ArizonaSusana
Registered
Maui, Hawaii, June-July 2012
We spent 10 days in Maui from June 25-July 4, 2012. This was a family trip my daughter, her husband, their 2 girls (ages 4 and 7), his mother, my husband, and me. We stayed in a condo at Kamaole Sands in Kihei across the street from Kamaole Beach III. We were in building 10, unit 115 and had a nice, but distant, view of the ocean. We were able to walk to the Kam III Beach.
My husband and I are avid divers (over 800 dives each) and take several dedicated dive trips a year. My son-in-law likes to dive and is very good in the water, but he doesnt get to dive very often. Usually we make all diving arrangements in advance; however on this trip, while I did a bit of research before leaving home, we booked dives once we were on Maui in order to coordinate with all the other activities. The three of us were able to spend two mornings diving. Because arrangements had not been made in advance, several of the dive operators on our list were full. We were able to go out with B & B Scuba (bbscuba.com) one time. Our other trip was with Maui Dive Shop (mauidiveshop.com).
In general, Maui diving is not great (compared with The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and some parts of the Caribbean). While the coral is not as plentiful or colorful as Grand Cayman (for example), Maui has good to great visibility, interesting underwater formations, and a large variety of endemic (found only in Hawaii) fish. Estimates are that 20-30 percent of the fish are endemic due to the isolation of these islands. Water temperature was 75 degrees. Chilly for us. I wore my 5 ml wetsuit and was okay. My husband did get cold on the second dive in his 3 ml.
Our pictures are posted publicly on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/109740061014063007699/MauiJuneJuly2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink. Reid McBride is the photographer.
Now for some specific comments regarding each dive operator:
Maui Dive Shop. We were hesitant to book with Maui Dive Shop as there are several less than glowing reviews of this operation. I must say that our experience with them was excellent. We were on the Mana Koa. This is a good-sized dive boat and it was full. We arrived early (as we always do) and were able to get settled in before the book was crowded. They advertise breakfast and lunch. We assumed this would be more of a snack than a meal. We were wrong. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, juice, coffee, fruits, and breads. Lunch included a variety of breads, lunch meats, cheeses, condiments, fruits. Soft drinks were available during the entire trip. There were also some delicious cookies (snack?, lunch?). The boat has two marine heads and areas to be in the shade or sun. There were several dive guides for the group and they interacted with passengers on the way to the dive site (a good way for them to figure out abilities and a good way not to overlook someone on a busy boat). Safety procedures were excellent. The three of us were paired with another couple for a group of 5 with one dive guide, our guide was Alex. Each diver was given a computer that was attached to a hose. This was done even if the diver had his/her own computer. Roll Call was taken before we left the dock and after each dive. Alex was well-informed about resident sea life and actively pointed out interesting critters. When the couple with us indicated they needed to return to the boat fairly early in the dive, the guide motioned to us to stay where we were and took them back, then returned to dive with us. We checked in for diving at 6:15 a.m. and returned to the dock around 12:30 p.m. I thought the dive experience with Maui Dive Shop was very good, albeit not overly adventurous for experienced divers, and would go out with them again.
Molokini Crater. 54 minutes. 66 feet max depth.
Turtle Town. 51 minutes. 42 feet max depth. We did see several turtles (one was HUGE).
B & B Scuba. We left Kihei Boat Ramp (very near our condo) at 5:45 a.m. on their new, FAST boat, the Kilikini II. The boat was full, but set up so conveniently that we didnt feel crowded. Again, we arrived early and had our gear organized before most people arrived. Coffee was available! Thank you! Our dive group was 5 people and our guide, Stan, did a great job finding the various endemic critters that I wanted to see. Two snowflake eels and an unusual sea star (cant find it in any of my ID books), also the kangaroo nudibranch (again cant find it in my Humann book), Blue Dragon, and several others. Snacks were hearty (sandwiches after the second dive). We were back at the boat ramp at 10:30 a.m. B & B is a great operation and is perfect for the diver who needs to spend time with non-divers; we were on the beach with the girls by 11:00 a.m.
Molokini Crater. 52 minutes. 79 feet max depth.
Wailea Point. 64 minutes. 51 feet max depth.
Diving part of this report is complete. Continue reading if you are interested in other activities and dining.
Surfing Goat Dairy. Really fun. We took the Saturday morning tour and got to milk a goat, work with the dogs to herd goats to pasture, learn about making goat cheese, and taste 15 cheeses in a picnic setting.
Lavender Farm. A stop on the way back to Kihei from the goat dairy. Beautiful gardens with a several types of lavender and other plants. The small gift shop had a variety of lavender-based products for sale. Vistas from this up country location were incredible.
Road to Hana. The must-do 3-4 hour drive (one way) along the north coast to the small town of Hana and beyond to Kipahulu in the Haleakala National Park. The road is winding with great views of the ocean and mountains and many stops for scenic waterfalls and short hikes in the rain forest. My favorite spot was the Kahanu Garden and Piilanihale Heiau. Piilani was the first chief to unite Maui under one rule during the 16th century. A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. The gardens contain the plants brought to Hawaii by the earliest Polynesians who peopled these islands and focus on the relationship between people and the plants they use. There is a fee to enter the garden, but it includes a guide book with a history of the garden and descriptions of the plants, often with Hawaiian sayings, e.g. Imaikake kalo I ka oha. The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plant it produces (parents are often judged by the behavior of the children).
Snorkeling/Beaches. We visited Kamaole Beach III several times. It was a wide sandy beach with a bit of shade in the morning, showers, restrooms, grassy area, parking lot, and swings. While not crowded, there were generally quite a few people and our girls loved finding other children to play with. Snorkeling by the lava rocks between Kam II and Kam III was quite good. Ulua Beach had good snorkeling, restrooms, showers, parking, and shade. The snorkeling was very shallow at Baby Beach (Lahaina) which made it excellent for young snorkelers. There werent any facilities at the part of the beach that we were on. Black Beach (Wailea) was black sand and the sand wasnt as good for beach play. The day we were there it was very windy and too much surf to snorkel or enjoy the water.
Maui Ocean Center Aquarium. What a great aquarium! All the fish are native to Hawaii and are rotated back to the ocean. Lots of exhibits were interactive. We really enjoyed the large tank with the sharks. We were there for the fish feeding activity with scuba divers. One of the divers was wearing a microphone and was able to interact with the kids and answer their questions. The green sea turtle exhibit was also very interesting. Since we snorkel and scuba dive, we really enjoyed learning about the fish/critters we were seeing.
Iao Valley and Hawaii Nature Center. This was our activity for our final day on Maui. We had late evening flights, but early check-out time. The Iao valley was beautiful, albeit, chilly and windy with misty rain. There were several short hikes at both locations. The Nature Center had monuments provided by various ethnic groups (Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Pilipino). The setting was beautiful and it was interesting to learn about the contributions of these peoples to Hawaiian culture.
Eating is always an important part of our travel. We had many good meals on Maui. We ate all breakfasts, most lunches, and a couple of dinners in the condo. Kamaole Sands has very nice, clean, well-maintained gas grills throughout the complex.
Cuatro (Kihei). We ate at Cuatro twice. Cuatro is small restaurant with many repeat customers. The fish was VERY fresh. We particularly liked the Classic Preparation (lemon, capers) and the Mauiterrean.
Pita Paradise (Kihei). A self-service restaurant with a few tables inside and some tables on a small patio. The food was very fresh and tasty.
5 Palms (Kihei). Lovely location on the beach just north of the Kihei Boat Ramp. Wonderful food, wine, and service. Quite pricey.
Haliimaile General Store (Makawao). An upcountry restaurant with a great reputation. We enjoyed our meals. Service was excellent. Worth the trip up from Kihei. I had duck with the most amazing sauce.
Coconuts Fish Café (Kihei). A fast-food style place with a few large picnic tables for seating. Food was good mostly fried. Many people were stopping by for take-out. Since ambiance in the restaurant wasnt that great, take-out would be my choice if we were to go to Maui again.
Mamas Fish House (Paia). WOW! What a great meal. Everything was perfect, from greeting to wine, view, food, service, even beach (where the kids played in the traditional canoe after dinner), The menu descriptions added to the whole experience, e.g. xx fish caught in the dark of the night by fishermans name.
Tiffanys Bar & Grill (Wailuku). We stopped here for our last meal on Maui. We wanted to be close to the airport and not a lot of places were open as it was the Fourth of July. Food was good, Asian with a Korean influence. Wine was only okay, beer drinkers enjoyed the beers.
Seascape (Maui Ocean Center). We had lunch here on the day we went to the Aquarium. The salads were absolutely delicious. The tuna on mine was some of the best I had during my stay. The restaurant has a great view of the Maalaea Harbor.
Mikes Hong Kong Bistro (Wailuku). We had an early lunch here on the way to Iao Valley. Again, chosen because most places were closed. Food was good, most was on a steam table, but not served buffet style. We particularly enjoyed the orange
We spent 10 days in Maui from June 25-July 4, 2012. This was a family trip my daughter, her husband, their 2 girls (ages 4 and 7), his mother, my husband, and me. We stayed in a condo at Kamaole Sands in Kihei across the street from Kamaole Beach III. We were in building 10, unit 115 and had a nice, but distant, view of the ocean. We were able to walk to the Kam III Beach.
My husband and I are avid divers (over 800 dives each) and take several dedicated dive trips a year. My son-in-law likes to dive and is very good in the water, but he doesnt get to dive very often. Usually we make all diving arrangements in advance; however on this trip, while I did a bit of research before leaving home, we booked dives once we were on Maui in order to coordinate with all the other activities. The three of us were able to spend two mornings diving. Because arrangements had not been made in advance, several of the dive operators on our list were full. We were able to go out with B & B Scuba (bbscuba.com) one time. Our other trip was with Maui Dive Shop (mauidiveshop.com).
In general, Maui diving is not great (compared with The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and some parts of the Caribbean). While the coral is not as plentiful or colorful as Grand Cayman (for example), Maui has good to great visibility, interesting underwater formations, and a large variety of endemic (found only in Hawaii) fish. Estimates are that 20-30 percent of the fish are endemic due to the isolation of these islands. Water temperature was 75 degrees. Chilly for us. I wore my 5 ml wetsuit and was okay. My husband did get cold on the second dive in his 3 ml.
Our pictures are posted publicly on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/109740061014063007699/MauiJuneJuly2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink. Reid McBride is the photographer.
Now for some specific comments regarding each dive operator:
Maui Dive Shop. We were hesitant to book with Maui Dive Shop as there are several less than glowing reviews of this operation. I must say that our experience with them was excellent. We were on the Mana Koa. This is a good-sized dive boat and it was full. We arrived early (as we always do) and were able to get settled in before the book was crowded. They advertise breakfast and lunch. We assumed this would be more of a snack than a meal. We were wrong. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, juice, coffee, fruits, and breads. Lunch included a variety of breads, lunch meats, cheeses, condiments, fruits. Soft drinks were available during the entire trip. There were also some delicious cookies (snack?, lunch?). The boat has two marine heads and areas to be in the shade or sun. There were several dive guides for the group and they interacted with passengers on the way to the dive site (a good way for them to figure out abilities and a good way not to overlook someone on a busy boat). Safety procedures were excellent. The three of us were paired with another couple for a group of 5 with one dive guide, our guide was Alex. Each diver was given a computer that was attached to a hose. This was done even if the diver had his/her own computer. Roll Call was taken before we left the dock and after each dive. Alex was well-informed about resident sea life and actively pointed out interesting critters. When the couple with us indicated they needed to return to the boat fairly early in the dive, the guide motioned to us to stay where we were and took them back, then returned to dive with us. We checked in for diving at 6:15 a.m. and returned to the dock around 12:30 p.m. I thought the dive experience with Maui Dive Shop was very good, albeit not overly adventurous for experienced divers, and would go out with them again.
Molokini Crater. 54 minutes. 66 feet max depth.
Turtle Town. 51 minutes. 42 feet max depth. We did see several turtles (one was HUGE).
B & B Scuba. We left Kihei Boat Ramp (very near our condo) at 5:45 a.m. on their new, FAST boat, the Kilikini II. The boat was full, but set up so conveniently that we didnt feel crowded. Again, we arrived early and had our gear organized before most people arrived. Coffee was available! Thank you! Our dive group was 5 people and our guide, Stan, did a great job finding the various endemic critters that I wanted to see. Two snowflake eels and an unusual sea star (cant find it in any of my ID books), also the kangaroo nudibranch (again cant find it in my Humann book), Blue Dragon, and several others. Snacks were hearty (sandwiches after the second dive). We were back at the boat ramp at 10:30 a.m. B & B is a great operation and is perfect for the diver who needs to spend time with non-divers; we were on the beach with the girls by 11:00 a.m.
Molokini Crater. 52 minutes. 79 feet max depth.
Wailea Point. 64 minutes. 51 feet max depth.
Diving part of this report is complete. Continue reading if you are interested in other activities and dining.
Surfing Goat Dairy. Really fun. We took the Saturday morning tour and got to milk a goat, work with the dogs to herd goats to pasture, learn about making goat cheese, and taste 15 cheeses in a picnic setting.
Lavender Farm. A stop on the way back to Kihei from the goat dairy. Beautiful gardens with a several types of lavender and other plants. The small gift shop had a variety of lavender-based products for sale. Vistas from this up country location were incredible.
Road to Hana. The must-do 3-4 hour drive (one way) along the north coast to the small town of Hana and beyond to Kipahulu in the Haleakala National Park. The road is winding with great views of the ocean and mountains and many stops for scenic waterfalls and short hikes in the rain forest. My favorite spot was the Kahanu Garden and Piilanihale Heiau. Piilani was the first chief to unite Maui under one rule during the 16th century. A heiau is a Hawaiian temple. The gardens contain the plants brought to Hawaii by the earliest Polynesians who peopled these islands and focus on the relationship between people and the plants they use. There is a fee to enter the garden, but it includes a guide book with a history of the garden and descriptions of the plants, often with Hawaiian sayings, e.g. Imaikake kalo I ka oha. The goodness of the taro is judged by the young plant it produces (parents are often judged by the behavior of the children).
Snorkeling/Beaches. We visited Kamaole Beach III several times. It was a wide sandy beach with a bit of shade in the morning, showers, restrooms, grassy area, parking lot, and swings. While not crowded, there were generally quite a few people and our girls loved finding other children to play with. Snorkeling by the lava rocks between Kam II and Kam III was quite good. Ulua Beach had good snorkeling, restrooms, showers, parking, and shade. The snorkeling was very shallow at Baby Beach (Lahaina) which made it excellent for young snorkelers. There werent any facilities at the part of the beach that we were on. Black Beach (Wailea) was black sand and the sand wasnt as good for beach play. The day we were there it was very windy and too much surf to snorkel or enjoy the water.
Maui Ocean Center Aquarium. What a great aquarium! All the fish are native to Hawaii and are rotated back to the ocean. Lots of exhibits were interactive. We really enjoyed the large tank with the sharks. We were there for the fish feeding activity with scuba divers. One of the divers was wearing a microphone and was able to interact with the kids and answer their questions. The green sea turtle exhibit was also very interesting. Since we snorkel and scuba dive, we really enjoyed learning about the fish/critters we were seeing.
Iao Valley and Hawaii Nature Center. This was our activity for our final day on Maui. We had late evening flights, but early check-out time. The Iao valley was beautiful, albeit, chilly and windy with misty rain. There were several short hikes at both locations. The Nature Center had monuments provided by various ethnic groups (Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Pilipino). The setting was beautiful and it was interesting to learn about the contributions of these peoples to Hawaiian culture.
Eating is always an important part of our travel. We had many good meals on Maui. We ate all breakfasts, most lunches, and a couple of dinners in the condo. Kamaole Sands has very nice, clean, well-maintained gas grills throughout the complex.
Cuatro (Kihei). We ate at Cuatro twice. Cuatro is small restaurant with many repeat customers. The fish was VERY fresh. We particularly liked the Classic Preparation (lemon, capers) and the Mauiterrean.
Pita Paradise (Kihei). A self-service restaurant with a few tables inside and some tables on a small patio. The food was very fresh and tasty.
5 Palms (Kihei). Lovely location on the beach just north of the Kihei Boat Ramp. Wonderful food, wine, and service. Quite pricey.
Haliimaile General Store (Makawao). An upcountry restaurant with a great reputation. We enjoyed our meals. Service was excellent. Worth the trip up from Kihei. I had duck with the most amazing sauce.
Coconuts Fish Café (Kihei). A fast-food style place with a few large picnic tables for seating. Food was good mostly fried. Many people were stopping by for take-out. Since ambiance in the restaurant wasnt that great, take-out would be my choice if we were to go to Maui again.
Mamas Fish House (Paia). WOW! What a great meal. Everything was perfect, from greeting to wine, view, food, service, even beach (where the kids played in the traditional canoe after dinner), The menu descriptions added to the whole experience, e.g. xx fish caught in the dark of the night by fishermans name.
Tiffanys Bar & Grill (Wailuku). We stopped here for our last meal on Maui. We wanted to be close to the airport and not a lot of places were open as it was the Fourth of July. Food was good, Asian with a Korean influence. Wine was only okay, beer drinkers enjoyed the beers.
Seascape (Maui Ocean Center). We had lunch here on the day we went to the Aquarium. The salads were absolutely delicious. The tuna on mine was some of the best I had during my stay. The restaurant has a great view of the Maalaea Harbor.
Mikes Hong Kong Bistro (Wailuku). We had an early lunch here on the way to Iao Valley. Again, chosen because most places were closed. Food was good, most was on a steam table, but not served buffet style. We particularly enjoyed the orange
