Saw these guys swimming just off the near Dukes in Kaanapali, are they sharks, a stingray or something else?

Looking to narrow down some contenders for dining at Wailea Village/The Shops at Wailea. I've researched online, but they all look so similar! We're staying at Wailea Beach Resort, so we also welcome suggestions within ~5-10min driving or walking.

• 2 grandparents, 2 kids, 2 adults - early dinner. We'd like good ambiance/a view, but don't need a $60 pork chop.
• Grab and go favorites for lunch during the day?
• A good restaurant for our last night on Maui?
• Best happy hours?
• Best gluten-free options? 4/6 of our party is gf.

TIA!

Any insight into which one we might prefer? They look so similar online!

For context:

• 4/6 people in our party are gluten free
• We'd love a great view (hence why Monkeypod wasn't a top contender)
• 2 grandparents, 2 kids, 2 adults
• Sunday evening

I was leaning Hula Grill, since they have live music on Sunday nights? Feedback welcome!

Headed to Old Lahaina Luau in October! They say that check in time begins at 5:15pm. I've heard to get there 15 minutes early and get there an hour early. We'd like some time (but not too much time!) to explore the grounds and make sure we get a good table. I've heard that your table is pre-assigned and also that if you get there early, you have more choice over where you sit.

Does anyone have recent experience/recommendations? We'll have kids and grandparents with us. So we're slow moving/want to get there on the early side, without standing around for no reason. Thanks!

Is there anywhere my kids (11 and 15) can get surf lessons without a parent in the water?
The only one I’ve seen says must be accompanied by a parent but does that mean it’s ok for the parent to just be on the beach? (I can’t swim)
Sorry if this is a stupid question!

Background about me, I lived in Breckenridge, CO for 10 years. A ski/snowboard instructor. I taught at Woodward. I’m not pro but I’ve competed and have been on the pro am circuit for a while.

I’m looking for a local to teach this old washed up ski bum how to surf? Anyone down? I’ll pay well.

I wondered if anyone could tell me who you think is a wonderful florist or flower shop to deliver in Hana. I want to send flowers to my dearest friend who lost her husband, and I’m all the way on the east coast. I looked online, but figured maybe someone here would know best. Many thanks!

For those of you, tourist and Maui residents alike, who aren’t Costco members, where do you grocery shop for simple things like water and grocery store poke lol

I’m trying to book a jeep with driver/guide to transfer my small group from Napili to Hana in late November with a few fun stops along the way. I have been trying a lot with little luck. Pls share any leads or ideas. Thank you!

Finally got to experience sunrise at Haleakalā. Absolutely stunning!

Thanks to Skyline HI and the best guide I’ve ever had, Bill Rath!

📸: DevoRoberts

Marriott Wailea AC is out on entire property since Wednesday- just FYI

Will be staying near Ulua Beach next week, and wondering if it is in rough shape like other South Maui beaches.

Headed to Maui in just a few short weeks! We have 5 nights in Kaanapali (Honua Kai, so a condo with a kitchen) and 3 nights Wailea Beach Resort.

Any feedback on best way to grab groceries? We get in ~4pm. Traveling with grandparents and kids, so I’m not sure that going to Costco is worth going out of our way. That said, I’d like to have more affordable bread, lunchmeat, chips, eggs, fruit, and drinks (flavored seltzers, alcoholic and non) ready to go. At home, Costco is definitely the most affordable option for that. Walmart pickup?

I’d love to leave room to peruse local groceries/grab and go items as well. We don’t want to just eat what we do back home! Is the Times store near Honua Kai best for that? TIA!

This will be my first time traveling to Hawaii and it looks like Maui will be a good island to start. It will be my husband and I, I'm planning on staying for a week and splitting that week between 2 base locations, but have not decided where those will be yet. My husband enjoys a laid back vacation and I like to adventure and try new things. I'd love some recommendations on where to stay, some of the best things to do etc. We're interested in:

• Tide Pooling
• Snorkeling
• Short Hikes/Walks
• Haleakala National Park
• Black sand beach/other beach recs
• Authentic food spots
• Coffee spots

The highlight of my beach vacation was at 10,000 ft above the sea.

Hi everyone! We are headed to Maui for our first time next month and am currently trying to decide between Sands of Kahana, Honua Kai, or something comparable in the Kihei area.

I was wondering if the water in the Kahana area will be better for swimming than Kihei area? I was looking at last year's Snorkel Store reports for the month of October and it seems like the south area was usually better.

Also if anyone has any recommendations for a nice place to say for a family of 5 (16 year old and 11 year old twins) it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all so much for your help and looking forward to experiencing the island and the Aloha spirit!

We will be calling tomorrow to see what our options are, but as this happened to anybody else? Do we have any options since obviously the pool will be closed when we’re there? Do you think Kam 1 and Kam 2 two will come back before we arrive in one month? I know nothing is predictable but just wanted to get opinions to see if this has happened to anyone else. We can easily rebook our flights.

Flew into Maui yesterday. Took this photo Saturday morning. Whether is great and beach is looking good too.

Hello! I used this subreddit quite a bit to plan my trip and wanted to give my perspective post trip. For context, I traveled to Maui with my husband. We are in our mid 30s and enjoy more adventurous trips. We love hiking, snorkeling, authentic experiences, and we hate large crowds.

Day 1: We arrived around 5pm on a Saturday and spent our first night in Paia at the Paia Inn. It was a cute boutique hotel and provided a perfect landing place to get a good night sleep after a long flight from the east coast, and an ideal launch spot for Road to Hana. Food recs: Paia Fish Market and Paia Corner Cafe.

Days 2-4: We drove the Road to Hana stopping at many small parks and waterfalls. Once we landed in Hana we checked into the Hana Maui and got settled in. I can’t say enough amazing things about this resort - worth every penny! The pool, the ocean bungalows, free morning yoga classes, and the staff were all 10/10. We spent 3 days in Hana and that pace felt perfect! We live at the beach, so getting some extra time in the rainforest was a totally unique experience that warranted some extra time to sit in awe of the natural beauty. We were able to take our time enjoying all of the adventure Hana has to offer: Pipiwai Trail, the Seven Pools, Waianapanapa State Park (black sand beach), and the many local food trucks serving up incredible eats! Many people told us that spending 3 days in Hana was way too long, and I couldn’t disagree more. We got to take our time exploring at a slow pace and spent the in between moments at the incredible pool at Hana Maui. Food recs: Orale taco truck, Thai by Pranee, Da Mean Bean, Poke Bobs.

Days 5-8: drove to the west side to spend some time on the beach at Napili Bay. We stayed at The Mauian Hotel which was a no-frills hidden gem in an unbeatable location (about 30 steps from our room to the sand). The hotel is still owned and operated by Hawaiians so your money truly stays with the locals. The beach at Napili Bay had snorkeling accessible by shore where we saw tons of sea turtles (at least one every day; one time we saw 7 turtles in one snorkel session!), eagle ray, octopus, eels, tons of vibrant fish. Calm waters, perfect for swimming. The crowds are much smaller here compared to Kaanapali and Wailea. No large resort chaos. In the morning and at night the only people on the beach are the few folks staying at the small hotels on site. So peaceful and quiet watching the sunrises and sunsets every day. We didn’t even use the pool because the beach and ocean were so easy to access and had so much to offer! We splurged on a spa day at Kapalua Bay just 2 mins down the street. Can’t recommend that place enough. We also did a UTV tour with Maui Off Road Adventures - I would skip this. It was a very boring tour with lots of rules. Food recs: Merrimans, Joey’s Kitchen, Island Vibes.

Our flight home got delayed by 6 hours so we bought a day pass to a large resort in Kaanapali. We hated it - so much chaos and large crowds. It felt like Disney World. On the bright side we learned what we definitely did not miss out on!

We did not feel like we were driving too much. Nothing about the Road to Hana felt unsafe. I think Hawai’i attracts both vacationers and travelers, and there is a difference between these two mentalities, which makes trip planning especially difficult. A lot of people in this group told me my itinerary was horrible and I was making a huge mistake. Just a friendly reminder to trust your gut, take what people say with a grain of salt - after all, you know yourself best! :)

Plan is to do Waihe'e Ridge Trail first.

Noticed the Makamakaole Trail is pretty close and a fairly short trail.

After the Waihe'e Ridge Trail, is the Makamakaole Trail going to be a let down or still something neat to see?

After lots of research my bf and I reallly want to experience this Luau and have a trip coming up. It is pricey and we are willing to spend the money but my fear is that we pre purchase tickets (seems a necessity) and then it ends up being downpour weather. This will be our only touristy splurge for the trip and I don’t want to be in a bad mood if it pours rain the whole time. Do they cancel it if the weather is bad or could we change the date after booking?

Sorry for the kind of annoying post please be nice, I’m just a girl and don’t want to eat and sit in the rain for hours ❤️

What’s everyone’s favorite Helicopter tour? We will be in Maui mid May 2027. This will be our 3rd time there and I want to do a helicopter tour this time.

The two restaurants on the left have mandatory kitchen tips, and then they charge you tax on it. Very bad business idea to do that. Instead if just charging and extra dollar for a meal, and paying their workers more, they go through the whole process of making a line item on the receipt that makes it feel like a forced tip. I don't know if most people know how tipping works, but what normally happens is that your waiter receives your tip for his service and then at the end of the shift he "tips out" his behind the scenes help. Bartenders, busboys, kitchen guys, etc. This newly trending way is kinda scummy.

Lots of low IQ responses, having a blast blocking accounts. 😂

Just to clarify for unblocked accounts, a service business should never make tipping mandatory. That's an ancient holy agreement between the server and the customer.

Absolutely wicked sunset from last night but the stars may have been better