MAUI BEACH VILLA RENTALS
Activities with Aloha Concierge
ALOHA CONCIERGE, located in our lobby, can help arrange many activities for you. Others you can do on your own.
ALOHA CONCIERGE, located in our lobby, can help arrange many activities for you. Others you can do on your own.
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SNORKELING can be done by walking in either direction for a few minutes, then walking into the water. Snorkeling equipment is available to rent at the beach shack on our beach. If you want experience even more fish, it is a short boat trip to Molokini, a National Marine Sanctuary. "Turtle Town" is a popular snorkel site where there are dozens of sea turtles that are not afraid of people, so they will swim right up to you.
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LUAU is a Hawaiian feast. Most luaus feature a whole pig, which is roasted all day in an imu, a traditional Hawaiian oven. They dig a pit, line the pit with stones, and build a fire in it. Once the stones are quite hot, they rake the fire out, wrap the pig in ti leaves, put it on the stones, and cover it up. After the pig has roasted all day, it is ready to remove from the imu and serve. It is served as "pulled pork" and is delicious. Luaus will normally be buffet style, with some other Hawaiian dishes to sample as well as more familiar foods. For children there are more favorites like hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, although of course the children can have any of the foods that they like. Luaus normally feature all-you-can-drink Mai-Tais and Blue Hawaiians, as well as juices and soft drinks. After dinner, there will be a show of dances of the Pacific islands. We recommend the luau at the resort next door, as it is a good luau and once it is done you can walk back to your condo in two minutes, instead of waiting for a half hour in the parking lot trying to get out to begin the drive home, which can ruin your Luau mood.
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SUNSET CRUISE OR DINNER CRUISE: everything seems more fun when on the water, and that is especially true of cocktails and dinner. A typical sunset cruise lasts about 2 hours and includes drinks and appetizers (which Hawaiians call "Pupus"). A dinner cruise will be somewhat longer, more like 2 1/2 - 3 hours, and in addition to drinks and dinner some of the larger boats feature live music for dancing. In whale season, we have seen whales, although whale sightings are not guaranteed on these trips. Be sure to take someone with you to kiss as the sun goes down. Watching the moon and the stars from the water is also very romantic.
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LAHAINA is a quaint old whaling town that has been preserved to maintain its charm. There are many restaurants, shops, art galleries, and a few museums to give you a feel for what life was once like here. Next to the Old Courthouse there is a banyan tree that covers a city block. The banyan tree's branches send down roots that take hold in the soil, so the tree can spread that way. It is a thickly canopied shade tree that was planted in 1873. Many visitors think that it is a forest of many trees, but it is a single tree.
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WHALE WATCH: The humpback whales arrive between mid-November and early December, and stay until around the beginning of April. They spend the summers in the waters off of Alaska, feeding in the nutrient-rich swarms of plankton and gaining weight. They swim 2,500 miles to Hawaii every winter to give birth and mate. There is no food for them in Hawaiian waters, so they fast while they are here. While they can be seen occasionally at other places in Hawaii, most congregate in the channel between Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, which is directly off of our beach. They choose this location because it is a maximum of 400 feet deep. Baby whales do not know at first to go to the surface to breath, and their mothers have to nudge them to the surface. This is easier if they do not get too deep. We have seen whales frequently from our beach lounge chairs, and have even seen mother whales come quite close to the shore to give birth, but the most certain way to see them is a whale watch cruise. They will take you to where the whales are today, and will guarantee that you will see whales.
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HELICOPTER TOURS are very popular. There are several helicopter companies, and they each offer tours of different lengths and cost. The only time that we tried to take one, the weather did not cooperate. It looked okay at takeoff, but part way through the tour the clouds came down too close to the surface, so they could not take us where they had promised. They took us back to the airport and refunded our money. This is still on our list, and we will try it again some day.
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HALEAKALA is the 10,000 foot dormant volcano on Maui. It last erupted between 1480 and 1600, so it is perfectly safe to see. You can drive all the way to the summit. If it is a clear day, you will have magnificent views, and you can see 6 other major Hawaiian islands from the summit. Many people like to go at sunrise. It is very quiet, and the first thing that the sun hits on Maui is the top of Haleakala. Gradually, you will see the sun sweep down the slopes of the volcano to the sea. Haleakala is a National Park, and also makes a very interesting visit during the day. It is normally about 40 degrees cooler at the summit than it is at sea level, so take warm clothing. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from our condos. In the area are a lavender farm, Hawaii's only winery, and Surfing Goat ranch, where they produce very tasty goat cheese and offer children the opportunity to pet and feed goats. You can drive yourself, or if you prefer you can book a commercial tour to Haleakala.
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THE ROAD TO HANA: is one of the most scenic drives in America. The road features 56 one-lane bridges - to cross, you stop at your end. If you see someone, you wait for them to come past you. You will be able to see the other end of the bridge, so if nobody is coming, you may proceed, and they will stop and wait on their end for you to pass. The trip takes about 4 hours each way if you don't stop, but you should stop and investigate things that you see. There are many waterfalls, some superb viewpoints, and a black sand beach (made of very fine lava), The point of this trip is to enjoy the drive, not to see Hana, so if you are having a good experience take the time to enjoy it and don't worry about getting to Hana. If you drive yourselves, the driver won't see as much, as the road requires attention, so if you prefer our concierge can arrange for you to be picked up by a van for a guided tour.
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These are just a few of the things to see, do, and enjoy on Maui. There are world-class golf courses nearby, a tennis ranch next door, surfing, an aquarium and a submarine to view fish, ziplines, kayaking, scuba diving, jet skis, deep sea fishing, parasailing, hiking, bicycling, dolphin watching, horseback riding, magic shows, and even a rodeo. We have been coming to Maui for 25 years and there are still things on our list that we have not done yet. We advise friends that Maui is a state of mind as well as a place. While it is nice to see new things, it is also important not to over-schedule yourselves. An essential part of the Maui experience is to slow down and relax. Whatever you don't get around to seeing will still be waiting for you on your next visit.
** Commercial activities can be conveniently booked with the Activity Concierge in our lobby, Aloha Concierge. Prices will be the same as if you booked direct with the commercial activity, and it is much quicker and simpler to book with our concierge.
** Commercial activities can be conveniently booked with the Activity Concierge in our lobby, Aloha Concierge. Prices will be the same as if you booked direct with the commercial activity, and it is much quicker and simpler to book with our concierge.
