Ka'anapali Beach Hotel

On our first visit to Maui, Julie asked, "Why would anyone take a vacation anywhere else?" 25 years later, it remains a very good question.


The answer certainly is not some fatal flaw in Maui that I have learned in the interim. We go other places for unique experiences they offer, but Maui is very good at being a tropical destination. So good, in fact, that rather than taking the final four nights at sea, with all the meals and entertainment that comes pre-paid with the rest of our cruise, and avoiding a flight back to Los Angeles, Julie opted for an early debarkation in Maui and one night at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.

I protested for weeks, saying I would be staying on the ship with or without her, but eventually I gave in. We sadly waived goodbye to Sapphire Princess from the beach, but we loved our time on Maui.

This time we stayed in the heart of Ka'anapali Beach, between the excellent snorkeling at Black Rock by the Sheraton and our favorite Hawaiian restaurant, Hula Grill. It's not the newest or fanciest hotel by any means, but it is very comfortable.

There's not much to my story about this trip beyond what I've said about Maui previously. The water is clear and warm. Put on a mask and snorkel before wading out near Black Rock and sealife puts on a magical show. At Hula Grill, there's great food and frequently live entertainment. There was also a free hula show at our hotel.

We spent most of our time on Ka'anapali Beach, splurging for a shaded cabana chair in the afternoon, but we also enjoyed our pool, and after dinner at Hula Grill, we took a stroll down the beach and then around the grounds of our hotel and the Sheraton next door.

We kept it simple this time, not trying to bicycle down from the volcano, sail to Molokini or wind our way past waterfalls to Hana, but we came away once again marveling at what a great vacation spot Maui is. For fun, diverse actities that can be easily accessed, it is hard to beat. Somewhat surprisingly, it remains affordable and not overcrowded. Hang loose, bruddah!

Hawaii This Summer

From all the bumper stickers on cars I see driving around Los Angeles, Hawaii must be the ideal escape for most Southern Californians. I'm certainly a fan, and Julie and I return there regularly, sometimes with others and sometimes alone.

Most people pick an island to stay for a week or so. Each gives you a unique experience. On the Garden Isle of Kauai, you can visit sunny Poipu Beach or go snorkeling at Ke'e Beach before hiking along the Na Pali Coast. In Maui, Kaanapali Beach beckons as a terrific place to enjoy nature and the best of civilization on the same beach, but you can still take a break to bike down a volcano or traverse the winding Road to Hana by car. Kona on the Big Island puts you in touch with sea turltes and dolphins. Oahu is a most civilized experience in Honolulu, while the North Shore is a dream destination for golfers and surfers.

My oldest daughter Gina and her hubby Laszlo split their honeymoon between two islands, Oahu and Kauai, and they loved every minute of it. There are some tours that take travelers to three or more islands on the same trip, but I personally don't care to visit airports any more than necessary on a vacation.

My favorite way to visit Hawaii is by cruise ship. NCL America made a big spash when they brought modern, American flagged cruise ships to Hawaii for year round cruises with no foreign ports. In order to make this port intensive, all-Hawaii itinerary a reality, NCL America needed to staff their ships entirely with US citizens, and this proved to be an Achilles Heel for some travelers. As to whether understaffed ships early in the business cycle dampened demand or bringing three ships to Hawaii was simply overkill I don't know, but this summer, NCL America has cut back to one ship, the wonderful Pride of America. This is one of my all-time favorite cruises, but I must admit the service can be a little slower than on foreign staffed ships. Hopefully, now that they no longer need to provide three American crews, Pride of America is now staffed with the best professionals from the larger experiment and will never again be understaffed. You get an overnight stay on both Maui and Kauai, a full day in both Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, and the trip begins and ends on Oahu, while unpacking only once. What's not to like?

During spring and fall, other cruise lines visit Hawaii, repositioning on their way to or from Alaska. Other ships Cruise roundtrip from Southern California or include the Hawaiian Islands as part of a more exotic sweep through the South Pacific.

Maui: September, 2005

Before getting to Maui, I really need to address the most annoying facet of Norwegian Cruise Lines. Let me preface my remarks by saying that I have many clients that return from cruises aboard newer NCL ships like Star, Dawn, Spirit and Pride of America with high praise for the entire cruise experience. Based on my recommendations, most of these clients go in staterooms with private balconies, taking advantage of the newest ship designs which include more balconies that in turn leads to a lower price differential between ocean view and balcony categories. On my recent cruise aboard Pride of America, I heard a few people complaining that their rooms were small. Norwegian's standard rooms are a bit small, especially compared to Holland America, Carnival and Celebrity, but Balcony rooms often cost less on newer NCL ships compared to other cruise ships. Here is what people who choose to take the cheaper route must understand: NCL offers very low lead rates, and the standard interior and ocean view rooms can be super-bargains. BUT, once on board, DON'T FORGET your original reason for choosing an inexpensive room. You probably told yourself you would never be in the room anyway, and that is perfectly legitimate for some people. Or perhaps you could not afford to spend more. If you booked a family of four into the cheapest interior room available, taking advantage of miniscule third and fourth rates, then you need to get a grip on reality before complaining about the fact that NCL accommodated your thriftiness by giving you the opportunity to cruise on a limited budget.

If you could have spent more on your room and regret your decision once on board, make a note to yourself to never repeat that mistake and then make the best of your trip. Oh, and by the way, Freestyle Dining means you won't have the same waiter every night. If that is essential to you, then book on Celebrity or almost any other cruise line. Don't whine to fellow passengers about YOUR CHOICES. It dampens the buzz for the rest of us. In short, my pet peeve on NCL or any cruise is that some ill-informed people try to ruin the trip for the rest of us. Okay, I'm off my soap box.

Pride of America gives passengers two full days in Maui with an overnight on the ship. This allows passengers to take advantage of many great shore excursions from a luau at Kaanapali Beach to downhill bicycling from the top of Mount Haleakala to snorkeling at Molokini. Julie and I chose to simply rent a car again, this time for two days. Free overnight parking is available near the ship. Maui has wonderful places to explore by auto, and like the rest of Hawaii, you can come back repeatedly and still be ready to return soon.

This time, we mainly used the car to take us to our Maui favorite, Kaanapali Beach, with an occasional deviation to places like Wailea and Lahaina. Whaler's Village provides three hours of free parking at Kaanapali with a minimum purchase, so both days we enjoyed a delicious Kapulu Joe sandwich at the Hula Grill's Barefoot Bar. A purchase at the ABC store took care of another three hours of parking.

What can you do with your time on Kaanapali? Our favorite activity is snorkeling at Black Rock by the Sheraton. The water is warm and clear. Diverse, colorful fish seem to enjoy the conditions as much as the humans, so they're plentiful. Lounging in the sand between dives allows time to read a good book or simply enjoy the beautiful views.

A short drive away, funky Lahaina lures visitors to its stores and restaurants, including Cheeseburger in Paradise. On our visit this year, the guitarist singing Jimmy Buffett covers was nowhere to be seen, so it was more of an overpriced hamburger in a tourist trap. The beautiful views from the Hula Grill on Kaanapali make it definitely a better choice for meals or drinks, but you've got to go to Cheeseburger in Paradise at least once.

If you've never been to Maui, then the Road to Hana can be a wonderful driving trip, but allow an entire day. The waterfalls and lush foliage hugging the windy road are beautiful, as are the stops at sacred pools and the black sand beach, but rushing can result in getting car sick. Just ask my nephew, Jered. Cleaning a rental car is no way to spend vacation time.

Back on the ship, we experienced the only "formal" night on the cruise, and only about half of the people dressed for the occasion. You definitely won't feel out of place staying casual on this cruise. Most of the casual diners chose to go to the buffet rather than the dining rooms, and the quality of the buffet on Pride of America makes this a solid choice any time. People who came to the dining room in less than semi-formal attire were welcome there, too.

Are you ready for a simple-to-plan vacation in a casual environment? Would you like to enjoy the best of four Hawaiian Islands while unpacking only once? Call toll free 310-546-9618 to book your next great vacation.