Kauai and Maui, Hawaii Review (2007)
I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii on a Travel Agent Familiarization Tour, otherwise known as a Fam. Tim and I had been to Oahu and the big island before and now I had the opportunity to visit Kauai and Maui. I’d like to share with you the highlights of my trip to these two amazing islands.
By Anne Larison
Click To See My Kauai Pictures
Our goal for this trip was to visit a number of resort options each day of our trip. This report will have fewer details on tours and activities and more information on accommodations. It is best, of course, to get an early start when traveling to Hawaii. The time difference between Hawaii and Colorado is 3 to 4 hours (depending upon Standard Time vs Daylight Savings Time). We flew into Kauai to start our busy itinerary.
TIP – There were a lot of opportunities to buy food at the San Francisco airport (if that is where you board your connecting flight). I was able to buy a large sandwich for about the same price that others paid on the plane for a box containing a few slices of lunch meat, crackers and cheese spread. I got more than a few jealous looks from those who purchased the $5.00 mini lunch offered by United.
The Kauai airport is small and you should have no problem navigating the few gates and baggage claim area. Outside the terminal you will find an information booth with a friendly attendant ready to answer any questions you may have before starting off for your resort. Most people rent a car when they come to Kauai and the rental car locations are on site, within walking distance.
Our first stop was The Coconut Plantation Marketplace. This area of Kapa’a features several shops and restaurants. We stopped for a quick lunch before our first site visit. I had purchased a large sandwich at the San Francisco airport and had only eaten half of it on the plane, so I had the other half at this time.
TIP – In most areas of Hawaii the food is expensive. You can save a few dollars by eating a light lunch or sharing a larger portion with a traveling companion.
Our first resort to visit was the ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa. This moderate resort was formerly a Courtyard by Marriott. It is newly renovated beachfront property. Our group was impressed with the nice pool, spa, and fitness center. Many resorts in Hawaii offer their own Laua and the ResortQuest’s Luau’s is offered six nights a week. This resort is only 20 minutes from airport and does not tack on resort charges (you will find many resorts have a $10.00 to $20.00 per day resort charge). This is a solid 3 star property with good value.
Just down the road is the ResortQuest Islander on the Beach. This resort is directly behind the Coconut Plantation Marketplace and affords easy access to shopping and restaurants. Upgrade your view if you stay at this resort. There are some buildings that offer a spectacular ocean view or ocean front room with a walk-out balcony or lanai. This is a casual, charming 3 star condo property. It offers a great location for drives to all parts of Kauai and only 15 minutes from the airport. The pool is nice, but small and it offers a nice beach area for walking.
Be advised that if a beautiful, sandy beach for swimming in the ocean is a priority for you, these are not the resorts you want to book. These resorts do not recommend swimming in the ocean behind the resort for most of the year due to the rocky beach and high tide.
Finally it was time to check in to our first resort, where we would be staying 2 nights – Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club. Not only were we glad to be able to unpack our suitcases and rest after our long flight from Denver, but we were thrilled to be able to enjoy such a nice resort for a few days. This 4 star property has many amenities that would please all types of travelers. The first thing you notice is the huge beautiful pool with multiple whirlpools, pool side bar and restaurant. Because the pool is so large, it never felt crowded and was a highlight of our stay at this resort.
I like to take long walks early in the morning when I travel so that I can appreciate my surroundings before the crowds get out of bed – I didn’t want my walks to end! This resort offers a beautiful grotto with coi fish, waterfalls, water fowl and amazing plants and flowers. On my walk I also enjoyed walking along the beach. One morning I was walking the beach when the NCL Pride of Hawaii cruise ship was entering port – a spectacular site. In addition to the beautiful surroundings this resort offers spacious guest rooms, 5 restaurants (including Duke’s Canoe Club), several shops nearby (expensive shops within the resort and very reasonable shops within a short walk), 24 hour fitness center, SPA, convention center, and golf is connected to the property.
Tip – The original Duke’s Waikiki is on Oahu. This seafood restaurant is well known to visitors of Honolulu. This sister restaurant in Kauai serves excellent food and the drinks and atmosphere are hard to beat.
Our second day in Kauai brought us to a little known but very interesting activity on Kauai — The Allerton Garden. If you want to appreciate the beauty and splendor of Kauai this is the activity. Run by the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, you walk through an amazing landscape of native and non-native Hawaiian vegetation, trees, flowers and waterfalls.
Tip – There is a serious of trees in the garden which were used by Stephen Spielberg for the scene in Jurassic park under which they find the dinosaur eggs! Great picture and story telling spot.
Tip – Be sure to wear bug spray, sun screen and a hat for your walking tour of Allerton Garden to protect yourself from the elements.
After the garden our group visited Sheraton Kauai Resort for lunch and a site visit. This newly renovated 4 star property is on beautiful Poipu Beach. This resort offers great swimming, surfing and snorkeling. There are two separate areas for accommodations – the Garden Buildings and the Ocean Buildings. The Garden Buildings have their own pool but do NOT have a view of the ocean and it is a short walk across the street and through the lobby to get to the ocean. One unique aspect of the Ocean Buildings is that after this resort was built, no other resorts were allowed to put buildings on Kauai so close to the ocean. So some of the Ocean front rooms are closer to the ocean than most rooms you will find on Kauai – if you ever wanted a hotel room where you open your patio door and night and listen to the ocean, this is the place! The pool area near the ocean buildings has a fun water slide. Another fun activity is movies shown under the stars on a 50 foot screen. This Sheraton has a nice spa and fitness center. There are 3 restaurants serving excellent food.
The next day we were scheduled for several more site visits on Kauai. Talk about saving the best for last! We started the day with breakfast at the Poipu Bay Golf Course and Restaurant. It is hard to describe the beauty of this Golf Course, but if you are a golfer, I can safely say it is one of the most picturesque courses you will ever see. Adjacent to this amazing golf course is the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa – This 5 Star hotel has it all: Open air beautiful entry lobby, fabulous pool area –3 pools, including a 1.3 acre salt water lagoon and lazy river, slides, and adult privacy areas. Don’t miss the wonderful Spa & fitness center with lap pool. Fine dining, live entertainment 7 nights per week, and beautiful gardens make this resort one of the nicest property on Kauai. Once thing to be aware the beach is nice for lazing around, but with the reef in the water and waves, not a great place for swimming.
Our afternoon site visit to the Outrigger Waipouli introduced us to a very unique property on Kauai — brand new condos! Most properties on Kauai have been around for decades and been refurbished several times. This condo property is new from the ground up, just opening in December ‘06. We were all impressed with the spacious 2-bedroom units which make up the majority of rooms. The eight buildings offer elevators and air conditioning. There is a nice pool area with a slide, and this property is located on the beach.
Tip – If you book a condo during your stay in Hawaii, be sure to ask if air conditioned units are available (if that is an important feature for you). Air conditioning is actually not the norm for condos in Hawaii.
Across the street from the Outrigger Waipouli is a grocery store and other shops are conveniently located. Amenities include free Internet, no resort charges, state of the art kitchens and daily maid service. This property is an excellent value, especially for families of 5 or 6 who would be more comfortable in the space these 2 bedroom units provide.
Our last night in Kauai was spent at one of the premier resorts on Kauai – Princeville! Wow, it is hard to do justice with words when describing this amazing resort on Hanalei Bay.
Princeville Resort continues to be a beautiful, exclusive resort. This resort does need some updating and will receive a full facelift beginning spring 2008 and soon after will become St. Regis in 2009. Couples and honeymooners find this beautiful property very romantic with incredible ocean and mountain views. Once you get familiar with the layout of this hill-side resort you can truly appreciate the unique set up. The lobby is located on the 9th floor and all the rooms are located below the lobby and all offer an ocean view. I would have to say the room and view were among the best of our whole trip. After checking in to the resort we went down to the check out the pool area and were pleased to find a swim-up bar and several hot tubs that we enjoyed later that night. There is not much of anything this resort does not offer – if you are looking for a great Luau (twice weekly), fitness center, and fabulous food (expensive) this place is hard to beat. In the area you will find golf, ziplining, horseback riding, kayaking, swimming, and snorkeling. This resort is located on the rainy side of the island. It rained during our stay, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the hot tub in the rain!
Tip – Do not miss the sunset from the Livingroom Bar located adjacent to the lobby. The night we were there it seemed that every guest in the resort was either in the bar or out on the large extended patio for the sunset party and live entertainment. This is what you expect sunsets in Hawaii to look like – it does not disappoint.
We left the resort after eating an amazing breakfast buffet. The airport is approximately 29 miles from the Princeville resort. There are a few options for inter-island air. If you are interested in visiting two Hawaiian islands on your vacation it is a convenient option and flights run regularly between islands. Remember that the same airport security rules apply, even for these brief inter-island flights. We also found because of the smaller planes used these airlines are very strict with the 50 lb limit on checked baggage. There is an extra fee for any checked bag that weighs over 50 lbs.
The short flight to Maui went smoothly and we had no problem gathering all our bags and getting our rental cars in the small airport.
Tip – There is a Costco not far from the Maui airport. If you are interested in Hawaiian coffees, Hawaiian specialty food or souvenirs there is no place to find a better value!
I found distinct differences between the islands of Kauai and Maui. Kauai has beautiful scenic areas that include mountains, valleys and rivers. This is an island that you would visualize when you think of Hawaii. Maui offers different beautiful scenery which includes long, wide beach areas not found on Kauai.
Our first night on the island of Maui we were able to stay in one of the premier resorts on the island. Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa is an event property covering 42 acres. It is a destination in and of itself – one you would never have to leave if you didn’t want to. A highlight of the resort is the huge, fun swimming pool with waterfalls, slides, water elevator and rivers. There is also a pool just for adults. Not only are there 8 restaurants on site, but within walking distance are the Shops At Wailea. The rooms at Grand Wailea are very large and recently renovated. This resort has a spa that is considered premium with amazing services offered in an incredible spa setting. This upscale resort has many things to offer families but it just as popular with honeymooners. It is also perfect for weddings with a gorgeous chapel and perfect Hawaiian landscaping for either an incredible indoor or outdoor ceremony (very pricy!). I can’t say enough about this resort and the wonderful beach area leading out to the ocean. But be aware of the hefty resort fee ($25.00 per night) and if you are going to spend the money to stay at this resort be sure to upgrade to one of the ocean view rooms – you won’t be sorry.
After we checked out of the Grand Wailea, the next stop on our tour were several condos offered through Destination Resorts Hawaii in Wailea If you are not interested in the size or amenities offered through a resort or hotel property, these condos may be just what you are looking for in Hawaiian accommodations. This company offers an array of quality condos, large in size, from moderately priced to high end luxury. The Wailea area of Maui is very popular (and expensive) and these condos offer an excellent alternative to Wailea hotels, especially for longer stays. These condos offer value and quality.
Wailea Ekolu Village
1 & 2 Bedroom condo with ocean and fairway views
2 pools/barbeque areas
recreational pavilion
Wailea Grand Champions Villas
1, 2 & 3 Bedroom contemporary Villas
next to tennis club/golf course
2 pools/2 whirlpool spas & barbecue areas
Wailea Ekahi Village
Studios, 1 & 2 Bedroom luxury apartments
34 acre garden setting
4 pools/paddle tennis court/shuffleboard
beach front pavilion
Wailea Elua Village
1, 2 & 3 Bedroom villas
putting green, paddle tennis
2 pools/whirlpool spa
24 acre beach front setting
central air conditioning, security gate
Check out the Maui Makena Surf and Wailea Beach Villas for more upscale condo accommodations.
The Wailea Beach Villas offer condos with a hotel feel. There are a limited number of rental units among the otherwise private residence units. There are even amenities such as grocery shopping services, chef services and personal activity lessons!
Tip – If you are staying in the Wailea area of Maui, check out the Paipu Beach for great snorkeling.
After our tour of the Destination Resort Hawaii condos we were treated to an amazing lunch at The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui. This beautiful 4 star property offers suites and villas only and is located in the heart of Wailea. In addition to being a beachfront resort, you will be impressed by the 3 beautiful swimming pools and swim up restaurant. This resort is great for honeymooners & couples. In addition to the excellent dining facilities, it is convenient to shopping and world class golf.
The resort for our last 2 nights in Maui was the Hyatt Regency Maui.
This is a fantastic hotel with excellent food, a great selection of restaurants and all the amenities you can think of at the resort or nearby.
When we weren’t touring (or eating) we enjoyed the huge, beautiful (open 24 hours) swimming pool with its waterslide and new sand-approach kids pool. Some in our group even made a last-minute appointment for a few spa treatments at the state-of-the-art health club/spa. There is a 6 nights a week Luau, so you don’t have to leave the resort to experience this must-do activity. Nearby there is an excellent golf course and it is just a few minutes from the fun town of Lahaina.
Tip – Take your time to check out the animals featured in different areas around the resort. They include (warm water) penguins, flamingos, swans and other amazing birds of all types.
One of the best parts of this resort is its location. Being on Ka’anapali Beach offers a beachfront view and a coastal walkway that will keep you on the beach for hours. I very much enjoyed getting up early each morning of my stay and walking along the beach. If I wasn’t just visiting for a short time I would have loved to participate in the many activities available minutes from our resort, such as jet skiing, parasailing, surfing lessons. If you have kids, don’t forget about Camp Hyatt, which will give the kids many opportunities for fun and a few hours alone for you!
Tip – There are several resorts along Ka’anapali Beach. If you are interested in staying on this beach there are many hotel and resort options in addition to the Hyatt.
For the evening we visited the Royal Lahaina Resort for Pupu and cocktails.
Tip – The pupu platter found at many luaus is basically a platter of hors d’oeuvres, island style.
The Royal Lahaina is a nice 3 star, beachfront property. We were able to tour their newly renovated tower rooms. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at this resort for its excellent food and its long and wide beach for snorkeling and swimming.
While you are in Hawaii there are many opportunities to go to a Luau. We were fortunate to experience the Old Lahaina Luau Breakfast. This buffet breakfast luau is not just entertaining, it is educational. After we ate we were able to enjoy a Hawaiian cultural tour. This presentation included 3 Interactive Hawaiian Villages: 1. Hula history; 2. Survival – Poi making, cloth making, net fishing, survival of the early farmers; 3. Warfare Protocol, early weapons, war history. Our group found this a very entertaining and interesting experience – highly recommended, in fact it is a must to more fully embrace the true Hawaiian culture.
I have recommended and booked the evening Old Lahaina Luau and will now recommend the breakfast as well.
Down the beach from where we were staying at the Hyatt is the Sheraton Maui Resort. This is certainly one of Maui’s nicest properties on Ka’anapali Beach. The Sheraton offers newly renovated rooms, a newer, large, fun pool with rivers and slides, and an excellent beach for swimming and snorkeling. One unique feature is a cliff diving ceremony every night! If you like to walk, you can walk to Whalers village and as I said before the Ka’anapali beach is long and beautiful. From this resort you can go at least a mile on the sand or on an adjacent walkway. One of the best Luaus in Ka’anapali is at the Sheraton and is offered twice weekly. Check out my picture of the roasted pig!
There is easy access to the town of Lahaina from this resort. Lahaina is an old whaling town with great shopping and fun places to eat: Cheeseburger In Paradise, Hard Rock Café, Bubba Gump. Some of the activities from Lahaina include day trips to Molokai & Lanai, fishing, dinner cruises, and snorkeling trips. During the season you can participate in whale watching excursions!
Tip – Want to see the most whales? Book your trip between December and May.
Before we hoped on our plane for home, we had one last resort to visit: Napili Kai Beach Resort. This is one of the truly great bargains on Maui. Beautifully matured gardens and trees offer glorious picture opportunities throughout the property. Nicely located close to Kapalua for golf, Ka’anapali & Lahaina for shopping& activities, the Napili Kai is Maui’s original resort. Unlike most other resorts there are no resort charges. Amenities include 3 swimming pools, a large putting green, and an excellent beach for swimming & snorkeling. We were treated to a great lunch, then toured the rooms. Most of the rooms have been recently renovated. Keep in mind when booking this resort that ½ of all rooms do not have air-conditioning. It can be requested but is not guaranteed. The only down-side to this property is its popularity. You must book early due to its popularity & repeat clients.
There was much more to see and do on the island of Maui, but we were out of time. Our return flight was overnight, as are many flights back to the mainland.
I learned so much about Kauai and Maui. I hope to return soon and bring Tim and the twins. I know they would love it as much as I did.