Maui Journals

Maui: Cheap and Easy

A December 1999 trip to Maui by Waldo

Chris on hotel Beach Photo - Maui Beach Hotel, Maui, Hawaii

Quote: Maui, one of our favorite places but the cost can kill your budget! We have found an inexpensive place to base our island expeditions, The Maui Beach Hotel. From there we travel the island, picnicing and enjoying all the beautiful sights.

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Maui: Cheap and Easy

Overview

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There are many highlights on this island: whale watching, picnics on ocean overlooks, snorkeling among tropical fish and beautiful coral, waterfalls, rainforests, volcanic craters, tropical flower farms, terrific coffee, ahi poki, etc.Quick Tips: We rent a car immediately upon arrival, check into our hotel, go to the store and purchase a cheap styrofoam cooler, and get settled for our adventures. Since the time changes make you wake up about 4:00 am on the first morning, plan to drive up to the volcanic crater for sunrise. From then on, enjoy the many activities and places on the island. Get a late check out from the hotel because your flight leaves late in the day.Best Way To Get Aro...Read More

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Maui Beach Hotel

Hotel

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This place is a very clean 'beach' hotel without a real swimming beach. It is located in the capital, Kahalui, and on the bay. We like it for its price, location near where the locals shop, and easy access from the airport. Each room comes with a refrigerator and we slept four (two adults and a 14 yr old and an 8 year old) comfortably. The hotel is operated by very friendly staff and the food is great if you like eating in hotels. They also have a nice pool and a bar.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Maui Beach Hotel
170 Kaahumanu Avenue
Maui, Hawaii

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Picnics

Restaurant

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Our favorite sport is picnicing and it can be yours, too! Just get a styrofoam cooler from the K-mart and go to the Safeway near the hotel. Here we get wine, beer, soda, bread, cheese, meat, and fresh veggies and fruit. They have sushi if you like, but our favorite food to get is poke. Poke is a marinated Hawaiian dish of either raw or cooked seafood. They typically have Ahi poke (tuna) and octopus poke, among others. My favorite is the Ahi poke.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Picnics
30 Baldwin Avenue
Paia, Hawaii 96779
+1 808 579 8021

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Old Lahaina Luau

Restaurant

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Wow! This is no doubt the best luau on the island. The food is great, the drinks superb, and the dancing is magical. We got there just before sunset and were able to get some great pictures of the sunset and adjacent beach. We watched them uncover the pig that had been cooked traditionally wrapped in bananna leaves and buried in a pit lined with hot stones. The buffet was awesome; it contained lots of Hawaiian dishes including Ahi (tuna) Poke, mahi mahi, pulehu (grilled) chicken and steaks, and lomi lomi salmon, along with the pork from the pit. No one went hungry that night! The dancers were fascinating as they portrayed an ancient Hawaiian story of gods, goddesses, kings, princesses and warri...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Old Lahaina Luau
1251 Front St.
Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667-1998

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Sam Choy's Lahaina

Restaurant | "Sam Choy's Kahului"

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Hawaiian cusine is at its best in a casual atmosphere. We started with poke (after a couple days, lunch and dinner is just not a meal without poke). Then all four of us (including the kids) had different kinds of fish. From mahi mahi to tuna to swordfish...the seafood was great. They even had crab and lobster dishes. For the non-seafood lovers they have chicken, pork and beef dishes done in traditional and novel Hawaiian fashion.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Sam Choy's Lahaina
900 Front Street
Lahaina, Maui

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Kapalua Kai

Attraction | "Kapalua Bay"

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Kapalua Bay beach has been routinely listed in the top ten beaches in the world. The sand and water are great, and what's below the water is also fantastic! We snorkeled off and on all day while enjoying a picnic lunch on the beach. The coral and marine fish were beautiful.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Kapalua Kai
Ka'anapali Beach
Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
+1 808 667 5980; +1

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Pacific Whale Foundation

Attraction

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These people are the whale experts! They have been conducting marine research in the islands for years, and if you don't see a whale on your 2.5 hr trip, your next trip is free. We have gone whale watching with them three times and have always seen plenty of whales. Once a huge humpback just lay on the surface of the water and watched us. It was practically next to the boat! The whole family had a great time!

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 27, 2000

Pacific Whale Foundation
Kealia Beach Plaza
Maui, Hawaii 96753
+1 808 879 8811

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Driving the island

Story/Tip

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We utilized our rental car to tour the island. Maui is really two separate volcanic islands joined by a valley. We drove around each half on separate days. On one day we drove from Kahului to Kapalua to Lahaina to Kihei and back to Kahului. On the first leg of the trip the road narrows and hugs the cliffs. The views are spectacular and we spotted several whales offshore. We stopped on a beautiful bluff for a picnic overlooking the ocean. On another day we drove from Kahului couter-clockwise to Hana and then back along the famous Hana highway. This is the rainforest side of the island and affords the opportunity to see lava flows, black sand beaches and bananna fields. This side is de...Read More