DansMeals: Hawaii For The Kosher Traveler. Part 3: Maui

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DansMeals: Hawaii For The Kosher Traveler:
Part 1: General Info And The Island Of Oahu
Part 2: The Big Island of Hawaii
Part 3: Maui
Part 4: Kauai (Upcoming)

Related posts:
Which Miles To Use To Fly To Hawaii?
DansMeals: Los Angeles For The Kosher Traveler

Previous trip reports with pictures:
-Hawaii Trip Notes: Oahu (2009)
Hawaii Trip Notes: Kauai (2009)
Traveling To Hawaii…With A 5 Month Old (2011)
The Hawaiian Islands (2011)
And one of these days I really ought to write up a trip report on Maui and The Big Island.

DDF forum threads:
Hawaii Master Thread: General Questions And Which Island To Visit?
Big Island Of Hawaii Master Thread
-Kauai Master Thread
Maui Master Thread
-Oahu Master Thread
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The 2nd most popular destination that people booked with the Delta glitch was Hawaii. More details can be found via the trip reports above, but this will give a quick overview of the options.

If you’re flying to Hawaii in coach on the Delta glitch with your family you should look into the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express which gets a free checked bag (a $50 round-trip value per person per trip) for up to 9 people on an itinerary with the primary cardholder!

The revealed series of books are absolutely required reading if you are going to Hawaii. They read like a novel and are unlike any other guidebook you’ve seen before.  They have great recommendations for everything there is to do on the islands, from private beaches to the best hikes. It’ll be the best money you spend on your entire trip:
Oahu Revealed
Big Island of Hawaii Revealed
Maui Revealed
Kauai Revealed

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Maui: A beautiful island with lots of activities that’s less touristy than Oahu. Ferry service available to Molokai and Lanai islands.

Kosher traveler info:

Please read Part 1/Oahu for tips on interisland flights, how much time to spend on an island, bringing kosher food from home, ordering kosher food from Oahu, gear that you’ll want in Hawaii, and whether you may have to keep 2 days of shabbos. See Part 2/Big Island of Hawaii for more kosher food options for Maui as well.

-Chabad of Maui can provide homemade shabbos meals with 2 weeks advance notice. There is no shabbos minyan on Maui but they do attempt to have a minyan on Monday, Thursdays, and when someone needs to say kaddish.  If you want a minyan for shabbos look at the previous posts on Oahu and The Big Island.

The Hyatt Regency Maui has a kosher menu that you can order from their restaurants or from room service with advance notice.  Click here to download the kosher menu. In the past I was able to get kosher breakfast comped as a Diamond member…go for the blintzes (they are cholov yisroel) over the eggs.  The beef corn dogs are a great deal as you get the whole package of 5 S’Better corn dogs for just $9 and you can request to have them served in one of the hotel restaurants or brought to your room.  The box of corn dogs costs more uncooked from my local grocery store…go figure!

-Costco (Kahului), Safeway (Kahului, Kihei and Lahaina), Whole Foods (Kahului), Mana Foods (Paia), and Lahaina Farms (Lahaina) all carry kosher foods. Mana Foods is my personal favorite of the bunch thanks to their large selection and relatively low prices.

Cars:

On Maui there is no need for 4WD.  If you can fit into a convertible that is definitely the car of choice.

Chabad of Hawaii has passed on a corporate rate for rentals at Enterprise or National in Hawaii that provides better rates, waives underage fees, and waives different location drop-off fees.
The company name is Hawaii Kosher Weddings. The contract number is XZ36016 and the pin is HAW

You can also bid for car rentals on Hotwire or Priceline that can save you a fortune!

Buy gas at Costco where’s it’s cheaper than at most stations on the islands.

Hotels:

Hotels can be found in North Maui (Ka’anapali) and South Maui (Wailea), both are on the sunny west coast.

If you’re traveling with a family in Hawaii it’s definitely worth looking into renting a private home or condo from sites like VRBO , Home Away , or airbnb.
Before I was married I nabbed $150 tickets for my family to go to Hawaii and we stayed at a great condo in Kihei found on VRBO. There are definitely many pluses and minuses of a private condo/house versus a hotel.

You can also bid for hotels on Hotwire or Priceline that can save you a fortune!

-The Sheraton Maui Resort is an SPG category 5 property (12K-16K Starpoints per night or 9.6K-12.8K per night on a 5 night reservation) in North Maui.  There is great snorkeling by Black Rock in front of the hotel.

-The Westin Maui Resort is an SPG category 5 property (12K-16K Starpoints per night or 9.6K-12.8K per night on a 5 night reservation) right next door to the Sheraton.

The Starwood Preferred GuestÂŽ Credit Card from American Express earns 10K bonus Starpoints for spending $1 and 15K bonus Starpoints for $5,000 in 6 months which would give you a total of 30,000 Starpoints.

The Hyatt Regency Maui is category 5 hotel (20K Hyatt or Chase points per night or just 10K points+$125 per night). Very nice grounds, pools, and even parrots and swans. But you’ll want to walk up the path to the Sheraton for a better beach. Kosher dining menu is available. Service can be mixed though.

-The Hyatt Andaz Wailea is a category 6 hotel (25K points/night or 12.5K points+$150 per night). It opened a few months ago and has no kosher menu. They also charge a whopping $25 per meal per person just to heat up your food while other hotels do it for a fraction of that or even for free…not cool!

-The Grand Wailea costs anywhere from 54K-90K Hilton points per night (20K Starpoints transfers into 25K Virgin Atlantic which transfers into 50K Hilton points. 25K AMEX points with the current Hilton transfer bonus or 25K Chase or AMEX points transfers into 25K Virgin Atlantic which transfers into 50K Hilton points)

-The Ritz Carlton Kapalua is a Marriott/Ritz Carlton Tier 3 property (50K Chase or Marriott points per night or 40K per night on a 5 night reservation).

The Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns 40,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points for spending $3,000 plus 5,000 points for adding a free additional user.  It offers 2.14 points per dollar on all travel and dining expenses and has no foreign exchange fees. The Chase Ink Plus and Ink Bold each earn 50,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in 3 months, offer up to 5 points per dollar spent, have no foreign exchange fees, and come with free lounge passes. Chase points can transfer into Hyatt or Marriott points instantly at a 1:1 ratio if you or your spouse holds a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Ink Bold, or Ink Card .  Chase also has a Hyatt card which gives 2 free nights for spending $1,000 though the bonus categories on the Chase Ultimate Rewards cards like Sapphire, Freedom, and Ink are generally much more lucrative than the Hyatt card.  Bear in mind that Ultimate Rewards points don’t expire and are transferable while the Hyatt nights must be completed within 1 year and are officially non-transferrable.

Activities:

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-The Road to Hana is an epic drive that offers impossibly lush scenery, dozens of waterfalls, black sand beaches, and more.  Kids prone to motion sickness may not appreciate the curvy drive cut through the side of the mountain…bring a bag!

Start this road early, try to leave your hotel by 7 in the morning so that you have time to make frequent stops to gawk at waterfalls, go on amazing hikes, and make it back so that you’re not driving on the road after dark. A convertible is perfect for this drive. Remember that the point of this drive isn’t to get to Hana, there’s nothing there!  So don’t tailgate the car ahead of you and let the car behind you pass so you can drive slow and take in the heavenly scenery.

Don’t miss the 3 bears waterfall (and hike closer!), Wailua Iki waterfall hike, rainbow trees, the Nahiku road turn-off to the ocean, black-sand beach, venus pool, etc. Take a picture of you with the road cutting into the side of the mountain behind you. The Seven sacred pools are part of Haleakala National Park, so save your receipt to go up to the top of Haleakala for free over the following 3 days.
Don’t turn around, even a regular car can complete the entire loop and it gives you an entirely different perspective with amazing windswept views instead of seeing the same stuff again. The drive does get a bit more difficult on the loop around, but it’s nothing too bad.
-In North Maui don’t miss the Dragon’s Teeth, Nakalele blowhole, and the Olivine Pools. It takes a hike to get to both the blowhole and the olivine pools, but they’re both awesome and you’re sure to get amazing pictures!
-Whale watching boatride can be awesome if a whale breaches near your boat.
Haleakala: Catch an amazing sunrise or sunset and go on amazing hikes in the park. Bring a sweater!
-Downtown Lahaina is fun to walk around, especially at night. The Warren and Annabelle’s magic show in Lahaina gets rave reviews.
-The Iao Needle is good enough for a picture though you don’t need to do it.
-Maui has incredible snorkeling and diving. It’s criminal to not try snorkeling at least once. There are great places to snorkel south of Wailea or at Black Rock by the Sheraton in North Maui.
-You can also take a snorkeling boatride out to Molokini where the snorkeling is legendary and the visibility and water clarity is incredible. Go very early in the morning.
-Ferry service and flights are available to Molokai and Lanai. Those islands are said to feel like the Hawaii of old though I haven’t yet made it out there.
-Jetski, snorkel, dive, kayak, stand-up-paddling, surf, kite-board, parasail, windsurf, you name it, you can do it in the waters off Maui.
-Other activity ideas: ATV, zipline, helicopter tour, hang-gliding (powered and traditional), golf, etc.
-Find a local fruit stand or farmers market and skip the grocery stores.  The fruit in Hawaii is just amazing, don’t leave without trying locally grown Maui Gold Pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, lychee, mangosteen, rambutan, etc.  They just taste so much better in Hawaii and they’re much cheaper at farmers markets.  Beware that you can’t bring any fruit home with you besides for Pineapple or Coconut.

And don’t forget to relax too ;)

When we were in Maui last time with Rafi we took a sunset picture session on the beach with Wailea Photography.  The pictures were stunning and many hang in our house today.  If you mention DansDeals then you’ll also save $50 off the prices listed on the site. This isn’t a paid ad, I just really loved the pictures we got.  We’ve taken photo shoots in Buenos Aires and Banff as well and I find that taking a photo shoot from a vacation spot is far better than any other silly souvenir from the trip.

Have more tips? Hit the comments and share your thoughts!

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62 Comments On "DansMeals: Hawaii For The Kosher Traveler. Part 3: Maui"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

Nate

How do u pronounce this islands name?

Dan
mike

Dan what do u recommend in maui the Sheraton or the Westin?

Ari

Hi Dan, thanks for these posts! They are super timely (we are going to Kauai and Maui Jan. 26th). Even better, I had no idea about the Hyatt’s kosher food and we just so happen to be staying there coincidentally, so major props for that!

I had a question about activities – which activities/tours would you recommend booking in advance vs. while we are there?

jim

@Dan

Our baby is not born yet due in late Jan, After he is born and age 3 months old in Late April, We are planning a trip to Maui for 5 days & than to Buffalo, NY for 4 days.
The problem is finding award tickets. I have AAdvantage, United miles, US airways, Virgin atlantic miles. We have plen of them.
AA.com is mostly showing 75k one way standard biz only. Even if there is saver biz for 37.5k one way, it has 2 to 3 stops which I don’t like for infant. United has one stop biz class flights but very hard to find both ways.

What you think we should do? Is keeping a 3 month old infant on 9 hour flight on biz class seat on lap is manageble?? I am thinking of staying at Hyatt regency Maui in club room for 27k points a night. But Hyatt website is only showing standard room for Hyatt & the Andaaz. I like the club becos of free breakfast and better room.
Which one has better location? I thought of renting an SUV with my UR points but it won’t provide primary coverage right? I would like to use my miles or points for rental but I am concerned with lack of primary coverage.
Please give me advice and tips

dov

we were in kauai last month-thanks dan.

WHAT WORKED OUT GREAT WAS
we shlepped a NINJA crockpot that we purchased at costco in NY($120-$40=$80) and it was fantastic. we were able to heat up our frozen meals (it has an oven mode) that we bought at our favorite NY restaurant and ate like a king. we also made a cholunt for shabbos.

we had some kosher food in the Hyatt-some was good some was ok.

Chana

I didn’t know that the Andaz in Wailea charges $25 to heat up food. We will be staying there for 2 nights. I ordered food from Pomegranite- are there any other options for heating up food while staying at the Andaz?

Dan

@mike:
I haven’t stayed at either but the Sheraton has slightly better reviews.

@Ari:
Most stuff can be booked while you’re there.
What are you thinking of doing?

@jim:
Holding an infant for 9 hours is tough unless you can secure a bassinet seat.

I don’t think the Andaz has a club.

No insurance coverage if you rent with UR.

@dov:
Cool.
Which meals were good from the Hyatt and which weren’t?

@Chana:
Buy a toaster oven or hot plate?
Find a hotel with a cheaper food heating option?

dina

Thanks for the informative post!

dov

ari,
in kauai we took a flying lesson on a 2 seater “trike” mechanical hanglider with a company called birds in paradise. we wanted to take see the Napali coast and this was our chosen method. we chose this over a helicopter ride.
it was pricey, but of similar cost to a helicopter ride and pretty cool. if you are interested you may want to book in advance.

jim

if I book class seats for the 2 of us to Hawaai, will the airline , say united have bassinet for infant?
The flight to Maui has a stop in LAX or SFO. 2 hour layover is better than non stop flight right?

Sadly I don’t find any return award flight to ORD in first week of May 2014. I am not finding saver biz class award flights.

Max

Dan, do you know under which hechsher is the Hyatt food under? Would love to go if I can rely on this supervision.

Meshulam

How much nicer is the beach at Andaz than hyatt regency?

Howaii

what months are good to go? when to avoid?

DanR NYC

Dan, I have been browsing AA award travel to HNL, via JFK or LGA. I find flights for 22,500 each way, but I am not certain if that is a good deal or not (some legs show Hawaiian Air too). I know that it is better than $, but I would burn all the AA miles I have (4 passengers). Your 2 cents (sense) is welcomed and appreciated.

BBPAPA

Reality Check for all you young ones out there.

I spent my honeymoon at the Hyatt Regency Maui 20+ yrs ago-I wore my kippah during my stay and at one point one of the locals told me they had seen a documentary on PBS about “us” people but didn’t really understand what “kosher people” were.

Yitz

@dan @chana I stayed at the Andaz in November and they did not Charge to warm up the meals and bring them up to the room

Dan

@dov:
Those do look amazing, the safety record scares me a bit though.

@jim:
Depends on plane, call and ask.

@Max:
It’s on the letter in the post. Contact them for more info.

@Meshulam:
Never been to the Andaz.
By the Hyatt you can walk for a couple minutes up the path behind the hotels for nice beaches.

@Howaii:
Hawaii is great all year round.

@DanR NYC:
22.5K is peak, off-peak it’s 17.5K.

@Yitz:
Interesting.
Did you contact them beforehand about that?
I wonder if it’s changed as this is the letter they just sent me:
http://i.dansdeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Kosher-Letter.doc

Yitz

@dan I did inquire before I went and they told me that there were would not be a fee. And there was not. Its possible that they did change the rule.

Dan

@Yitz:
I guess it’s a new thing then.

yitzie

don’t the t and c of rental contracts state that u cant take the car around the entire loop of the island as its not paved well? still u shouldn’t turn around and risk being messed if something goes wrong?

YYZ

@mike: If you are going with kids, definitely the hyatt. Lots of entertainment for children like waterslides, kiddie pool even a camp if you want.

minyan

Anyone going to be on maui 2/15. We are trying to make a minyan already have 5

maxie

Dan, what do you mean that you can’t bring any of the fruit home? Is that a legal thing or practical?

stg

Dan, what happened to the Fairmont? How does it compare to the hotels you’ve listed?

Ramsey, World's Foremost Authority

Dan, It should be noted that all those recent shark attacks were in the area of Wailea and to the south. Snorkel at your own risk.

Ramsey, World's Foremost Authority

@stg Was just at Fairmnot in Sept., it was awesome!!! Just below the Four Seasons in quality, which ain’t to shabby. Be sure to get the free nites via Fairmont CC. All rooms are suites that are huge.

ari d

DO YOUR RESEARCH which boat to take out to Molokini bec depending on where in the crescent the boat takes you, the amounts of fish vary greatly.
Also, Hyatt Maui was SUPER nice about keeping a suitcase of food in their industrial freezer. We grilled on the beach several nights. about 5 minutes walk along the beach going left (when facing the beach) is a secluded (at night) area to grill with park benches.

ari d

also, at the hyatt, you can request kosher food at the luau

mo

When do the maui revealed books generally come out? I am going in August and would wait to purchase the newest version.

Chana

@ari d: Have you used a particylar company that you would recommend? I am looking to make reservations. Thanks

SDG

I’m planning to be there. Not sure which hotel yet. Could you please let me know if you get a minyan.

minyan

@sdg hoping to be near the hyatt as it seems thats where most people will be. I spoke tob the shliach there he said he will try to help arrange it and would join us.

minyan

@sdg how can I get in touch with you?

Anon

Which hotels are you all booking?

Is June – Aug too hot to be there?

ari d

@chana
i dont remeber which one i used but read the maui revealed section on it. it tells you the the right side (i think)has the most fish. just make sure to ca

Hanna

@minyan:

@minyan
My husband and I will be staying at the Hyatt the Shabbos of 2/15, please let me know if there will be a minyan going on and where/time. I know that someone on the Hawaii forum was also trying to set something up, but I never heard back from them…I think the name was Elgnt if that helps…

Anonymous

@ari d: Which snorkling place is good to molokini???

JohnD

@ari d: which snorkeling tour is good to molokini in maui

Ari

@Dan,

Mainly the ones we had questions about were Road to Hana tours (no way I am driving that :)) and combined Kauai tours.

ah

Being told by the Sheraton that they charge $25 per meal for heating up food. Is there anyway to get them to waive this fee?

SDG

Thanks. My email is sdgissinger@gmail.com

e&nThankYouDan

Does the Maui hyatt have any accommodations for electric room keys on Shabbos?

Miri

@E&nThankyoudan
For the electric room keys, bring some duck tape. put it over the key hole and your door will stay open, that’s the only way around it.

zee

@mike
Definitely the westin, just stayed there and met people who left the sheraton to the westin. I walked past the sheraton and it looks old 🙁 the westin was beautiful!

Eden

has anyone stayed at the andaz in a garden room? Were looking to go christmas break and thats the only room available with points 🙁

Anonymous

Kosher food at Hyatt Regency is now (Dec. 2014) from Maui Kosher Caterer, under supervision of Rabbi Glickman, of the reform temple. Kitchen will happily store your frozen food, but room service will charge 25.00 per meal to heat it up. They will also let you rent a microwave for $10-15 per day (consult your rav regarding koshering microwaves or double wrapping your food).

ibld

@Anonymous: i’m going to the hyatt regency next week. does this mean the food is no longer strictly kosher? can we rely on the supervision of Rabbi Glickman?

Anonymous 2

@ibld: I did a bit of research and found that the Kosher ood is questionable at the Hyatt regency. I would suggest doing a bit more research. I don’t know Rabbi Glickman and can’t say if the food is or is not ksoher and what the standards are. My husband I decided that as much as we’d like the food to be Kosher (it would be great to be able to eat at a restaurant) to our standards it was not going to be ok for us to eat. I’d suggest you look into the caterer and decide what you are ok with.

Anonymous

I’m reading about the islands on your sight, having trouble finding price?

Leah

Going to Maui 04/14/15 from Canada. Staying in an outrigger condo in Lahaina. What can I do about the outrageous parking fee? Also, can’t bring any prepared meals across the border. Is there anyplace that sends kosher meals to Hawaii? Got lots of United and aeroplan points and airmiles. How can I use them?

Jeff

Hi Dan-

First time trip to Hawaii for my wife and I. Only have one week, looking to go November1-November 8/9.
Reading all your postings, all are great, but very confusing.
Is this a good time to go?
We are not big miles savings people but do have approx 200,000 Chase points.
Can we do this trip on points?
Do you have a suggested itinerary for first timers?

All the best,
Jeff

D

Kosher food no longer available at Hyatt Regency Maui!

Ari

it looks like Hyatt no longer offers kosher meals based on a recent updated – does that mean there are no hotels that offer kosher meals and the only way to get kosher food is through chabad?

Mourad

Hey Dan,
Currently staying at Hyatt Regency in Maui. They do in fact still have kosher food. We had double wrapped food served at the luau on Monday night @ Hyatt and as for Shabbat tomorrow, we ordered the roast chicken with potatoes and rib eye steak. The prices are better than the $240 plus delivery from Chabad.

Just FYI, we had Oahu kosher last Shabbat-was amazing food. (Two ppl for two meals =$100 total)

Eti

Can you recommend what to order from them for shabbos? Also was enough food?

A720

Which sunset cruise would you recommend? Staying in wailea Marriott

Nick

Hi, going to maui for 10 days on Feb. 15-25
staying in the Hyatt andaz, anyone going there or will be there for any of the 2 shabbosim?

any advice regarding kosher food, or minyanim?

thank you

Warning

For anyone reading this before their trip
DON’T GO TO OLIVINE Pool. It is dangerous and has caused many deaths.
Dan, if you see please update your post

Read the comments
http://mauiguidebook.com/adventures/olivine-pools/

AP

Hey Dan – Planning a honeymoon to Hawaii, was going through the posts – planning on going for 10-12 days. Looking to hit up 2 islands Maui and Oahu question is which one to spend shabbos in. Also which hotels to stay in in each one. And best way to save on flights hotels and rental, as well as what the main attractions I must hit up in each – if you can help me out that’ll be great. Thanks!

Brook

Does the discount for car rentals created by Chabad in Hawaii still work? If yes how can we book with the discount?
Thanks

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