Hawai paradise island things that you can do in Maui

Things to do in maui

Known as the “Valley Isle,” Maui is dotted with quaint towns, artist communities and local favorites that have been around for generations. Head to Wailuku for pastries from a “mom and pop” bakery, or head to Lahaina for a taste of Maui’s famed farm to table cuisine. From shimmering beaches and sacred Iao Valley to migrating humpback whales and sunset on Haleakala,

Molokini driver diving

Hawaiian legend says that Molokini was a beautiful woman turned to stone by a jealous Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. Today Molokini is the stuff of legends in the diving community. The crescent-shaped rock, which sits about three miles from the South Maui coast, is the rim of a volcanic crater. The shallow waters cradled within are a hospitable spot for coral and a calling card for more than 250 fish species. For an iconic Hawaiian dive, this is the place.

Maui Whale Watching

Seems humpback whales find Maui romantic, too. Every winter, thousands of them frolic off Maui’s western coast, courting, mating, calving and breaching in what can only be described as pure joy. If you’re in Maui at the same time, treat yourself to a whale-watching cruise. Whales are also readily spotted from lava-rock lookouts such as Makalaupuna Point, from west-facing beaches, and from your oceanfront condo – just about any place will do. Snorkelers and divers who stick their heads underwater at the right time can even hear them singing – love songs, we presume!

Makena Beach State Park

Maui's southwestern shores are home to many extraordinary beaches and Makena Beach, also known as "Big Beach," is one of the island's best.

This is one of the largest beaches in Maui, with golden sands extending nearly 2/3 of a mile long and 100 yards wide. Visitors can swim or snorkel in these pristine waters, picnic in the shade, or simply sunbathe on the seemingly endless expanse of sand.

Big Beach is located south of Wailea near the Makena Beach and Golf Resort and provides a secluded alternative to more crowded beaches in Kaanapali and Lahaina. Nestled between two black-lava outcroppings, Makena offers protection from the trade winds and provides great views of the islands of Molokini and Kahoolawe. Picnic facilities and restrooms are also available.

Snorkeling at malu'ka

Don your mask and snorkel on the shores of stunning Maluʻaka Beach in Makena and start swimming in the direction of the tour boats. Before you get halfway you’ll likely spot a magnificent green sea turtle nibbling algae on the ocean floor. Welcome to ‘Turtle Beach’ – where the underwater scenery is nothing short of mesmerizing.

there some of things that you can do in Maui :)

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Travel Tips : all around los angeles without a car

Around los angeles without a car

'Ugh, the 405!' It’s the cry of many visitors to Los Angeles, beleaguered and befuddled by the seemingly neverending traffic jams on one of LA’s most congested freeways. When vacation time is limited and you just. want. to. get. there, the frustration’s almost enough to make a holidaymaker get right back on the plane.

Keys to LA transport

For the bargain price of $8, Flyaway buses (www.lawa.org/FlyAway) connect Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with Downtown LA (estimated travel time: 35min), Santa Monica (40min) and Hollywood (1-1½hr). Buses depart from the lower (arrival) level of each terminal, under the green signs. Purchase tickets online or on board the bus (Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted).

Once you’ve got to your preferred destination, public transportation is handled by LA’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (known as Metro), or, in Santa Monica, the municipal Big Blue Bus company (bigbluebus.com). Metro’s base fare is $1.75 ($7/25 for an unlimited day/week pass). Big Blue Bus fares are a cool $1.

On the Metro Rail network of light-rail and subway lines, the Red, Gold and Expo Lines are most useful for visitors as they travel to the areas with most tourist-friendly attractions.

Use of Uber or Lyft requires a free smartphone app and advance registration. They’re a convenient and generally inexpensive (if traffic-dependent) way to get around the city, although Uber is subject to “surge pricing” at peak demand times, when fares can rise steeply. At the time of writing, the mayor had announced that the super popular Uber X will be able to pick up from the airport in the next month or two.

Downtown

Flyaway Shuttle buses let you off at Union Station, LA’s main rail terminal, built in 1939 and well worth a peek for its Spanish-Mission-meets-Art-Deco design. From here it’s a quick rail connection (or about $5 via ride share to save hauling your baggage) for a stay at hotels from old school (Millennium Biltmore) to too-cool-for-school (Standard Downtown and the new Ace), on the Red and Expo Lines.

Barely a decade ago, locals would have told you that there was no reason to go Downtown unless you worked there – no one says that anymore. Visitors throng to the area for the new Grammy Museum and restaurants at the adjacent LA Live, all reachable on the Expo Line, as are some of LA’s top museums around Exposition Park, including the California Science Center  where you can see another (once) futuristic form of transport, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, one of only four on exhibit in the world.

Hop cultures along the Gold Line to Olvera Street (the city’s original settlement, now like a trip to Mexico without the passport), Chinatown, and the ethnic-meets-hipster cultural mashup of Little Tokyo. Or take the Red Line to check out landmark architecture from the Bradbury Building (Blade Runner was shot here) to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Downtown’s dining scene has exploded too, in restaurants like Baco Mercat and Bestia alongside trusty standbys Philippe the Original and the rejuvenated, gourmet-chic Grand Central Market.

Hollywood

The FlyAway bus to Hollywood terminates near the Metro Red Line subway stop at Hollywood & Vine. The Red Line also connects to the intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, from where it’s just steps to the HCL Chinese Theatre, where generations of stars have enshrined their foot- and handprints in the cement; the Dolby Theatre, home to the movie world’s biggest night, the Academy Awards ceremony; and the humble-jumble Hollywood Museum, chockablock with film history.

West Hollywood is just a couple of miles away and well worth a visit: take a ride share; ride on Metro bus line 2 down Sunset Boulevard; or head down to Fountain Ave near La Brea Ave to pick up the free daytime CityLine shuttle buses operated by the city of West Hollywood. WeHo, as it’s known, is one of LA’s great walking neighborhoods by day, and great party destinations by night, primarily along the Sunset Strip (largely straight) and Santa Monica Blvd (largely LGBT). It’s also fun to (window) shop and dodge paparazzi amid the fashion boutiques on busy Robertson Blvd between Melrose Ave and 3rd St.

Stop for lunch or daydrinking at the Abbey (often called the world’s best gay bar – maybe it’s the hunky bartenders), the celeb power lunch spot the Ivy or, for adventurous ethnic cooking, the new District by Hannah An (thedistrictbyha.com), where Vietnamese cuisine takes a California turn with banh mi sandwiches and ‘shaken’ beef with homemade noodles. Or simply ensconce yourself at a café on Santa Monica Blvd to observe an only-in-LA street scene of muscle boys, tiny dogs, hipsters and the occasional tourist family wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into.

WeHo-based Bikes and Hikes LA (bikesandhikesla.com) rents bikes and offers cycling tours of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, stars’ homes and a signature 32-mile ‘LA in a Day’ route for fit cyclists, covering WeHo to the ocean.

The Future

When the Expo Line is fully complete (scheduled for early 2016), passengers will be able to travel between Downtown LA and Santa Monica station (a quick walk from Third Street Promenade and the Pier) in about 45 minutes. If that sounds long, trust us: it’s a lot quicker than current rush hour traffic.

As for that train to and from LAX, you’ll need (a lot) more patience. It’s not scheduled for completion until 2024.

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