Went to Lanai today on an excursion through Trilogy. Catamaran docked at the harbor and we went to…read morethe beach for some snorkeling. Saw a bunch of fish but waters were choppy with medium size waves. Now we can say we've been on the 5th island of Hawaii! Woohoo.

Lana'i: Quiet and Laidback…read more We stayed in Maui and planned a long enough vacation that we were able to squeeze in a day trip to Lanai and it was, without a doubt, worth it. We went online and booked a ferry ride to take us to Lanai. After a quick 45-minute ferry ride, we found ourselves landing on a different island! Lanai is located just nine miles from the west side of Maui and is one of three populated islands that make up the County of Maui: Lanai, Molokai, and Maui. When we docked at the Manele Harbor we got in one of the shuttles that took us to Downtown. The shuttle requires guests to make advance reservations. Yikes! The cost of a rental car can be over $200 per day. We used the shuttle system. It costs $10 per person for the shuttle. Tips are appreciated. $1-2 should be good. It's basically a ride sharing service so it won't just be your private group in the car, you will likely be riding with someone else. The shuttle will basically go anywhere there's a paved road... just so you know many of the sights are on unpaved roads and required some hiking so be prepared. Downtown Lanai is very small. We found shops, art galleries, restaurants, grocery markets and other businesses here (gym, laundromat, movie theater). The size of some of the business structures are no bigger than an average-sized house. The movie theater only showed two films. Currently, Spider-Man and Top Gun: Maverick were showing. Dole Park is in the center of these businesses. Locals here are friendly... we met one guy at Dole Park, Filipino, came to the islands when he was 3. Chatted with us while he ate his lunch. I almost picked up on his Pidgin English. He spoke of changes in the island and said "change is good, eh" referring to the growing tourist business. Originally an island-wide pineapple plantation (nicknamed "The Pineapple Isle") Lanai now is known for its quiet beauty and luxurious five-star resorts. And Oracle co-founder, Larry Ellison doesn't just own a home in Hawaii -- he owns an entire island. In 2012, Ellison bought 98% of the island of Lanai. Happy travels! That's all. Review #2687

Our longest adventure on Molokai was a morning drive east to the end of the road at Halawa Beach…read more The drive was gorgeous, winding and constantly ascending, before rapidly descending into Halawa. The roads are very well cared for, with state workers keeping them clear of rock slides. At the end of the road, you'll see the famous green church on your left, and a public restroom house on the right. The paved road ends as you enter a short dirt road and parking lot at the beach. The area is beautiful; it's a simple parking lot with space for tents and camping, a rocky beach that leads to the river, pond, and out to the ocean on the other side of the breakers. This isn't a white sand beach; it reminds me more of a mainland river system. The water was cold, and crystal clear. There are birds and wildlife everywhere; if you're lucky you can see nene here. It's well worth the drive, but in some ways, I thought the journey was more fun than the destination. This is a truly a hidden gem of a place since it's so difficult to get here.

I love Halawa Beach Park but please be careful and aware while driving down. Please respect the…read morearea because it is sacred land of the native Hawaiians. Never leave your trash all over the place. This place isn't just for the people but for the Environment itself.

I like this beach! Its quiet, has spectacular west maui views, has abundant shade, and a close in…read moreto shore reef that breaks the waves off shore. It is a perfect beach for beginner snorkelers. It is also perfect for families with small kiddos looking for a placid "no waves" beach. No bathrooms, park on the road, walk onto the beach. Keep your water shoes on, beware of thorns in the sand from the trees. There are no nearby stores so bring your refreshments. (And take your trash with you off the beach.) This is an uncrowded beach where you can relax under the trees, swim and take in those breathtaking Maui views. In the rainy season water can be cloudy from runoff. Summer is best for water clarity and snorkeling. Highly recommend.

I'm not exactly sure where the beach is. Is it by the boat ramp or off the road parking…read more I've been to both and the coral building-up is impressive by the ramp launch and didn't spend too much time off road beach. I wish someone will clarify where Olowalu beach is??

Beautiful, protected bay with reef that has many different fish and sea turtles. There is shade and…read moreplenty of things to see while snorkeling! No need for the big boat tours! Gorgeous spot.

This beach is wonderful but they now charge a whopping $47 to park! It almost costs as much as…read moretheir quick ticket price of $49 ish. Saw a turtle :)

Absolutely loved the Koloiki Ridge Trail! You can start from the Sensei Lanai (A Four Seasons…read moreResort) or park your Jeep at the trailhead next to the Lana'i Veterans Cemetery and hike the Munro Trail that connects and merges with Koloiki Ridge Trail. Took about 2-1/2 hours altogether but totally worth the spectacular views of Moloka'i and Maui along with the canyon. You go through a rain forest, a pine tree forest, a lava field, and red soil, and eventually you arrive at Maunalei Valley, the largest and deepest valley on Lana'i. Make sure you have good hiking shoes, water, sunscreen, hat, and of course a camera to capture the views! Simply follow the signs to Koloiki Ridge.

Great hike...simple stroll up from Koele (now Sansei) Hotel. Path is wide open and well taken care…read moreof. You get a beautiful view once you get to the top. Look into the canyon...take in the view of the ocean. All about a hour half hike up the hill. Round trip was a little over 2.5 hours for us.

This beach is great to relax, snorkel, or watch sea turtles. There's lots of sea life to enjoy in…read morethe water & it is a beautiful beach that isn't too crowded. They have tables and grills & public bathrooms. Parking- they have their own parking lot

Went here recently to take our family Christmas photos at the suggestion of our photographer. I've…read morepassed this beach numerous times in my life, but have never actually stopped by here, but I was down for whatever since I'm not too familiar with all the West Side spots. So, my review is from a bit of a different perspective. Located on the South End of Ka'anapali Beach by Hyatt Regency, we pulled into the parking lot and found that it offers a lot more amenities than many other beaches like public bathrooms, shower station, covered picnic tables, bbq grills, an expansive manicured lawn, and a lifeguard tower (you'll find these few and far between, especially in West Maui). This beach is also home to a canoe club and plays host to many of the canoe/paddling competitions, hence the nickname Canoe Beach. As a spot for photography and family photos, it actually worked surprisingly well! Christmas photos at the beach? Yeah, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I put full trust in our photographer and she was able to use all the different elements and even had props of her own (check my profile photo). From the lifeguard tower, to the plants that surrounded it, and the rocks below it each offered a different feel. Once golden hour hit, it was the perfect lighting. I just really loved how our photos turned out and would recommend this spot for your next family photo session! We didn't get in the water to swim, but it looked like a pretty good spot to do so especially if there's lifeguards on duty. Really sandy with not too many rocks and plenty of shade.

My family (wife and two girls ages 5 & 7) visited this beach while we vacationed in Lahaina for…read morethe holidays. It's a very long beach where there are a lot of resort properties (Westin. Marriott, Ritz, Hyatt). If you are staying at one of these properties you have direct and easy access. We were not and we drove there. We parked by the beach access point near the Hyatt and parking is very limited. This was during covid times so limited parking was not an issue though I would expect that during normal times it would be. Due to the beach erosion We had to walk a few hundred feet to get to a point where there was significant beach area we could set up our chairs. But that area was close to a group of resorts and there were lots of people there. Note that this would not be an issue during normal times but we were trying to maintain social distance. The beach was amazing and the view was spectacular. When we took a break from the water we walked down the beachwalk to Whalers Village which is an outdoor mall with high end shops and restaurants. We got the girls a treat from a gelato shop and returned for more fun in the water. We stayed until the evening and watched the most amazing sunset. Though we did enjoy ourselves we preferred Kahekili Beach Park because it was much less crowded and did not have the erosion issue.

I agree with Maryanne that if you just so happen to be staying at a resort on or near the…read morebeach...great...if not...kind of a pain to park. With that being said...I stayed at the Sheraton so I was pretty much ON this beach! lol There are fantastic little blue bungalows out on the sand that you can rent...or you can rent a couple of beach chairs and an umbrella if you so desire. I SWORE by my cabana, it sheltered me from the blistering sun...a girl can only take so many rays in a day people! The snorkeling here is FANTASTIC for being a resort beach...the sand is only kicked up right where the surf pounds the shore, other than that...clear as a bell. In one day alone we saw a turtle, a reef shark, a barracuda, a sea snake and a gazillion fishies. Yes, I was a tad traumatized by the barracuda (even tho it was a baby) after my man told me that they like shiny objects and to keep my hands close. Uh, well, my bathing suit had a shiny belt piece to it so I swam in a panic holding my hands over my crotch in an effort not to be noticed by said barracuda baby. lol Anyway...you can swim around Black Rock but it gets a tad choppy and kind of deep...so we stuck to the curve and to the Sheraton side of the rocks. AT sunset you can see the cliff diver jump off the rocks and back into the sea...quite pretty. All in all...great beach to chill at with your pina colada...not a beach to go to if you're trying to escape the hi-rises and people...

Molokai is, handily, the most underrated of the Hawaiian islands. It's insane that more people do…read morenot visit here. This beach is quiet and secluded. You are likely to be some of the only people here. The sand is incredible. It has layers of deep orange tint to it. It's hot against your skin. It's almost like a middle eastern dessert intersecting with the sea. It can definitely be windy, but as someone that grew up in a place where we literally count the breezes (FL), I don't consider that a negative!

Beautiful beach for walking and sunning. I would not want to…read moredo any swimming as the waves and rip are pretty strong.