Maui (on 1 leg)??

Leave for Maui next weekend, but unfortunately I tore up my ankle last week and now in a walking boot.

Had some great things planned including Snorkeling Hiking, etc, but now having to do an audible…

Looks like I’ll have more time to lay by the pool/beach, but if anyone can recommend some fun activities in Maui that don’t require a lot of walking it would be appreciated.

https://www.ponolifemaui.com/

Boat trip (day trip) to lanai.

Not sure if they are open during Covid, but the Feast at Lele had better food and was more entertaining than the normal luau, IMO. You can just sit at a table on a beautiful beach and enjoy it.

Monkeypod on Maui has very good food and drinks.

Drive to road to Hana. Need to get out for the views, though

Haleakala for sunrise or sunset is good. The view from the parking lot isn’t that much different than climbing the 15 minutes up to the summit observation platform.

Road to Hana is good, and most of the views are very short walks from the car. Go ahead and drive all the way around the back side of Haleakala instead of returning down the Hana highway. Gives a totally different view of the island than what you typically get. You’ll hear the road is bad, but we did it in a rental Ford Focus with zero concern for our damage wavier.

You might catch the tail end of whale watching season, so maybe make a boat reservation for that.

Otherwise it depends a little on where you’re staying. Kaanapali feels more suited to foot traffic than Wailea, where a car seems more normal, and therefore a bit lower on walking expectations.

It’s rough duty, but you might just have to schedule your vacation more around food and drink and pool/beach time than expected. Second the Feast at Lele for quality of food and venue if you want a luau.

mama’s fish house - kinda pricey for what it is but it is very good fresh seafood and iconic for dinner
Paia Fish market -local tip grab lunch there. Just as fresh and good as mama’s at a fraction of the price without the ambiance
Hali’imaile General Store - Bev Gannon is an icon and the setting is great. Nice drive out there. One of my favorite resto’s in Maui
Merriman’s at Kapalua- view from the patio and setting are spectacular. I prefer casual meal outside around sunset

Gazebo in Napili for breakfast- great spot but always a line. Get there early 30 minutes before they open. They usually have coffee you can enjoy while waiting and send the girls to walk what are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. There are sea turtles all over those reefs and its hard not see a few while walking the beaches. You can enjoy the view of the beaches then fresh pineapple, pork fried rice and white chocolate macademia nut pancakes to die for

Dont bother with a luau which is pidgin for overpriced lousy food that is bearly edible. If you must, the Sheraton Blackrock has a luau you can go to for the show only for around half the price and eat before or after. I think its Tuesday night. You wont get a seat upfront but you’ll get the luau off the bucket list without getting food poisoning

Maui aquarium is a good rainy day activity if you run into rain

Maui was a blast. Wanted to share my restaurant feedback:

Flatbread- Solid spot. Kalua pizza is really good. Place didn’t blow me away, but it’s a great lunch spot in Paia when exploring the area.

Paia Fish Market- Original location in Paia, but second location in Kihei on the South end as well (where we went). :bomb:

Star Noodle in Lahaina is :yen:. The steamed pork buns are like crack. Also had Garlic Noodles, Pad Thai, Nuoc Cham Wings, Fried Soup. Really tasty spot.

Cafe O’ Lei at Mill House in Wailuku - BEST MEAL WE HAD IN MAUI. The setting is like being at the Jurassic Park movie set. Sit outside if you can and go just before sundown so you have 30-45 Min of sunlight then watch it go dark. Food incredible. Started with Poke and Calamari. Poke was crazy spicy. Main course, I got the Mahi Mahi and wife got fish special which was Ono I think.

Humble Market by Roy Yamaguchi - meh. Overpriced and boring. Food not bad but big pass.

MonkeyPod- Awesome Mai Tai’s and solid food. Worth a visit for the drinks. Food was good and really popular spot so be prepared to wait if you don’t get there early or at an off time.

Miso Phat- meh. We have amazing sushi in LA so wasn’t impressed.

Matteos Osteria- Really Enjoyable last meal before we hit the red eye. Fresh homemade pastas and nice atmosphere.


If you stay on the Southside near Wailea get some breakfast or lunch at the Island Gourmet Market at Wailea shops. It’s like a Hawaii version of Whole Foods but reasonable prices and they have great food to order as well including sushi etc.

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You’ll have to go back and snorkel! We were over on the Big Island the week before you, and had a great time. Managed to catch dolphins, 3 whales (2 adults and a calf) and snorkeled over a reef with the sea turtles. The entire trip was great, with the snorkeling being our favorite experience. I can’t wait to do it again.

We actually did a snorkeling trip through Trilogy to Molokini. Wife and daughter loved it. I wore a single flipper, had a waist clipped flotation and kickboard, lol. I looked like a fool in the water but managed to make it happen!

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Glad to hear it! I’m not a particularly strong swimmer, so I snorkeled with a pool noodle. :smiley:

You can go Upcountry and do a wine tasting. I hate to say it, but the slightly pineapple flavored wine goes really well poolside on a hot day. < Ducking.

Thanks, Eric, for the words on restaurant experiences. We were considering Mill House and we’ll add it now - it looks like a great setting, glad to hear food was good too. Love Star Noodle as well, from 8+ years ago…

Enjoy!

It makes a nice food stop if you’re going from the airport to the Lahaina area…a gorgeous setting.

Mill House was a victim of COVID and is closed now unfortunately. Was the best happy hour on the island

It’s open and now run by Cafe O Lei - so a bit different in terms of food and execution, but setting + good food reports is the draw for me right now.

Sorry, it looks like I did not read the previous post close enough. I was referring to the original being closed and it’s happy hour. Exciting to hear Cafe O Lei is doing good things there though. A couple poor meals previously at Cafe O Lei turned us off from it but will have to give the Mill House location a try.

I’m pretty familiar with Maui, but haven’t been to Lahaina in several decades. Back then it was the place that young people went to drink. I’m not young anymore, but there seems to be a well priced (for true beachfront) hotel - Lahaina Shores Beach Resort.

For someone who doesn’t spend time in bars, is that a reasonable base for 3 days? Is 4 days too much for the local area? I’ll be in Wailua for 11 days as well, this is just because my award flights don’t line up perfectly with my hotel stays. (I put it in this thread as I just had a hip issue and may be somewhat mobility impaired or at least not active).