Fantastic Maui Experience!!!

There's an incredible amount of activities to enjoy besides sitting on the beach in Maui. Some of our most favorite activities were bike riding down Haleakala (the volcano), scuba diving on Kaanapali beach, snorkeling in Molokini Bay, sailing over Turquoise blue waters from the Ma'alaea Harbor, watching the sunrise at the top of Haleakala crator, horse back riding in Hana overlooking Palikia Falls, and nature hikes through the Iao Valley State Park, just to name a few things.

Quick Tips:

Don't plan on sleeping too much when you visit this spot! All the activities are started very early in the morning, but well worth it!!! I guess the winds are a little too breezy for most things in the evening, but that's why you have a nice place to relax afterwards. We usually came back to the resort and grabbed a lunch at the Ohana Grill and took a nap on the beach or at the pool.

Best Way To Get Around:

You definitely need to have a car while visiting Maui. Some of the activities will pick you up, and the resort will take you places, but you won't see a fraction of what the island has without a car. Particularly if you take the adventurous drive to Hana, which I think is actually easier to drive at night for the return trip to the other side of the island.

Best Things Nearby:
The Maui Embassy Vacation Resort has just about everything you need within minutes from their location. Most of your island activities can be booked from the concierge desk and you can get a discount on all activities if you speak with a sales agent about their timeshares...We spent over $1000 in activities and were able to get a couple hundred dollars back by sitting through a 10 minute conversation. The location provides plenty of shopping within walking distance and about 5 minutes drive you can shop in old Lahaina which offers hundreds of shops and restaurants. One of the many attractions at this resort is the huge 1 acre pool complete with several waterfalls, a volleyball court, nice size hot tub, and fresh towels provided so you don''t have to bring yours down.

Best Things About the Resort:
Like I''ve said, the resort is absolutely beautiful with very friendly staff. I honestly cannot think of anything negative during our stay here. We slept in a one bedroom unit that was quite large and could easily sleep four adults without any problems! Their was a small kitchen complete with a small refrigerator, dishwasher, plates, glasses, etc. Be sure to take advantage of the included breakfast buffet in the mornings and the evening cocktail hour each night. The buffet isn''t huge, but offers a good enough variety to keep your mouth watering...especially with the fresh fruits and kona coffee! The cocktail hour lasts two hours and gives you a chance to try some of the mixed drinks for free in the hotel lounge. The Mai Tai''s were wonderful! The only thing that was a little strange was that they offered a chex-like mix for snacking at no cost, although I would have rather paid for a small appetizer instead...just enough to hold you for a couple hours until dinner.

Resort Experience:
Without being redundant in what I''ve already posted, the resort is fantastic! My wife and I will definately visit again and look forward to staying here again. Maui has become our favorite place to vacation, although a sixteen hour flight will prevent us from visiting to often! Don''t plan on sleeping too much while your here if you want to participate in the activities...everything starts pretty early before the winds pick up in the evening. Make sure you leave yourself some quite time to just sit and relax on the beach in front of the resort, or at the poolside. We vacationed here during our anniversary and the staff upgraded us to an oceanview room at no additional cost. One of the nice benefits also included was the valet parking, although you have a parking fee tagged on your bill whether you use the service or not if you have a car, (Make sure you rent a car!).

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

This was a great place to eat a nice breakfast buffet in the morning right in the resort. In the evening after cocktails, you can find a great Kalua Pork Sandwich with slices of pineapple and sauce that tastes incredible! To top it off, they have live music every night in an outdoor setting right next to the beach!

After walking around Old Lahaina for hours, we decided to try out Bubba Gumps. Movie replicas were everywhere and trivia from the movie is commonplace with the staff making it lots of fun. We sat next to the open windows that overlooked the ocean, giving us a spectacular view of the crystal clear water and sunset. The food tasted great, although I can't remember the name of what I had, but very good! Afterwards, we were able to enjoy the night settings of Lahaina where everyone walks around shopping or just strolling along the oceanside.

This was a fun place to visit after watching a great performance at the theatre. The dining is casual as most places are, and the food was great. It was nice sitting in the open air overlooking the shops on front street listening to some great music.

It's great to get a chance to dive in waters where you can see everything, even far away from you under water! The water temperature doesn't drop as you go down and is as clear as it can be. Great sights looking at all the colorful fish and huge turtles!

For those who don't know how to dive, or aren't certified, they give classes for an hour in the one acre pool before hitting the ocean...kids welcome too! It's really easy to do for all ages and you can't beat the experience!

Breathtaking to see the sun rise over the volcano crater at 10,000 feet! A little tough waking up at 2:30 am to depart, and extremely chilly at the top, but a MUST for anyone visiting the island! Then it's nothing but 38 miles of downhill biking for the next couple hours, stopping for a hot breakfast towards the bottom of the mountain. If you don't do this, you're missing out on one of the greatest activities the island has to offer! The staff at Mountain Riders was great and made it absolutely fantastic.

We sailed on the Mahana Naia catamaran, which was a great looking boat, where we visited the Molokini Marine Preserve and saw some of the most beautifully clear water I've ever seen. Snorkeling here allowed you to see the bottom well beyond 40 feet! Then we made a second stop to Turtle Reef a little ways away where you can swim alongside the giant turtles that seemed to be everywhere. Included in the trip was a continental breakfast, barbeque chicken lunch buffet, and lots of drinks including beer and wine.

One event that everyone has to attend if they visit Maui is a Luau, otherwise you haven't experienced Maui at all! The Old Lahaina Luau was recommended to us by everyone we talked to before visiting, and we were very pleased with the outcome! We were greeted with leis that smelled fantastic! Next, they served us tropical drinks while waiting to get photos with the dancers. We walked around the oceanfront looking at some of the handmade gifts available and watched them uncover the pig cooking underground in the traditional style. Then we were seated right next to the stage, where we watched a great performance while eating terrific food from the buffet. We shared the table with another couple on a honeymoon cruise and had lots of fun that night!!

Riding horses is something that we don't get to do everyday, so this was really a lot of fun. The first thing however, is the 40 mile drive that takes over three hours, aka "The Drive To Hana"! This is a very winding and narrow roadway that skirts along the island coast and goes through the mountains, providing breathtaking views of the ocean and waterfalls everywhere. Get the tape or cd for the drive so you don't miss anything, but give yourself plenty of time if you want to stop and look around!

The stable was a little tricky to find, but we were rewarded with some beautiful horses and because the other couple cancelled, we got a private tour! The horses were very well mannered and the scenery on the trail was incredible! Our guide was fun to talk with and gave us lots of information about the area and island. The only thing that we didn't enjoy was the BBQ lunch that never happened - instead, we had a bag of cookies and trail mix. We did get to go almost an hour longer however, and picked some fresh fruit while riding. Afterwards, we went to the Seven Sacred Pools down the road and went swimming for awhile.

This series of lovely waterfalls and tranquil pools trails through the O'heo Gulch and flows into the ocean nearby. The Pipiwai Streams feeds these falls and other numerous pools...a lot more than just seven. However, the easiest to reach and the nicest pools are located near the shoreline.

The Drive to Hana is beautiful in itself with lots of waterfalls and spectacular views to witness. Make sure you plan this as an all day trip. It's only about 40 miles, but you won't get a chance to drive above 10-15mph in most cases due to the hazardous roadway....very winding and narrow!

The Pipiwai Trail, above the Seven Sacred Pools, is one of the best hikes on Maui. It's about 4 miles roundtrip. It takes 2 1/2 - 5 hours to hike, depending on how much nature loving you do. There's several great waterfalls along the route with the final destination fall being Waimoku Falls, falling 400-feet down a sheer lava rock wall.

Iao Valley is a peaceful lush area with easy hikes, exotic tropical plants, and clear, natural pools. The ridge-top lookout offers a fantastic view of the valley and Kahului Harbor. It's the site of one of the most famous battles that occurred in 1790 and changed Hawaii history forever when King Kamehameha I destroyed the Maui army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands.