Too Bad It Had To End

Once on Maui, relaxation begins. Highest recommendations go to: Paragon Sailing (snorkling at Molokini) for service, small groups and great sailing. Ho'okela Fishing in Lahaina (Kim Miyaki, Capt) for full day charter fishing. Nick's Fishmarket (Kea Lani Resort)for excellence in food, service and ambiance. Humu's (Grand Wailea Hotel) for a fun, beautiful and unique place to dine at sunset. The Spa (Four Seasons - Wailea) for couple's beachside massages. The freshest tropical fruits, sushi and sashimi that you will ever find.

The fun free things: Hanging out on the beach, watching the kite and sailboarders at any beach with wind, sunsets every evening, people watching, hanging with the locals, tropical rain. The only down side was one of the condos we stayed at. The Maui Sunset is not up to the RCI standards we have come to expect. The grounds were ok, but the condo and management were less than satisfactory. On top of that, they were bulldozing the smelly seaweed that collected on their beach every day. We do not recommend the Maui Sunset for those reasons.

Quick Tips:

ABSOLUTELY STOP AT COSTCO when you arrive. You will save much more than the price of membership. Local prices for groceries and dry goods will hurt. Gasoline is .95/gal for regular. Buy your coffee ar Costco since their selection is pretty good and they can grind whole beans for your use. Buy reef shoes or "Aquasox", since there are alot of rocks in the surf. Wear shoes you can hike in when doing the trip to Hana. The trails are often muddy and the rocks are slippery!

GET THAT BASE TAN BEFORE YOU GO! The sun can be intense and you will fry without knowing it. Pack as light as you can because you will need alot of room for all the things you buy. We had to ship things home.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a Sebring convertible and had a great time with it. The option of top down or air conditioning was great, especially for the Hana trip. The only draw back might be the limited storage for baggage, but you can make it work without much problem. In the 18 days we were there we drove about 350 miles and saw just about everything. Milage was pretty good in the convertible and we spent about on gas (.95/gal). REMEMBER people drive slower here, so kick back and enjoy the pace - you're on vacation afterall.

This is a great example of what Fine Dining and service are about. The teams of waiters were discreet, yet very accomodating to our every question and need. The food was superb (especially the Kona Lobster). A fantastic place for that special dinner.

Leaving the dock at 7:30am, we had a light continental breakfast while going out to Molokini to snorkel. The crew was extremely accommodating and friendly. The ship's mates, Ryan and Holly, were from the Netherlands and Austria respectively. We had some very interesting conversations with the other passengers who came from all over the world. There are only 24 people on board so it was easy to meet people in a relaxed setting. This is the only snorkeling cruise that actually sails (because they love to).