Month: November 2015

Koa’s Seaside Grill on Maui

Koa’s Seaside Grill in Lahaina might possibly be my favorite place to get fish and chips on the whole island. It’s definitely the best place on the west shore to enjoy fish and chips.

day3 (14 of 24)

The amazing view of the ocean with a deck overlooking the sea is certainly an added bonus!

Oh, and they serve beer and margaritas. We certainly had a good time! We visited for lunch and while eating someone spotted a sea turtle. It swam around and under where we were seated.

The views from the dining area at Koa’s are worth every penny, and since the food is also amazing it makes our top recommended list.

Getting there

Located in the heart of Lahaina on Front Street. Parking is nearly impossible in the high season. So, good luck!

Koa’s Seaside Grill
839 Front St.
Lahaina, Hawaii 96761
Phone: 808.667.7737
Open Daily: 9am – 9pm

Baby Beach on Maui (Lahaina)

If you have small children you’ll be happy to know that Maui has lots of great beaches for kids. The one I’d like to tell you about today is called Baby Beach and it is located just south of Lahaina on the west shore.

emily

This beach is officially titled Pu’unoa beach, but nobody calls it that.

baby-beach-in-lahaina

Baby Beach is the most protected beach on the island. This is because the beach is protected by a huge reef about 1,000 feet offshore. This has created a protected pool with minimal waves and excellent conditions for kids.

parking-at-baby-beach-on-maui-west-shore

It’s so calm here, that people often float from one end to another on rafts!

The sand is beautiful here, the view looks west onto the other islands. We’ve watched a lot of beautiful sunsets from this beach and it is one of the best places to watch the sunset on the west shore.

family-at-baby-beach

There are no facilities, which is the downside to this beach. However, there’s usually plenty of nearby parking on the street, and it is within driving or walking distance of several shops.

baby-beach-maui-photo

Baby Beach is a favorite for our 4 year-old daughter, Emily. She can go swimming here and isn’t intimidated by the waves.

Getting there

There’s usually plenty of street parking nearby.

Baby Beach
51 Puunoa Pl.
Lahaina, HI 96761

Kihei Rent A Car

We needed a rental car for our stay on Maui and the prices at the airport rental companies were unbelievably expensive. I started asking friends that had been to Maui and one friend told me about Kihei Rent a Car.

I can’t recommend this company enough! They have nice people, nice cars, and they don’t haggle with you. The prices are good, and we were extremely happy.

To give you an idea, we rented a 2009 Nissan Sentra for 21 days for a cost of about $530. Originally, I was going to rent a 2004 model, but for only $30 they upgraded me to the 2009 model. I figured, why not.

My car was a silver color and had about 65,000 miles on it. It ran great, and we didn’t have any problems with it.

They also have other car models for rent, including Jeeps.

During our visit to Maui we drove hundreds of miles! We visited nearly every part of the island.

We paid with our American Express, and waived the auto-insurance (since American Express provides that as long as you pay with the card).

As the name suggests, they are located in Kihei, and they rent cars. But, they’ll pick you up at the airport (and return you there) for free!

In case you didn’t know, Kihei Rent a Car is located about 25 minutes south of the airport. If you phone them and request a pick up as soon as you get off the airplane, they’ll have a car waiting for you by the time you pick up your bags.

So, if you’re looking to rent a car for your trip to Maui, give them a call! You can get an accurate quote on their web site. They have seasonal rates that adjust based on the time of year.

Maui Discount Car Rental – Kihei Rent A Car Company
96 Kio Loop
Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: (808) 879-7257

Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice

If there’s one thing about Hawaii that I love, it’s the shave ice!

I’ve tried shave ice all over the islands and can definitely say that Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice (all locations) is among the best.

You can’t go wrong at Ululani’s.

On Maui, you can pick from several locations. Today, I’ll simply review the location in Lahaina on the west shore of Maui. This location is busy year-round and is located in a bit of a tourist trap.

There’s a line almost all day long, but it’s always worth it!

Ululani’s has locations on all of the islands and is one of the best for shave ice in the area.

shave-ice-front-street

I’ll tell you what the big difference is between shave ice places: The amount of flavors, and the ice density. Some shave ice places don’t grind the ice shavings into fine particles, but Ululani’s does. And, they load up on the flavors! They won’t skimp and you’ll get your money’s worth at Ululani’s.

Now, a couple of tips: Try some of the unique flavors! Some of my favorites are mango, passion fruit, blood orange, lime, and grape. There’s so many cool combinations to choose from, that it never gets boring. It’s always best with ice cream on the bottom: and the best flavor is the macadamia nut.

Getting there

Ululuani’s has several locations on Maui, but this particular location is on Front Street in Lahaina.

819 Front St.
Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: (360) 606-2745

Maui With Kids: The Lavender Farm

The lavender farm is everything you expect it to be, and more. Entrance to The Lavender Farm is only $3 per person (12 and under are free), and compared to everything else you can do on the island is dirt cheap.

We visited the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm in early September.

Maui Lavender Farm

But, the experience is amazing! We arrived on a sunny September afternoon and enjoyed spectacular views of the entire island, and enjoyed a nice casual stroll through the gardens.

The Lavender Farm is home to the largest lavender farm on Maui, but they also have many other types of plants and flowers spread throughout the property.

There are a number of options once you arrive:

  • Walk around the property by yourself
  • Take a tour with a guide
  • Check out the gift shops / coffee shop

We chose to walk around the property ourselves without the tour, and didn’t feel like we missed anything. The garden is well labeled and most plants have a sign that indicates what type of lavender you’re looking at. the garden is split into a few big areas, and there are ample photo spots.

kids on Kula Lavender Farm

For the kids: There’s a sort of scavenger hunt that begins at the gift shop. The goal is to collect a stamp from each of the spots on the map. If you do that, you’ll receive a free lavender cookie from the gift shop.

The gift shop has a small coffee offering as well as baked goods. They were all good, and had various lavender flavors.

The gift shop is home to everything purple and lavender scented. If you’re looking for new lavender candles, or lavender lotion, or lavender perfume, this is the place for you! The sales staff are very nice and will help answer any questions you may have.

Restrooms / port-o-potties are located right next to the gift shop.

It took us about 2 hours to fully explore the farm. We began with a tour of the primary lavender fields which are located above the gift shop. There are some nice ramads’s and walkways. This area offers the best views and the most lavender.

The self-guided tour continues with more exotic lavender fields below the gift shop. There are also lots of other flowering plants that are native to Hawaii that are fun to see.

Getting there

The Lavender Farm is located on the eastern side of the island on the mountain. From the north shore it will take 30 minutes. From the south shore it will take 60 minutes.

Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm
1100 Waipoli Road
Kula, HI. 96790
Phone: 808-878-3004