Don't know why you would book two places on both Oahu and Maui.
The islands aren't that big, stay in one place and drive.


I frequent Maui.

Lahaina and Kapalua means you are in West Maui, so you either go north or south around the West Maui loop. A pain if you want to ride any of the roads in the central valley or south of Kihei, or upcountry.
Nice beaches though.
Hana is an epic ride, but West Maui loop is one of the worlds nicest rides.
Maui has amazing free pools too if you don't want to go open water.

Oh, a heads up. Car rental prices are INSANE this year because of pandemic stuff. Prepare to pay 2-3x usual prices until the fleets are restored sometime in 2022.

I never rent bikes... always bring my own.

I live in Hilo, on the windward side of Hawaii Island. My family and I do, however, spend time traveling all over.

Kailua Kona is better for buzz and restaurants. Waikoloa is arguably a better base for cycling. From Waikoloa, you have access to the Queen K, plus rides up to Hawi, Waimea, and Saddle Rd up to Mauna Kea. Be sure to select accommodation down by Waikoloa Beach Resort, not the Waikoloa Village that is around 7km from the coastline and has little to see and do.

Ironman Honu has its swim at Hapuna Beach. It's north of Waikoloa and a great place to do an open water swim. If you stay in Kona, Kua Bay is a nice (but also small) white sand beach. Two Step beach, south of Kona and adjacent to the national historical park (place of refuge), is a good place to snorkel.

I have not considered staying near Waipio Valley or telling someone do that. The town of Honokaa, on the way to Waipio, is a nice tourist destination, but you may not spend more than a few hours there. Cycling up and down the road to Waipio Valley will be hectic if there is any traffic -- and there often is. In some places the road is one car wide with no space for pedestrians. You have surfers visiting in the morning, so I cannot even recommend a good time to do it.

Bike Works in Kona rent bikes. Check out their website.

Hiking is quite popular on Hawaii Island. Four legal hikes I can recommend are Pololu Valley, Pu'u O'o Trail, Kilauea Iki in Volcano National Park, and the hike from Punalu'u black sand beach northeast along the coastline. On the first, you have sensational views into the valleys that surround the top of the eastern side of the island. The second sees you move from lava flow to tropical rainforest and back again. The third is a dormant crater. The fourth takes you across a huge, historical lava flow.

Try to visit Volcano National Park in the afternoon and evening. With the new eruption, you can see the glow from the crater.

Search the forum for KonaCoffee's Survival Guides. They contain an immense amount of information about the western side of the island.
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ce_Edition_P6729131/

I'll second everything that O&E said. Saved me a lot of typing.

While in Waikoloa make sure you have dinner at Lava Lava, great food and drinks and sunsets. Stayed at the Marriott and walked there for dinner every night we were there.

Second the recommendation of renting a bike from BikeWorks.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Rent the bike for sure - much less hassle. Your rental car may not accommodate - as stated the rental fleets are much smaller and demand is increasing. Most rental fleets were liquidated for operating cash.

Waipio valley is a must see but you must have 4wd to get down there and over to the beach. I wouldn’t consider biking it.

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It is the mind itself which builds the body.
-Joseph Pilates

Great information and thanks for the reply.

So, correct me if I am wrong here, but Hana would be fairly 'safe' in your opinion as far as cycling is concerned?

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Great information. Any reason you say 'legal' hikes?

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

On Maui gotta climb Haleakala.... I am going May 7 for 9 days, renting there. Haleakala and WML are on the agenda then a couple upcountry rides. If on Facebook there's a pretty active Maui cycling group, lots of local rides scheduled. We stay at a family place in Kihei, which is not a bad center of operations.

Also not sure when you are going, but currently there are testing requirements, and I think they have different requirements for each island. Maui for example is a negative test from an approved testing site no more than 72 hours from last flight to the island. No vaccine exemption as of the moment, probably not until Summer

ETA on the big island, if you like something different check out the cabins at the Volcano House. Awesome place to spend a couple nights, and might be able to open jaw a Hilo/ Kona flight connection to save travel time.

https://www.nps.gov/...anyourvisit/camp.htm

If you spend time exploring Hawaii Island, you will see a lot of no trespassing and keep out signs. They can indicate sacred land or private land or be there for safety. Stay clear of these areas and avoid any chance of trouble.

West Maui Cycles rents road bikes. It's in Lahaina. Others have spoken about riding on Maui.

WRT to running, there are some great trail runs up behind Kapalua. Warning that they can be steep but fun. If you want flat running, there is a dirt road next to Highway 30 (mountain side) that runs all the way from Kapalua to Olawalu. Technically, it's trespassing on Maui Land and Pineapple but everyone (locals, tourists, etc.) uses it for biking, running, motorcycle riding. About the only thing you can't do on it is drive a car as the entrances are blocked.

WRT to open water swimming .. my local advice is stay out of the water at sunset and after a heavy rain (particularly near river runoff areas) (e.g., S-Turns, Honolua). Otherwise, it's great.

I saw you mention about car rental prices being high as we have been thinking of going over to Kona this May or Sept now we have been vaccinated, oh boy I just looked at Costco car rental prices and for two weeks it was around $1400 I think we'll wait until things settle down, never seen prices like that ever. Cheers LA Rob

For Kona we did an Airbnb on Alii drive, so it was great for running in the morning. You can run into town, grab a coffee and run back if that’s where you’re staying.

Definitely check out the snorkeling and manta ray night dive while you’re there, it was one of the highlights of our trip. We went with Sea Paradise, I’d advise giving them a call if youre interested as they’ll give you a great discount if you book multiple trips with them.

Coffee plantation tour was great as well, definitely recommend.

Maui? Do the road to Hana, make sure you also stop at Leodas for some great pies and baked goods. Julia’s banana bread is the real deal as well and worth the drive to find it. For a wonderful (and very expensive) meal you have you check out Merriman’s in Lahaina

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

We’re going to Maui in may. We usually use independent offsite rentals for local beater cars. Paying $400 while the Alamo/ dollar etc crowd paying $1k. Maybe something like that on Hawaii?

 
We’re going to Maui in may. We usually use independent offsite rentals for local beater cars. Paying $400 while the Alamo/ dollar etc crowd paying $1k. Maybe something like that on Hawaii?[/quote]
That will be good if you can still get a good local deal on the price of the rental car, I have not done much checking around yet but when I saw the first post on here about the rental car prices being through the roof that's when I just did a quick check on the Costco travel site for the rental cars, I will certainly check out some local places but just reading now on the Hawaii newspaper on line how they are seeing quite a surge of visitors to the islands now restrictions are being relaxed and so I imagine prices are going to go up for everything. Best of luck finding a good deal and enjoy Maui.

We have some friends who just came back from their Condo they have over there as they were there since early January and they said there is quite an uptick of visitors, and they are still very strict with their mask mandate there also, lots of people get tickets for sitting on the beaches without masks apparently. Cheers LA Rob

Yup. Was looking at going to Maui this summer. Flights were reasonable, accommodation about usual (expensive) but car rental was the kicker.
That, and ongoing mask rules, testing requirements, etc... too much hassle for the cost.
Will vacation much closer to home and wait for things to return to normal first.

Yes I have heard MPD is actually issuing mask tickets. I got no problem with that. We have a family place so it is relatively cheap- I’ve not seen airfare like this in a while, 275 p/p direct.

But everything else on Maui is $$$. Boat diving is ridiculous so we do mostly shore diving with a couple splurges

Before you book you plane tickets check out car rental rates. In popular destinations you are possibly talking 300 dollars a day. Maybe more. Rental agencies sold large portions of their fleets because they had to during covid (no revenue). Now there is a shortage. At the very least book the car far ahead.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

I've ridden the road to Hana a couple of times.
Very safe in my opinion. It has a fair amount of traffic but the traffic can't go fast because of the narrow road and constant turns.
Road surface is mostly excellent.
The locals drive like maniacs, but not too much of a problem.

WML has way better views of the ocean than the road to Hana. Road to Hana is mostly in the trees.

I think I actually prefer the backside of Haleakala, descending from Ulupalakua to Kaupo. Start at Grannys or Kula or even Pukalani.
Wide open, mind blowing views. However, it is always windy AF.

My bucket list is still to do the full East Maui loop in one day
First try I had to turn around due to a mechanical.
Second time I turned around at mile 14 marker on the Hana highway cuz it was pouring rain from miles 2-14 and a driver I talked to said it was probably raining all the way to Hana.

Chris,
IRT Ohau, anywhere in Waikiki or the gold coast near Diamond Head are ideal. I'd bet there are tons of ABNBs in the area. Around Diamond Head and out to Hawaii Kai and you could easily do 50-100 plus miles with no issues safe roads, wide shoulder, with a few locals or Calif expats in a hurry to get to wherever. Don't trust any white SUV...they'll cut you off as you approach turns of intersections or will buzz by you thinking they can't cross the double yellow line even if there is no one coming in the opposite direction as far as the eye can see. As far as rental cars, just go with Touro. Tons of independent operators in town. Tourism is picking up. You will need to get a pre-covid test within 72 hours of your departure or its immediate quarantine for you. Schedule it at your local drug store, (Walgreen"s or CVS) and go to Hawaiicovid19.com for more info. You upload your results to the trusted traveler profile you create. The police used to follow up on these things but not so much anymore. I'd be happy to ride with you for 10-40 miles especially if you're in town on Friday when I do my long rides.

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Someone once accused me of being swimfan. I miss that guy.

We drove that route and i really wanted to ride it but there's some seriously questionable driving going on along that road. The mix of rental cars and distracted drivers made me think twice. I noticed that they have an organized ride once a year where they close the road. That would be a lot of fun.

I live on the Big Island but have been to all of the other islands and done SBR on all of them - also crewed on the Epic 5. I have a few notes:

Oahu - probably your best bet is the Diamond Head side of Waikiki. You have easy access to Kapiolani Park but also the lower road around Diamond Head for cycling. Cycling isn't great on Oahu due to traffic and density, but the east side is pretty decent. You can also swim at Kaimana Beach, which is nice. I've never rented bikes there, but there should be good options since it's a big city.

Maui - I second the suggestion for the West Maui loop, but you could also consider summiting Haleakala for an epic workout. There's a bike shop out of Haiku that will even do SAG in addition to renting you a decent bike - you definitely want SAG on that ride because fluids are hard to come by once you get beyond Kula.

BI - there are group rides (Hawaii Cycling Club) out of Kona, so that's a benefit of staying down there. I'm partial to the Kohala Coast, though - the nicer part of the IM course. Waikoloa Resort is a good option, but so is the Mauna Lani, and also the Mauna Kea resort has what is IMO the nicest beach. We have a Sunday group swim that goes from MK beach to Hapuna (site of the Hawaii 70.3 race) and back - plenty of turtle and manta ray sighting opportunities. Any of those resorts give you easy access to the Queen K and beyond that the road to Hawi. For climbing, you've got the Waikoloa climb, and at the top you have various options to continue (Old Saddle Rd, New Saddle Rd). I agree with the comments about Waipio - good to do as a hike, but I wouldn't stay out there.

Renting vs. bringing your own: I've done both. All three islands you're going to have good rental options, so bring some power pedals, bike computer, shoes and helmet and you're probably set. If I were only going to one island, I would probably bring my own bike - the hassle is interisland flights and the rental car space you'll need each time for the bike. Bear in mind that right now rental car prices are through the roof, as car rental companies sent their inventory off island during the 2020 tourism nuclear winter. You didn't mention when you were planning the trip for, so that may or may not be an issue then.

Ian

If its just a couples trip stay on the dry side of the big Island, look into Hapuna they have good rates. You can rent a bike at the Kings shop in Waikoloa. Great open water swimming at the Mauna Kea and Hapuna Beach. enjoy

I am not sure I have much to add but will simply share my experience.

Maui I have almost exclusively based in Lahaina. When there I ride the West Loop every day. I have submitted Haleakala leaving from Lahaina. For me as a mostly roadie who has ridden many of the greatest mountain climbs in the US I think the west loop is my favorite ride of anything. Yes my favorite bike ride is probably Maui West loop. Favorite mountain climb probably Logan Pass. #2? Haleakala. Its incredible and very hard.

Big Island I based out of Waikoloa. Perfect to get to Hawi or Kona and I did ride to the Pololu Lookout and up 250 toward Waimea. That mornint descent on 250 in the wind was the worst wind ride of my life. I almost phoned a friend. My #2 worst wind ride ever was same trip West Loop. Wind on Hawaii is crazy :)

I rode my bike almost 25,000 kicking the year off in Hawaii. I really believe there can't be much better places on earth to ride bikes. Especially in the USA.

Still need to hit up Mauna Kea....next time ;)

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex

Chris,
Touristy recommendations...
- Oahu, restaurant..Aranchino's on the strip, nice Japanese paying homage to Italian classics. The one on Beachwalk used to be white glove and white table cloth but about 2018 it turned touristy with plastic table clothes and horrible service...avoid. - Tommy Bahama's on Beachwalk is a hidden gem. Skip the second floor restaurant and go to bar on third floor/top deck. Sand and fire pits, full menu and roof top bar. This is a good one...Vino's on restaurant row is a local favorite. Chuck is a prankster who mixes/selects wines for Hawaiin Airlines. Bar seats only 10 for happy hour, doors opening at 5:30. Get in line before 5 if you want a a seat...half price on amazing food and wine by the 3 and 5 oz pour. Chuck regularly tours the globe to bring incredible choices and the menu changes frequently.
- Also an Ecuadorian/Peruvian roof top restaurant across from cheese cake factory if you want the European/SA feel. Entrance is the street level elevator taking you up to the steak restaurant.
- Dolphin Adventures out of Wainae is a superb tour operator for dolphin and whale watching if here in the winter. Its a zodiac so they get in spaces quickly and an all female marine biology student crew so very informative, dare I say, no ego, experience. They'll put you as in the water as close and feasible to dolphins and turtle sightings, and follow whales as close as possible hoping for some amazing breaches, and put the microphone in the water to hear their songs.

Helicopter tour is worth it. I've done Oahu and the WWII history is super interesting. Recommend Blue Hawaii as they have jet turbines meaning better mtx and qual'd pilots. Go with the Robinson helos at your own risk. I would have liked to do a volcano helo flight on the big island but have looked at some good boat tours that can put you near the lava flows. Not sure what Pele is doing now or if the laval is even flowing but those are options. If you are Scuba qual'd...if not go snorkeling for the night manta ray dives off the Sheraton. An amazing, once in a life time experience.

Pearl Harbor/Arizona memorial should not be missed! Missouri and Air Museum are also great attractions, a lot of the docent/tour guides are WWII and Korean/Vietnam Vets with great personal experiences and stories.

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Someone once accused me of being swimfan. I miss that guy.

Hi, I hope you have been able to find your cheap beater car rental as things are not looking too good, here are a couple of articles I saw one on the Kona paper and the other from Oahu, its scary prices over $1000 a day for a car on Maui... yikes I guess we won't be going to Kona in May for sure.

www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/03/29/day-rent-car-low-supply-surging-demand-are-pushing-up-prices-hawaii/

‘Carmageddon’ Crashes Into Big Island, as Rental Industry Swallowed by Mass Demand | Big Island Now

Yeah we’ve already got the car reserved Certainly was not seeing 1k a day. More like $100

Good for you guys, glad it worked out, I am sure you will have a great trip and have fun..

Great information. Does WML stand for 'West Maui Loop'? If so, is the road decent on the North side? Heard that the road gets bad there. Though to be honest, I'd prolly still ride it anyway.... but, just trying to get intel...

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Thanks for the reply. That's awesome. Where do you access that running trail?

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Hey Chris. Thanks for the info. What/where are these local beater car 'rentals'? Gotta admit, didn't know that was a thing and never heard that term before. Do they have a website?

Also, I am presuming the 'mask' laws don't apply to running/cycling???? Or, if they do, are they cracking down on it? Don't mind in crowds, restaurants, etc. But, don't plan on training with anyone...

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Wow, this is some great information. What with the 'white vans'. Any reason to why this is an issue? Happy to hit you up when we plan. Our trip is likely going to be somewhere between Aug-Oct. Probably way less covid restriction issues then. Do you know it they enforce mask rules while you are training?

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

I take it that you are talking about Hana here? If so, any chance of going counter clockwise? Heard that for people visiting that counter clockwise is better for driving (less traffic), wondering if that might be the case for cycling too..

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

Doing some tests on Kayak and the other sites and it doesn't appear to be that high. Looking at rates when we plan on going as well as pretending to book in a few days to see what current rates are. While they are high, they don't seem to be 700-1000 a day high.... Per your knowledge, is a 'booking' subject to change upon arrival? honestly, have no idea....

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Running is the best source of fiber that I know of...

We never had mask rules while training, except in an indoor gym, I guess. Just bring one with you in case you need to stop in a store to get food or drink.

At least that’s true on the Big Island. We mask going into stores and restaurants, but once you’re sitting down at a table you can remove it. Most restaurants are outdoor seating anyway, because, you know, it’s Hawaii.

Regarding your question about the road on the northern part of the West Maui loop, it gets very narrow in a few places, so if you were driving you wouldn’t want to be on the cliff side (i.e., going counterclockwise) - if two cars approach one another from opposite directions, someone’s backing up. But on a bike you can hear them coming, and you have enough space to get by. I’ve done it on a tri bike with 808s - I did regret the 808 front on a few of the windy switchbacks, fwiw.

Ian

The one we’ve used before on Maui is Kihei rent a car. This time using Hula tent a car as that’s what other family members have used

Maui is pretty strict about masks as I read it and you can get ticketed. The locals I’m messaging with say you don’t need a mask exercising unless you are getting closer than 6 feet to others not in your household. That’s pretty much what I do in LA. Run and bike with a buff and if I come across someone I can’t get far enough from, just pop it up, then back down

Guide to Maui riding:
Road to Hana = everything from Paia to Hana
Haleakala backside = Ulupalakua to Kaupo
East Maui - Hana to Kaupo
WML = West Maui Loop
EML = East Maui Loop
Upcountry = From Makawao, above Makawao Pukalani, all of Kula, Granny's Eatery, Ulupalakua
Iao needle = out and back easy climb
Waipoli Rd = feel like suffering on the hardest climb on Maui?


WML is AMAZING. I first did it in 2005 when the road was much narrower in sections and the pavement much sketchier. These days it's almost perfect the whole way and they've widened the road in most spots.
The narrow bit at Kahakuloa for about a mile is the only bad part. Don't forget to stop in at Lorraine's (just off the road in Kahakuloa) for a cool drink. Bring cash.

WML advice I got from a local: "You are against the wall rather than the cliff. Not all cars coming at you, locals, won't slow down for you. The worst that can happen with a wall beside you is you get scraped. Being on the cliff side, or outside, is dangerous if you don't know the ups and downs and have a car come screaming around a corner. The hills are a bit steeper CW, but the elevation is the same as it is a loop."

Bah. There are very few sections that have a sharp drop, and they are quite narrow and require vehicles to slow. The outside edge is mostly deep foliage that would be soft fall if you went down. I prefer CCW because being on the Makai (ocean side) gives better views. Also, you start with that long steady climb from Waihee to warm up.

Here's an example of the uphill trails behind Kapalua. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/hawaii/maui/mahana-ridge-trail

As you can see from the alltrails map, there are a ton of routes to take once you get on the other side of the road.
* there's a golf course that was abandoned up there. It's fully overgrown now but the cart paths remain for running and trail biking.,
* there are single tracks up there used for the Xterra games
*Maui Land and Pineapple sugar cane roads are all over the place. We did a 35 mile roundtrip meander on mountain bikes to Lahaina and back (with a stop at Kohala for a beer!).

If you are driving into the area, park up near Taverna behind the Ritz. The trails start just behind the driving range.
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WRT to flat running, I usually run on the lower road and go back on the dirt trails. I attached an example of a recent run starting at Coconut Grove next to the Montage. The far point on the map is the West Maui airport with a nice hill.

Hopefully, you get the idea and will just use google earth to figure out the dirt paths ... they seem to be all over the place and consistently alongside the main road from Olawalu all the way to Kapalua.

random other thoughts:
It's hillier in Kapalua than down towards Lahaina.
Running along the road is usually fine as long as your are traffic-aware or you have a big shoulder. However, I would NOT run along the road north of Kapalua towards Honolua and Honokahau ... the blind corners and no shoulder are sketchy enough on a fast road bike but would be scary road running.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1StG1Ccj0F8crllj9cOVhfKHxVZq1CaHN/view?usp=sharing


attachment didn't seem to work, try this

Lorraine is awesome. She caters to cyclists. Way better than the tourist traps.

"This table for food. Not your ass." LOL.

Yep, cash only. Bring an extra $5 and take a jar of lilikoi jam home. Fits perfectly in a jersey pocket.

Chris,
I'd imagine by the time you get here you'll be vaccinated and masks will be a distant memory. One can only hope. No, you don't need a mask to run, bike, hit the beach. It used to be enforced while sitting on the beach but no more.

IRT white SUV's primarily the Tesla and Lexus types...this is my opinion routed in experience. There are a lot of Japanese and Chinese transplants here. Odd that in Japan they'll pass you with about 5 feet of separation and overtake you slowly, but here they seem to be afraid to cross the median, especially if a double white line, and they are always in a hurry. In Japan or Hong Kong they drive on the left hand side so they don't seem to have bumper awareness for their right side and can buzz you pretty closely or attempt to get around you to make a right hand turn in front of you to cut you off. It happens to me at least once a ride so I have to be aware of blocking the lane when approaching high traffic'd right hand turns. Given all that, expect any car to stop or pull over quickly because they've missed their turn or there is a scenic overlook. Assume, no car can see you, and every car is trying to kill you and you'll be fine.

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Someone once accused me of being swimfan. I miss that guy.