Maui Vendor Reviews
Here are all of the vendor reviews & the recap from Maui... everything from car rental to wedding vendors to activities.
All of these wonderful places, people, and adventures made up the perfect wedding day and a wonderful honeymoon.
All of these wonderful places, people, and adventures made up the perfect wedding day and a wonderful honeymoon.
Maui Jeep rental - A
We really wanted a Jeep Wrangler while on Maui, and while booking through expedia there was no guarantee that we'd get one, so I checked out Maui Jeep Rentals. They don't actually rent the cars themselves, but rather, they find one for you at a car rental place and hold it for you. We got our four door, soft top Jeep Wrangler from Thrifty. It was awesome getting the exact car we wanted while listening to people trying to beg for the last jeep available (not including ours).
vanessa thompson , silver stitch - a+++
My wedding dress was packed into our carry on and had the air vacuumed out of it in a space saver bag. When it arrived it was a wrinkled freaking disaster. I called Vanessa before doing this to make sure that she could work with it and she assured me that she could, it's her job after all!
It was 100% perfect and beautiful on the wedding day. This is an AWESOME way to travel with your dress without the hassle of bringing a garment bag with you on the flight and the risk of not being able to fit it in a closet. It was worry free and spectacular. DO THIS!!! I'm not kidding. It was PERFECT. I also could not speak more highly of Vanessa, she's awesome. She gave me a hug every time she saw me and was awesome to talk to on the phone. She's just so sweet and upbeat... an awesome person to be around! Thanks to fabutan for the recommendation!
The price was right, the service was fantastic, and she's a wonderful person!We got my dress cleaned & steamed before the AHR but it didn't hang as nicely as after Vanessa was done with it.
It was 100% perfect and beautiful on the wedding day. This is an AWESOME way to travel with your dress without the hassle of bringing a garment bag with you on the flight and the risk of not being able to fit it in a closet. It was worry free and spectacular. DO THIS!!! I'm not kidding. It was PERFECT. I also could not speak more highly of Vanessa, she's awesome. She gave me a hug every time she saw me and was awesome to talk to on the phone. She's just so sweet and upbeat... an awesome person to be around! Thanks to fabutan for the recommendation!
The price was right, the service was fantastic, and she's a wonderful person!We got my dress cleaned & steamed before the AHR but it didn't hang as nicely as after Vanessa was done with it.
Makena beach and golf resort - a+
Apparently I didn't think it was important to take a photo of the hotel. Whoops! Well, this was the hotel we stayed at leading up to the wedding and on the wedding night. All of the getting ready photos were taken there and our photographer got some great exteriors of the place. I'll upload them when I get them.
We did also our first look in the atrium of the MB&GR. I'm SO glad we did this. It was so sweet having that moment and the photos are great. He was so freaking cute when he saw me :) We then did family pics at the atrium which is freaking beautiful. I paid $250 for us to get use of it which may seem ridiculous to you but was totally worth it to me. It was really nice getting another varied bg for shots other than just the beach and it gave us the opportunity to use the beautiful shaded area for pictures with the family and some nice portraits before heading out to Po'olenalena.
Anyway, this hotel was amazing. This is such a beautiful resort and we were SO happy to start our trip off there. The grounds are really lovely and the service is really top notch. We ate breakfast and dinner there several times during our stay and the meals were always delicious. There's no need to travel outside of the hotel to eat when the food is that good! If you can book a room with free breakfast, do it! The buffet was fabulous. When we came back to Makena later in the week for snorkeling we went back to the Makena Beach and Golf Resort's breakfast buffet before heading out :)
It was beautiful, the beach in front of the hotel was gorgeous and it's where we did our trash the dress shoot. It's fairly secluded and again, this was a top notch hotel and I have a feeling we'll be back!
We did also our first look in the atrium of the MB&GR. I'm SO glad we did this. It was so sweet having that moment and the photos are great. He was so freaking cute when he saw me :) We then did family pics at the atrium which is freaking beautiful. I paid $250 for us to get use of it which may seem ridiculous to you but was totally worth it to me. It was really nice getting another varied bg for shots other than just the beach and it gave us the opportunity to use the beautiful shaded area for pictures with the family and some nice portraits before heading out to Po'olenalena.
Anyway, this hotel was amazing. This is such a beautiful resort and we were SO happy to start our trip off there. The grounds are really lovely and the service is really top notch. We ate breakfast and dinner there several times during our stay and the meals were always delicious. There's no need to travel outside of the hotel to eat when the food is that good! If you can book a room with free breakfast, do it! The buffet was fabulous. When we came back to Makena later in the week for snorkeling we went back to the Makena Beach and Golf Resort's breakfast buffet before heading out :)
It was beautiful, the beach in front of the hotel was gorgeous and it's where we did our trash the dress shoot. It's fairly secluded and again, this was a top notch hotel and I have a feeling we'll be back!
Te au moana - luau at the wailea marriott - a
This was wonderful too! What a great way to get everyone together and kick off the trip! We got beautiful purple orchid leis and hair flowers, had some group photos taken by the water, and got to eat yummy food while watching a beautiful luau. The fire dancer at the end was freaking intense. After burning my leg though, I was TERRIFIED for him. I might have whimpered out loud a few times. Burns suck!
maui nail bar - a
Wedding day pedis!
They were really good! They also did cute hibiscus flowers on each of our big toes, which is infinitely more awesome than the generic flowers that every nail place does.
Once I get the pro pics I'll show our tootsies.
They were really good! They also did cute hibiscus flowers on each of our big toes, which is infinitely more awesome than the generic flowers that every nail place does.
Once I get the pro pics I'll show our tootsies.
reiko (hair & makeup) - A++
I felt so beautiful! I loved how she took my vague "I want a side bun kind of thing? with... I don't know... some sort of braid?" and turned it into something beautiful! She also did a great job with my makeup and even though it wasn't the way I would have done it, I looked and felt really pretty. My hubby thought so too, which of course was the most important part :)
bill armstrong - maui'd forever - a
He totally gets an A. When we first booked him he was the most responsive of all the coordinators we contacted. He also provided a lot of help above and beyond the ceremony, like discounted activity booking and restaurant recommendations. There were times during the process that he took a little longer to respond than I would have liked but I always got a response and the ceremony was 100% perfect. The flowers were also beautiful! He stopped by to drop them off and then he headed out... in his awesome Lexus... and he had just gotten back from Italy. Haha... seriously though, this guy does an awesome job!
jennifer smutek photography - a+++++
Jen is incredible. We brought her to Maui from Maryland and couldn't be happier with our choice. Thanks to her we got wonderful engagement photos, wedding photos, and trash the dress photos and seriously, we couldn't be happier. She was amazing!
sean hower - videography - a
I was really pleased with him for taking charge and basically running the thing. He did an awesome job. Since we're both video professionals we didn't hire him for anything other than shooting the ceremony. He was also the only person who would work with us that way. Everyone else wanted a full package. He was an awesome guy, totally professional, and again, he took charge of the situation, got us set up in a great spot with great light (which our photographer was appreciative of) and he did some really cool stuff that turned out well. He did a wonderful job. We did a little color correcting, but mostly just to bring out the beautiful Hawaii colors. We are VERY happy with our choice to have him shoot it. To see our final product, which played at our AHR, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaCrCkC966s
dennis derego - officiant - a+
He came all decked out in the Hawaiian garb and he looked awesome. The ceremony was beautiful and Hawaiian and (important to us) entirely non-religious. I love that it had the Hawaiian feel so it didn't feel generic. It was really really lovely. Him and Sean had worked together many times before and it was really great having the two of them working together to make sure we did everything so that the camera could get the best shot, but without interrupting the flow of the ceremony. Dennis showed about 10 minutes before the ceremony time and he was a pure professional.
gannon's - a+
We went to Gannon's for our dinner following the wedding with the family, Jen (photographer) and her husband Jimmy. I didn't take any photos there, I just wanted to relax and enjoy it and I asked Jen to do the same. The food was incredible and the service was great! Gannon's is really really nice inside too.
trash the dress!
This isn't a vendor review, but rather just a testimonial-- DO A TRASH THE DRESS! Barring it ripping, it will not get destroyed, can come clean and it's not like you'll wear it again anyway! (I did, to my AHR, but that's not the point!) These photos are so fun and it gives you a chance to get even more photos of you and your new hubby without making family wait around for you.
AND I got to wear my hair down, so it was different, and I got to use different jewelry so it was varied. :)
AND I got to wear my hair down, so it was different, and I got to use different jewelry so it was varied. :)
road to hana - a+++
That was such an awesome part of the trip! It was a beautiful drive and I got some awesome photos!! The photos from the road to hana can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157627920577581/
We got a gypsy guide, which was the best $70 we spent of the trip (if you do it all in one day it's less than that, but we stayed over night so we did a two day rental). We stopped at the Keane Arboretum, Keane Peninsula, Wai'anapanapa Beach (black sand beach), the Oheo Pools, and a few waterfalls. It was by far my favorite part of the trip.
We got a gypsy guide, which was the best $70 we spent of the trip (if you do it all in one day it's less than that, but we stayed over night so we did a two day rental). We stopped at the Keane Arboretum, Keane Peninsula, Wai'anapanapa Beach (black sand beach), the Oheo Pools, and a few waterfalls. It was by far my favorite part of the trip.
gypsy guide - A++
Do not attempt the Road to Hana without it! You'll miss out on some awesome things and it's a really great way to hear some history about Hawaii and make sure you're going in the right direction :D
Travaasa hana - a++++
We checked in at our 2nd hotel which was the Travaasa Hana (A+++++++ to infinity) (You've probably heard of it as Hotel Hana Maui... it changed owners) We were too cheap to do the Sea Ranch Cottages, we just got a Garden Suite for $345, and we stayed for one night, another thing that isn't an option on the website. But this was the best hotel of the stay and the only one I felt compelled to take pictures of.
They gave us a beautiful gift basket with Maui Style potato chips, DELICIOUS banana bread, star fruit, an avocado, an orange, and a bottle of champagne. So so nice :)We were SO sad to leave Travaasa Hana the next day. It was such a beautiful place, so very Hawaiian, and not in the least touristy. The food was incredible for both dinner and breakfast... and the breakfast was the best we'd had on the island. Though, beware, it's easy to rack up quite the bill. After tip our dinner was about $190. BUT we felt it was way worth it as it was our first dinner alone as a married couple on our honeymoon. That and it was awesome. If you're doing the road to Hana, stay at the Travaasa Hana, at least one night, but if you're like us you'll wish it was longer. It's a beautiful hotel in a beautiful town and the people who work there truly love Hana. You will too. The town of Hana really needs the love and support so please stay there!The next morning, after breakfast, we went down to Hamoa beach and relaxed a bit! It's a public beach, and it's about a mile or two down the road from Hotel Hana, but they have beach chair and towel service down there for hotel guests. It was fun to play in the waves and that was our only beach time the whole trip!
Here are the rest of the photos of the incredible suite! http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157627920564041/
They gave us a beautiful gift basket with Maui Style potato chips, DELICIOUS banana bread, star fruit, an avocado, an orange, and a bottle of champagne. So so nice :)We were SO sad to leave Travaasa Hana the next day. It was such a beautiful place, so very Hawaiian, and not in the least touristy. The food was incredible for both dinner and breakfast... and the breakfast was the best we'd had on the island. Though, beware, it's easy to rack up quite the bill. After tip our dinner was about $190. BUT we felt it was way worth it as it was our first dinner alone as a married couple on our honeymoon. That and it was awesome. If you're doing the road to Hana, stay at the Travaasa Hana, at least one night, but if you're like us you'll wish it was longer. It's a beautiful hotel in a beautiful town and the people who work there truly love Hana. You will too. The town of Hana really needs the love and support so please stay there!The next morning, after breakfast, we went down to Hamoa beach and relaxed a bit! It's a public beach, and it's about a mile or two down the road from Hotel Hana, but they have beach chair and towel service down there for hotel guests. It was fun to play in the waves and that was our only beach time the whole trip!
Here are the rest of the photos of the incredible suite! http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157627920564041/
mama's fish house - A+++
We went to Mama's for lunch on the way back from Hana and omg so freaking good. They had a card on the table for us waiting with congratulations. We had delicious entrees (which was the only meal I took photos of) mine was crab and lobster stuffed mahi, Steve had some sort of vanilla shrimp with coconut rice, and then we had home made pineapple sorbet and pineapple macadamia nut cheesecake. HOLY WOW. Good stuff. Seriously. Best meal on the island. And that's saying a lot, we had some amazing meals.
ka'anapali beach hotel - a-
The only reason this is rated as an A- is because it was not as nice as our other two hotels. It was a little touristy which was a contrast from Travaasa Hana which really took some getting used to. I was even a little miffed at the touristy-ness of it at first, but then I realized I was being ridiculous and appreciated it for what it was. The rooms were nice, we had a beautiful view, and the grounds were pretty. The dinner was mediocre at best and not worth the money. Breakfast was okay as long as you ordered off the menu. It was cheaper than the buffet and way better. I got Hawaiian Sweet Bread French Toast the last morning of the trip and it was awesome!
air maui - helicopter tour - a+++
Then we headed off to The Kahului Heliport for our Helicopter tour with Air Maui (A+++++). This was Steve's favorite part of the trip, and probably my second favorite (the night/morning of our Hana stay, going to the sacred pools, hanging out at Hanoa beach and enjoying Hana was my favorite) I got some AMAZING aerial shots and it was really cool to get that perspective of the island.
Here are the lovely aerial photos I got: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157628045313200/
Here are the lovely aerial photos I got: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157628045313200/
skyline eco tours, ka'anapali - a+
It was AWESOME! There were 8 ziplines, the longest was a quarter mile long. It was fun, the view was beautiful, it was down the west Maui mountains with a gorgeous view of the ocean and Lana'i. They provided lunch as well. Our guides, Cliff and Mason were SO funny and a lot of fun to hang out with. This was a FOUR HOUR TOUR. It was long but awesome and totally worth it. Don't wear anything you want to wear again on the trip!!! You will be COVERED with dirt. My shoes will never be clean again.
Trust me, even though it was on the less than pretty part of the West Maui Mountain, the view was spectacular.
Trust me, even though it was on the less than pretty part of the West Maui Mountain, the view was spectacular.
snorkeling turtle bay and molokini on kai kanani - A+
The following morning we went snorkeling on the Kai Kanani (A+) which left from out front of the MB&G resort. The photos kind of suck. We just got a disposable underwater camera. This was a four hour tour that included breakfast, snacks, lunch and cocktails. We snorkeled Turtle Bay and swam with the sea turtles and then at the Molokini crater. This was truly incredible. I'm a huge huge fish nerd and I was telling Steve all about which ones were which :) I'm glad he at least pretended to care.
Seriously though, it was beautiful and the pictures don't do it justice.
Seriously though, it was beautiful and the pictures don't do it justice.
haleakala - A
That evening we drove up to the top of Haleakala where we had hoped to watch the sunset. Up at the summit it was far too cloudy to see anything, so we were disappointed, and drove back down.
Just as we got around the Leilani Lookout (sp?) the clouds opened up a bit (but not above us) and I got some beautiful shots of the sunset. We also shared a sweet moment on the hiking trail. It was really romantic :)
Here are the photos from 9,000 + elevation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157628045314936/
Just as we got around the Leilani Lookout (sp?) the clouds opened up a bit (but not above us) and I got some beautiful shots of the sunset. We also shared a sweet moment on the hiking trail. It was really romantic :)
Here are the photos from 9,000 + elevation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/breamarie/sets/72157628045314936/