cool. is the road open to public traffic? if we choose not to do the bike tour can we just drive up and go to the park ourselves?
also anyone know how long of a drive it is from Kihei to Hana? would love to go check that place out, it sounds beautiful from what i've read :)

thanks for the suggestion WR i'll check out the site :sunny:

cool. is the road open to public traffic? if we choose not to do the bike tour can we just drive up and go to the park ourselves?
Yes & yes.

also anyone know how long of a drive it is from Kihei to Hana? would love to go check that place out, it sounds beautiful from what i've read :)

:sunny:
From Kihei to Kahalui approx 20 minutes.
It's only 53 miles from Kahului Airport to Hana, but it usually takes about 2½ to 3 hours to make the drive, of course that depends on how often you stop.
The road is long and winding, with over 600 curves and 54 bridges.

I don't know if this matters to you, but the Kihei area seems to be one of the hotest parts of Maui :sweat: because it's on the leeward side, which means little or no wind. We always stay in the Kahana area, which gets the benefit of the trade winds blowing to keep things from really cooking. From Lahaina down to Makena seems to be the warmest part of Maui. I remember seeing an add in the local paper of someone looking for an apartment to rent, and it said something like "Help, we're in Kihei and we're melting!"

well it shouldn't be too bad in February. i looked up last year's weather for the month and it was fairly hot midday but not unbearably so and nights get down to about what it is here right now which is nice and cool for sleeping but not cold. hopefully it'll be ok. i'm making sure our rooms have a/c for sure though, my mom doesn't handle heat real well, and well neither do i :p

hey has anyone heard anything good or bad about Koa Resort?
my planner misquoted me the rates for Kamaole sands, and while i was looking around for lower rates i read some pretty bad reviews on the place. so i decided maybe a different hotel would be best. i somehow stumbled on Koa which is privately owned by bello realty, it's not listed in any of the big travel sites (expedia etc) so i can't find any reviews. they have availabilities though and the price is right, and by the photos on their website the condos look beautiful. frommers didn't say anything good or bad, just listed the amenities etc, and just said that if you want quiet ask for rooms far from the road :p but other than that i can't find anything on it. i'm calling her back tomorrow for a quote

http://www.bellomauivacations.com/Default.aspx?PageID=43

I don't know much about resorts in the Kihei area, but for what it's worth:
http://www.outriggerroyalkahanacondo.com/
We know a couple who owns a 1 bedroom ocean view (where we stay) and a studio gardenview. Thru them we get "owner rates", which is lower than what you'll find on the website. Our last visit September 2003 we paid $175 a night, which is a great rate compared to other accomodations in that area, and to us worth every penny. It's a fully furnished 9th floor one bedroom condo with a/c that sleeps 4 (a sleeper couch in the living room), washer/dryer, fully furnished kitchen (stove, fridge,microwave, cups, dishes, utensils, toaster, pots, pans, etc), and a balcony overlooking the beach/ocean. With all the windows open, the trade winds blow right on thru. You can fall asleep and wake up to the feel of the winds across you and the sounds of the waves breaking on the beach down below. In other words, we get to enjoy Maui 24/7, whether we're out and about, at the condo, or :sleep:

Now, for 2 things we recommend NOT doing.
-Luau's--we went to supposedly the best on Maui, I think it was the Marriot. Besides the gross pig roast part, it was a waste of money and precious time. Not very authentic feeling. It was like going to a wedding reception where you don't know anybody. We sat at a table full of couples who didn't know each other and weren't much interested in socializing, so maybe that was our bad luck.
-offers for free or reduced price activities in exchange for attending a "presentation". One word of advice: RUN. Especially in Lahaina along Front St., they everywhere trying to fool you into listening to their sales crap. DON"T DO IT. No matter what they offer :deal: , just say NO and keep walking. We foolishly went to one, and wasted half a day. Argggggggg! :wall:

hehe yeah that'd suck. hopefully they don't do that kinda thing at this condo. a lot of the units are lived in or time shared.

i was debating between a luau and a dinner cruise for after the ceremony. i was leaning more towards the cruise but i thought the luau would be nice just for the authentic show part of it. thanks, i'll definately go with the cruise. costs a bit more but it sounds more my style.

LF, the "resort" you linked to looks nice, but keep in mind it's NOT a hotel. No maid service, no room service, no restaurant, no bar, etc... (although I'm sure bars and restaurants can be found in the area - who ever eats at the hotel restaurant anyway?) It's a vacation condo. Like your own home in Paradise. Vacation rentals can be great if that's what you want. Just want to be sure that it's what you want.

As for the luau thing, I have to agree with jj1. I've never been to one myself (couldn't handle all the meat - and yes, theres LOTS of it), but everyone I've EVER talked to has been disappointed with them. The dinner cruise sounds like more fun - you'll still get good entertainment, with a MUCH mellower vibe. Remember, you're coming here to relax, not to be shuffled around with the other cattle, erm, I mean tourists...

I just remembered. February/March is whale watching season. We have gone snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation, so we would recommend them for snorkeling, cruises, whale watching.

http://www.pacificwhale.org/

oooh yeah!!! I went on a whale watching cruise in Maui a couple years ago. It was AMAZING!!

cool thanks guys :)
yep the condo thing is better for us. for the amount of people going (at least 10 of us) it's just easier and cheaper if we can make our own meals. we don't mind picking up after ourselves. and any condo i've seen with a full kitchen has a dishwasher and lots of them have washer and dryer in the rooms too so it's all good. plus our families don't get out much, they're not used to having someone else take care of everything, they'll be perfectly happy and in fact probably more comfortable doing stuff for themselves.
plus lots of the condos have seperate enclosed bedrooms and sofa beds in the livingroom so we can sleep 4 people in one unit and still have privacy.

i talked to my planner today and asked if he knew of Koa Resort, he said "um.. yeah, it's .. ok" and then suggested i book through my local agent. so i don't know now. the photos on the site look great but i know the rooms don't necessarily look exactly like the photos. i'm a bit wary anyway because the units are cheaper than most others i've seen but are all 2 and 3 bedroom units. i gotta wonder why they're so cheap. when i asked the realtor what the units are like she said "well, they're clean, and for what you're paying, you know"
eep

they want an answer on monday on wether or not we're booking the units, she's holding them til then.
meanwhile my agent says to keep looking and that the websites that are showing no availabilities just means their rates for 07 aren't up yet and i should keep checking. so i guess i'll do that. i was all in a panic thinking everything was booking up

*stressed*

oh one more question lol
you guys know of any good reasonably priced b&b's or cottage/bungalow/beachhouse type rentals? we're thinking of staying in the condos with the family for the 5 days they'll be there and then spending our last 5 "honeymoon" days somewhere else more private

hey, maybe check craigslist for vacation rentals. Honolulu is the only Hawaiian city listed, but all the islands use that page... worth a shot?

wow thanks for the tip, i did find something and it looks like it's available (and cheap!)
http://kiheivacation.com/sunset_unit.html
this place is gorgeous
i sent in my request form.

the hubby's best friend and his fiancee might come as well but are booking their own place, i think i'll email them the link to this place. knowing her she won't like the condo much, she's fussy when it comes to decor.
if i could stay there the whole 10 days i would but we'd have to cram everyone together and that might not make for a happy time for anyone :p

im in hawaii too ! honolulu !

Hi, I am going to be moving to Oahu in the fall of 07. I am looking for info from veggies living on the island who can help me get aquainted & let me know where all the good veggie restraunts, grocery stores, and "hang outs" exc are located. I will be visiting in April to locate housing & meet with the head of my school. Maybe I can find some like minded friends on the islands to spend some time with too....as I will be moving FAR away from ALL my friends & family in the North East. I am going to school on Oahu to become a LMT - Massage Therapist...to work at a resort, spa, hospital, chriopractors office exc....which are abundant in Hawaii. I am hoping to live full time in Oahu or move to Maui after my schooling is complete depending on where I can find a perminant job and affordable pet friendly housing.

Thanks!!!!!!Post or email me (Barrett44144@yahoo.com) if you have any advise for me.

month and a half left til aloha time :sunny:

i forgot to update, the accommodations are definate, the Castle Kamaole Sands is booked for the first 5 days and the Hale Komo Mai Sunset Suite is booked for the last 5 days. i'm pretty excited and stressed all at the same time.
we were hoping to get some golfing and tours in but money's tighter than expected so we're going to do as much free and/or cheap stuff as possible. we want to go to Hana and up Haleakala (hope i spelled that right) and probably spend some time on the beach and wandering Lahaina and that's about it.
i'll be posting photos when we get back for sure.
the only thing i'm still unsure of is the actual ceremony itself. i've never seen a beach wedding so i don't know how they're done exactly, and i haven't settled on the flours or vows or anything yet. scary.

had a wonderful time in kauai. if you're ever there, i recommend the blossoming lotus restaurant in kapaa. the west shore beaches were phenomenal.

I'm hoping to go on a trip to Kauai, if anyone has any suggestions. I also am wondering what types of Hawaiian food if any are usually vegan. I would also love any recommendations, for where to eat. I definetely plan to check out Blossoming Lotus as I have been to there Portland branch, but if there are any others I'd love to hear about it.

Local-style Hawaiian food is notoriously un-veg-friendly. We're talking meat, gravy, and more meat with white rice and mayo... Stay away from plate-lunch stands, and hit the farmer's markets... that'w where the good fruits and veggies are.... :sunny:

:hula:

(when do I get my hula smilie, dammit!!! )

caddy corner from blossoming lotus is a hole-in-the-wall (blink and you'll miss it) "restaurant" with a couple of outdoor tables, and an ordering window. They have decent veg selections. If you go south just a bit, there's another bar/restaurant on a corner (across from the church), that has pretty fair veg options at probably your most reasonable prices for the area.

A very cool local hangout with live entertainment is Cafe Coco, a tad to the south (after all of the grocery stores.) They used to be more veg before a management change, as I understand it, but they nevertheless have some decent veg options + Hawaiian song and dance as a bonus.

We just moved to Hawaii a month ago and live in Hilo

WHAT??? a real live VBer in Hilo???????

Yup :) are you in Hilo too :hi:?

yup!! well, Paradise Park, actually, but I work and play in Hilo. I've been in love with this community for nearly eight years.... I know all the ins and outs... :D

hmm, so can I ask you, where do you do most of your food shopping? I seem to spend a fortune in the farmers market, and then walk on to Abundant Life and spend another fortune there atm :surprised
What's Paradise Park like? We never looked at any houses there as my husband thought it would be isolated but we drove through it and it seemed quite green and nice :) a lot of trees and near neighbours

We are considering sending our kids to the school there

Now that each state has its own forum I'll be closing the state threads. Please continue any discussion by starting a new thread in this forum. Thanks!