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Emily: The great thing about Hawaii is that there is so much to do! The selection of activities is much better than in Bora Bora, and they are much cheaper as well. This post will highlight the activities we did in and around the Hyatt Regency hotel, including:
- The Hyatt Regency Pool
- The Hyatt Regency Spa Moana
- The Stargazing Tour at the Hyatt Regency
- Snorkeling by Black Rock
- Atlantis Submarine Tour
- Shopping on Front Street
- The “Drums of the Pacific” Luau at the Hyatt
- Introduction and Planning
- Alaska Airlines First Class & Getting Locked Out of Our Car!
- Hyatt Regency Maui, Ocean Suite
- Hyatt Regency Maui
- Eating Around the Hyatt Regency Maui
- Activities Around the Hyatt Regency Maui
- Hyatt Regency Maui Ocean Front Room
- Grand Wailea – Terrace View Room
- The Grand Wailea
- Grand Wailea Spa
- Eating Around the Grand Wailea
- Activities Around the Grand Wailea
- The Road to Hana
- United Flight From Hawaii
- Blog Giveaway & Conclusion
The Hyatt Regency Pool
After breakfast one day, I wanted to lay by the pool, and Daraius wanted to work and rest in the hotel room. I went out to look for sea turtles around the rocks by our hotel, but I did not see any sea turtles.
I did have a nice time relaxing in the sun by the pool. I swam the entire length, and was surprised by the “deep” waters. The water averaged about 5’6”, which is exactly my height. I had to keep swimming to stay above water, which made for a good exercise!
I also went down their huge water slide. The slide would be perfect for adventurous pre-teens who can swim well, but due to the high speeds and deep water you plunge into (and have to swim out of), I would not recommend it for young children. There is a separate play area for younger kids with animals and shallower waters.
The Hyatt Regency Spa Moana
One day, I got a manicure, which is a special treat for me since I usually do my own nails to save money. I enjoyed relaxing and using the sauna, dry heat room, and Jacuzzi before my manicure, which is free if you book a salon or spa appointment.
The manicurist did a great job and I tried the shellac on my nails. The great thing about shellac is that you don’t have to worry about chipping your polish. It’s very tough and resistant to chipping.
Stargazing tour
After dinner, we went on a stargazing tour on the rooftop of the Hyatt Regency called Tour of the Stars. It’s an hour-long rooftop astronomy program with telescopes and extra large binoculars and cost $25 for adults and $15 for kids.
We saw Jupiter, Sirius, constellations, galaxies and more! Kidding aside, Darius and I really liked the session and the gentleman conducting the session was a retired astronomer from NASA!
I did my best “Leo the Lion” impersonation.
Black Rock
After breakfast, we went for a walk along the shore to Black Rock for some snorkeling. It is about a 20 minute walk down the beach from the Hyatt (turn right and walk on the beach until you come to the black rocks!)
Daraius prefers staying on land, so I went in with my snorkeling equipment.
I saw lots of fish in all different sizes. After a while, I came back because the water was very deep and I had to keep swimming or float to stay above water. I am not the best swimmer, and neither is Daraius. The waters can be dangerous because they are deep.
He kept a good watch on me the whole time because I could see him from the sea.
Atlantis Submarine Tour
After lunch, we went on the Atlantis submarine tour.
Daraius and I got tickets at Costco near the Maui airport for $90, but found tickets for $50 at a little stand on the street by the large Banyan tree in Lahaina. We had never heard of Atlantis submarines, but picked up tickets at Costo (an impulse buy!)
There are also discounts if you buy online and a military discount.
Oh, well, we know for next time! We boarded a shuttle boat, and then went out to sea where we waited for the submarine to arrive.
We were very excited since neither of us had been on a submarine.
Even though Daraius isn’t a fan of the water, he was enjoying himself.
The views from the boat were gorgeous!
Soon, we docked in the water and could see something white coming up from beneath the ocean.
Little did we know that the submarine was underwater (we thought it would be on the surface waiting for us), and it was really cool to see it come up from under the water!
Soon, the submarine was docked and we got on.
The submarine could fit 48 people and cost $3.5 million to build in 1985. We all sat back to back to each other in 2 rows, and had large glass viewing circles in front of us, so there was no bad seat anywhere. We gradually submerged to 100 feet, and we could see lots of fish, coral reef, and even the bottom of the ocean! We saw a small white tip reef shark…
In addition to seeing all of the fish, the tour was humorously narrated my an expert tour guide. He shared with us lots of facts about marine life, and played fun music to heighten the experience, including James Bond, and lots more.
One time, he said very seriously, “Look over there! I can see it!” And, waited for us to look out the window. And then announced that it was Leonardo Dicaprio from Titanic and played the Titanic theme song, “My Heart will Go On.” It was funny!
Daraius thought it was cheesy, but he’s too serious sometimes. 🙂
We also saw an old sunken ship which had lots of coral…
The tour guide said that divers could come down here and explore the whole ship. That would be fun and if only I knew how to dive!
The tour lasted almost 2 hours, some of which was loading/transport time. The submarine tour was my favorite activity thus far in Hawaii. Daraius agreed too!
Banyan Tree LAHAINA
We went to see the large banyan tree, which is the biggest is the US.
I have never seen a tree that big!
The tree took up the whole plaza.
It was neat to see its vertical roots. Daraius has seen lots of Banyan trees in India, but I’ve rarely seen them.
Shopping On Front Street
We then walked around Front Street and went into a few little shops.
I was so excited to discover a shop that sold scented bath salts! Every time I take a bath I’m reminded of our Maui trip.
Hawaiian Luau
Our final activity around the Hyatt regency was a traditional Hawaiian luau. We booked “Drums of the Pacific” which was held at the Hyatt Regency so we didn’t have to travel.
Daraius: I’m don’t really like forced cultural shows with loud music and overpriced food, but Emily really wanted to see one.
There was an open bar (always a waste on us because we have only 1 drink!), complete with mai tais and fruit punch, as well as a full buffet with traditional food such as kalua pork, chicken, and mahi mahi.
There was tons of food, and Daraius had a feast.
I opted to be safe, and ordered a special meal from the kitchen due to my fish allergy.
The head chef recommended a chicken stir fry for me, so I had that, and it was very good. I loved the fresh broccoli and carrots.
I was very grateful that I could eat something at the luau since I planned on not eating since it was a buffet with unknown ingredients. The server also confirmed that the desserts were fish-free, so I tried the coconut pudding, pineapple upside down cake, bread pudding, and chocolate mousse. The service was very good!
I loved the bread pudding, and the pineapple upside down cake was also very good.
There was also a delicious salsa, fresh fruit, and vegetables.
It was nice to chat with the folks sitting around us and everyone was so happy to be in Maui!
During dinner, there was traditional music and dance. My favorite shows were the fashion show, where models came out wearing different styles of traditional Hawaiian clothes and showed us how to wrap/tie them. I also liked the fire dancer.
It was amazing to see how quickly and confidently he handled the fire. He even put it into his mouth!
The female performers wore beautiful costumes while dancing.
And were so graceful!
We wouldn’t go back to a Luau, but it was nice to try it out once!