Road to Hana
For the road to Hana I reserved a Mustang convertible through Thrifty Rental Car. The rate wasn’t bad at all, even with an underage driver fee. Thrifty provided a free shuttle from the cruise port to the rental car location, which was about 5 minutes away, and the whole process was quick and easy.
This ended up being one of the most breathtaking activities I have ever experienced. The road is very, very windy-they don’t exaggerate in its description, but the views are unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was with two other people, and we ended up stopping when we would see other cars parked, hopping out and exploring. I suppose I wasn’t prepared for what the day would actually be like, because I chose to wear dressy sandals and a maxi dress, under the assumption that I would take a pretty picture here and there while we were driving. Please note, this isn’t exactly the best hiking wear, which is what we ended up doing. There are tiny paths to follow, waterfalls to climb, and plenty of walking to be done; you’re much better off wearing shorts and sneakers than I was in my misguided apparel.
We didn’t end up doing the whole trip because of time constraints, but should I ever make my way back to Maui it will be the first thing I do, and this time spending an entire day.
Feast at Lele
The luaus
offered as excursions through NCL got horrible reviews, so we booked a
luau on our own and drove there with our rental car. The Feast at Lele
is one of the two most popular luaus in Maui, and for good reason-we
booked it directly through their website, and it was about $115 per
person, without gratuity. We were seated in the second row of the
outdoor “theater”, with our table for 6 sitting directly on the beach.
Upon entering the luau we were all given fresh orchid leis and tropical
drinks. The way the luau is organized focuses on four different sets
of Polynesian islands, and the specific dances that each island
produces; all this is done at sunset so the show progresses from day to
night as the dances intensify. The food itself is pulled from each
island, so you are served four different courses family style, and there
is an open bar to go along with the meal. Attending a luau is a
wonderful experience, and the show culminated with fire dancers,
something the other popular luau on Maui does not have.
Beach
About a
five minute walk from the ship there is a private, secluded beach-one of
the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to, with turquoise blue
water, soft khaki sand and shade from ancient gnarled trees. For the
few hours I was there, there was literally nobody else there, so I had a
small cove of a beach to myself, and it was incredible. To get there,
you walk from the cruise ship to the stone wall, and walk along the wall
until you reach the beach. It was perfect, because I got to come back
to the ship for lunch, and then return to the beach.
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