Pride of Maui Sunset Dinner and Cocktail Cruise - Review



Almost ready to board

We just had an unforgettable experience on The Pride of Maui's Sunset Dinner and Cocktail Cruise and we'd like to share it with our readers. It was a perfect Maui day and everyone waiting in line to board was in good spirits as they anticipated a cruise down the Pali coast into the sunset. Our first impression as we boarded was how spacious the vessel was, offering plenty of seating on the lower deck with easy access up two wide staircases to the upper viewing deck. We decided to stay downstairs for the moment and listen to the soothing sounds of entertainer Mitch Kepa who accompanied himself on guitar as he sang familiar Hawaiian songs.  Later in the evening Hawaiian born Mitch told us that he had been performing on Maui for over 30 years and still performs at the Weston Maui on Sundays and Mondays. He also has a day job as a youth counsellor at Aloha House. What a busy guy!

Mitch Kepa

The bar opened as soon as we were out of the harbor, and crew members Stephanie and Randy changed hats and became our friendly bar tenders, blending and pouring anything your heart desired until the cruise was over.  I was impressed that the drinks were premium quality, and included in the price.

Stephanie and Randy

I decided to check out the upper deck so drink in hand I made my way up the stairs into the refreshing sea breezes.  Maalaea Harbor was already shrinking from sight and I was fascinated by the views of the Pali coast from the ocean, not to mention the surrounding islands and the beginnings of a marvelous sunset.
I had an interesting chat with captain Tiffany who told me that she had been working on Maui ships for 8 years and has been a captain for 4 years. I guess you have to put in 270 days on a ship combined with taking lots of written tests, in order to qualify for a captain's licence. I felt proud that women are now able to take on jobs that were once dominated by men.

Captain Tiffany

The sunset was splendid to say the least, and as I watched the aftermath of colors painting the sky, mouth watering smells wafting up from the lower deck, drew me back down.  It was supper time and Tiffany had stopped the ship in a quiet little cove so that we could eat in peace.
Chef Kelly outdid herself with her offering of baby back ribs glazed with her own signature BB sauce made with guava jelly and fresh hot horseradish. They literally melted in your mouth and were oh so good! We also enjoyed some delicious chicken, tasty garlic fettucini, seasoned roasted veggies and a yummy artichoke dip served with croustini. All the food is freshly prepared by Kelly from scratch, and the ribs are grilled right on board. Dessert was an amazing strawberry shortcake with fresh local Kula strawberries. Kelly has been catering on Maui for 18 years, and before that she worked for Disney as an event planner and wedding co-ordinator.The Pride of Maui certainly knew what they were doing when they hired her to be their chef!!

Chef Kelly

Gary and Dawn Adams

I also have to mention how friendly the other passangers were. Gary and Dawn Adams from Wisconsin took the cruise as their last Maui adventure before flying out that night at 11:00 PM. They had already been on the Pride of Maui Snorkeling Trip and couldn't say enough great things about it, which is why they chose to go on the Pride of Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise. Oh yes and then there was the cute honeymoon couple who danced to their favourite song.  Mitch even handed over his guitar and let the fellow sing a few songs of his own.

Honeymoon Couple Dancing



As we approached Maalaea Harbor we were a little sad that the cruise was coming to an end. After all, what more could you ask for when all your senses are so wonderfully satisfied in the space of only two hours?
Without a doubt we highly recommend The Pride of Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise to all our readers and friends.

Hiking in Maui on the Kapalua Resort Trails

We had heard about the hiking trails over at the Kapalua Resort in West Maui and were determined that before returning home to Canada we would experience what my hiker friend calls, the most awesome hike she has ever been on! She had told me that it was just like being in Jurassic Park.

Belle and Gordon were enthusiastic about the idea so we all piled in Gordon’s silver caddie, and drove to the Kapalua Adventure Center where we had to catch a free shuttle to the trail start.

The ride took us through a beautiful private residential neighborhood, with pricey, extravagant homes and sweeping views through the golf course and down to the ocean. The streets on either side were lined with Cook Pines from Australia, apparently brought over so that sailors would have replacement wood in case a ship mast needed repairing. In about 10 minutes we reached the trail head and we were on our own to explore the trails.

Years ago, back in the 1920s this area was all part of the Honolua Ranch and the plantation manager was a man named D.T. Fleming. You may have heard of the popular Kapalua beach that was named after him. Fleming was a man with vision and took it upon himself to search the world for various plants and trees that would flourish in Maui’s tropical environment. As a result the Maunalei Arboretum was born, with the plantings encircling the mountain top like a lei.

We were armed with a map and the trails were safe and well marked, so we made our way upward into an amazing jungle setting of vines, ferns, gigantic trees, and plants both familiar and unique.

Belle, who used to own a flower shop, pointed out a bird’s nest fern, so named because of its resemblance to a bird’s nest. Most of the trees had identifying plaques and came from faraway places such as India, New Zealand and Australia.

Some of the most impressive were the huge Rubber tree from India, a New Zealand Kauri tree, the Hoop Pine from Eastern Australia and a Banyan tree forest with ginormous specimens.

A giant plant that looked like a banana tree turned out to be something called a Traveler's Palm.

There were loops you could take which always brought you back to the main Honolua Ridge trail and once we had made our way up to the summit we were treated with an awesome view of the Pu’ukukui Watershed Preserve, a rainforest area and one of the wettest places on the planet.

From here people had a choice to do an additional six mile hike down which would take them back to the resort center. We decided to walk back the same way we had come, do a few loops and take the shuttle back to the resort.

Once back at the resort we were hungry from our adventure so enjoyed a nice lunch in the deli/restaurant. Another great place for a nearby lunch is the popular Honolua Store, a historic area landmark, where they have a full service Expresso Bar and Deli offering breakfast and lunch.

One the way home we all agreed, that the hike was amazing and we are so proud that Maui has its very own Jurassic Park, thanks to the hard work of D.T. Fleming some 80 years ago. We will definitely tell our friends about this unique Maui activitiy, and we'll be back next year to experience it again.

Kapalua Resort also offers zipline tours and is home to some great beaches and a fantastic walkway along the ocean. For more information visit their website at Kapalua Resort Adventure Center.

You may want to consider staying in a vacation rental on the west side of Maui so you will be closer to these great activities. Try Ideal Vacation Rentals for some lovely condos in the area and the rest of Maui.