Found Yee's fruit stand in Kihei. It is a non- descript stand. Yee has the best mangos anywhere. They are ripe when you purchase them. We bought 2 varieties haden and goldneye. Mangos like you have never tasted. They are not cheap, about $3.50 per pound but they are great.
Shaved ice. Where has Ululani's http://www.ululanishawaiianshaveice.com/ been all my life. The ice is smooth and almost creamy and the flavors are real not artificial. We had a huge portion with passonfruit, coconut and pineapple with some macadamia nut ice cream under the ice. Wow.
Snorkeling cruises. We took Kai Kanani. http://www.kaikanani.com/ We took it because we wanted to go to Molokini and they leave from Makena which is 20 minutes from Molokini. Other boats leave from Maalea which is more than an hour away by boat. If you are staying in Wailea it makes sense to take the boat from Makena. The waters and winds around Molokini are tough so on many days the boats divert to other location.
The cruise is not cheap, around $150 per person. The boat is nice and the crew great. However the boat was crowded and the wind was bad on the day we went. They tried to go to Molokini and we snorkeled for about 5 minute on the other side of the island but it was too rough. We ended up anchoring at a spot about 100 yards from where we had first boarded. I did complain when I got home about the trip and they agreed that their boats maybe too crowded and they may correct that. However they said the weather is always unpredictable.
Pet peeve advice while on vacation. Many things that you do at beach spots are dependent on the weather. Your initial assessment of a situation is usually correct. In Kauai we took our one and only helicopter ride. It was pouring rain when we got on board. Things looked bleak. They told us that the weather is unpredictable and it might be better over the next ridge. It never got better. The ride was a waste and it was expensive.
Same issue with Kai Kanani. Our cruise left at 9 am. They have a 6 am cruise to Molokini that docks right before we leave. They knew the conditions. They do this every day. Same thing with the helicopter. These things are expensive and once in a lifetime events for you. Why can't these operation tell you to come back another day if you want a better experience. I know it would hurt business but not everyone would cancel and we should have an option. However Kai Kanani was the only boat that tried to go to Molokini the day we went and they specialize in Molokini. We wanted to snorkel at Molokini. Follow your instincts, if things look bad, don't go.
Paia fish market. http://www.paiafishmarket.com/ Still great and reasonably priced. They have 2 locations --Paia and Kihei. The town of Paia is jammed and parking is a nightmare so be warned. Mana Foods http://manafoodsmaui.com/in Paia and it the best healthy food market I know of. It is funky, has good stuff and is reasonably priced. A truly unique place.
Cuatro http://www.cuatro808.com/is restaurant in the Foodland strip mall in Kihei. It is low key, small and very good. Service is friendly and they don't have a liquor license. You can get wine and beer at Foodland. They charge a $10 corkage. The food was inventive fusion. Their signature dish is Ahi nachos.
BTW Costco and Whole Foods are doing well in Maui. At Whole Foods you can usually get Hawaiian beef at reasonable prices. Costco has local fish, cheap gas, great wine, sunscreen and other stuff you may need for the trip.
A word about Open Table the reservation app. Marketfresh Bistro http://marketfreshbistro.com/ in Makawao has a special dinner every other Thursday. I made a reservation through their site which used Open Table. Open Table confirmed my reservation and sent several e-mails confirming our dinner but I never did hear from the restaurant. Anyway we went to the restaurant at the appointed time and it was closed. It appears that OpenTable just blindly takes reservations. Maybe the restaurant did something wrong. I never called to find out. Just one of life's mysteries.
Makawao is upcountry in Maui. We went to their fair one day. Interesting. They had a 4H livestock auction, a rodeo, local food and other vendors. We had fun and it was free except for $5 parking.
Jackson Browne
We saw Jackson Browne at the Beacon Theater in NYC last night. He was great. I had never been to the Beacon. It is a good venue for concerts. Not too big. We sat in the 3rd row of the loge and it was fine. BTW the Beacon is gorgeous. It is extremely ornate inside. Be forewarned, there are very few women's toilets. The women were taking over the stalls in the men's room.
Before the theater we ate a Parm http://www.parmnyc.com/on Columbus Ave. It is run by some of the trendiest restaurateurs in NYC. They are supposed to have the best meatball parm sandwich anywhere. It was good not great. The place is larger and fancier than I thought but is is still very casual. We had chinese ribs, (go figure), faro salad and a small meatball parm sandwich. Would not really go back. Reasonably priced., good ingredients, ok wines but noisy and they have no outdoor seating.
Enjoy.
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