Doors off!

Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars

In a nutshell: The only optional doors-off helicopter flight in Maui.
Minuses: Some folks think this is a substitute for driving the Road to Hana – don’t make that mistake, do both!
Sound-bite: [...speechless...]

Stunning views of the untouched remote areas of Maui. Many of these places can only be seen by helicopter, and that is something you’ll never forget. Even if you’re on a tight Maui budget, you don’t want to skip this activity if you can help it.

AlexAir has been flying since the early 70’s – and they focus exclusively on Maui. Not only are they the best and most experienced on Maui, they’re also the least expensive.

AlexAir has A-Star & Hughes 500 helicopters – all are outfitted with 2-way headsets so passengers can ask questions and communicate with the pilot (only one other company offers this on Maui.) The A-Star is pretty much the standard six-passenger tour helicopter for Hawaii and is a great helicopter designed for touring. But the real star at AlexAir is a classic four-passenger Hughes 500 helicopter – the only one like it in Hawaii. This old-school beauty has optional doors-off tours that will wow and provide views and photography options that no other operator on the island can. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the founder of AlexAir, Eli Alexander developed the aircraft for Hughes? Yeah, I suppose these guys might know a thing or two about how it works

Key Info:
Location: Kahului Airport #108
Phone: 888-418-8455
Rating source: MauiGuidebook.com & Yelp
Web: http://www.helitour.com
Price: $89 – 300+

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Downhill Bikers starting at Haleakala Summit.

Rating: 4.85 out of 5 stars

In a nutshell: Half the price of the competition, plus you won’t be herded like cattle.
Minuses: Riding on Maui’s narrow winding roads can be dangerous, especially if you haven’t been on a bike in a while.
Sound-bite: “We were so smug and thought ‘HA!’ every time we passed by one of the crowded guided tours…”

Downhill bike tours are one of the more popular activities and hundreds of visitors do it every day – that is exactly why Haleakala Bike Company got rated #1: because using them you won’t feel like the equivalent of tourist cattle.

...and this is what it looks like if you choose to be cattle.\

Most of the companies who offer downhill bike tours accompany a fairly large group all the way down the mountain. Using those vendors means you don’t stop when you want, or get to be next to your honey (single file only please), or go at the speed you want – you’re lined up single-file in a pack of tourists, several of whom have no business whatsoever being on a bike.

The big tours also keep you in such a tight pack that you spend most of your time looking at the bike in front of you so you don’t hit it. If you see something interesting, you can’t stop to look at it. And unless you’re one of the very first in line, you won’t hear a word the guide has to say about the sights you’re seeing.

Now, if you do have business being on a bike, going on one of the cattle tours is not what you want. Haleakala Bike Company frees you of the herd, and puts you on top-quality well-maintained Gary Fischer mountain bikes. Being free of the herd means that you’re free to ride at your own pace and stop as often, and wherever you like.

The big plus of being on your own also comes with a word of caution: if you really don’t have any business being on a bike, a downhill bike tour with anyone can be dangerous! That is yet another reason these guys get rated number one: they will actually tell you that! Most of these other guys hide it and make it look as safe as getting on a Disneyland ride. Folks, it is riding a bike on a road. There is nothing extra safe about it because you’re on vacation not thinking about practical matters – these are the same risks you take on any road with cars. If you feel like you could veer into traffic unexpectedly because you haven’t been on a bike in a decade, then perhaps just renting the bike and taking it somewhere offroad would be a wiser choice – and you can do that with these guys too.

Haleakala Bike Company offers Haleakala sunrise tours which are the most popular (if you don’t already know, sunrise at Haleakala Crater can be absolutely spectacular.) Sunrise or not, most visitors opt to take one of the tour vans that take you up, and then coast back down the mountain using gravity. On the way up the guide gives you an important safety lesson and interesting info about all the stuff you’ll be seeing again on your way back down.

Unlike most other bike tours they also rent bikes by the day or week (car rack, helmet, tools and gear included.) If you opt to rent a bike without the shuttle, Haleakala Park also still permits non-guided bikers to begin their ride at the summit (with a shuttle you must begin your decent at the entrance of the park.) If you are an experienced biker you can even take a pretty cool alternate route from the summit “off-road” (kind of) down Skyline Road. (Dedicated Skyline article coming soon.) By renting the bike without the shuttle option you can also ride anywhere else you want on the island. That said, (and I’m sure you’d realize it sooner or later), if you’re going to do the Haleakala downhill trip their shuttle drop-off service is a lot less tricky than riding all the way down the mountain to realize your car is still at the top

Key Info:
Location: Haiku Marketplace, Haiku (North Shore)
Phone: 808-575-9575
Rating source: MauiGuidebook.com & Google
Web: http://bikemaui.com
Price: $55 – $115

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You may also be interested in:

• Haleakala Crater (Haleakala National Park Summit Area)
• Pony Express Tours
• Maui Sunriders Bike Co.

The Dunes At Maui Lani

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

In a nutshell: Challenging true old-world-style links course..
Minuses: Wind.
Sound-bite: “I swear they would have shined my shoes if I asked them to.”

SUMMARY:
18 hole regulation | 72 par | 6,841 yards | 73.5 USGA | 136 slope | Driving Range | GPS | Collared shirt & soft spikes are mandatory

DETAILS:
Very well kept true old-world-style links course. Uncrowded with spectacular views of Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains. The only view-spoiler (for some) will be the homes scattered along the course – but that has become the rule rather than the exception on many courses here in Maui, and they truly have pulled it off well here with careful placement.

Now countless courses back on the mainland call themselves “links” without remotely resembling the true classic links courses that started it all. Not the case here. This is a British Open course on Maui, built into the rugged terrain, and not the other way around. The course plays with the land, traversing up, around and over the natural million-year-old dunes – as their website says quite accurately: “Golf shots must be played through these gaps formed by nature, much like they are in the greatest links courses on earth.” and goes on to define the course “Like many classic links courses, the front nine heads out, and the back nine heads in. According to Nelson, “Anyone who has seen Ballybunion, Wild Dunes, or Shinnecock Hills will recognize a similar look and feel at The Dunes.”

The Dunes is designed to be very challenging for good players, but with the significant challenges presented it is also cleverly engineered to be an enjoyable play for higher handicap players as well.

Playing aggressively and trying to shave off some strokes will prove ill-advised. You definitely want to read the yardage book notes as a primer, and if you have the opportunity to join a local player or two, seize the advantage to garner insider tips as your ace-in-the-hole during play. Also bear in mind the holes closest to the clubhouse are not dune protected and #1 & #18 are long par 5’s that push the limits to a point where not respecting the wind can absolutely wreck your game. This is especially true later in the day when the tradewinds typically pick up – Nelson’s design is merciless for those who opt to rest on their laurels coming in to that final hole with an otherwise hard-earned scorecard.

Service:
When it comes to service, the genuine Aloha spirit and attention to your every need here is absolutely undeniable – even the high-maintenance types will leave impressed with the attention to detail. In one review I read the gentleman said “I swear they would have shined my shoes if I asked them to” when speaking of how eager the service was to please. That was no exaggeration – the staff here has genuine Aloha spirit and the kind of service you like to think you could expect (but don’t always get) when playing at a top-notch golf club.

This is a newer course on Maui (1999), and like most here, they have GPS in the carts. Oh and even more Aloha: your kid can come and play with you for just ten bucks! (You will be kind and tell him about the wind, right?!)

Designed by Robin Nelson (ASGCA). Dave Gleason manages the course as the General Manager.

Course Tour on their website

Key Info:
Location: 1333 Maui Lani Parkway, Kahului
Phone: 808-873-0422
Rating sources: Maui Guidebook, Yelp & multiple Golf publications.
Web: http://www.dunesatmauilani.com
Price: $75 – $125

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You may also be interested in:

• Kapalua Resort Plantation Course
• Wailea Old Blue Golf Course
• Wailea Emerald Course

Horseback riding on family owned & operated ranch.

Key Info:
Location: 3530 Kahekili Hwy, Wailuku
Phone: 808-871-5222
Rating source: Google
Web: http://www.mendesranch.com
Price: $90 – $130

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You may also be interested in:

• Maui Stables
• Haleakala Crater (Haleakala National Park Summit Area)
• Lahaina Stables

Offering both the A-Star and Eco-Star helicopters – the A-Star is pretty much the standard tour helicopter for Hawaii – a great helicopter designed for touring. The Eco-Star is the luxury upgrade – more space, individual seats (A-Star has benches) and even better viewing than her sister.

This video shot on Blue Hawaiian is of Manawainui located at the Back Side of Haleakala – unless you’re an extreme back-country hiker, you can see only the smallest fraction of this valley outside of a helicopter tour.

Key Info:
Location: 1 Kahului Airport Rd. #105
Phone: 808-871-8844
Rating source: Google
Web: http://www.bluehawaiian.com/maui/tours
Price: $130 – $400+

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Haleakala downhill bike tour.

Key Info:
Location: 71 Baldwin Ave, Paia
Phone: 808-579-8970
Rating source: Tripadvisor
Web: http://mauibikeride.com
Price: $30 – $100 – online booking discounted

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You may also be interested in:

• Haleakala Bike Company
• Mountain Riders
• Cruiser Phil’s Volcano Riders

Summary: 18 hole regulation | 72 par | 6,584 yards | Driving Range | Collared shirt, Bermuda shorts/slacks & soft spikes are mandatory

This is a semi-private course, however anyone can sign up for what they call “Member for a day” at $180, which includes a round of golf, lunch and access to the clubhouse, spas, locker and fitness rooms.

Speaking of the clubhouse, it is a sight in itself, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Marilyn Monroe and houses a magnificent collection of Hawaiian Art.

Designed by Ted Robinson Sr. in 1991; Refreshed by Ted Robinson, Jr. in 2005.

Course Tour on their website (tip: hover over the hole numbers for hole detail)

Key Info:
Location: 2500 Honoapiilani Highway, Wailuku
Phone: 808-249-0033
Rating source:
Web: http://www.kamehamehagolf.com
Price: $180*

View Kahili Golf Course in a larger map

You may also be interested in:

• Kahili Golf Course
• The Dunes at Maui Lani
• Kapalua Resort Plantation Course

Mini golf, bumper boats, X-Treme Trampoline & rock climbing

Key Info:
Location: 80 Ma’alaea Rd., nest to Ocean Center, Ma’alaea
Phone: 808-242-7818
Rating source: www.mauigolfandsportspark.com
Price: $15 on up

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You may also be interested in:

• Surfing Goat Dairy
• Kula Botanical Garden
• Maui Ocean Center

This aquarium is small by some major-aquarium standards, but that is made up for by quality exhibits you won’t find anywhere else. A three-acre marine park, it is largest tropical reef aquarium in the Western Hemisphere.

Maui Ocean Center is focused on Hawaii’s unique underwater world, from rocky surge zone to the edge of the deep reef.

There are many presentations by marine naturalists to educate about Hawaii’s marine environment and the strong connection to our host culture.

For family, it is a top attraction, and was named so by the Zagat Survey US Family Travel Guide.

60+ exhibits, two restaurants, and (of course) a gift shop.

Key Info:
Location: 192 Ma’alaea Rd. , Ma’alaea
Phone: 808-270-7000
Rating source: Google
Web: http://www.mauioceancenter.com/
Price: Adult:$25 Child:$18

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You may also be interested in:

• Aqua Adventure
• Surfing Goat Dairy
• Molokini Crater

Summary: 18 hole regulation | 72 par | 6,330 yards | 70.5 USGA | 117 slope | Driving Range | T-Shirt & Sneakers OK

Note: Value figures into the high rating

Municipal course with spectacular layout and views. However conditions are what you expect at a municipal course, not overly challenging, and it is frequently busy/slow with all the hacks (ahem!)

All said and done, this place is a solid value if you want to golf a lot in Maui and don’t have a suitcase full of cash.

Oh, speaking of that suitcase, you *do* need cash to play here.

Front nine opened in 1920, back nine in 1966. County of Maui/Ron Kubo manage.

Key Info:
Location: 200 Halewaiu Rd, Waiehu
Phone: 270-7402
Rating source: Google
Web: http://www.mauicounty.gov/facilities.aspx?search=1&CID=30&RID=157&Page=detail
Price: $25 – $55

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You may also be interested in:

• The Dunes at Maui Lani
• Kapalua Resort Plantation Course
• Wailea Old Blue Golf Course