Seeking Families Who Have Vacationed in Maui

Hi D.,
Here would be some of my suggestions: The Aquarium is a must, my husband and I go every year and this year brought my at the time 4 month old. It's fun for the whole family.
The Grand Wailea used to sell day passes to there pools and water slides. My brother-in-law always takes his nine year old when they are there.
You can't beat the beach, and it's free!
Molokini is a great snorkeling area for kids, I think they'd enjoy it.
Have a great vacation!
S. G.

Hi D.,

We go to Maui often and just got back from there not long ago. I would definitley recommend going to Molokini. In fact, that's where my husband proposed to me! I think someone else also suggested Mendes Ranch for horsebackriding. We have also had a great experience and the view are breathtaking. I would also suggest doing the road to Hana. We did it with a 6mo old so we had to stop quite a bit, but it was SO worth it. If you need more suggestion, just let me know.

Enjoy!

Hi D....I am from Maui born and Raised nd currently live on the island of Oahu. Maui in my opinion is the BEST island period..and really I am not being biased..I've just been to them all and to me Maui has the most to offer. Here is a list ofthings I think you and your family would really enjoy. I have two children and we just got home from a week long trip this past Wednesday.
~ Molokini (is amazing fun..your kids will be amazed at how many fish and how they just swim all around you)
~ The Maui Ocean center (the kids LOVE it... we just went. It takes a couple hours to get through and explore it all. Way worth the trip.)
~ Iao Valley park has a cultural gardens. It has little areas dedicated to all the many cultures in Hawaii..Great learning experiance. Even the hike up to Iao needle.is a beautiful view and easy enough of a climb, due to the stairs,for the littlest ones. My two year old did fine.)
~ Haleakala Crater for sunrise. (It's an early trip but o watch the sun rise before your eyes is an amazing thing. Pack warm clothes for the trip. Once the sun is up it reveals an almost out of this world view of all of Maui and the crate itself looks like you've landed on the moon. It is amazing. )
~The road to Hana. (As aunty Francis said above the drive is long and windy but an amazing view.no matter where you look. The beaches are great black sand, or you can make it to seven sacred pools..which is an awesome experiance to swim amongst the waterfalls. It's just a trip into old hawaii, with Taro patches and rich hawaiian culture.)

There is sooo much to do and I hope you and your family enjoy yourselves. Take lots of film and batteries cause there will be lots to take pictures of and it will be a memorable once in a lifetime experiance for you all. Have fun!

Hi. I used to live in Maui. It will be great fun for your family. Molikini is definitely worth it. It is the most amazing snorkeling I have ever seen and I went to a lot of places when I was there. I think the sea sickness is an individual thing so not sure what to say about that. I used to vacation there with my family when I was a teen and I know I got bored doing a lot of the sight seeing type stuff. I think the best beach is Kaanapali beach and has lots of stuff going on which your kids would like. You can parasail, go on sunset cruises, or just hang out. lots of great restarants and a shopping center called whaler's village which is neat. Be sure to go into Lahaina as well. Key restaurants: Cheeseburger in Paradise (for your kids mostly), Kimos (great sunsets and food), Hula Grill (on Kaanapali and has a barefoot bar with sand that is casual and has live music in afternoons, and Leilanis which also has a more casual patio on the beach (kaanapali). Mama's Fish House is also an island favorite.

The best luau is Old Lahaina Luau. Have fun! These are just a couple of my favorite things. Aloha!

Aloha: I am a Native Hawaiian, born and raised on Maui and just last year, my family and I went on the Molokini tour and loved it. I get sea sick too but it never happened that day. The people on the tour were pleasant and very helpful. Swimming among the fish, turtles, was the hight light of our trip, including for my husband who is a fisherman in his own right. Take water proof cameras ( may be able to buy in bulk at Costco, which is right on the road that leads out from the airport) and enjoy yourselves - you won't regret it.
I live in Hana so I don't know where you and your family will be staying while on Maui, but if you drive to Hana, start really early with a packed lunch or decide to eat here in town if you want to. While driving on the road, it is expected (not everybody does this) for you to pull over when a car comes up behind you (courtesy). For our local people, we travel that road for emergencies, shopping for the day, business appointments, etc. and we usually need to get over and back home in the same day, so it is greatly appreciated when cars in the front of us pull over so that we can pass.
As for things to do with your family, the events are endless. Again, I don't know where you are staying, but all the hotels have something to do for all families and there are lots to do in different areas of Maui, depending on whether you are outdoors people are not. So, welcome to Maui, and have a blessed and pleasant time while you are here. Psalm 91 over you and your family with God's promise of long life and protection. Aloha and Mahalo, Frances M. Kalaola, Hana, Maui

Hi D.. Congratulations on your upcoming Hawaii adventure. We took our boys, ages 10 and 7 at the time, to Maui last summer. Your girls are a great age to have a blast. We did the Molokini snorkel trip. None of us got seasick. We had alot of fun. Those boats get a little crowded so there are many people in the water at the same time in the same area. Needless to say, it gets a little crowded. I don't know if I would do it again, but it was definitely worth the money to have the experience once. Other excursions we did were the helicopter ride, Road to Hana, the blowhole hike, submarine, a luau, etc... I don't know whereabouts you are staying. We stayed 10 days and moved one time so we ended up in two completely different climates. You will hear people complain about there being nothing to see in Hana but that drive is definitely not about Hana. It is all the amazing short hikes to beautiful waterfalls along the way. We got a guide book, titled Maui Revealed The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty. Great book. It really helps on the Hana trip. If your family likes to hike, it is so worth it. Exhausting day, but packed with memories. The book will also help you find some isolated beaches. The only thing I warn against is getting a jeep, unless it's the bigger variety. We had fun riding around in it. It was just a pain to go to the beach and back and forth to the airport. Whatever you decide to do, have a wonderful trip. Look into that book. It is packed with information from an insider. We did alot of hikes that take you into the backlands. Hawaiians love to collect that tourist money but are not especially friendly when you are trying to explore the beauty. We stuck to the book and stayed out of trouble. Good luck.

hello, my husband and i have 3 children and vacationed in mauii 2 years ago minus the kids, but of course the whole time we were there we were thinking about how much the kids would love it, we stayed at the Sheraton and snorkeling at black rock was amazing, every hotel has awesome pools some with waterslides and floating areas, and you can rent fun toys from the beach to do in the water (ocean). there is also amazing luau's(sp) and a really neat sunset show on the black rocks at sunset at the sheraton. i hope you have an amazing time. p.s. there is a costco right near the airport if your looking to buy food and snacks for the vacation, we did and it was a great way to save money on food, one things for sure, hawaii is not cheap. have a great time, it is well worth it.

, you can rent fun toys from the ocean shore to do in the water and

I lived on Maui from when I was 6 yrs until last year when I moved to Oahu. Growing up there you don't really get to do the "tourist" type activities, but there are lots I wish I tried. I worked for a reservation company who booked reservations for about 12 different companies. Depending on what your kids like to do, some suggestions would be: Horse back riding at Mendes Ranch or even another place in kula (unsure what the name is), I also heard the molokini and turtle town trip was fun, there's an ATV tour in Ulupalakua that is fun, the sugar cane train ride, and more. I would look at the stand at the airport that has fliers for all activities on Maui. One thing to remember is to ask for kama'aina rates. If you don't mention that, you'll get charged the tourists rate which is a killer to the pocket book.

Hope this helped a bit!

Between the beach and the pool, you won't need to fill much time.

However, the Maui Ocean Aquarium (I think that is the name) is really great to see. We also took our daughter, then 2 on the road to Hana. It is a long day but we stopped ample times at waterfalls and for a picnic lunch we packed. the drive is so beautiful and worth it. I remember some sort of tropical plantation but the kids might find that boring. Haleaka Crater (sp?) is worth a trip too. FYI-it can be cold up there.

Hope you have a great time!

It appears you have lots of advise. We went there with our four children in 1996--so long ago, but the memories are precious. We had a much funner time than many of our friends we went with--we were on a soccer tournament trip. I picked up a "Be Your Our Tour Guide Brochure" at the mall and everyday we took one of the trips. We would pack a lunch and just go. We went to Iao Valley, Haleakala, the road to Hana--swam in the sacred seven waterfalls. We did take the trip to Molokini and the kids loved feeding the fish and seeing turtles and other marine life. We also did go parasailing and to a Luau at a beautiful Hotel. It was a trip of a lifetime for our family. If you can find that brouchure--it was helpful to us and we saw sooo much. Have a wonderful trip--it make me want to go back!!

D., I'm not sure if it is whale watching season or not but if it is that's a great trip. Our daughters were in 9th and 12th grades when we went. They loved it. We saw a momma whale and her baby and they played right by our boat for almost an hour. It was truly amazing. We also did the Road to Hanna and it was definitely worth the drive. You can stop at whatever places that interest you. We stopped for water falls and the black sand beach and numerous others. Wear good walking shoes. I hiked in my flip flops and it was a little risky at times. Also Lahina (sp?) is a great little town with tons of shops, eateries and artistic stores. It's very happening at almost any time of day. My girls loved it and we spent a lot of our evening time there. The one thing we didn't do that we will do if we go back is do the zip line. Also, I'd take at least one day to just be at the beach. We did a lot in the 7 days we were there and on our last day, we rented cabanas and hung out at the beach all day. It was one of my favorite days. Just because it was so relaxing. Oh, and do the luau. That's nice too and the fire dancers are truly amazing.
Have a great and safe trip. You'll have fun no matter what you do. It's a beautiful place, I doubt it's possible to not have a good time.

Yes, we have done the Molokini snorkel on one of the catamarans --- wonderful, a lot of fun!!!! If you go on the cataraman, expect to get wet on the boat, its' not like a monohull boat. Lots of people do get seasick, I'm lucky and none of us do (but we race sailboats as a hobby). If you or any of your family do tend to get motion sick there are several OTC meds you can take (Dramamine or Bonine), make sure you take them an hour before getting on the boat. There is also the transderm patch that works well, but it requires a prescription. Have fun, Hawaii it great!!!!!

OMG you are gonna have so much fun! Molokini is worth the money if u nature buffs...u can sometimes even see sharks. Take some dramamine tabs with u just in case u should get sea sick but we didn't. you should do the volcano bike trip, that was fun but its quite the bike back...have a wonderful time!

We love Maui! Molokini is great and the boat rides are generally touristy with entertainment on the way there and back but it's fun and the snorkeling is amazing. I hear they opened a zipline tour of Maui that the whole family can do. I watched a travel show that highlighted it and I can't wait to go! Hookipa beach is a windsurfers paradise most afternoons, and professional windsurfers are there on a regular basis. You'll be amazed to watch them do flips and jumps! It's near Pia which is a little hippie town where you can order a picnic lunch.

I have been going to Maui for over 30 years, and the Molokini trip has been fantastic each time, maybe 6 times.
If they get seasick, then give them the dramamine.
Every beach is fun, look for the guide book that is blue and gives you the local beach access and they are fun too.
Hard to have a good time in Maui. Your girls may just like hanging together. I would turn off the cell phones, yours too!! Enjoy each other and forget the rest.
D.

I took my children a couple of years ago. Maui is one of the best places for a family vacation. You are at the beach all day! I have done the Molokini trip two times and it was great but I did not have my kids with me. But there were a lot of kids on the trip and they seemed to be having a blast. IF you do decide to do the trip try to find one that takes you to turtle town also. The kids would have fun swiming with turtles. There is a lot of snorkeling just off the beach. Have a great time. We will be making that trip next year my kids have been asking to go back they loved it!
T.

Hi there! I used to live on Oahu and we would teach vacation bible school in Hana Maui every summer. So if you can take your family there, it is so beautiful!! Go on all the hikes you can and go to the seven sacred pools. The water falls there are just amazing. The people are so great.
Sorry i never did the snorkeling thing on Molokai. But i did do it everywhere else and it is just amazing. You might want to take your own snorkel stuff and just let the kids be able to have their eyes open under water.
You will love the water there. it is so clear and so blue.
Have a great vacation!! use lots of sun block even on the cloudy days. that sun will cook you.
Take care & God bless
B.

DO IT!!! Sooo much fun. Molokini is SOO clear, you can see straight to the bottom of the ocean, maybe 30ft. Everyone uses floaties and noodles (even the parents) so you don't have to worry about swimming, just taking in the amazing view. Take an underwater camera! Your girls will love it, and I took my 6 yr old and she was a little leary, but with the life vest and a couple noodles, plus the amazing views underwater, she wasn't frightened at all. My husband was a wuss and didn't get in the water and he STILL says it was the best part of our vacation. The boat ride, the endless food and drinks, being out on the water. No sickness and I was pregnant. Have fun!

We have been to Maui twice with our kids and had a great time. This last time (in January) we did the snorkel thing and it was fun. It was a clear day so we saw a lot of whales and the only one who gets sick is me so I prepared with a non drowsy dramamine and I was fine. While snorkeling we saw tons of fish and even a few huge turtles.
Most of the rest of our time was spent on the beach and in the ocean because we all love building sand castles (even me!) and we all love to body board. They have a pineapple plantation that is interesting and some good hiking. We went on a hike that took us up through the bamboo forests and to an amazing waterfall. The hike was fun and great for kids. Have fun!

My husband and I went to Maui for our honeymoon and even though it was just the two of us I can tell you your kids will have a blast.
We snorkeled at Molokini and there were a lot of families on our boat. I would definitely suggest doing it, for us it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we would have paid a lot more money for the experience. I get motion sick very easily ever since I was a kid but the boat ride to the snorkel point was fairly short and so beautiful that I didn’t get sick at all. We went on a boat that also visited Turtle Town which I would also suggest. You get to swim with hundred year old giant turtles and their babies.
Another activity I would suggest is the parasailing. The kids can go up by themselves or have a parent with them and it was really fun. You can have your picture taken while up in the air with a high powered camera that they have and it is really fun to look back at them.
Of course the luau is always fun too.
Hope I have helped, have fun.

Maui also has a lavendar farm on the beautiful slopes of Haleakala...and they have walking tours... a great break from the beach and beautiful as well.
http://www.aliikulalavender.com/akl_tours.asp
http://www.mauiactivities.net/results2.lasso?CompanyID=29...

For arts programs and activities:
http://www.co.maui.hi.us/youth/maui/culture.htm
http://www.hawaiinaturecenter.org/

Have a great time... Maui is beautiful!

Maui is one of our favorite places. We have 2 kids 10 and 8 and have been there twice with our kids. Molokini is so worth the money. The place is beautiful! Go to a luau lots of fun for the kids. Hope you enjoy!

hi we go every year our son is only 4. the snorkling is fun we had some waves while we were in the water other than that it was great. i did not get sick which is a surprise for me, so your kids should be fine. they also have scuba foe kids with no tanks they have long ropes that is hooked to the boat my 8 and 1o year old nephews loved it. a luau is a definite thing to do my son loved the music, we did the old lahaina which is true luau then we did the hyatt it was nice too, kids love these things. have fun.

C.

I'm envious - Maui is gorgeous and I haven't been in a few years. There is a lot to do in Maui and you'll get a good sense of things once you arrive. I suggest that you go to the online visitors site so you can plan ahead. One thing that's a must for those who don't mind water is the submarine ride. Your children are old enough and it's really a lot of fun.

Have a great vacation.

Hi D., You and your family will love Maui! It is the best island to go to with a family and has so much to do. I have a large family of 4 girls (I am the oldest)and we have been going every summer since I was 10. I have such amazing memories of our summers there and in June we went for the first time with my son, 5 months old, and he did great.

The snorkeling trips are well worth it. There are tons of different boats you can go on and they will take you out to either Molokini or to the North side of the island up past Kapalua. I think your whole family will love it...We never get sea sick, but some people do. You can always take Dramamine if you think that might happen. If you are staying at a resort, many of them have HUGE wonderful pools with play areas/slides for the kids. If you are staying on the Kanapali side of the island, Lahina is the place to go at night. There are tons of restaurants and shops on Front St with many options for the family. If you want any specific recomendations on places etc. feel free to email me at ____@____.com. I LOVE Maui and know you will have a great time there! ~C.