Visiting Maui after Aulani

[blabadie]

We've been to Maui, Oahu, and our favorites, Big Island and Kauai, multiple times and each time we purchase the updated "Revealed" book. They also have an app to help out as well!

I wanted to second this recommendation. Excellent guide books!

 

[Anna Chassereau]

Thank you all so much for the helpful advice!! So now I’m wondering if we should maybe visit Kauai instead...just looking into it but for those that have visited both Maui and Kauai which island did you enjoy more?

 

[VandVsmama]

The "Maui Revealed" book includes suggestions and advice that involves trespassing through private property, so be aware & forewarned.

 

[Melissa Perez]

those that have visited both Maui and Kauai which island did you enjoy more?

We visited both for our honeymoon and on Kauai stayed on the north side up by Hanalei - it was a bit too quiet for our liking, though to be fair my DH and I have both lived in big cities our whole lives. I have visited Oahu in the past too and felt like if you averaged Oahu with Kauai you would get Maui.

With that said, I've heard good things about the Grand Hyatt in Lihue. In terms of a family friendly resort on Maui, I second PP about Grand Wailea, I just read recently it made the list of some travel website's top beach resorts for families!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

My personal stack ranking is:

Big Island

Maui

Kauai

Oahu

There is nothing wrong with Oahu especially for a first time visitor. But it is definitely the most packages of the islands for tourist consumption.

 

[monsterkitty]

Thank you all so much for the helpful advice!! So now I’m wondering if we should maybe visit Kauai instead...just looking into it but for those that have visited both Maui and Kauai which island did you enjoy more?

We prefer Kauai because it's not as busy as Maui. Hanalei Bay and the Napali Coast is probably my favorite place I've visited. We've done zodiak boat tours as well as catamaran tours along the coast as you can only get to those beaches by hiking (umm no way!) or boat. It beautiful. We've stayed at the Marriott in Lihue and the Hanalei Bay resort in Princeville. Both resorts have excellent beaches for families to enjoy. The roads do roll up in the evenings and there aren't a lot of bars open so no real nightlife.

The "Maui Revealed" book includes suggestions and advice that involves trespassing through private property, so be aware & forewarned.

Yes it does but they also tell you ways around the private property.

 

[abdgeek]

I’m considering adding a stay in Maui after our stay at Aulani to our vacation next July 2022...we are staying at Aulani for 10 nights and then I was thinking of adding 3 or 4 nights in Maui before we head home. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good kid friendly resort in Maui preferably with a water slide or two and a good location? Also what are the best things to do in Maui? I was thinking the road to Hana one day and then snorkeling Molokini crater...anything else I should consider?

Thanks for any advice!

I go to Hawaii every 2-3 years and I love Maui. I normally spend a week on Oahu and then a week on another island. So far, I’ve done the Big Island and Maui in addition to Oahu. Even though I’ve visited multiple times, I still haven’t done everything on my list. Kauai is on my list of islands to visit, but I keep putting it off in favor of finishing everything I want to do on the other islands.

As OP said, the two main parts of Maui where people stay are Kihei/Wailea and Kaanapali/Lahaina. There are accommodations of various levels in both areas. Kihei is closest to OGG airport and Kaanapal/Lahaina is about an hour away. If you only plan to spend 3/4 days on Maui, you will need to be selective about what you do. Below are some of the things I‘ve done on Maui: Mt. Haleakala Sunrise tour, Road To Hana tour, Iao Valley, Whale Watching Tours(Dec-March), Snorkel Molokini and Kaanapali Tours, Old Lahaina Luau, Drums of the Pacific Luau, just to name a few. The town of Lahaina is fun to walk around and also has several historic sites.

I have stayed in Kihei and Kaanapali and currently prefer staying in Kaanapali because everything I want to do is on that side of the island. My recommendation is to choose an accommodation on the side of the island where you will do most of your sightseeing. Having to drive back and forth across the island to see various sites gets old after a while.

 

[nkereina]

Thank you all so much for the helpful advice!! So now I’m wondering if we should maybe visit Kauai instead...just looking into it but for those that have visited both Maui and Kauai which island did you enjoy more?

We much preferred Kauai to Maui. We spent 3 nights on each island during our trip. Kauai was noticeably hotter and more humid than Maui. I believe it rains more in Kauai, though we had no rain at all when we visited in September. Kauai was smaller, less busy, less commercialized. We thought it felt the most exotic and had the most unique things out of the three islands we visited - the Na Pali Coast of Kauai was my favorite thing we saw on our trip. We did a 4 hour sunset dinner cruise around the coast and also did a helicopter tour which went over the coast, Waimea Canyon, and it actually landed at the falls from Jurassic Park for photo ops which was a cool thing.

We stayed at the Kauai Marriott (now called Marriott's Kauai Beach Club) in Lihue, 5 minutes from the airport. We chose it based on the location because our helicopter tour was at 7am so we knew we'd have an early morning. It was about a 30 minute drive to Port Allen where we boarded for the dinner cruise. We considered staying in Princeville which is closer to the Na Pali Coast, but it was considerably more expensive in that area and we weren't planning on any physical activities like hiking. I definitely recommend the Marriott we stayed at though - fairly large resort, awesome pool. Its very close to the cruise ship port, so there was a small shopping center, a couple restaurants, ABC store that we could walk to. There was also a Duke's on property that we ate at.

 

[cgattis]

I agree that Oahu has a little of everything and it’s all quite accessible to tourists. Which other island to do, to me, depends a lot of the age of the kid(s). Maui and Kauai both had a lot more non-lifeguard areas than Oahu (or at least, that we experienced). I definitely wouldn’t take small kids along the toad to Hana, as they get bored “seeing” and will want to “do,” but much of the sites aren’t super kid-friendly (rocky trails, etc.). Kauai is insanely gorgeous and laid back, with two very nice kid-friendly snorkeling coves and a tubing activity they might be able to do. It’s also more of a contrast to Oahu than Maui. That said, I was planning a return to both Maui and Kauai, but I’ve cut to just Maui for logistics and cost. Still want to return to Kauai at some point.

 

[tidefan]

Dissenting opinion. We would rank Maui below Oahu as well, although I'd be happy to go back. We just preferred Oahu (and Aulani). Quite honestly, the Wailea area in Maui reminded all of us of Ko Olina. If we were to go to another island we would go to the Big Island. We like the Waikoloa area north of Kona and there are a number of things to do there (Volcanoes National Park, Black Sand Beaches, Coffee Plantations, etc.) and the two sides of the island (Hilo/Kona) are so very different...

Now, part of this could be that we made the mistake of trying to drive from Kahului to Ka'anapali going around the north side of the island (the map SAID it was a Hawaiian Highway number!). I will never make that mistake again...

That said, we have not yet been to Kauai, and a lot of people tell us that it is their favorite, so we look forward to getting there and checking it out as well!

 

[cgattis]

Plus, locals who live in Hana have become quite angry and unfriendly over this past year towards tourists

Can you give us more specifics on this? Any “incidents?” And do you think it’s likely to chill once travel is opened back up? I.e. if the governor and mayors feel it’s more safe to have visitors? I know you don’t have a crystal ball, but I was really looking forward to staying a couple of days in Hana next year. Don’t want any hassles though. We’re respectful of locals. Maybe I should book some hotel nights somewhere else too just in case that’s still an issue by then.

 

[asunutgirl]

We love Maui and have been there several times. We prefer the Kihei/Wailea area. The Grand Wailea is fabulous but pricey. We are SCUBA divers and Molokini is some of the best diving we have ever done. Hawaii has a large collection of sea life that isn't found anywhere else in the world. If you can snorkel there - do it!

The road to Hana is rough for anyone with motion sickness (speaking from experience.) The Iao Valley is much easier on the stomach and just as beautiful. If you want to go up to Haleakala, it is worth the effort but go EARLY - like leave before sunrise. The clouds roll in early, reducing visability.

 

[cgattis]

We love Maui and have been there several times. We prefer the Kihei/Wailea area. The Grand Wailea is fabulous but pricey. We are SCUBA divers and Molokini is some of the best diving we have ever done. Hawaii has a large collection of sea life that isn't found anywhere else in the world. If you can snorkel there - do it!

The road to Hana is rough for anyone with motion sickness (speaking from experience.) The Iao Valley is much easier on the stomach and just as beautiful. If you want to go up to Haleakala, it is worth the effort but go EARLY - like leave before sunrise. The clouds roll in early, reducing visability.

I think YMMV on visibility at Haleakala. We chose to not do sunrise, but went up between 9&10 am. Right in the crater, clouds blew in and out pretty much continuously, so if it was cloudy, you could just wait a few minutes and it’d be clear again. I’m sure it varies day to day, but you can definitely still enjoy it even if you can’t get there before dawn.