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Road to Hana Tour

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We took The Road to Hana Tour with Valley Isle Excursions and I have to say it was great. What a value for the price! Surprisingly there were two main attractions. First, the unparalleled beauty found on The Road to Hana.

Second is the knowledge possessed by your guide. The guides are so familiar with every aspect of Hawaii, Hawaiian culture and are so friendly, they are truly the epitome of “Aloha”. You really feel like they are enjoying their job! It’s so nice to see that their employees are taking the time to really show you the beauty of Maui and making it fit within your vacation budget!

Another thing to consider is the possibility of having an accident while driving the Road to Hana. There are a whole lot of t-shirts that say “I survived the Road To Hana” and they say that for a reason. There are over six hundred turns on the way to Hana. Six hundred!!! How could anyone enjoy their trip if they had to drive it. It would simply exhaust you and you would be advised to stay the night in Hana and then drive back the next day. Now, if you didn’t already know, the little, affordable B&B’s in Hana are usually booked way in advance. Also, expect to spend at least $150 for a decent place to sleep in Hana.

When we drove to Hana by ourselves on a few separate occasions and it was truly a unique adventure each time. The first time we drove to Hana it was raining so hard that we couldn’t get in to swim at the Seven Sacred Pools because of flash flooding. The second time it was so dry that there weren’t any falls at the Seven Sacred Pools or to look at on the way and we weren’t knowledgeable about the other sites so we just went home.

Another time we drove out a Jeep had just landed in the ditch on the opposite side of the road, presumably because the driver was looking at the sights instead of driving, which happens quite often from what I hear. Even during our trip with Valley Isle we saw a good sized rock in the road that had fallen from the side of the cliff directly above the road. I don’t even want to imagine the hassle that could have caused us if it had come down on our car, not to mention possibly killing someone if they were in a convertible or soft top vehicle!

Yep, the Road to Hana is incredibly treacherous, and incredibly beautiful. Valley Isle Excursions really has us hooked. Now and in the future we’ll enjoy the Road to Hana while letting someone else man the wheel and educate us on Maui!

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Lahaina

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Click for Lahaina, Hawaii Forecast

Day or Night there is always something happening in and around Lahaina.  The front street is a bustling place of action.  During the day most of the museums, art galleries, shops, cafes and restaurants are open early.

You can enjoy your day under the banyan tree in the center of town where there is plenty of people watching to be had.  Each day there is something different going on from markets, to events, to presentations, tournament related events and even festivals.

Throughout Lahaina there are plenty of cafes and bars that are open late.  There is something for everyone in your group, from country to hip-hop dance.  Check out the hotel concierge often to see what’s going hot on what days.  There is no club that is going off every night so plan your days and check out things ahead of time to be sure you have a great night out.  Since most people are on vacation, waiting to the weekend to have a great time is not always necessary like in the cities.  Every day can be a party night in Lahaina.

This is the historic capital of the Hawaiian Islands so it has a lot more history. The old buildings, canal setup and unique architecture is a wonderful place to hang out for a day. This is much more of a tourist town then Kihei. There are little museums, galleries and many shops, cafes and restaurants.

The large banyan tree in the centre of town at the waterfront is a great meeting place and a perfect place to do some people watching.

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Paia

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Click for Paia, Hawaii Forecast

I enjoy Paia and spent a lot of time in this little town.  I think it’s the best town, next to Lahaina,  for getting some good food and walking around in Maui.  There are lots of little shops, cafes and restaurants to check out.   During the day everything is open but by 7pm on most nights stores are closed.  The timing changes throughout the year so bet to head there a bit earlier.  It’s a great place to do a bit of shopping and then catch a bite to eat.

In the evenings the Moana cafe has something going on.  Along with their great food and beautiful presentations, they have Open Mic nights and live bands.  Check out their Facebook page to find out what new thing is going on that week.

My favorite pizza place on Maui, and possibly in the world is the Flatbread Pizza Company right on the Hana Highway.  It’s pomegranate mohitos are a local favorite.   They have many locations throughout the USA but they are not some big chain restaurant.  The use of local organic ingredients and the ever changing menu of fun pizza topping is what keeps me coming back each week.   I was introduced to the hamburger pizza here which has everything I love on a cheeseburger.  Yummy!

There are lots of little and big cafes, hole in the wall mexican or the fish stand at the main corner.  Get some Gelato ice cream too.

Now during the nights there are two places which have bands, music, dancing and late night menus.  Jaques and Charleys are right beside each other on the Hana Highway at the edge of town as you are heading out towards Hana.  Check ahead to see who’s playing and what the schedules are.   One is an open air fun, sushi club and the other is a down home country bar.  Both are a lot of fun on the right nights.

Besides eating and drinking, you can shop at the local grocery store.  They have decent prices and Mana Foods is a great place to grab things for a pinic lunch.  It’s a full service grocery and on most days have taste testings.  They encourage you to try out some of the tropic fruits before you buy so you really can tell the quality of the goods they get.

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Kahului

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Maui Arts & Cultural Center is one of the top attractions and fun things to do in Kahului.  There is always some sort of event happening either out on the courtyard or in the theatre.  You can spend many a night enjoying displays of Hawaiian or modern culture.  From comedians, plays, films to orchestras, solo artists and rock bands, there is something on the schedule that you don’t want to miss.

Other things during the day in Kahului to do can range from the farmers markets held at the local malls, the weekend events that include festivals, swaps or street parties.

There are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants doing something, day or night in Kahului.  Most of these events are tailored to the locals so in most cases they will be similar to what you got back at home.  If you want Hawaiian themed partying this is not going to be the city.

The movie theaters are about the only late night thing going on for the family.  Most of the arcades, mall galleries and box stores close at no later then 10pm.

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Wailuku

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Wailuku is the capital of the county of Maui.  It has all the government offices, it’s the administration center for Maui county.   Wailuku has a long history and it can be seen at the Bailey House Museum during the day.  That building is also home to the Maui Historical Society.  You can learn all about Maui’s past and future here in Wailuku.

Up above Wailuku is a number of great parks to visit during the day.  The Cultural Heritage park that shows different building styles of the cultures that call Maui their home.  The Portuguese, New Englanders, Philippinos, Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese all have a demonstration building that their community upkeeps.

Further up the valley is Iao State Park and the Iao Needle.  This park deserves a few hours to explore especially if you head upstream for a swim in the pools.  On most days you can watch some of the local kids jump off the bridge into a small pool, a fall of about 20 feet or so.

At night Market Street and the surrounding area has the concentration of restaurants, cafes and bars.  Market street is lined with little cafes and shops but it’s definitely not a touristy place.   The best spot to listen to new local talent is Marc Aurel cafe.  They have open mic nights and also some live music playing on the weekend.  Their menu is tasty and innovative.

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Tours for The Whole Family

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The best tour to take is a Maui tour with Valley Isle Excursions. There are many tours you can take on Maui but this one will appeal to children the most.  It’s a long day but here are some great benefits for different age groups.

Infants and Children

Our Maui guides are safe, courteous and definitely love kids.   They will make any accommodation you need to be sure the entire family has a great time.   Children can sit and their own seat and relax, this is so much more comfortable then being in a car.  They have great seats that sit them up higher then others so they can see really well out of huge windows.  No one is driving in the family so everyone can hang out with the children or sit together without having them confined to a backseat car seat.   You can get in and out of the van comfortably so the child can easily be taken outside as often as you want without any hassle.

Older Children

Many of the same points still apply but here are a few other.  It’s a rainforest adventure, they are going into where the dinosaurs of the movie Jurassic Park live.   Some of the scenes from the movies were shot out here in Hawaii and opening (most incredible, dramatic) sequences of the first movie was filmed along Maui’s northern coast where the road to Hana is.  During the tour they can hike into a cave, sit on black sand beach, watch a blow-hole, go swimming in a crystal clear mountain pool and jump off a waterfall.

There are so many possibilities, the entire day is open to you and your Maui guide can help plan the best day possible for the entire family from infants to Grandma and Grandpa.

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Museums, Cultural & Historical Places

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Compared to New York City or many of the other cities in the world, the number of museums here on Maui is pretty small.  What is located here on Maui is focused on items and topics directly relating to Maui or Hawaiian culture.

The Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum focuses on the islands link with these families and what their sugar plantations have done to change the face of the islands.  ,

The Baldwin House and Lahaina Restoration Foundation in Lahaina has a lot of great pieces and presentations.  They take you back to the time when Hawaii was ruled from Lahaina, the missionaries did their work and the whalers ruled the seas.

Whalers Village Museum gives a full account of the dramatic effect the whaling industry had on the Hawaiian culture in the past few centuries.  Being one of the most isolated island chains in the world in terms of distance it is a winter home to thousands of humpback whales.  This was and still is their breeding grounds.  Their numbers are greatly reduced since that time but they are slowly improving again.

The Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului is full of Maui and Hawaii art history.  The best part of this is the shows on Hawaiian culture that is constantly happening here.  They also have a wide variety of benefits and shows for the entire family.

These are not huge museums and nothing there is incredibly dramatic when compared to some of the museums in cities around the world but if you are looking to learn more about Maui, Hawaii or experience Hawaiian culture at it’s finest then our Museums are the place to go.

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