Mr Rosity and I are planning some kind of tropical vacation over Christmas - the problem is, he and I have very different ideas about what constitutes a good holiday. I am perfectly happy if I can sunbathe, swim and read somewhere beautiful, unspoilt, and peaceful, so was hoping for somewhere like the Maldives or the Seychelles. However, he hates sunbathing, and goes swiftly insane without plenty of stuff to do and interesting places to explore, so thinks he’d be bored senseless somewhere like that.
I’ve been doing some reading, and Maui sounds like it might be ideal - enough to do to satisfy him, enough beautiful beaches to please me. Has anyone else been? What’s it like? Would you recommend it?
And one last question - neither of us drive, will that be a problem?
I am much like your SO, and my ex SO had the same beachy requirements.
We compromised many times thus: I rented a motorcycle or went on an excursion, she lay on the beach. I spent all day zooming round wherever, she would sunbathe; we would meet later for drinks and food, everyone happy.
Personally I’d say “go to Thailand” - it’s cheaper and easier to get to than Maui and there will probably be more and much cheaper transport options available (tuk tuks and taxis) for the non-driver. Great beaches and great weather for you; interesting culture, sights and activities for him; great food and drinks for you both.
I love Maui for the very reasons mentioned. It strikes a great balance between natural beauty and touristy conveniences such as restaurants and activities.
My husband is very adventurous; I’m more laid back. So I usually plan to do at least one activity per day. That leaves the rest of the day free to just veg out.
Planned activities include: ziplining, hiking, driving, snorkel trips, horseback riding, etc. When we return to the resort, he’s free to go on a run or snorkel off the beach in front of the resort while I read my book by the pool. Then we get showers and head off for a nice dinner somewhere.
I think not being able to rent a car and drive yourself would be a real handicap on Maui, but I’ve held off from commenting on the supposition that more knowledgeable posters would chime in first. (I’ve only spent about a week on Maui, although my home is one island over on Hawaii). I would check that aspect of things very carefully. On the Big Island, taxis/public transport are pretty limited.
Since price is evidently no object, I’d also vote for Thailand, Malaysia, or Indonesia (Bali, stay in Nusa Dua). Things have calmed down in Bangkok, but if it worries you, just stay out of the capital and go elsewhere. Worrying about going to most places in Thailand now is like worrying about going to New York City because there were riots in Chicago.
Does your husband not like nature/scenery in general (preferring cultural activities or shopping, for example), or is it beaches he doesn’t like? Because Maui has 2 (I think) volcanic craters with a gorgeous national (I think) forest on them. I went camping on Haleakala and it was one of the most amazing nights I spent camping, with giant, beautiful trees all around. The morning sunrise from the top was spoiled by cloud cover, but I’m given to understand that it’s spectacular.
There’s tons of bamboo forest on the other side of the island from there, and even he might be impressed by the black sand beaches (or the nude beaches, for that matter). Oh, and buy some fruit (guava and such) from the roadside carts.
As for the rest of it, there was definitely some shopping to be done, and the food in the restaurants we did go to was amazing. We did run across a fire show, but that was in a resort community, and we didn’t go looking for other cultural things, so I can’t really comment on that.
Seems to me that if he’s into nature but not beaches it’ll be fine, but if he’s looking for cosmopolitan activities (swanky jazz clubs, live concerts everywhere, etc) I wouldn’t recommend it. But I was only there for a week, so you’ll have to take it all with a grain (or three) of salt.
Maui is a great island for either doing lots or doing very little (sunbathing). However, not driving will severly limit your freedom/flexibility to do these things - you will be at the mercy/schedule of whatever tour company is providing the service.
As to things you can do without a car (tour company will pick you up at your hotel), there’s plenty:
snorkelling Molokini crater
seeing the sunrise from the top, and then bicycling down Haleakela (crater)
whale watching (Christmas will be prime time for the humpbacks there) trips (you can also see them from the beach at times)
snorkel trips to Lanai
I am a big snorkeller, and there are some really great places to snorkel right from shore. But you will need a car to get to these.
Also, the road to Hana and the 7 sacred pools is definitely worth a day trip. I am guessing you can get a bus tour out there, but the thought of doing that road on a bus is not appealing (VERY windy and narrow at places).
The political trouble in Thailand has largely blown over. My friends who live there say things are OK now - maybe Siam Sam, Ale and Silenus can attest (Ale’s planning to buy a house there so I’d imagine he doesn’t feel unsafe!).
Hmmm, we’re neither of us terribly interested in Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia, I’m afraid. We’re both unashamedly tourists rather than travellers!
Crusoe (in spite of the user name!) likes fairly busy, bustling places - he’s much more sociable than I am on holiday (possibly because I work in HR, so am generally dying for some alone-time once I get away from work), and loves people-watching. He’s not averse to nature, so long as that’s not all there is!
We have no problem taking bus trips - that’s what we’ve always done on other holidays. I’m more concerned about what the island’s like for pedesterians - is it possible to wander round, or is it only set up for drivers?
My wife and I have spent two delightful vacations of a week or more on Maui. Not sure what’s available in the way of non-car transportation.
Jenny, do you and your husband bicycle much? That might be an alternate way of getting around. If you stayed somewhere in south Maui, you’d be able to check out the different beaches (and you’d want to, trust me!), and be able to get to at least a few different restaurants.
I’d recommend spending £11 on a copy of Maui Revealed. It’ll give you enough info to give you and your hubby a pretty clear idea of whether there’s enough stuff to keep him interested, and if you do go, it’ll be very useful in planning what to do with your time. (If you don’t go there, give it to a friend who is planning to!)
Oahu is much better for pedestrians, though it’s a completely different experience. Think modern city with great beaches and a bus system.
Thinking upon it further, I think you might want to check out St. John or one of the British Virgin Islands. I know that St. John has a pretty extensive taxi network that will take you anywhere you want to go, for a fee, of course. Plus there’s great beaches, excellent snorkeling and hiking. You can ferry to St. Thomas if you want to see a movie or shop. And it can’t be topped for r&r because there’s not much to do other than nature type things because it’s mainly a nature preserve. I don’t even think there’s a movie theatre on the island.
St. Thomas is a more urban version of St. John. That might be a nice alternative, too. And it’s a lot closer to the UK than Hawaii.
I can vouch that despite a state of emergency officially remaining in Bangkok and some provinces, Thailand has returned to absolute normality. If you did not know there was a state of emergency in force, you’d never be able to tell.
However, the situation should be monitored. No one believes it to be over yet. It’s just a matter of when it pops up again. I happen to know the diplomatic community feels there will be more trouble late this month or early next, corresponding with the annual October 1 military reshuffle that will see a new, harder-line commander. Personally, I feel that’s a little too soon and don’t expect further serious trouble until at least next March or April, what has become the traditional riot season due to the fields lying fallow at that time and farmers finding themselves with extra time on their hands.
As for Hawaii, visitors are often surprised how brisk it can be during the winter. As for Maui in particular, up on Haleakala it’s butt-freezing COLD! But it is true that it’s prime whale-watching season, from October-March, with the heaviest activity in December and January, IIRC. Lots of whale-watching outfits run out of Lahaina at that time catering to all budgets. Well worth the while.
EDIT: I just saw where the OP said they don’t drive. Yes, that will be a major problem on any of the Hawaiian Islands except Oahu. However, if you are going to be staying at one location on Maui and have arranged for them to pick you up, and there’s a shuttle into Lahaina or elsewhere, then that might be okay.
My sense of Maui: a truly beautiful island that has too many people on it. IME the island to visit if you’re interested in traffic jams.
If you choose to hole up in a fancy resort you can of course swim, sunbathe, read, shop and dine to your heart’s content, caring little for what goes on outside your enclave. But that would not well suit someone who seeks activities.
Without a car it will be hard to see the many great things Maui offers. With a car it will also be challenging - other drivers will see to that.
One specific tip: to properly enjoy the road to Hana, you should plan to spend a night there - out and back in a day is too much of a rush.
Yes, not having one’s own wheels will greatly limit what can be experienced on this beautiful island.
We still have memories of driving on the Hana Highway and having car after car pass us coming from the other direction with a passenger/salesmen hanging out yelling: “Maui Wowie! Maui Wowie!” My future Thai bride was absolutley mystified by this until I explained to her exactly what Maui Wowie was.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone - it doesn’t sound like Maui’s for us. I don’t want to be somewhere that congested, and Crusoe won’t want to go somewhere where he can’t go for a wander.
I thought that would be Oahu. Certainly Maui has traffic, but at least on my two visits there, I didn’t ever feel there was enough to feel hassled by it.
If you’re in reasonably good shape, I think that by bicycle, you could see most of what Maui has to offer. If I were doing this, I’d rent a place in Kihei, rather than Wailea whose beaches I’m more partial to, in order to be able to pedal up to Lahaina and whatnot more easily.
To properly enjoy the road to Hana, one should Google photos taken from it on the Web. The one time we headed that way, we took our time on the drive, but just didn’t find it to be all that great shakes, and turned around after driving maybe 3/5 of the highway.
And even going slowly, it wasn’t an easy drive - it really took a lot out of me. This is saying a great deal, because (a) I really like driving, and (b) I’ve got a lot of experience with mountain roads.
