Travel Guru's (Update in Comments)

brij2006

The excursions we're looking at so far are ones that include a helicopter tour, zip lining, and/or snorkeling.  

The resort we're staying at also has a luau right there.  So we'll definitely be attending that. 

vlagrl29

For sure on the snorkeling.  Its amazing how many different kinds of fish you can see in the shallow end.  Maybe look for some boat tours as well.  We didn't do that in Hawaii - but in St Lucia we did a sunset boat tour which was pretty cool.  what time of year are you going?

brij2006

We'll be going in February.  So during whale watching season. :-)

JoanE2012

brij2006 said:

Woot! Woot!  We have it narrowed down, and are just hashing out the details.

We're going to Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to leave on a Friday, and come back the next Sunday.  Starting out with flying into Honolulu on Friday, and staying until Sunday afternoon.  We will head to Pearl Harbor on Saturday and pay our respects.

Then Sunday afternoon we get on the island plane and head to Maui, where we'll pick up a convertible and spend the rest of the week.  
The only things we have on our agenda are to maybe do a snorkeling excursion (with whale watching), and probably a helicopter tour.  Just debating which one to do, since there are so many.

We came to the conclusion that we would rather take that kind of money and go on the trip we've been talking about for over 10 years now.  We originally wanted to do it for our honeymoon, but the price scared us away.  We also put a certain amount of money aside to travel, and we know if we don't just go and do it, we won't ever pull the trigger. 

So anyone who wants to give input, feel free to tell us places to eat, give input on which helicopter tour looks amazing, and any other things we are forgetting.

After the past 2 years of losing babies, my brother, 2 grandparents, and working insane hours to get out of debt.  We're ready to take some time, just the 2 of us, and get away.  Rekindle "us" a bit, and spend some time together without there being discussion of what's going on with my brothers' estate, how things are going with infertility issues, and how many Saturdays and Sundays we're both working this weekend.

We did the same thing - flew into Honolulu on Friday, went to Pearl Harbor on Saturday morning (buy your tickets in advance if they still do that!) and hiked to the top of Diamond Head in the afternoon for some amazing views of Waikiki.

Left Sunday and flew to Maui and stayed there a week.   And rented the convertible!  I know you mentioned in a later post that your hotel has a luau (which hotel, by the way?), but I HIGHLY recommend you skip that one and instead go to Old Lahaina Luau.  It's generally touted as the best luau and is the most authentic.  We enjoyed it.  Just make sure to make reservations at least a couple months in advance - they often sell out!

No advice on helicopter tours - I have an extreme fear of flying, so an "optional" excursion with flying doesn't appeal to me.    

If you're interested in biking down Haleakala (after seeing the sunrise), I recommend Maui Sunriders.  They're one of only 2 or 3 companies that let you bike down the volcano on your own rather than with a group.  I didn't want to have to worry about keeping up with everyone (I haven't ridden a bike in years!)  It was also nice stopping when we wanted to take pictures and eat breakfast at a lodge on the way down.  Amazing time, highly recommend.  Pack warm clothes - it's like winter up top with wind blowing! 

For Road to Hana, I recommend downloading the app GyPSy.  Unlike the old days of putting in a CD and trying to sync up - this works based on GPS....so it knows where you are and tells you what to look for, what stops are coming up, etc.  I also recommend researching the different places to stop - there's so much to see and do and you can't do it all in a day, so you'll need to prioritize where you're going to stop.  We left early in the AM from the hotel, I think around 6am or so (to maximize our time on the RtH and to beat the crowds), drove to Paia (a cute town right before the start of the RtH) had breakfast, then took off.

Where are you staying?  We stayed in Kaanapali, so if you're in that area, I can probably provide a little insight into the area.  I loved that area.

brij2006

@joanE2012 Thank you!  That information is so helpful!  We are staying at Royal Lahiana.

JoanE2012

brij2006 said:

@joanE2012 Thank you!  That information is so helpful!  We are staying at Royal Lahiana.

No problem!  I just looked up your hotel - it's the next hotel after the one we stayed in going north - we were at the Sheraton.  We walked to Whaler's Village a few nights (10 min walk) - there's a bunch of shops and some restaurants.  We ate at two of the outdoor ones - Leilana's on the Beach and Hula Grill.   Casual, but good.  It's probably too far for you to walk (the boardwalk along Kaanapali beach stops at the Sheraton), but it's a short drive.  

The center of Lahaina is also only about a 5 minute drive.  Plenty of shops and restaurants there too - we ate at Lahaina Fish Company and enjoyed it.  I really loved the area and if I ever went back to Maui, I'd stay there again.

short+sassy

You may not have time, because it is on Oahu instead of Maui, but the Polynesian Cultural Center is an awesome place.  It's like a living museum and a lot of it is outdoors.  They have different demonstrations of Polynesian cultures, like hula dancing and how to make poi.  At night, they have an amazing show that includes different acts of hula dancing, dancing, fire jugglers, etc.