headed to Kihei for spring break and looking for things to

so yeah never been to hawaii. taking my wife and six year old daughter for two weeks. Rented a car. Looking for any suggestions on things to do. Day hikes, great swimming holes, cheap eats etc.

any info greatly appreciated.

Thanks

We just got back from there. That's a nice area to stay because its central.

- Go up to Haleakela (dress warm)
- head over to Lahaina and take a ferry to Lana'i. Very private island (owned by one person) with really nice beaches and short hikes. Lahaina itself is a nice little town.
- Drive the road to Hana. Pretty sketchy, make sure you are going with traffic.
- I'oa needle is a very short hike to an amazing cliff

As touristy as Maui is, its a good island for kids, and for the fact that you can see a lot in a few days. Food is stupid expensive in the tourist traps, even the grocery stores are crazy ($10 for bread???). Not a lot is grown there anymore unfortunately, so don't expect to get ample supply to lots of really good cheap fruit.

so yeah never been to hawaii. taking my wife and six year old daughter for two weeks. Rented a car. Looking for any suggestions on things to do. Day hikes, great swimming holes, cheap eats etc.

any info greatly appreciated.

Thanks

If you are staying in a condo and have access to a kitchen, you can hit up the Costco right beside the airport before you leave after you have rented your car. That way you can buy food for the two weeks, and avoid the more costly trips to the grocery store.
Get a snorkel and fins (rentals are pretty cheap for a week or two) and hit whatever beach you happen to be passing. So much cool sea-life to view!

Big Beach at Makena
Makena landing (turtle town) for snorkeling
Forget the name but awesome snorkeling here too
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Makena,+HI+96753,+USA/@20.6179597,-156.4374167,216m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x7954db3795d86e67:0x1570489cfe5344ad?hl=en

any info greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The absolute best snorkeling on Maui is close by - drive as far south as you can to La Perouse bay. The water is crystal clear.

All of the Kamaole beachs are great for kids, but there's a resident turtle that's pretty friendly off the point on Kamaole III that doesn't seem to mind snorkelers. The beach in front of the Makena Beach Resort is fantastic too. A little tricky to find the public access, but well worth it for sun, swim and snorkeling.

Haleakala is a must see. Go early before clouds roll in. We went down to Paia on the north shore afterwards for some lunch and to watch windsurfers at Hookipa. It has tourist type shops but still feels local and laid back.

Costco for food, but there's also a Safeway just north of Kihei which wasn't too pricey.

If you have an iPad, get the Maui Revealed app. It has great suggestions for beaches, food, etc. Highly recommend it.

Regarding the snorkeling, Maui went through a lot of rain a month ago, which made the shorelines really murky. All the locals were saying it wasn't worth it. We were there two weeks ago and it was the same, but maybe it has cleared up by now.

Makena beach sunset:

Haleakela crater:

On the big Island, we were out on one of the black sand beaches outside of Hilo, when one of the locals calls us over to look at this big sea turtle stuck in a tidal pool. It was so good for the kids to see, plus the turtle would come right up to us.

sorry for the personal blog, I just love it there.

Drive to Hana but continue around and you will see some amazing coastline and end up in the high country. On the drive, be sure to check out oheo gulch (7 sacred pools); hike up to the 200' and 400' waterfalls if you have time; also stop at the pineapple winery once you get back around the south end of the loop.

Driving the North end of the island is worth it too. Different landscape altogether; check out the blowholes as well. You could stop at DT Fleming beach before you start the drive.

Great snorkelling at the mile 17 marker south of makena. La Perouse bay is great as well.

Shopping at Costco and Safeway as previously mentioned.

Have fun!!

We'll be there from the 11th-23rd, can't wait!

thanks for all the great info. so looking forward to this!