on ideas. I look forward to your suggestions! Thanks!

Maui 430 umm, I mean 20

Benzle — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:27:50 -0800

Anyone feel like Helping me and my sister have a good time in Maui??? I'm 24, Sister is 22, from Ohio and in Maui for a month. Staying in Kihei, both have bike, not looking to golf sky diving type fun at all, (in fact I am pretty sure golf is one of the signs of the worst kind of human decadence). I already feel bad about taking a jet to an island in the middle of the ocean, and hate to see a beautiful island like this go to waste on people, but as long as I'm here.. any good music venues, any ideas where to find a 420 friendly group. stuff like this, thanks so much. Aloha!!

Maui-Wowie

jasondigitized — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:23:22 -0800

Looking for a awesome Maui Hotel / Resort. I will be in Maui with my wife from June 15 - June 20th. None of the Maui threads make specific recommendations. Looking for a great resort with good food, good spa, and a awesome pool. I don't mind paying a lot for this. Has anyone been to Maui and had a great hotel / resort experience. I would prefer to be in the NW corner of the island, but am not to concerned.

Japanese Bookstore on Maui?

TauLepton — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:18:25 -0800

Is there anywhere to purchase Japanese magazines on Maui? Oahu is also on the itinerary - suggestions for good places there would be fabulous. Specifically, I'm interested in picking up the latest issue of Cotton Time. Any other Japanese language/published crafting books or magazines would be a huge bonus.

Google searches have turned up all kinds of books about Maui/Hawaii but no actual bookstores and their specialties.

I'll be in Maui a few more days and then over to Oahu for the next few days before heading home to the mainland. I'd prefer to go while in Maui and am not stretched for time and transportation (I have both kids with me).

I did find Hakubundo on Oahu. Any other suggestions would be awesome.

How easy or difficult is the road to Hana (Maui)?

Listener — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:17:26 -0800

How dangerous or hair raising is the road to Hana? I'm getting married in Maui and have been given lodgings in Hana as a gift. How challenging will it be to drive that road, especially on the wedding day, to our honeymoon? I'm from British Columbia and though I don't drive much, I've driven plenty of twisty alpine type roads and driven for 5-10 hours fairly often and safely, so I'm thinking the 3 hour drive should be safe enough, but I'm madly I'm a paranoid freak about security and I don't like to be unsafe, and I'll be distracted by my beautiful sweet love sitting beside me after I've tied the knot.

Is an oceanview room in Maui worth the extra money?

CrazyLemonade — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:18:33 -0800

Considering the difference in rates, would an "Ocean view" room be worth the money (instead of a "Garden view" room) in a Maui resort on my honeymoon? Another honeymoon question, after my last inquiry. We have a cruise to Alaska booked, but my boyfriend wants to spend a week in Maui first.

The Four Seasons in Maui seems like the best choice, according to all the excellent reviews it has, but of course it's very pricey. So, would it still be worth it to spend extra money on an ocean view, or should we stick to a garden view room and save the money for something else?

We can get down, but can we get back up?

bobot — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:28:49 -0800

Haleakala for the novice hiker We're headed to Maui next week and are spending a couple of days upcountry, and would like to do some hiking in Haleakala. It's a fairly specific question so for those who are familiar with the park, We're looking for a full day hike that will take us down into the crater, but the guides I can find seem to assume that if you even want to spend a full day hiking, you're completely buff.

So, for those who have gone, how doable is it for two novices to hike down Sliding Sands and back up Halemau'u? What about down Halemau'u to the Silversword Loop and back? Or does the fact that I can't look at this topo map and figure out how hard it would actually be mean it is beyond me?

I'm fine with a hard hike, but I don't want to make us miserable by trying something that's just beyond my capacity.

Ohana in Kihei?

sulaine — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:26:43 -0800

Seeking specific South Maui condo/ohana/cottage recommendations. I am looking for personal recommendations for places to stay in South Maui (Kihei area). I am going to be in Maui for six weeks, and will spend most of the time camping/staying with friends, but I am hoping to book one week at some place in or near Kihei. There will be four adults, but one bedroom+couch and floor is just fine. Just looking for a place to sleep and cook so kitchen or kitchenette is necessary. I am not interested in anything luxury. I would prefer to book with an individual and local would be better. An ohana or cottage is ideal, but condos seem to be abundant. Price range is ~140/night including taxes and cleaning fees.

I have read all the other posts tagged with Hawaii and Maui and have looked at plenty of online ads for vacation rentals. I feel a little uncomfortable just choosing something at random.

How best to safely travel around Hawaii with a baby?

mathowie — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 21:07:44 -0800

My wife and I are taking our first vacation in years, but we have a 1.5 year old now. We're headed to Hawaii next month and I'm wondering what travel in cabs and buses is like with a baby. Are there small carseats we could travel with or should we suck it up and get a rental car ourselves (and risk the rampant break-ins I constantly hear about)? We'll be on the west coast of Maui, but I know from my single previous trip to Hawaii many years ago, I had to get away from the tourists to really enjoy myself. I imagine one hiking trip a day to a less-inhabited part of the island will be in order.

Ideally, I'd love to just take the hotel's shuttle or a bus line of some sort and not have to pay for a rental car and parking all week. But I'm worried about the baby's safety. We have some pretty large Britax car seats in our cars, but it's huge and weighs about 20lbs so it'd be a bear to lug around.

I know lots of families with small kids travel but I've never seen travel versions of car seats. None of my friends seem to travel when they have a baby so they have no advice to offer.

What are our options like in Maui? Is it bring a car seat and rent a car or nothing?

Safe place to park a car in Lahaina for 5+ hours?

potsmokinghippieoverlord — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 17:41:52 -0800

Safe place to park a car in Lahaina for 5+ hours? I'm going to Maui with a friend in mid-April, and we're thinking of taking the ferry from Lahaina to Lanai for the day. We're renting a car, and we're staying in the Kapalua area.

I understand that parking in Lahaina is difficult in general, and it appears that a lot of the parking is restricted (3 hour limit).

Any suggestions? (I did purchase "Maui Revealed" today.)

Travel to Hawaii...which hotels? What to do?

UMDirector — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 10:20:43 -0800

Going to Hawaii in the start of November for my Honeymoon...9 days I think. I love to Hike and all that fun stuff, my fiance will hike but likes to do lighter things due partially to a heart murmur (she also likes to shop). I get bored just laying on the beach, she has a high stress job so I think she needs some relaxation time. So any suggestions? We are flying free to LAX from PHL and then getting a flight from LAX to Oahu. Probably also staying in Maui and the Big Island.

I am including a quote from one of the travel places...do you guys think this is a good price? I am a bit concerned about the hotels as I checked Trip Advisor and some people hated them which makes me nervous (but I also now some people who have one bad experience tend to over blow the thing). So any personal experiences would be helpful. Thank you SOOOO much...I trust MeFi far more than a travel agent motivated to sell...

FYI going from these hotels to the next step up (Hyatt, Marriott etc) brings to total up about $1200...worth it?

This is through Hawaiian Travel Bureu (Any experience with them)?

PACKAGE FOR OCT 31 - NOV 9:

1) AIRFARE from LA for 2: $496.50 per person, including 2 inter-island flights

2) HOTEL for 3 nights on Oahu:
- Partial ocean view room at Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber: $468.00 total, including all room taxes

3) TRANSFERS round trip from Honolulu Airport to the hotel, with flower lei greeting: $56.00 total

4) HOTEL for 3 nights on the Big Island:
- Mountain/garden view room at Royal Kona Resort: $255.00 total, including all room taxes
- You get these specials: Value Rate

5) HOTEL for 3 nights on Maui:
- Garden view room at Royal Lahaina Resort: $534.00 total, including all room taxes
- You get these specials: Sunsaver Rate

6) CAR RENTAL on Big Island and Maui: Economy $204.00 total, including all taxes and fees

TOTAL PACKAGE PRICE: $2,510.00 for 2 (or $1,255.00 per person).
ALL TAXES AND FEES are included.