We are staying in Kihei. $165 a night is a good deal. Not fancy at all. Just a place to rest the head for the night. The pool here is really nice though. We're staying at The Kaomaole Sands Condos. Right on the outskirts of Kihei and Wailea. (South Kihei)

if you are there on sat. save your $$ on souvenirs and hit the maui swap meet for that. the hair clips, yes a must have with preteens, atleast mine, are $1 each and about $3.50 at the abc stores. T-shirts are cheap as usual but they also have some good quality ones too. open 7am-1pm
MAUI SWAP MEET

Hey Dan,

Glad you're having a nice time.

Take the fam on a whale watch boat ride - go with Pacific Whale Foundation on their big boat out of Maalea Harbor. It is peak season for whale watching.

We're headed there tomorrow and will be staying in Lahaina.

^^ the Pacific Whale Foundation trip out of Maaliia is really good. I worked for them for a season years ago. The thing that makes their trip special is that someone from their research team goes on each trip and explains what you are seeing the whales doing as you watch. I had done many years of whale watching trips thru out the islands, but the concentration of animals there and the narration from the researchers made this the best.

Also there is a special place called Iou Valley near Wailuku that is worth checking out, sacred Alii burial place in olden times. Nice walk along the stream there.

For snorkeling there is a spot between Maaliia and Lahaina called oluwalu that has very good reef and clear water, also see if you can find Honolua bay, up past Napili, good snorkeling there too if the surf isn't too big. Great spot to watch the surfing there from the bluff if it is up.

Have fun, Richard

Bike ride down the volcano

Hugh, the bike ride was pretty good fun, but I think that they were shut down a couple years ago due to too many accidents. :-(

If you are there when a really big swell comes, it is incredable to watch the action at Jaws the tow in spot, its a couple miles past Hookipa on the north shore.

We will most definitely hit the swap meet. My wife and daughter love doing that kind of thing.
We went into the Iou valley last time we were here. Beautiful for sure. Might have to go back again.
The whale watching trip sounds good but I don't think we can swing it this time. Its a budget vacation this trip.
My wife is driving all the neighbors crazy. She has some Kalua pork going in the oven. Thats going to be dinner tonight. The smell is amazing!

Is there any difference between taking the whale tour out of Maaliia or Lahaina? They seem to offer both.

And it's cheap!

We've always gone out of Lahaina, since we stay there. Never gone out of Maalea.

We ALWAYS see whales, some years are better than others. We have 5 boat rides booked in the next 10 days - we find the whale watch rides to be relaxing, and awesome, especially when we get 'mugged' (some 'curious' whales approach the vessel and hang out) - doesn't happen often, but pretty special when it does. It's also pretty cool when they breach close by...

I can go on and on about all the different behaviors we see... awesome creatures.

Here is the view from our room.
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My snorkel buddy.
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No one in the water at Big Beach today. Apparently there was a sighting of a very large Tiger shark in the area.
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Back at the condo chillen out.
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More supporting the local economy. :)
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Nice digs.

On Pacific Whale Foundation - BTDT few times. But, IMO, the better deal is one of the ferries to Lanai or Molokai. ...Lanai has some great snorkeling in front of the Four Seasons. Also interesting was seeing the flying fish fly off the stern of the Lanai ferry. The Pacific Whale Foundation cat's are, apparently, too quiet in the water to get those fish flying.

Lanai makes a better day trip than Molokai. (unless you like big trucks and pit-bulls) ~$60 round trip (iirc). ...And on Lanai you can take the shuttle buses for around $10 for an all day pass (iirc). ..free to Lanai 'city' if you're going to rent a jeep there. ...or just spend the day on the beach in front of the Four Seasons Hotel. It's a superb beach with some great tide pools out on the point. Taking the sunset boat back gives great light on Maui, and plenty of whales to see.

Dan. Being a paddleboarder, I need to know these things. Is that paddleboarder beer any good?

Maui wowieeeeee ! Smoke up Johniee !

I'm still conducting my research on it. ;) Ya know...its not bad at all. Come to think of it, its about beer O' clock now. Cheers!

Actually my tenative plans are to do a day trip to Lanai - I want to mountain bike the Monroe Trail - then head to the north beach (past the Garden of the Gods). Then be picked up for a ride back to the ferry. But it's looking to be the same price overall as a jeep. Haven't set anything in stone yet.

I just got back, and I was right up the road from you! Like walking distance SmileWavy

LOL, yep, I've stayed in that exact complex a few times. The most recent being over a decade ago, and they could have used a remodel even back then! :D

The rates are hard to beat though. It's perfect for those who like to adventure out, and those not desiring/requiring the full "resort" experience. If inclined to search, I believe the correct spelling is "Kamaole Sands" (pronounced like "comma-oh-leh"). I'd definitely check them out if you don't have to be in Kaanapali/Lahaina. Regardless, condos are the only way to fly IMO along with pit stops to Costco/Safeway as soon as you get there to stock up.

FYI: If you ever want to kick it up a notch, and have a larger party to share the expense, check out Hoolei (Ho'olei) directly across from the Grand Wailea. Very nice amenities and sweet lanai layouts with huge sliding "pocket" doors that open up. As mentioned earlier VRBO is a good source.

SmileWavy

Anybody have any cheap secrets to Maui for night stays? I don't care about resort hotels or fancy sleeping. I'd do camping if I could - but there is barely any camping available on the island. Ugh. Almost all the hotels are over $100.

Edit: And it's only for 2 or 3 nights.

Have you tried Craigslist? Lots of condo listings and some of them can be really reasonable.

Definitely in need of a remodeling update.

Sorry about the spelling there. Yours is correct. Must of been the beer sampling. ;)

Costco is the second place we hit...right after the rental car place.

We have been having a lot of fun. Lots of snorkeling. We have been going to Ulua/ Mokapu Beach for the last two days. Water clarity isn't as good as we have seen the last few trips here. Not bad but not great. My daughter never ceases to amaze me. She has become quite the fish. Neither of us are happy just cruising on the surface. We love to dive down and stay under for a minute or more. You see so much more. I took a video today going into the rocks but its too large to upload here.
I think we will take a break from the sun tomorrow (maybe) and head up towards Lahaina or Kaanapali.
Saturdays Maui Swap Meet is a "for sure." We plan on going to the aquarium at some point too. We have been there a couple of times but it never gets old. Very simular to "our own" Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Pool time for now.
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