"Dave" wrote in message
news:6732ea06.0411101259.20f5c7b2@posting.google.com...
> What areas would you recommend in Maui and Kauai? I'm concerned about
> Lahaina being too much of a tourist trap. Others have recommended
> Wailea, or areas north of Lahaina. As for Kauai, we have heard that
> Poipu is pretty good. Or is there a better area on Kauai where we can
> enjoy stretches of beach? LIkes/Dislikes?
Can't help you with Kauai, although was most recently on
Maui around Christmas 2002 and will be back there next month.
Lahaina IS a tourist trap, to some extent, but it's a nice one as
such things go. It's still not overly large, and while parking can
sometimes be a hassle, the crowds (at least while we were there)
were nothing like, say, a Disney resort or some place like that.
The best comparison I can make, if you're familiar with the
place, is to Estes Park, Colorado (although Lahaina isn't even
THAT big). All the time I was walking around Lahaina, I
was thinking "Estes Park on the Pacific" (of course, I live in
Colorado about 30 miles from EP, so that comparison came
more naturally to me than it might to some others! :-)). There's
a reasonable amount of shopping, it's where the whale watch,
etc, tours operate from, and there's a reasonable amount of
pretty acceptable dining in and around that area (and more as
you head a bit north, toward the big resorts in Ka'anapali).
We qualify as Old Married Folks With Kid, so our choice
in lodging is always going to be an oceanfront condo. For a
honeymoon, I'm guessing you'll want something a bit more
upscale with more pampering involved, so you're likely going
to want to look into those same "big resorts" - like the Hyatt,
Westin, etc.. I can't tell you much about those, other than noting
that we've had dinner at the Sheraton once, and so had a chance
to look around the property a bit, and it seemed like a nice
place. They're all RIGHT ON the ocean, so no problems finding
a beach (finding a SPOT on the beach might be a different story,
but you can definitely find the beach itself!), and within a short
drive of Lahaina itself.
There's not really much else in the way of choices on Maui
except for the southwestern coast; Hana is small and
sleepy, and didn't seem like the sort of place I'd choose for
a honeymoon unless you happen to be into rain forests.
The "big city" on Maui (again, as such things go) is
Kahului and the surrounding towns, and while it's definitely
not a tourist trap, it also isn't anything especially remarkable
FOR tourists (at least those who don't just HAVE to be
within a mile or so of a Home Depot and a Wal-Mart).
suggestions?
So the bottom line - stay at whatever suits your tastes
north of Lahaina, plan on spending some time in Lahaina
itself (and definitely plan on the Old Lahaina Luau - well
worth it!), and relax!
Bob M.
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