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.