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December in Maui

A December 2005 trip to Maui by seo4752

Maui is truly a tropical paradise!

  • 13 reviews
  • 1 story/tip

December in MauiBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Maui is truly a tropical paradise! There is so much to do and see, yet you are in a very calm and relaxing environment and atmosphere. The Islanders cater to your every need and want. Everyone is cheerful and helpful. This is definitely the place to go to unwind, rest, relax, rejuvenate, recharge, and get back in touch with the inner-you as well as nature. It can also be very educational. Imagine starting your day sitting on the lanai (patio), sipping your coffee and gazing at the ocean. Imagine ending your day sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. Truly spectacular!

Quick Tips:

Everyone should go to Maui at least once in their lifetime. Maui is the tropical paradise that we have all dreamed about, whether or not we vocalized it or just imagined it. I started crying 24 hours before I even had to come home because I did not want to leave. We made plans to visit another Island in 2007 before we left Maui and headed home.

Best Way To Get Around:

You absolutely must rent a car in order to enjoy all that Maui has to offer.

ResortQuest Kaanapali ShoresBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Best Things Nearby:
This resort is a beachfront resort on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, HI. A block down the street is a Farmers Market where you can buy fresh fruits, vegetables, Hawaiian syrups, jellies, breads and of course, pineapples. There is also a grocery store practically across the street.

Best Things About the Resort:
Oceanfront on Kaanapali Beach. This is a nice sandy swimming beach. The people working at the Resort are cheerful, friendly and helpful. They go out of their way to make sure your trip is fantastic!

Resort Experience:
We had a one-bedroom, one-bath condo with full kitchen. Our condo was a "garden view" condo and looked out over tropical gardens that surrounded the hot tub, waterfall, and one of the swimming pools. The furniture was nice and upholstered in a tropical motif. The kitchen was well stocked with appliances, pots, pans, and dishes, but we did not really cook any meals while we stayed there. We also had a washer/dryer in the unit, which came in handy. Daily maid service that kept you stocked in "Hawaiian" shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash on a daily basis. Large television in the living room, as well as the bedroom, although we did not watch much TV or even stay in the condo much.

  • Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
  • Activities: Excellent
  • Amenities: Excellent
  • Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
  • Family Friendliness: Excellent
  • Service: Excellent
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores
Kaanapali Beach Maui, Hawaii
(403) 444-4136

Moose McGillycuddy'sBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Moose McGuillycuddy's"

This restaurant offers a variety of foods. Since I live in San Antonio, Texas I was beginning to miss my good ole Mexican food. We had a couple and had a Mexican meal for two that ended up costing a total of about $15 with iced tea for drinks. The food was delicious. In fact, I liked their version of fajitas better than any restaurant in San Antonio. A laid back bar/pub/grill.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Moose McGillycuddy's
844 Front St (Second Floor) Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667-7758

Aloha Mixed PlateBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Aloha Plate"

I told my mother that we had to have a plate lunch while in Maui, so one day after driving around and exploring other beaches, we went to Aloha Plate for lunch. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the ocean and ordered our "plate lunches". I had grilled mahi mahi with rice and macaroni salad. My mother had teriyaki beef with two scoops of macaroni salad. She loved the macaroni salad in Maui! Definitely a must do!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Aloha Mixed Plate
1285 Front St Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 661-3322

ResourtQuest Kaanapali Shores RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

We stayed at this resort and they gave us $100 food and beverage credit at the restaurant. We took advantage of it and used it all. We ate three meals there. One day we had breakfast and two other days we had dinner. I usually ate mahi mahi or salmon. My mother had the Prime Rib both times. A breakfast must-have is pancakes with bananas and macadamia nuts along with Portuguese sausage. We loved the sausage and I've been trying to find a place online I can order it from. Did you know one of the side orders for breakfast was rice? Yup, they eat rice with all of their meals. Instead of being asked if you wanted hash browns or grits you were asked if you wanted potatoes or rice. My mother could not fathom that!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

ResourtQuest Kaanapali Shores Restaurant
3445 Honoapiilani Road Maui, Hawaii 96791
(888) 782-9722

Ka'anapali BeachBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Kaanapali Beach"

Kaanapali Beach is a nice sandy swimming beach. When looking for a place to stay I knew that I wanted to stay at a location on the beach and of course the island is surrounded by water. But not all beaches are swimming beaches. Some areas are rocky with a lot of lava and coral, making it difficult to walk on or swim in. I spent 2 evenings just sitting on the beach and watching the sunset—it was magnificent! I took about a roll of film just on the sunset. You could see two islands in the distance. Truly spectacular sight!

We did visit other beaches but this is the only beach that we truly went swimming in or lazed around on.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Ka'anapali Beach
Ka'anapali, western shore of Maui Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667-5900

Mount HalekalaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This is a dormant volcano. Many people drive up to the top of the volcano in the wee hours of the morning so they can ride bikes down while the sun is rising. My mother and I knew that would be too strenuous for us but we got up one morning at 2:30am and I drove up to the top of Mount Halekala and we sat and watched the sunrise. It was fantastic! We were actually above the clouds. My mother thought she was seeing the sunrise over the mountains but she was not—she was seeing the sun rise over the clouds that were below us! This is an experience that cannot be understood fully or appreciated fully until experienced. Unfortunately, the batteries were going out in my camera so I got very few pictures of the sunrise. I did have extra batteries with me but it was so pitch black up there that I could not see my hands in front of my face, much less the camera to reload the batteries. I kid you not!

It does get cold up there so you have to layer clothes on and please take the blankets and comforters off your beds at the resort to take up with you and wrap in. The staff at our resort were the people who told us to take our blankets, etc. Now, that's something different, huh? Also, take a flashlight with you so you can see the stairs to climb up to the top of the volcano. We did not have a flashlight and it can be dangerous because it is so pitch black.

This is definitely a MUST DO activity. I just wish I had thought to take along a thermos of kona coffee.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Road to Hana TourBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This is a MUST DO! In fact, when my Mother and I were talking about going to Hawaii I told her that I wanted to go to Maui and the reason I chose Maui is because of the Road to Hana. This road is 52 miles long and zigzags all the way. You cross over 52 bridges and see many waterfalls. We chose to do a "tour" and went in a small passenger touring van that had huge windows all around it for viewing. The reason I chose to do the "tour" is because the drive is NOT for the faint at heart. The road is very narrow and in some parts, you have to pull over to the edge of a cliff so oncoming traffic can pass. Also, you may experience something along the lines of "sea sickness" because of the constant curves. If you start to feel queasy turn up the A/C or ask your tour operator to turn up the A/C. Our tour operator told us that having the A/C very cold cuts down on the queasiness, and he was right!

Our tour started out by being picked up at 5:30am at our resort. He then drove us somewhere for breakfast where he picked up a "catered lunch". We then set out for Hana. It was wonderful! We stopped at a national reserve, we visited what used to be called the 7 sacred pools, a black sand beach, and stopped at a little house owned by "Ginger" where we ate our catered lunch. Our lunch consisted of Hawaiian Barbecue chicken, kalau pork, a green salad, macaroni salad, rolls, and drink of your choice. It was very good! Ginger presented all of the ladies with a red ginger flower. The flower does not smell until you squeeze it and what a heavenly scent it is!

After we left Ginger's house we headed into the "desert" land of Maui. It is very rough roads that you are forbidden to drive rental cars on; so don't even try. I am 95% sure that you would break the axle on the car. We went to the Vineyard on Maui and sampled wine. I even bought a couple of bottles to bring home with me. Of course, they all have a slight pineapple taste! We were returned to our resort at about 6:00pm. A truly wonderful day on the beautiful island of Maui!

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Road to Hana Tour
P.O.Box 185 Kahului Maui, Hawaii

Old Lahaina CourthouseBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Old Lahaina Courthouse is very nice. It houses a gift shop and art museum now. The evening we arrived was the lighting of the Banyan Tree for the Christmas holidays. The Banyon Tree is in the backyard of the Old Lahaina Courthouse, it is over 100 years old, and covers acres of land—one tree! Another day we went there because they were having an arts and crafts festival. We listened to a Hawaiian music group that had a stage set up behind the Courthouse while we shopped the arts and crafts fair for gifts to take home to family and friends.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Old Lahaina Courthouse
648 Wharf Street Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667-9193

UlalenaBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Ulelena"

My Mother and I went to see Ulelena. This is a theatrical production and a MUST SEE! It was beautiful. I believe that the choreography was done by the same people who did Cirque Soleil. When I read about it I wondered how it would be because there is no talking during the show; the actors do not talk. But, it is not needed. They told the story of the beginning of Maui through actions and music, and it was FANTASTIC! My mother was concerned at first because a family with very young children sat down behind us and she thought that the children would be restless, loud, and create a distraction. Not so. The children were completely mesmerized within a couple of minutes of the beginning of the show. Never heard a peep from them! Ulelena depicts the true spirit of the Hawaiian Islands and of Maui in particular. It is a breathtaking experience to see and, surprisingly, had a very emotional impact on me. When we left we were unable to speak as most the audience was. Most people just smiled at each other, and nodded as tears strolled down their faces. I would definitely see this show again, and again, and again.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Ulalena
878 Front Street Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
+1 808 661 9913; +1

Hilo Hattie'sBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

This is one of the best places to shop in Maui. Of course there are specialty shops all along Front Street and in the square around the Old Lahaina Courthouse but invariably we also ended up at Hilo Hattie's. We bought boxes and boxes of macadamia nut chocolates, kona coffee, T-shirts, lotions, perfumes, and more. Look for coupons for Hilo Hattie's, they are around everywhere. You can even order stuff from this shop online!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Hilo Hattie's
900 Front St. Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667 7911

ABC StoresBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "ABC Stores of Hawaii"

This is a great store to go buy snacks, T-shirts, chocolates, lotions, coffee, etc. We found the T-shirts to be more of a bargain at this store than at Hilo Hattie's. I stocked up on souvenir Maui coffee cups, ashtrays, key rings, syrups, jellies, chocolates, lotions, etc. Try the Maui chips, loved them! We laughed because we went shopping every day and ended up in an ABC Store or Hilo Hattie's on a daily basis. What fun, and I don't even like to shop. ABC Stores of Hawaii is also online for ordering. And for those who visit Las Vegas, there is an ABC Store of Hawaii on Freemont street. I went to Vegas 3 months after I returned home from Maui and had run out of kona coffee—what a treat to see that there was an ABC Store a block from my hotel. I loaded up on Kona Coffee again.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

ABC Stores
Maui, Hawaii

Raddisson LuauBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

We attended the Luau at the Radisson Hotel. It was pretty darn good! We watched them unearth the pig and ate a fantastic buffet of Hawaiian foods—I even tried poi. I felt like it was a MUST since I was in Hawaii. I did not care for it but am glad that I tried it. The show was great and they even got some of the guests involved, and up on stage. Actually, anyone could go up on stage, you did not have to wait to be singled out or hope that they picked you. If you wanted to learn how to hula you went up on stage. We encouraged a young man that was sharing our table to get up on stage. It was a riot! He was actually pretty good! Of course the drinks were free and plentiful!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by seo4752 on June 3, 2006

Maui on my MindBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Even though I only spent a week on Maui, I get what I call "homesick" pangs at least once a week. I loved Maui and will always carry it in my heart. I wear at least one of my Maui shirts each week and drink my kona coffee at least 3 days a week. I have my plumeria jewelry, bubble bath, lotion, and perfume as well as Pukeka soap and perfume that I wear/use weekly when I get my homesick pangs. My computer screen at work is a picture that I took when I was in Maui. I've got Maui on my mind on a weekly basis! You truly must go at least once in your lifetime. It is an experience that you will cherish, enjoy, and look back on with a longing that you were back there again. My mother and I went somewhere and did something touristy each day but it was all in a calm, relaxed manner—something that we had never experienced before! Did you know that there are more people living in San Antonio, Texas than on the entire Island of Maui? Maui, Maui...I miss you!

About the Writer

seo4752
seo4752
San Antonio, Texas
  • "Single mom, 2 adult sons, bought into a timeshare and joined RCI so I can start really living life a..."
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