Maui

We spent 5 days on Maui after spending 3 days on beautiful and restful Lanai. Maui has become a little busier and more "commercial" over the years, but it still a great place to vacation.

 

 

 

Lahaina Shores Resort - Maui

This was our fourth trip back to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort. The Lahaina Shores is located at the end of Lahaina so everything is within walking distance.  It is on the beach, has fully equipped kitchens, and great ocean views.
	The property looks Colonial but in reality is just a big cement block type building. Even though the property is aging, the management company has done a very good job in keeping it up to date and clean.
We had an ocean view studio which includes the full kitchen and a magnificent view of the ocean. We really like the convenience of being able to walk to shops and dining. (Not having to worry about parking)
	We booked our room through Expedia and got a pretty good rate. The rates have climbed over the years, but we still think it is one of the best values on Maui.

Places to Eat on Maui

Kimo's Our favorite place to eat on Maui is Kimo's and this visit didn't let us down. We met some family and had an ocean front table overlooking the ocean. The Mai Tai's are delish and the fish is cooked to any style you please. We also had lunch at Kimo's and it was also very good. We again had an ocean-side table and we did not need a reservation.
	Cool Cat Cafe We also enjoyed eating at the Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina. The restaurant overlooks the main square where the huge Banyan Tree is located. The burgers were very good. The drinks were also good and they have cheap Internet access.
Fred's While in Kihei we ate a relatively new place called Fred's. Fred's is affiliated with Moose McGillicudy's which has been a long time favorite of ours for happy hour. Fred's serves Mexican style food and it was very good.
	The combo plates here are huge. We couldn't eat dinner after eating our lunch. The house margaritas are also very good. We are somewhat picky about margaritas, but these were very tasty. (not too sweet)
The Gazebo The Gazebo, at the Napili Shores, is a nice place for breakfast but get there early! There are only 14 tables so if you don't get there at least a half hour before they open, you may have a long wait. The pictures below show the line at around 7:40 AM. (And they opened at 7:30 AM)
	Pioneer Inn We had lunch at the Pioneer Inn and it was very enjoyable. The food was good but we thought it was a little over-priced. Penne Pasta This was a great find. It is a serve yourself / take out kind of place, but the food was very good and very reasonable. Highly recommended. We also ate lunch at Hecocks. (505 Front Street) In the past it has been pretty spotty, but this time we had a good lunch and it was reasonably priced with an awesome view to boot.
Roy's We met family at Roy's for an enjoyable evening filled with great food. The atmosphere at Roy's Kahana was pretty loud and the service was just so so, but the food was delicious. The chocolate soufflé was awesome. It tasted as good as it looks. The Mai Tai's here were not the best. (But we can always go to Kimo's for those)

Activities on Maui

Carroll's favorite activity is shopping which we did at the roadside stands in Kihei. But if you want something fun and different, try Warren and Annabelle's in Lahaina. This is a slight of hand magic/comedy show that is really excellent. I know you are probably thinking that the last thing you want to do is go to a cheesy magic show while in Maui, but we would have to rate this as one of the best activities we have ever done on vacation, much less Maui.
	Sunset Sail We booked the "Sunset Sail" with the Pacific Whale Foundation for a Sunday evening cruise. The price was $44 and it included pupus and an open bar. The catamaran was nice and roomy, the food and drinks were good, and we even had live entertainment.
The boat to the right is the Spirit of Lahaina. The boat looked rather old and it looked pretty crowded. We were glad we stuck with the Whale Foundation.
	The boat to the left is the Scottish Mist. This was a cruise that we thought about but instead choose the Pacific Whale Foundation. They only have about 14 people on board but it looked like everyone had to be located in the back portion which made it look pretty crowded.

Carroll's Maui 2006 Blog

(This blog starts on Lanai)

Saturday, October 7, 2006

Upon arriving to Lahaina Harbor we were in for a shock. There were two cruise ships in port and the town was overrun with cruise people. We flagged down our rental car van and picked up our car.

Since we had taken the earlier ferry our room was not ready at the Lahaina Shores. We walked into town and had lunch at the Cool Cat Cafe. Dave had the Big Kahuna Burger with BBQ sauce, bacon, and onion ring. I had the Friscoe with sourdough. Dave was also able to check his email as they are an internet cafe. We had a great table and were able to people watch while over the main street of Lahaina.

We returned to Lahaina Shores and still had to wait about an hour for our room. Dave went ahead and went to Safeway to pick up a few breakfast things. By the time he got back I had gotten our room and started to unpack.

As we were coming into port we noticed that one of the cruise ships was the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas. This is the same ship that we will be on next June 2007 for our cruise to Alaska. It was fun to get a closer look at the ship.

We went to Warren and Annabelle's for the 5:00 PM show. During the Annabelle part of the show we were served drinks and pupus. She was entertaining. We were then escorted into the theatre to see the Warren part of the show. He performed slight of hand and was quite good. He is also funnier than "all get out". We had a great time and would highly recommend his show. If you want to see it you must book early, at least a week in advance.

Sunday, October 8, 2006

We slept in and had reserved today as our shopping day. We had planned to drive over to Wailuku early for the Swap Meet but realized once over there that it only takes place on Saturday. We then drove over to K-Mart and picked up a Koa Wood picture frame and some souvenirs for friends back home.

Costco was our next stop for some new Hawaiian CD's. We then drove to Kihei to get some eel skin wallets and check out some of the roadside people selling their wares. Across from Azeka Place we found a lot where several vendors had set up shop. I tried Dave's patience and made several delightful purchases... A skirt, an ankle bracelet, and a great pair of hand made earrings.

We ate lunch at Fred's place just below Moose McGillicuddy's. The portions were gigantic. Dave had a combination plate with a tostada, enchilada, rice and beans. I had a chicken tostado salad. We each had a margarita and we walked away "muy stuffed".

After our late lunch, we drove back to Lahaina and walked down to the Pacific Whale Foundation to check in for the Sunset Cocktail Cruise. When Dave checked in they told him that we both needed ID's to drink. So he had to go back to the hotel to get my ID. Once on the boat they never checked our ID's but I guess better safe than sorry. Because of the Kona winds and VOG from the Big Island the sunset was just so-so, but the cruise was still calm and nice. They were very liberal with the drinks. We didn't eat the pupus because we were still full from lunch. They also had an entertainer playing guitar and singing.

Monday, October 9, 2006

We started our day by attempting to snorkel. We drove south to a place we hadn't attempted before and decided that the kick was way too far. We then drove north to Honolua Bay. Please note that they now charge $3 PP to snorkel there since you have to pass through private land to get there. We hadn't brought any cash with us so we were turned back. We then drove back to slaughterhouse and made the hike down the hill. By this time I was not feeling very well. We bagged snorkeling and went back to Lahaina Shores to spend the day relaxing and reading.

We ate lunch at Hecock's next door. We both had a BLT sandwich. We ate kind of early because we were meeting our cousins, Barbara and Rick, for dinner at Kimo's.

We had reservations for 6:00 at Kimo's. We enjoyed drinks at the bar while we waited for our table. We all four ordered fish. Kimo's is always good for a great meal. We did have a downpour during dinner so we had to have an after-dinner drink so they rain could subside. Dinner for 4 was $185 plus tip. Barbara and Rick drove us back to Lahaina Shores and we called it an evening.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

We had made arrangements to meet Barbara and Rick up in Napili for breakfast. We ate at a popular little place called The Gazebo. It is so popular that you must show up about 30 minutes before the place opens just to get a table and not wait in a humongous line. The breakfast was good but were not sure why everyone raves about the place.

After breakfast we snorkeled the cove by B & R's condo. It was fantastic. The coral was beautiful and there were several large turtles. Barb and I had already gone in but Dave and Rick got to see the two large turtles come up for air. The large male swam right by Rick.

After that great morning snorkel we enjoyed Mimosas on their lanai. We then packed a cooler and headed over to DT Fleming Beach to spend a few hours on the beach.

For dinner we met back up with B & R for dinner at Roy's of Kahana. All meals were good and well presented. We didn't think the drinks were that good. The Lava Flow Souffle was outstanding. Dinner for 4 was $240 plus tip. The Kahana Roy's is a little noisy and not near as "elegant" as the Roy's we visited in San Francisco.

We said our goodbyes to B & R (they're moving down to Kihei for the rest of their stay) and called it another great day.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Today was our last full day of vacation. We sat out on the lanai for a while and enjoyed our morning coffee. We then put on our suits and went downstairs to enjoy the sun and read. Rick and Barb made a pit stop on the way to Kihei so we were able to say our last goodbyes.

We had planned on eating lunch at Cafe O'Lei in Lahaina but found that they had closed that location. We ended up having lunch at Kimo's. Dave had the club sandwich and I had the plate lunch. We had our last Mai Tai. We had a wonderful ocean-side table all for just $48.

We did some last minute shopping and Dave checked email one last time. We then returned to Lahaina Shores and read our books, sunned and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. We returned to the room and watched sunset from our lanai.

We ate dinner at Penne Pasta. Dave had Calamari Spaghetti and I had the Penne NY Style. Both meals were wonderful and reasonably priced. Total bill was $20 plus tip. We would highly recommend this place for an informal and low cost meal.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

We woke up around 7:00 AM and had to begin the packing process. I always wonder why it is easier to pack coming than returning? Somehow it must be motivation.

We drove to the airport and checked in, got boarding passes and checked our luggage. We then drove over to Koho's for our last breakfast.... a tradition for us. We moseyed around the mall a bit and then returned to the airport. To return the rental car and get through security only took about 30 minutes.