Frog Blog

Whale watching season in Hawaii runs from Approximately December 15th to April 15th.  It’s early right now, but we felt we’d share some great photos a good friend has shared with us from last years’ whale watching sessions.

The most exciting whale activity to see is a breach.  This is when a humpback whale launches its body out of the water, usually about 3/4 of the body.  In this image, the whale has almost completely left the water!  Incredible shot.  Sherrie Miller-Evans took the photos and commented:

“This wonderful juvenile was in such a playful state. Look at the fabulous breach with all but his tail in stately orbit. He graced us with several of these high flying breaches before settling down.”

They certainly had a treat, but these breaches are not all that uncommon on a whale watch. During Maui’s peak of whale season, around February, there are so many whales in the water that it’s difficult not to watch them breaching.

This next photograph shows a Pec Slap.  This is when a whale slaps its pectoral fin against the surface of the water.  You’ll regularly see humpbacks slapping dozens of times in a row.  Sherrie observed:

“It can be seen in most pods or by a lone animal which only confuses the matter about why do humpback whales do that.  It a can be seen as a sign of aggression or anger in a comp pod, as playful amusement among calves or juveniles or as a means of communication among adults.”

You can enjoy some of the best whale watching on Maui while cruising with the Quicksilver Catamaran out of Maalaea Harbor.  With 2 decks, you’ll have many different vantage points to view the whales.  Also, check out some other exciting Maui Activities. To make reservations, call (808) 662-0075.

OK, I know this is a Maui Blog, but this review of the Big Island of Hawaii is really great and should be shared.  One of our Maui editors island-hopped to the Big Island for a day with some powerful photos and exciting experiences.  We hope you enjoy Kristine’s review below!

“My husband and I had attended the Big Island Grand Volcano Tour with Discover Hawaii Tours last weekend [Booked at the best price with Boss Frog’s at (808) 661-3333.] We wanted to express how much fun we had on this tour.

Upon arriving in Hilo, we headed to the designated location to meet up with our tour guide John.  All 11 of us were put on a mini coach bus. I loved the fact that it was a smaller bus and a small crowd.

Our first stop was at Big Island Candy Factory. I don’t think it was part of the Itinery, but the driver wanted to make sure we started the day off right.  Inside, we got to try numerous samples of candies and cookies; along with a glass viewing section of how the chocolate is made. 

We made our way down through Banyan Drive and Liliuokalani Gardens. You’ll find bridges, fishponds, a lovely gazebo and beautiful statues throughout Liliuokalani Gardens.

We then headed to see Historic Hilo Town. This is when the rain started. It didn’t bother us one bit. We kind of expected it to rain in Hilo. We enjoyed walking around town and going to the Farmers Market. At the Farmers Market, you can get almost any type of fresh fruit, vegetable, or flowers for very reasonable prices. We stopped at a local stand and tried a few sweet rolls.

After seeing the Historic Town of Hilo, we headed to Rainbow Falls. This was an amazing waterfall. We spent about 15 minutes at the waterfall taking pictures and enjoying the view.

We continued on to Volcano National Park. Inside the park we made numerous stops. We viewed the Kilauea Iki Crater , Thurston Lava Tube (one of my favorite spots), Kilauea Caldera & Halemaumau Pit Crater, Jagger Museum, and rainforests. Throughout the drive we could see numerous blowing steam vents. We did pull over to check one out. Very cool.

Afterwards, we headed to lunch. We ate at a restaurant called “Legends Bar & Grill”. They have awesome burgers. Service was great and the people are very friendly.

We continued our drive towards the viewing of active lava flows. Along the way, we stopped off at a black sand beach. Most of the beach area is covered with lava.  We hiked on a designated trial about 5 minutes through the existing lava fields to get to the Black Sand Beach. It’s quite the sight to see. We wanted to explore more, but it decided to rain during the time we had just made it to the beach.

Back on the bus and ready to see some active lava flows. We waited a few minutes on the bus to let the rain pass. Only because our next stop was in the same direction the rain was headed. 

After leaving the Black Sand Beach, we drove a few minutes to the entrance of where the vehicles can proceed down the road to see the lava flows. We were in a Mini Coach bus and that was too big to take on the road. So we all transferred into a Mini Van that they had waiting for us. It was a about a 5 minute ride in the van to get to the drop off spot. The roads are narrow and bumpy.

We had about an hour to walk around before meeting back at the van. We proceeded down one of the two paths. We first chose to walk the path that led towards the ocean. We were not able to make it all the way down to the ocean. They had a section roped off for viewing & picture taking.  All we could see was the big plume of smoke about 3/4 mile away. It was behind some rock/cliff formations. We were too far way to see any active lava.  We then took the other path that led down a road. I was hoping to get a better view. We walked about 5 minutes down the road and we came to a dead end.

The dead end was a recent lava flow that had happened 4 weeks prior to our visit and had covered the road. We were able to walk on the lava in certain sections. Some sections of the lava were still soft and too dangerous to walk on. I wasn’t able to see that plume of smoke that we saw from the other location. There were tons of tall trees blocking our view. Even though we didn’t get to see any active lava, seeing the recent lava and walking on it was pretty neat.

This was the last activity on the tour. We got back on the Mini Coach Bus and headed to the airport.  We had a short 30-minute bus ride back to the airport.

We thanked our tour guide for showing us a wonderful time around the Island. He did a great job! Very friendly and knowledgeable with everything. We had a great time with Discover Hawaii Tours and we will definitely be back!”

To book the most discounted rates with Discover Hawaii Tours, call (808) 661-3333.  

The following is a review submitted for the Quicksilver Snorkeling Cruise to Molokini Crater and Turtle Town.

“Upon arrival to Maalaea Harbor, I was helped by the staff immediately as they directed me to free parking in front of their slip.  As we proceeded with the trip, I was educated on the principles of snorkeling, basic water safety concerns, and entertained as well while cruising out to Molokini.

The snorkel gear was high quality and enhanced my experience in the clear blue waters of Molokini.  We snorkeled for about an hour, which was an excellent amount of time.  We then made our way to Turtle Town, which was awesome; I saw turtles all over the place, Turtle Town lived up to the name and was an event in itself.  Near the end of the Turtle Town snorkel session, delicious burgers were served up, with tasty pasta salad, complimented with beers, mai tais, other mixed drinks (for only $1!), and non-alcoholic beverages as well. 

We kept cruising after Turtle Town to check out the Makena coastline and saw many whales, as we were entertained by males in a competition for female attention.  The bar closing is a signal that our trip is coming to an end, as we cruise back into Maalaea Harbor to dock and check out the photos that were taken  upon check-in.

In recollection, the trip was excellent; there were good times, a very helpful and knowledgeable crew, many whales, turtles, and an awesome variety of fish.  The boozeand burgers sealed the deal while the boat’s comfortably mild motion kept it all down.  Well worth my time and highly recommended.”

Reserve your seats now for the Quicksilver Snorkeling Cruise.

The cheapest and perhaps most exhilerating activity experienced in Hawaii is snorkeling.  For the cost of a few dollars, you can have an entire day of fun with your friends and family. Before you begin your Maui Snorkeling adventure, follow these simple tips.

1. Get The Right Gear

The first thing that most people do wrong when planning to snorkel in Hawaii is rent over-priced gear, or purchase really bad gear.  The snorkel gear you can buy at stores like Kmart and Walmart are really only good for the swimming pool.  If you want good gear at the best price, rent gear from a respected shop on your Hawaiian Island.  Boss Frog’s will set you up with gear that our knowledgeable representatives will make sure fit you and keep you safe from ocean water consumption.  Some snorkel shops rent poor quality gear.  Boss Frog’s rents the highest quality gear at rock-bottom prices.

2. Practice Safe Snorkeling

Review the top ten ocean safety tips by MauiSnorkeling.com.  These are very important as the ocean is powerful and can be fatal if dealt with improperly.  The tips are easy to follow and mostly common sense, but it helps to keep them in mind to ensure a respectful and safe snorkel experience. 

3. Go To The Best Snorkel Location

The easiest way to find out where to go is to ask a professional.  Call a snorkel expert toll free at 1-888-700-3764 to find out the best and safest places to snorkel.  Conditions change from one day to the next, so the advice of an expert living in the area is crucial in order to find the best clarity, most abundant sea life, and safest spot.  Review a Maui Snorkeling Map before doing a beach entry.  If you want to be confident that you’ll have the best snorkeling experience possible, take a Maui Snorkeling Cruise to Molokini Crater or Turtle Town.  On these catamaran cruises, you’ll be taken to where the clarity is best by your experienced captain and crew.

 4. Have Fun Without Impacting The Reef!

Enjoy the beauty of our ocean with family and friends.  If you remain respectful of the life around you, you will enjoy all of it’s perks.  Be certain to leave the ocean the way it was when you arrived by not touching anything.  Corals and other sealife are very fragile.

 See you in the water!

What is all this talk about the Road to Hana? If you don’t already know, driving the Road to Hana is one of the best things to do in all of Maui.  Personally, I don’t like to drive at all, but never the less, you’ll find me making the journey at least once a year. Why, you ask?  The sights and smells of the lush rainforest and it’s many waterfalls and coastal views make the Hana Highway one of the best drives in the world.  Where else can you pull off a jungle road to swim under a waterfall while watching the ocean crash in front of you?  The Road to Hana is magical for many reasons, and this is why you’ll find so many people taking advantage of the excursion. 

What’s the best way to see the Road to Hana? Get up EARLY and make the drive with an open mind and patient demeanor.  Passengers will get the most out of this trip, so taking turns from driving are important.  The best way to do Hana is by taking a Road to Hana Tour.  Knowledgeable locals guide these tours from air-conditioned luxury vans.  Everyone along for the ride is able to enjoy the uninterrupted views. 

If you’re driving it yourself, make certain to prepare for the journey.  The more prepared you are, the better you’ll enjoy the trip.  Some of the many Road to Hana tips to consider include getting rest the night before, leaving early, bringing bug spray, filling your gas tank, and bringing a camera.  If you drive yourself, think about buying a Road to Hana CD.  These helpful CD’s will guide you to the best of the Road to Hana.

Drive safe and have fun!

Aloha,

Below we’ve listed some great casual as well as fine dining restaurants in Maui that we think you’ll enjoy.

Wokstar International Noodle Cafe

Located across from the big whale at Kalama Beach Park, Wokstar is a small casual open-air restaurant serving affordably-priced delicious meals off of South Kihei Road.  Next door to Life’s A Beach, Wokstar offers a healthy alternative to the many over-priced restaurants around Maui.  Impressed equally by the quality of the food as we were with the professional attentive service, we recommend this Maui restaurant to everyone we meet.  A Maui-Must-Do!

Chez Paul

Located halfway between Maalaea and Lahaina next to the Olowalu General Store, Chez Paul’s Restaurant Francais is one not to miss. This extraordinary restaurant has first-class French Cuisine and tremendous wines too. Lunch and dinner are both incredibly satisfying with Hors D’Oeuvres such as cappuccino of lobster bisque with cognac and entrees like Shoyu and Grand Marnier carmalized pacific salmon with citrus beurre blanc. Chez Paul is a great spot to stop at on the way to or from Lahaina. It’s only a short scenic drive from Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kihei, and Maalaea. Chez Paul has quickly become Boss Frog’s favorite restaurant on the island.

Stella Blues

Stella Blues Cafe’s theme was highly influenced by the Grateful Dead and their contemporaries in the Music scene. It’s an attractive restaurant with a full bar and savoury meals. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Kihei next to the Long’s Shopping Center, Stella Blues has inspired live music and enticing food. After your first meal here, you’ll see why this restaurant a local favorite.  www.stellablues.com

Maui Brewing Co.

Having recently won 3 medals at the World Beer Cup, Maui Brewing Co. has garnered world recognition for it’s handcrafted beers.  Their Lagers and Ales are the best in Hawaii!  You can enjoy them at their location on Maui, in  Kahana.  Enjoy the warm and inviting ambiance as well as delicious fine foods.  Unlike other “Hawaiian beers”, Maui Brewing Co.’s packaged microbrews are genuinely Hawaiian-Made.   http://www.mauibrewingco.com

Fred’s Mexican Cafe

You don’t need to go South of the border to find South Maui’s favorite Mexican restaurant. Fred’s is conveniantly Located in South Kihei only a few blocks South of Dolphin Plaza. Fred’s is an easy-going place and perfect for getting some good Mexican for lunch or dinner. Extremely popular on Tuesday nights, you’ll want to get there early for the “taco Tuesday” prices and fun.

Mulligan’s on the Blue

On the Wailea Blue Golf Course across from the Kea Lani, Mulligan’s is the best Irish pub and restaurant in Maui. Irish owned and ran, you’ll get everything that you need from traditional Irish cuisine to a thick pint of Guiness. The views from the large outside courtyard are awe-inspiring. During whale season, humpbacks are visible breaching in the distance. The live music can’t be beat, which makes Mulligan’s another local favorite.  http://www.mulligansontheblue.com/

Roy’s Bar and Grill

With two great locations in Maui, both Kihei and Kahana Roy’s Bar and Grill will prepare you some of the best fish you’ve ever had. One of the finer restaurants in Maui, mom and dad will love this romantic incredible meal. Their entrees are delicious, the service is professional and friendly, and the ambiance upscale and comfortable. Roy’s is only open for dinner.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

On Maui’s West Shoreline, This Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant fits in perfectly with the relaxed, fun atmosphere. Located on the water on Front Street, Cheeseburger in Paradise has fun, lively atmosphere and is in the heart of Lahaina. With fun live music and 2 stories with views, you’ll love this casual restaurant.

Cool Cat Cafe

Come to Cool Cat Cafe for an authentic American Diner experience. Located in Lahaina, With a mid century theme, the atmosphere holds smells of good food and great nostalgic memories. Cool Cat Cafe has been voted #1 on the Island by Boss Frog employees.

Also, see Boss Frog’s Maui restaurant guide will give you all the good info you need to make the best choices about what to eat while you are on Maui. Choose from Lahaina, Kihei and Wailea or Kahului and Wailuku. The Maui restaurants are grouped by price range for your convenience. Also be sure to check out our Maui secrets and picks page for some local favorites. Click below for more options in Maui for great restaurants.

For Catering and Personal Chef Services we recommend Maui Executive Catering.

Last night a large crowd of music lovers eagerly awaited the performance of Hip Hop artist Lauryn Hill at the MACC (Maui Arts and Cultural Center.)  The Big Island’s Pepper opened for the eight time Grammy winner for Bob Fest 2007.

As far as venues go, the MACC is rarely paralleled.  This open-air forum holds views of the sun setting through the high clouds of the West Maui Mountains.  It often surprises residents when big names decide to play here due to the MACC’s inability to accomodate large audiences.  When a big name like Lauryn Hill does play here, it’s truly a treat for those able to attend this small venue.

Among many artists to open was Pepper.  From Kona, Hawai’i, these three alternative musicians made our neighbors on the Big Island proud.  Their unique sound pulls from punk, reggae, ska, and rock n’ roll.  Judging by their enthusiastic applause and committed lyrics, the crowd confidently chose Pepper as their favorites of the night.  Pepper’s standout performance made fans out of the most unlikely audience members.  We’ll all be seeing much more of these three talented young men in the future.

The anticipation for our headliner was enormous. Once the fast paced singing/raping from Lauryn Hill’s soulful voice began booming through the warm Maui air, the entire crowd began to dance.  Though after playing Oahu then the Big Island in succession, her voice had been stretched past it’s limits.  It seems that the sound system on the Big Island was poor, and she had to make up for it by pushing her voice harder than what was regularly necessary.  Unfortunately, this made for a raspier and less beautiful singing from this incredible artist.  This came not from a lack of trying; I’ve never seen a singer push so hard to give an audience what they wanted.  If it had been anyone else, the performance would have been stunning.  It’s a shame that most of us know what she’s normally capable of.

All in all, the Bob Fest show was a success.  Big names or small, any show at the MACC really shouldn’t be missed.

Go to MauiArts.org for future show times.

     Well put my blog foot in my mouth! Less than a day after informing the world that there was only one authentic Chinese restaurant in West Maui, I learned that the owners of China Boat had opened a new location. The new location is right off of Highway 30 in Ka’anapali at the Fairway Shops mall.

     China Boat has been a long time favorite so we decided to give it a shot last night. China Bowl is set in a comfortable casual luncheon style setting and the menu is quite different from the China Boat menu. The new menu features 13 appetizers including pineapple coconut fried shrimp, pot stickers and cream cheese crab wontons, 5 soups and three salads. The menu also includes some rice meals and some noodles as well as ramen, udon and saimin. The signature dishes are offered a little bit different than the usual. First you choose your chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetables or tofu, then you choose from one of nine different sauces. The choices include sweet and sour, spicy black bean sauce, curry, garlic broccoli and the China Bowl Special ( a dark ginger sauce with vegetables that can be spicy or not) among others.

     We had already had a small early meal so we decided to stop in for a small snack and check out some of the apps. We started off with the hot and sour soup which was nice and thick, served hot and pretty spicy for a normal hot and sour ( a big plus in my book). We tried the veggie egg rolls next. They were fried nice and crispy with a light shell and served with sweet and sour and spicy mustard. The final dish we tried was the spicy wonton with chinese green. This was awesome, the broen sauce was thick and sweet with a great spicy zing. The wontons were filled with just the right amount of meat and the greens were cooked but still a bit crispy.

     Every thing was great and the service was excellent! We made a new friend with the owner’s son Victor and had a great snack. We will definately be returning here often.

China Bowl

808-661-0660

Fairway Shops at Ka’anapali on Highway 30

    Tucked away on Lower Honopi’ilani Road in Kahana, it would be easy to miss China Boat even when you are driving past. If you are in the mood for traditional Chinese this is the only place in West Maui, so it is definitely worth seeking out.

     The menu offers a tremendous variety to choose from for appetizers, soups and entrees. You will find a wade variety of traditional dishes with poultry, seafood, beef or pork, as well as a huge list of vegetarian offerings. Some of the chef’s suggestions include crispy fish filet in butter garlic sauce, sweet and pungent shrimp, kung pao three flavor and sesame beef or chicken.

     The decor at China Boat is your pretty standard Chinese restaurant setting, with a few Maui ocean pictures thrown in for good measure. The seating is comfortable and not too crowded in, and even with several diners around us the restaurant does not feel to busy.

     For starters we ordered Hot and Sour soup for two. The soup arrived quickly and was nice and hot. Next we tried the appetizer sampler which includes an eggroll, crab lagoon, shrimp toast and BBQ ribs. This is a great starter giving you a chance to sample a variety of different tastes. The eggroll is crispy and fried hot, the shrimp toast is nice and fluffy with egg and shrimp goodness, I didn’t try the crab, but the dish also featured a surprisingly large serving of short ribs, which were a little fatty but still tasty.

     For entrees we tried the sweet and pungent shrimp and the beef with broccoli. The sweet and pungent shrimp is one of my favorite dishes on the menu. It is similiar to sweet and sour shrimp, except that the shrimp are fried in a much lighter batter and the sauce is almost clear while being sweet and a little sour. The preparation is just a little lighter overall and not quite so candy sweet like the traditional sweet and sour sauce. The beef and broccoli was cooked just right with a nice slightly sweet brown sauce.

     If you are in West Maui and craving good Chinese food, head on up to Kahana for Chinese done right.

China Boat

4474 Lower Honoapi’ilani Rd

808-669-5089

     For the second straight week, the highway between Ma’alaea and Lahaina was closed due to brush fires. After a comical attempt to head around the North of the island that ended in a ginormous traffic jam at Honokahau Valley, we decided that instead of waiting two plus hours in traffic to get home, we would head to Kihei for some shopping and to get some dinner.

     First we stopped at the Kihei Kalama Village to wander through the open air market. Here you can find silver jewelry, unique imported goods and all the nick-knacks you might need at reasonable prices. Don’t be afraid to haggle here as most of the prices are negotiable. After wandering around a bit we decided it was time for dinner and decided to head on over to Stella Blue’s.

     Stella Blue’s is a Grateful Dead themed restaurant located in Azeka’s Mauka Shopping Center in Kihei. If you are looking for a moderately priced high end dining experience to rival some of the resort restaurants Stella Blue’s is a great choice.

     The menu at Stella Blue’s is quite large featuring several salads including a caprese and a classic caeser. Appetizers range from crispy crabcakes to the funky mahi and ahi nachos. The choices for entrees include shrimp scampi, fresh local fish prepared in any of four different styles, NY steak, stir frys and a tofu red curry.

     For our appetizer, we selected the eye’s of the world roll. This is an ahi nori roll dipped in a tempura batter and lightly fried. The ahi was amazing, with the melt in your mouth texture that you just have to love. Natalie decided to try the special of the day, which was NY steak with a blue cheese demi-glace. The steak was good, and the bleu cheese was excellent. I meant to ask if it was a maytag but I forgot. I tried the coconut shrimp which came with 9 huge shrimp on three skewers with a steamed veggie mix and mash potatoes. The mashies were the best I’ve had since coming to Maui!

     Overall it was a great meal, in a surprisingly upscale feeling restaurant (given that it is a Grateful Dead themed place). The seating is comfortable, and the vintage posters on the walls are fun and entertaining. We will definitely give them another visit in the near future.

Stella Blue’s

808-874-3779

Kihei Azeka II Shopping Center on South Kihei Road

Hope to see you here in Maui soon!