Trips and Vacation Ideas

Travelers to Maui are enthralled with the diversity Maui exhibits. Natural beauty covers snowy mountain peaks and humid subtropical beaches. The way of life of Maui is a blending of Polynesian and Hawaiian. One can experience in a Maui vacation history and modern life mix contained in the village of Lahaina. Maui visitors who are having this harmonious blending of opposites will find enjoyment in the great quantity of dining choices that compliment the mood of Maui.

The Hawaiian luau is considered a significant part of every Maui holiday. A luau is the most amusing way to experience the food and way of life of Maui. Traditional luau food comprises of Kalua Pig, Hawaiian sweet potatoes, Chicken Luau, Poke and Poi. Nightly luaus are held throughout Maui but the most bona fide is considered to be the Old Lahaina Luau on Front Street in Lahaina. The Feast at Lele proposes a more gourmet luau menu.

In local Hawaiian cuisine, Haliimaile General Store in Upcountry Maui offers the best. Lunchtime favorites are the crab boboli and daily fish specials,which are always good choices. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended, although not required for lunch.

The ocean adjoining Maui is endowed with a bounty of fresh seafood for the restaurants situated on Maui. There are very a small quantity of local crabs and their meat is generally eaten uncooked as a kind of Poke. Diners are most likely well-known with Ahi and Mahimahi but other local fish often shows on the menu such as Monchong, Moi, Onaga, Opah, Ono, Opakapaka and Shutome. The freshness of these fish makes for exceptional dining. Seafood is on the menu of almost every restaurant on Maui.

Fusion-food flourishes on Maui. The blending of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, French, Swiss, Italian, Korean and American cooking styles appear on menus throughout Maui. The leading fusion restaurant on Maui is Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar featuring Japanese Fusion. Sansei has two locations on Maui, one in Kapalua and another at Kihei. Sansei is well-known on Maui and reservations are highly recommended.

Diners can enjoy a great meal at Aloha Mixed Plate on Front Street when in the village of Lahaina. Located next to the Old Lahaina Luau gardens, this laid-back restaurant has seats for diners in beach and oceanfront shaded gardens. A lot of Maui luau favorites are served here and the plate lunch is always popular.

The Maui food experience should at all times include fresh seafood and fruits grown locally. For a truly exceptional Maui treat, visitors can buy potato chips made from Maui grown onions and russet potatoes and produced in local factories. These chips have been referred to as the “noblest” of all potato chips.

Maui hotels and resorts, in general, feature several restaurants catering to the desires of their guests. Because of local regulations, most Bed and Breakfast Inns do not make available more than a fresh fruit basket for breakfast. Other resort properties for dining are welcome to be visited by Maui visitors.

Visitors to Maui will have no difficulty finding food to please any craving. Island restaurants specializing in Italian and American food as well as pizza are not hard to find. Maui guests craving for a taste of home will get pleasure from Cheeseburger in Paradise or the Hard Rock Café for a mainland American dining experience.

Maui restaurants feature cuisines unique to the island as well as foods more familiar to the American visitor. This variety of dining experiences is plainly another aspect of the paradise that is Maui.

The tropical paradise of Maui has something special for every visitor, but the wonderful offerings particularly well-suited to families surprises many.

Most resorts on Maui offer programs for young guests which includes planned beach activities. The Westin Maui at Kaanapali Beach Resort is particularly well-known with families thanks to the tropical foliage, waterfalls and parrots. The aquatic playground featuring a 128-foot slide makes childhood fantasies come true. Maui hotels and resorts are about much more than a room and a beach and a lot include special touches to encourage family visitors.

Children love to see the sights of the natural beauty of Maui. A trip to Haleakala National Park is a must-do for families. The variety of ecosystems and the exposure to a lot of many new and different tropical species is a learning experience not to be missed. While watching the sunrise from Haleakala is popular with Maui visitors, it is not usually well suited to younger children because of the early start time and amount of waiting time involved.

The Maui Ocean Center showcases Hawaii’s underwater environment. Voted Hawaii’s Top-Rated Family Attraction by Zagat Survey, the Maui Ocean Center should be on every family’s tour plan.

Children enjoy the tactile experience of feeling things like a sea cucumber in the touch pool. A particularly interesting feature of the Maui Ocean Center popular with adults as well as children is the glass tunnel that leads into a 750,000-gallon aquarium with sharks and other colorful tropical fish swimming overhead. The average visit to the Maui Ocean Center takes about two hours, but many visitors linger longer over exhibits and choose to dine in one of Maui Ocean Center’s two restaurants.

The Hawaii Nature Center located in the Iao Valley on Maui is especially well-liked by children ages 3 to 8. The Center includes more than 30 hands-on, interactive exhibits as well as guided rainforest walks. Exhibits feature species native to Maui including the world’s only carnivorous caterpillar.

Maui was once considered the capital of the whaling industry and is the winter home to migrating Pacific Humpback whales. The Whalers Village Museum located in the Kaanapali shopping complex is dedicated to teaching about this important creature. This Maui museum displays over seventy species of whales. The skeletal remains of a 40-foot Sperm Whale are amazing, and children are shocked to see the actual size of this ocean giant. Admission to this Maui attraction is free.

The Lahaina Kaanapali Railroad, also known as the Sugar Cane Train, will be a hit with young train fanatics. While this Maui attraction is often considered as boring by adults, it is perfectly suited to families with younger children.

Traveling in an open-air coach pulled by a steam-engine, visitors enjoy a leisurely six-mile journey through Maui. Crossing a 325-foot curved wooden trestle provides a panoramic view of the West Maui Mountains, as well as islands neighboring Maui. Storytellers share the history of Maui during the trip.

A Maui vacation is not complete unless a luau is included. Most Maui resorts and hotels offer luaus. Among the most recommended non-resort luaus are the Old Lahaina Luau and The Feast at Lele, both located in the Maui village of Lahaina. Children will be fascinated by the Hawaiian dance and music offered by these Maui performers and are certain to find something they enjoy eating among the many luau offerings.

Maui is considered a top pick for family vacations. Children and Adults alike will enjoy learning the history and culture of Maui at locations all over the island.