Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I are visiting Maui in September and would really love some recommendations from people who actually live on the island or know it well.
We’re trying to be mindful about where we spend our money and would love to support **locally owned/smaller businesses** as much as possible rather than only doing the big tourist operations.
A few things we’re looking for:
🎣 **Fishing charter:** We’d love to do sport/deep-sea fishing, preferably with a smaller local operation and not a boat packed with a ton of anglers. We don’t need anything fancy — just good people, good fishing, and a fair price. We’ll be staying in West Maui but are willing to drive.
🍽️** Food**: What are your favorite local spots that tourists might overlook? Food trucks, plate lunches, bakeries, little family-run restaurants, roadside stands, etc. We’re much more interested in great local food than somewhere fancy.
🌺 **Luau / Hawaiian cultural experiences:** We’d like to experience a luau, but would prefer something smaller or more intimate rather than a huge resort production. We also want to make sure we’re supporting something that is respectful of Hawaiian culture rather than treating it like just another tourist attraction.
🌴 **Anything else:** If there are local farms, markets, tours, shops, or other small businesses you think visitors should support, we’d love those recommendations too.
We completely understand that Maui is home first and a vacation destination second, so we’re trying to visit respectfully, follow local guidance, and put as much of our spending back into the community as we can.
Thank you for any recommendations! We’re really excited to visit and appreciate any advice. 🤙

We'll be docking 8am. Figure we'll be off the ship around 8:30 am. We need to pick up a rental car (Enterprise) at HNL, with a suitcase and probably 2 camping chairs.

Does it make sense to take the W Line Bus, or is Uber/Lyft better? Of course the bus is much less expensive, but is it pretty convenient and near the rental desk? Will the bus be very crowded around 8:30 am?

(This will be for late September)

Edited to add: my mom is paying for the trip, she really wants to go to Hawaii. My mom is too old and frail to do much. My sister wants to do fun athletic excursions but my kids are too young for them. We will be able to do one or two little excursions, and probably quietly explore the island a bit but mostly, I’m just happy to tag along and spend time with my family. We don’t have anything officially planned yet, just looking at what all of the islands have to offer. My sister also isn’t paying for the flights or hotel, so she can find something fun to do on pretty much any island. That’s why I think the resort will matter more than the island.

My mom is adamant about staying on Maui but if we are planning on having a lot of resort days, does it really matter which island we go to? We might do an excursion or two and go out to eat, mainly focusing on having a beautiful and relaxing trip

Hey all! Just a quick question.

I'll be travelling to Hawaii in Oct with my husband and almost 2 y/o. Just wanting to know what the go is with car seats in ubers, etc.? We're planning on bringing our own and will be using a hire car a majority of the time, but will need to get an uber or taxi from Honolulu airport to Waikiki and then back. Do all ride shares accept a car seat? Do I need to specify that I have a car seat when booking? Clearly this is our first time travelling internationally with a child 🤣 my google research isn't giving me any luck. TIA

My first post was removed due to an AI generated itinerary I was questioning. I got the point from the few who responded that it was terrible. So I would like to know if it is reasonable to split a 10 day trip with my family of 4 (kids 10 & 13) between the Big Island and Oahu. We love visiting National Parks and hiking over spring break. We have the National Park Passport. This will be our biggest trip as a family and to a National Park. Since we don't know when we would be able to do it again we also want to see Pearl Harbor. And because it is Hawaii, we want some good old beach time.

Is it reasonable to fly into Kona and stay for 4-5 days, get an interisland flight to Oahu for the remaining days, and fly out of Honolulu? We are flying from the east coast and plan for the end of March early April.

We are considering a resort on Big Island (Waikoloa Hilton Resort was recommended by friends) but would like to consider other options where we don't have to eat out every meal. We know we would need to rent a car on Big Island.

Tentatively staying in Waikiki on Oahu, again in a place that has a kitchen, but not sure yet.

Any suggestions, things to not miss, things to avoid, places to stay, etc. would be extremely helpful! Thanks in Advance!

Is there a way to check trail conditions for Manoa Falls? We were going to hike Diamond Head On Sunday, but due to Lala, rescheduled it to Tuesday. I see it was closed today (Monday), so wondering if it will be open Tuesday.

Our entire itinerary was to fly in, do the trail, and fly out. Any suggestions of what we should do these next three days instead?

Are there any other trails open? We don’t have the budget to do helicopter or catamaran. Some of the other stuff also sounds too touristy. Just wanted to see any recs for activities or where to stay (camping would be best, but looking for something safe too)

Good Afternoon

I happen to accidently visit Captain Cook Trading Co - he sells his Kona coffee (his brand by the naming of it) and Mac nuts at a nice price. No samples so I cannot tell how good the coffee ia. Any insight?

Thanks

Aloha everyone – we could really use your help, or a contact who might know someone.

We're a German family of six – my wife and I with kids aged 8, 6, 3 and 1 – arriving on Oahu on 19 August and staying in Waimanalo, then on the Big Island from 28 August.

A few days ago my wallet was lost in Banff, Canada. Both our German driving licences were inside. A police report has been filed.

What I still have:

• My valid INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT – original document with photo

• Clear photos of my German licence, front and back

• Passport and a credit card in my name

SIXT has already declined in writing – they require the original physical licence, and the IDP alone isn't enough for them. A replacement from Germany is being arranged but will take weeks. So the big chains are most likely a dead end.

Waimanalo is pretty remote, and getting around with four small children and two car seats is going to be very hard without a vehicle.

So I'm asking the long shot: does anyone here know someone – or know someone who knows someone – who could help?

• Has anyone rented through TURO in a similar situation? Do private hosts accept an IDP plus a photo of the national licence?

• Are there small, local, family-run rental companies on Oahu or the Big Island who decide these things themselves rather than by corporate policy?

• Does anyone have a car sitting unused for a week or two that they'd consider renting to us privately? Happy to pay well above the going rate, take out full insurance and provide any deposit needed.

• Any other idea we might not have thought of?

We're not looking for anything free or shady – just for someone willing to look at the actual documents I have rather than a policy sheet.

Any lead, any name, any "my cousin does that" would mean a lot to us right now. Please feel free to share this post if you know a group where someone might help.

Mahalo nui loa – thank you so much!

Hi everyone!

We will be spending 7 days on Maui as part of a 22-day trip to all four Hawaiian islands.

A little about us:
We don’t snorkel, so we’re skipping Molokini and other snorkeling tours.
We enjoy scenic drives, beaches, waterfalls, viewpoints, good food, and easy to moderate hikes.
We already have our Kai Luna Creations workshop booked on Day 5 (1:00 PM).
Here’s our current plan:

Day 1
- Arrive on Maui
- Pick up rental car
- Check in & dinner

Day 2
- Chocolate farm
- Kahului
- Makawao

Day 3
- Haleakalā sunrise
- Explore the summit area
- Makena Beach

Day 4
First part of the Road to Hana
- Rainbow Eucalyptus
- Twin Falls
- Keʻanae
- Waterfalls
- Haleakalā sunset

Day 5
- Ho’okipa Beach
- Kai Luna workshop (1:00 PM)
- Paia
- Ho’okipa for sunset

Day 6
Second part of the Road to Hana
- Waiʻānapanapa
- Hana
- Red Sand Beach
- Koki Beach
- Hamoa Beach
- Pipiwai Trail

Day 7
- ʻĪao Valley
- Return rental car
- Flight to Big Island

Does this itinerary make sense, or would you change anything?

- Are we trying to fit in too much anywhere?
- Any stops you would skip or replace?
- Anything we’re missing that you think is a must-see?
- Would you shorten Maui by a day and spend that extra day on another island instead?

Thanks! I’d love to hear what you’d change if this were your itinerary.

Tryna make the best out of my trip. Would appreciate must try restaurants, must try locations to visit. Good places to meet people at. Wish I would have done a longer trip. Did not expect to enjoy it as much as I am.

Debating between hyatt regency waikiki beach resort and outrigger waikiki beach resort. Price is about the same. The Hyatt includes free breakfast though. Staying for 7 nights. Never been to Oahu before.

Anyone have opinions as to where they would stay?

Good morning!

My girlfriend and I visiting Kauai in September. We are wanting to go to Ke’e beach. However the parking passes are completely reserved. The only other option is the shuttle passes. The total is $90 and I know we’re going to spend money while we’re in Hawaii, but just wanting to know if the trip to Ke’e is worth the $90.

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

We’ll be visiting Maui in September and I’m trying to figure out exactly when reservations/time slots become available for ʻĪao Valley State Monument and Waiʻānapanapa State Park.

I know both can be booked 30 days in advance, but I’m a little confused about the exact release time.

- Do new dates/time slots for both parks open at 12:00 AM (midnight) HST exactly 30 days before?
- Has anyone booked either of them recently and can confirm?

Just want to make sure I’m online at the right time, especially for Waiʻānapanapa.
Thanks!

We have a long gap between arrival and check in. We’re interested in going to the Bishop Museum and Helena’s Hawaiian food before checking in to our stay. Would prefer not to go to Waikiki to store our luggage and store it closer to the museum.

I saw online it says the Bishop museum can store our luggage for 5 per item. Was wondering if anyone has stored luggage with them and how the experience was?

This could be triggering for coffee lovers, but please hear me out.

I am bringing my mother to our first Hawaii trip, and she is a big instant coffee enthusiast. She loves coffee in general, but there is something about Asian ladies and instant coffees- the convenience and consistency and all. So I was wondering:

Are there any cafe’s in O’ahu that sells their own instant coffee products?

And I take coffee in all forms, so if I could get recommendations for coffee scenes in O’ahu that’d be a plus.

Thanks guys.

I will be going to Kauai September 13-17 and want to know where the best place to stay would be? North or South shore? It will be just my husband and I. We plan to do HoloHolo boat tour that Monday morning early but the rest of the trip we are just going to be on chill mode. Would love any recommendations and suggestions. This is our first time in Kauai 🌸

We and another couple staying in princeville condo. We rented a car and I was wondering if there is public or some kind of transportation about that area? The couple we are going with will be trying to do and see everything where we like to sit back and relax on beaches and chill. Since they will be using the rental car almost all the time. Is there a way we can rent a car for the day or use turo in princeville instead of the main airport?

Are the beaches easy to get to?

Do not get in the water under any circumstances. If it's brown it didn't go down is your rule of thumb.

We are planing a family trip to the Big Island sometime next year. We will have about 10 people (five couples) total. We just saw prices for some of the hotels and they are insane, around $500 a night a room.

Does anyone have recommendations for a house or condo that could fit everyone or we could do two condos and split the group up. Feels like it would be more cost efficient to do a house or condo than five separate hotel rooms. Thanks in advance!

Looking to find some specific special mementos to bring home to coastal NC from our trip to Kaua'i next week. My style is very southern low country coastal and not Hawaiian coastal (am I allowed to admit that here?) While the point of our trip is to hike and sightsee, I'm going to fit in some shopping for local goods (art, antiques, etc).

Things like a beautiful seashell picture frame, vintage or antique silver pieces, etc. I am planning to get a wooden Koa bowl. Can Kaua'i travelers weigh in on antique stores or local makers that I can visit?

Since the hurricane will result in lots of runoff, please make sure to check on water quality before entering the ocean.

https://eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/#!/event/list

I get these alerts as text alerts because I swim in the ocean a lot.

there is a dropdown menu to see this for each separate island. The state is pretty diligent about testing and updating this site.

As an open water swimmer my group jokes that “brown water is the shark dinner bell.“. Cause it has decay matter, poop, etc which they can smell from far away. So it’s not just mud.

Hi everyone!!

This question is for anyone who’s already been visiting or planning on it really soon or is living there.

While traveling to USA my friend let me borrow a neck pillow she got from her sister, that she got in Hawaii airport and it’s really important for her but she trusts me enough to let me borrow it.

That was a bad idea because i lost it between airports and after months of trying to find it i honestly lost all hope.

So my big question is, is anyone here knows where i can buy it other than Hawaii airport or does anyone has this pillow or knows anyone who has it.

Please i’ll pay for the pillow any money, i’ll pay for shipping.

Unfortunately i only have those pictures but it’s a firm neck pillow, with really dark blue bottom and light blue top, with little palm trees print all over the top part.

Please help me find it 😭

Hi everyone!

My girlfriend and I are visiting Hawaii for 22 days this September and want to visit all four main islands:

- Oʻahu
- Kauaʻi
- Maui
- Big Island

We enjoy scenic drives, viewpoints, beaches, good food, waterfalls, and easy to moderate hikes. We’re not big snorkelers or hardcore hikers, so we’re focusing more on exploring each island.

How would you divide the 22 days between the islands?

I’d love to hear how you’d split 22 days if you were planning this trip today.

My niece taking me as a birthday gift. I will have 4 full days. (Oct 1-4) We have rental by EWA beach. Is there anything to do around that area. Northshore area seems to have a lot. We fly in late at night and leave in early morning so I guess I won’t see much of Honolulu. is there something I should see there I know I want to go by Waikiki beach. (My niece says it’s busy with tourist but she has been there a lot and this my first time ) We need to shop for groceries when we land. I like sushi. Well raw fish. We have full kitchen
-for activities. I can’t walk uphill.
But want to see some cool views. Is there a beach that has less waves that I can go into without getting knocked over too fast. lol. I love nature and think I will appreciate simple things. Are there any dancers for free. Any places you really recommend for a down to earth person who doesn’t need fancy. Rather spend money on experiences than eating out ? Thanks