Maui and Football...

A book (Maui Revealed) that I found for my honeymoon 11+ years ago was an excellent resource. You can find a new copy on Amazon. The road to Hana is a great trip. Try to take in short hikes to different waterfalls along the road. Well worth the effort. My wife and I drove from Kapalua to Hana and back again in the same day, as we stopped several times along the way to explore. I would not recommend this, as we were gone for 12 hours or so. There is a place to stay in Hana if you prefer. If you get the chance, stop for some freshly baked banana bread. YUM!

My wife and I went their on our honeymoon and I’ll just echo a little of what has already been said.

We stayed at Ka’anapali

The waterfall you can stop at on the road to Hana was awesome. I have no idea what the place was called but I remember it was right by a fruit stand and you see a ton of cars so it’s really touchy to miss. There is a main waterfall that will be really crowded but I’d recommend going exploring a bit because you can find other that while are a little smaller there aren’t as many ppl there and you can swim in it basically alone which was really cool. Aside from our visit to Pearl Harbor that was the coolest thing we did.

We took a dinner cruise on a sailboat at sundown which was really cool, got to see some wildlife out in the ocean.

I’m not sure if it’s in the budget with taking the hole family but you can do about a 20m plane ride over to Oahu and see Pearl Harbor. I’m a history guy and I told my wife when we booked the trip that was the only thing I wanted to make sure we did. Really breathtaking!

Also, I’d echo the gentleman who said go to Costco and get food. We are breakfast one morning and it cost $70 for the both of us at the hotel. We made that mistake once and just ate pop tarts in the hotel after that.

Enjoy yourself!

We have a place in Kaanapali where we spend 2 weeks each summer. I'm here right now, leaving on Thursday.

Assuming you have a place with a kitchen(ette), hit the Costco, that is a must. It's right on the corner of the road you take to the Lahaina area, can't miss it. We get in the mode of light breakfast, yogurt/bagels/fruit, then an appetizer at a local place (usually trying the calamari and beer), and then BBQ at night as the bigger meal of the day. Stopping at Costco lets you stock up on those kind of items in one spot. We then fill in with what we need from the local stores.

Haleakala is a must. You think the road to Hana is different, try this one. My wife had a full-on panic attack driving up there and she was driving. The crater is 10,000' and the road there is narrow, not lined usually, and no guard rails. You think you are going over a cliff at each corner but it's just the slope of the hill that throws you off. That and looking down at the clouds as you get higher. Great views, the Silver Swords are a wonder to see, and it can be pretty cool since it's 10k feet up.

On the road to Haleakala is the Hali'imaile Distilling Company (http://www.haliimailedistilling.com/haliimaile-brands). Small distillery that uses pineapple to make it's vodka. Also makes whiskey and rum. It is a small place with tours - 2 buildings, 20 minutes - and a tasting room. You got to try the chocolate macadamia nut vodka. Not sure what I would ever do with it but it tastes good, We always stop to pick up a bit of local libation for the duration. There is also a winery in the Up Country (IUp Country is the hillsides of Haleakala) past Kula. The Up Country is where a lot of the produce is grown, there are several Farmers Markets up there, very good produce, lots of (transplanted) locals selling their wares.

There is a small 'artist' town in Makawao which is also off the road to Hana. There's not many roads that go anyplace really different. We watched a guy blowing glass plates last week, just sat and watched him for an hour or more doing his thing. Lots of artists and some great artwork in the area.

Lots and lots and lots of great snorkeling to do here. Fish and turtles are abundant. On our way from the airport we stop at Boss Frogs by the Safeway in Lahaina and rent gear for our time here. Makes it better to not have to rent/beg/borrow while here.

And if you are in the Lahaina area be sure to check out Lahaina High School. They have an infinity football field where you look out over the channels and islands. Not a bad venue.

Another good place is the Iao Valley State Park. This is back by the airport and is a hike around the hills. It is a battle ground and has a 1,200' 'needle' which is a local landmark. Nice easy hike, very lush, keeps the kids busy running around all the trails.

God bless you all. With ANOTHER move this summer and a 13 and 9 year old and both of us being teachers, I'll be lucky to get to the Indiana Dunes for 3 days this summer.

We are potentially looking at going to Yellowstone next year for almost a week though. Went out 20 years ago and every year talk about going back. Man I love it out there.