My future wife and I will be taking a 2 week honeymoon to Oahu and Maui at the beginning of September. Thanks to some travel hacking we have gotten our airfare and hotel stays for nothing but the taxes and resort fees. Now I'm trying to figure out what we should actually do there without breaking the bank. We would like to see Pearl Harbor for a day but outside of that we aren't sure what else to do. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Oh hell yes. Was in Maui in Aug/Sept last year -- AMAZING PLACE! First off, snorkeling. Lots of it, and very good. I really liked Kapalua Bay -- saw sea turtles within 30 feet of shore in less than 3 feet of water. Swim farther out, and there are tons of tropical fish and large coral heads. Beautiful, public beach.
Surfing -- Kaa'napali Beach has great surf and a number of good surf schools right on the beach. I saw them getting clients up and riding waves on their first or second tries. If you're already a surfer, still a great place to surf. There are many large hotels there, but the beaches are public, and each hotel will have public access parking spots, you just have to hunt/ask around to find them. Headier breaks can be found, a good one being off the Lahaina town jetty.
Haleakala National Park -- beautiful. The touristy thing to do is to see the sunrise from the top of the volcano. But be warned, you need to get there EARLY to see it. There will be a line of cars 60 deep at the gate if you try arrive only an half hour before sunrise. Get there at least an hour and a half before sunrise. This way, you'll be early in line at the gate -- once through the gate, it's another half hour to the top! There are many hiking trails in the park as well, and camping.
Road to Hana -- this is the popular drive along a twisty, turny, cliffy road on one side of Maui. My advice -- blow it off. Instead, use the road on the OTHER side of the island, the Pi'ilani Highway. It is mind-blowingly beautiful, nearly deserted, and sublime. Caution, at the far end of the road, it gets pretty beaten up, so take care with the rental car. We had a mid-size car that did fine. The road eventually turns to dirt road, and goes through an old, native section of the island. It's beautiful. It ends at the Waimoka Falls National Park. Go there. Hike to the falls, it's spectacular -- a 400-foot waterfall cascading off a cliff. There's a shorter waterfall before that one as well, a huge banyan tree, copious guava trees (with the sweet smell of their fruit everywhere -- pick up a ripe one from the ground and enjoy), and a surreal bamboo forest, on the way to Waimoku. It's about a 4-mile hike, IIRC.
Scuba diving -- There are some good sites, and then there's Molokini Crater, which is world-class. Not to me missed, trust me. Many dive shops in Lahaina. I really liked Lahaina Divers and would highly recommend them. I had a first-rate experience with everyone who worked there.
Maui Brewing Company -- visit their brewpub/restaurant. Excellent craft beers, solid food (you MUST try the pipikaula!).
Must-do restaurant -- Star Noodle. Make a reservation, or you will wait for up to an hour-and-a-half. Phenomenal food at a reasonable price. We used Open Table and scored every time.
Maui Fish Company -- OMFG, I still think about this place every other day. Fresh seafood in a small strip-mall. Best fish on the island. Fish tacos are world-class. Their poke is off-the-hook!!! If you like fish/sushi, trust me, you'll go back to this place numerous times while you're there.
Okay, I think that's enough.
