5 days in Maui (not including the day we leave) — Hana waterfalls: how far should I actually drive?

Me and my partner are experienced divers, spending 2 days diving Lanai Cathedrals + Mala Wharf, plus a day for Haleakala sunrise/Waihe’e Ridge/13 Crossings. Staying South Wailea.

On our non-dive day I’m weighing RTH, but long car days aren’t my thing. I’m skipping the lava tubes (diving in real ones) and black sand beaches (prefer wildlife snorkeling). My priority is swimming in waterfalls. I’ll be sad to miss the chicken, but it’s a good excuse to come back and actually spend a few nights in Hana.

Questions:
If I turn around at Ching’s Pond instead of pushing to Pipiwai trail, am I giving up the best waterfalls / swimming spots?

Does 13 Crossings cover my ‘swimming in waterfalls’ itch? I’m concerned that the water levels won’t be high enough here.

Anyone done a waterfall rappelling tour (\~$270pp)? How does it compare to finding spots without a guide on RTH? Different experience or same falls with extra steps?

Any suggestions are welcome! Could be swayed to do something else with my time like spending a day in Kapalua.

Happy to take recs via DM too. Thank you! 🌸💕

Staying a week with boyfriend and mother and cannot for the life of me decide between the two. Fairmont is almost $1.5k more in total. We’re looking at one bedrooms because of the family trip and I basically want an amazing grounds/beach and emphasis on a great pool.

Going in December

Hi! I'm traveling to Kauai mid october with my partner and am looking for some help. We want to keep this trip somewhat budget friendly, but are willing to splurge on certain things if they are worth it. We defintely love swimming and want to go to the beach, but I'm reading that a lot of the beaches will be rough. We are okay with staying somewhere like Kapaa but then driving to a more swimmable beach, but I am wondering if it would just be more worth it to stay somewhere else. If I am in Poipu do I need to rent a car? What about Hanalei Bay? Sorry, really needing lots of advice and help here

I am supposed to fly out tomorrow morning with my husband and will be there until August 1st. Do you think we should look at cancelling because of the hurricane? We will be staying in Oahu at a hotel right next to the beach.

My wife and I are staying at the Hilton in Waikaloa next week and we'd like a secluded beach where she can go topless

We know nudity is not legal and are not looking for a nude beach or a beach to have sex in public or anything. Just a secluded beach where we would be alone or maybe a handful of other people who may be topless themselves. She doesn't want to be the only one in a crowd, nor surrounded by naked people or anything like that.

From our research, Beach 67 and Makalawea seem like the best options near us. We are aware of Kehana on the Hilo side but don't plan on going out that far. Does anyone have any input on those two beaches, or any others nearby you could recommend for seclusion and a chance to pop her top off?

Thanks!

Anyone have an affiliate code for Wet n Wild Hawaii? Or another way to save on day passes?

I’m flying to Kaua’i tomorrow for the next week. I’m seeing news pop up regarding the possible threat from Fausto. I guess I’m just looking for reassurance that this is likely nothing.

Just to confirm, if we want to watch a sunset at HĀʻENA STATE PARK the only thing we can do is try to get a parking pass, correct? The shuttles stop running by sunset time?

Any other tips if we can’t get the pass? Other magical sunset spots on the north shore? We are staying in Poipu and planning to have one full day on the North Shore.

Just taking a wild chance in desperation. I think I left/lost my underwater camera after a snorkeling session at Shark's Cove on Monday. It looks like a point and shoot and is bright orange colored (product link at the bottom of the post). I know it's extremely unlikely but if anyone found it *and* sees this post, please DM me. I'm currently staying a Waikiki and will be in North Shore on Friday evening to Saturday. And in case you've left the island, what I really care about is the photos/videos on the card.

Here's the link to the exact product for reference: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6F131YC

Keeping my fingers tightly crossed.

Aloha and friendly reminder to all to give turtles at least 10 feet of space on land or in the water to respect their space and well-being, not to mention state law. We are local residents and spoke up for the honu today when we saw a man touching one while the turtle fed in the shallow water near Hale'iwa. He flipped out, cursing at us, and that he had a right to touch them because he paid money. Had to calm and explain to our 8yo daughter who was visibly shaken. Man left as we started to call DLNR. Most visitors know this and have common sense, but you see bad apples like we did today and makes one want to send a reminder out into the Reddit universe to try and build more allies and friends for our turtles.

1st timers - my husband and I. We are doing Maui for 5 nights and Kauai 4 nights. Really struggling with a resort in Kauai.

Really tempted to do 1 Hotel on the north side but some reviews say the service and staff is not worth the price. We were debating on doing 2 nights there and going to the south shore, but now I’m questioning if it is worth it. I assume we are paying for the views. We will forsure go see it for maybe dinner and drinks, but is it a must stay?

For the other hotel for either the other part of the trip or the whole time in Kauai, we are between koa Kea, Sheraton at Poipu, and Koloa landing (but worried about this one bc not on the beach).

Any advice is appreciated regarding the above or general recs or ideas!

Thank you!!

Where do you recommend to stay in Honolulu? It will be 3 families together. 7 adults and 6 children together. We’re going in mid August and where I’ve looked it’s all booked so now I’m at a lost on where to look at. We usually do Airbnb when we travel but I’ve seen that’s not recommended.

Hi all,

We are taking a cruise in October. I decided to book a rental for our stop in Hilo to drive to the Volcano National Park. I’m stuck on what to do in Kahului. I was reading tripadvisor reviews and the reviews were saying that there was nothing to do there and to stay on the ship. Would love to get everyone’s opinion on: what is there to do for the day, should we stay on ship?, should we rent a vehicle? And if so, where to go? For reference, we are in our 30s and love beach days and rainforests.

Every time I come to the Big Island, I appreciate it more and more for its diverse climates and landscapes. The culture and people are lovely. 🥰

We recently stayed at Kapalua Bay Villas on Maui and loved the vibe there. Would like to visit Big Island or Kauai next. Wondering if anyone has recommendations for places with a similar vibe. We loved being oceanside with the huge ironwood cliffs, the easy beach access, and the access to walking trails, in particular. Thanks for any recommendations!

We will be at the Mauna Lani in a few months, and would love to do the Sunrise Canoe Paddle with our 12 and 9 yr olds.

Does anyone have experience with taking kids on this? Is it challenging and too difficult for kids to paddle? Or did they find it to be very fun? Both kids both know how to swim, but have very little experience swimming in the ocean.

Thanks!

I've been told that if you work remote in Hawaii you are subject to pay Hawaii state taxes in addition to your own. Hawaii is on of the only, if not the only state, that does not have a de minis rule on this. I'm an exempt, salaried employee in an administrative role, working primarily PST, I was hoping to be able to work & play lol without eating up PTO if I didn't have to.

Flying to Kauai for a week in September and need recommendations on where to stay!

Currently checking out these, any advice or tips:
- Kauai Shores
- Hanalei Bay
- Aston Islander
- Sealodge at Princeville
- Kiahuna Plantation
- other???

Leaning towards Kauai Shores at the moment

Budget is max $4500 for lodging, but the more we save the more fun things we can try and experience - thanks in advance

I want to visit each island. Anyone have a good travel agent to help with this??

My wife and I are now starting day 3 of 10 on our honeymoon in Kauai. Yesterday, we drove around and went up the sleeping giant trail (east trail).

We have a surfing lesson this morning, garden tour Thursday, doors off helicopter tour and zipline activity next week.

I checked reservations for the Ha’ena state park and had no luck getting any kind of reservation (shuttle or parking) they aren’t available until after we are back home.

Any other hiking recommendations or things to do in the meantime that are must sees? We’ll be staying in Princeville another 4 days and will be in Poipu the last 4 days. Driving is no big deal for us, as it’s easy and fun and not too time consuming! 29M and 27F and in good physical shape overall.

Hi everyone! My husband and I are visiting Oʻahu for the very first time from September 5–13 and are considering staying at the ʻAlohilani Resort in Waikīkī.

Since the hotel charges around $60 after taxes per night for parking, we’re trying to figure out how many days we realistically need a rental car.
There is a Sixt location at the hotel, so we are thinking of renting only on the days we plan to explore outside Waikīkī. Would love to hear your pickup / drop off experiences!

We’d also like to rent a Jeep for one day for the experience. What route would you recommend for that day to make the most of it? We’re interested in scenic drives, beaches, local food, the North Shore.

Would 3 driving days out of our 9 day trip be enough for a car or should we increase our car days?

Thanks!

We are going back to Oahu the end of October. When we were there last we went to Germaine's, we were going to do Mauka Warriors this trip, but im extra so it will be nearly $500. Are there any suggestions for a Luau alternator a Thursday night?

Hi! I posted a while back about my honeymoon itinerary, & just wanted to follow up specifically about our Road to Hana day. I would love some feedback on this itinerary!

Are my time estimates accurate based on start time/route/traffic? Any must stops or anything I should cut? Thanks in advance!

5:30 am - grab & go breakfast at Westin Resort & Spa in Kaanapali when it first opens

5:45 am - leave resort

6:45 am - Paia for gas, begin RTH with Shaka Guide (already have a dedicated north shore/paia day elsewhere)

7 am - Twin Falls

8:30 am - Keanae Peninsula

9 am - Aunty Sandy’s banana bread

9:45 am - Upper Waikani falls drive by

10:15 am - Puaa Kaa State Wayside

11 am - lunch at Hana Farms

12:30-3 pm - Waianapanapa State Park (want to maximize time here)

3:15 pm - Hana food trucks if hungry/gas in Hana, or straight to Coconut Glen’s

4:15 pm - Coconut Glen’s/head back

If not too tired on way home, could stop at Honomanu Bay overlook or rainbow eucalyptus trees, otherwise skip

Room service dinner/chill at resort