Oahu? Maui?

[hlm34]

Just wondering if anyone has been to oahu and/or maui and know of any good restaurants i should try that are friendly to those of us, or maybe even (i hope i hope) have gluten free menus?? Heading there this summer for my honeymoon and just wondering.

[jenvan]

That's where I went on my honeymoon! Congrats girl--we loved Maui

Ck out this other thread on Hawaii--might give you some info. Also, ck out Elonwy--she is from Hawaii--lucky girl!

[hlm34]

hi! we arent going till July, but we just booked it so its on my mind constantly. so excited. Which thread?

PS. Got the rosa mosqueta. love love love it. good tip. thanks so much!

[jkmunchkin]

I just went to Maui on my honeymoon back in October. (well and the Big Island but that won't help you).

There is an Outback which has a gluten-free menu, and in the same shopping center as Outback there is a restaurant called Roy's (probably one on Oahu also) that while they don't have a gluten-free menu they are EXTREMELY helpful and accomodating. Just let your waitstaff know you're restrictions. They will then check with the chef to see what is ok for you (the menu changes daily). We went twice, once on each island; and both times one of the entrees I could have came with a fish I didn't particulary care for but they were great about making the same sauce/dish but with the fish I wanted. And the chocolate souffle is a must!! It is the most amazing cake ever. It is their signature desert and complelely gluten-free.

Maui was the 2nd island we went to so by that point I was getting a little tired of explaining my food for 2 weeks. So I'm embarrassed to say but we went to a Denny's one night so I could have a cheese omlette. LOL!!

Tommy Bahamas had an incredible soup, but unfortunately I don't remember what it was. But they had some good options for you. And also right across from Tommy Bahamas is a Ruth Chris.

Where are you staying?

On a slightly different topic than the food; skip the sunrise bike tour!! They really push this. Save yourself the agony of waking up at 2:30am... nothing that spectacular. And we didn't even opt to do the bike ride. We went for the version where they transport you there and back in a van. We laughed the whole way back watching everyone on their bikes because you all watch the same sunrise. The only difference is then we got into a nice warm van to take us back to the hotel while all these other people had to freeze their butts off biking down the mountain. But trust me, either way... not worth it. I'll send you the pics and save you the trouble.

[jenvan]

Open Original Shared Link

Ah! I'm such a smoker! (Don't mean that literally--I always use 'smoker' to describe someone not using their brain. Hence me, when I forgot to add the link!)

We went to Roy's--was not gluten-free at the time, but was a nice restaurant that I am also sure would accomodate. Had I been diagnosed when we had gone I could have been more help--and I probably would have had even more fun on the trip!!

Can I give you one tip unrelated to food? If you do the 'Road to Hanna' I definitely recommend NOT driving up and back the same way, as most people do. Go the entire way around the island--that way you get to see all the different climate zones, vegetation etc. The Road to Hanna is a tropical climate, but the other side around goes through a desert-like rocky area too with some amazing views. You'll be able to see the volcano too on that side (can't remember the name!!). Anywho--it was a really remarkable drive... The Road up is also really slow--has hundreds of curves on it--can get very tedious and old at the end, so the opposite drive is a nice change. This would take most of a day. Pack snacks and/or a lunch. Okay, that's my two cents!

[jkmunchkin]

Can I give you one tip unrelated to food? If you do the 'Road to Hanna' I definitely recommend NOT driving up and back the same way, as most people do. Go the entire way around the island--that way you get to see all the different climate zones, vegetation etc. The Road to Hanna is a tropical climate, but the other side around goes through a desert-like rocky area too with some amazing views. You'll be able to see the volcano too on that side (can't remember the name!!). Anywho--it was a really remarkable drive... The Road up is also really slow--has hundreds of curves on it--can get very tedious and old at the end, so the opposite drive is a nice change. This would take most of a day. Pack snacks and/or a lunch. Okay, that's my two cents!

I agree, must do the Road to Hana. Unfortunately we didn't have the option of going all the way around because of some road closure or something, but we did end up seeing when we did the sunrise tour to Mt. Haleakka (sp?). Mark Twain said there are 2 kind of fools. "those that never take the Road to Hana and those that do it more than once." LOL!!! Really gorgeous but yead definately not something you want to do multiple times.

Oh and I definately reccomend Surf lessons. Sooooooooo much fun. And this is coming from one of the least coordinated, unathletic people ever. We used Goofy Foot surf school. John was our instructor.. he was awesome. Oh and this other guy Armadillo was another instructor. Cool guy.

Make sure you get Maui Revealed and Oahu Revealed. They are the best guide books hands down.

[jenvan]

The sunset bike tour--ha ha! That made me laugh Jillian when I read it. I think my dh and I contemplated doing that for about 1 minute... We're not morning people

[jkmunchkin]

The sunset bike tour--ha ha! That made me laugh Jillian when I read it. I think my dh and I contemplated doing that for about 1 minute... We're not morning people

LOL!! I still say that was one of the worst decisions I ever made. I actually had us signed up to do the bike version of it even but once I read that atleast 1 - 2 people per week die on that I cancelled that reservation real quick. Hi, can we say completely uncoordinated girl with no depth perception!!! Somehow I don't think biking down a mountain that twists and turns every other foot is for me. Somehow I thought the van version would be more enjoyable. It wasn't.

[jenvan]

Yeah, the bike idea freaked me out too. Maybe with an extra set of brakes !

[hlm34]

Hey guys! thanks for all the tips! i sure appreciate it. I have to admit that i am a bit overwhelmed with all there is to do out there so i will take all the personal recommendations (and warnings!) that i can get!!

We are staying in Oahu (wakiki beach) for a few nights. My fiancee is a history buff and has always wanted to see Pearl Harbor. Then we are headed to Maui. The westin villas on Ka'Anapali beach. I am happy because each room has its own full kitchen so we can do some cooking of our own - which is good for me!

I definitely plan on some surfing. I've never done it before but i think i might really love it. Plus a few of my friends have done it and always had hot instructors. I mean, i know i will be on my honeymoon, but it doesnt hurt to look, right??!! and i will definitely follow your advice on the road to hana. thanks! we also plan on renting a jeep. I had a jeep in my college days and loved it - so i would love to tool around the island on one of those.

[jenvan]

Oh yeah you can look Getting the jeep is fun and great on Road to Hanna. We rented one...which my dh especially loves since he has one at home... I was going to ask about Pearl Harbor. My dh is a huge wwII buff, history buff also. We spent one night, our last one in Oahu just so he could see it. It meant a lot to him, he is a member of their association now, or whatever you call it. It was really cool--unfortunately for us it rained, which meant we couldn't see down into the water clearly, but it was still cool. They have some neat books/dvd etc there too...OH! and how could I forget--they have flags there...but not just any flags, each has been flown over the memorial. They each come with a certificate that states what day they were flown on. I think we bought 4! One for us, gifts for family, grandma who is proud vet of WWII. We got one that was flown on 9/11. So, fyi incase your husband would be interested in that. My dh and I are pretty patriotic

[jkmunchkin]

We rented a Jeep also on both islands. I would definately reccomend that. And the 4WD comes in handy especially on the Road to Hana. We actually really put it to the test trying to go see the Blue Pools, which we successfully navigated through the rocks, flood waters, etc... but then there was some big Hawaiian guy standing with his arms crossed who informed us the pools where closed for spiritual cleansing. I know I'm from NY and I'm not above being a tad bit well some would say b%$@#y (lol), but I do draw the line at confronting a man that looks like he could be a sumo wrestler just to see a waterfall. But hopefully you'll have more luck with that. I've heard it's beautiful.

Definately bring snacks. I think I ate an entire box of Envirokid bars while on the road to Hana. I shipped a box of food to the hotel to hold for me when I got there.

We stayed at the Fairmont on Maui, which has Nick's Fish Market, one of the restaurants that everyone says is a must. To be honest, you can skip it. It is good, but nothing spectacular, especially since you can't truly indulge in the full splendor of the entrees they offer. It was kinda more depressing to eat there than anything because I couldn't get what I really wanted. I mean you will enjoy it if you go but it just might not be worth the money.

[skoki-mom]

I love Maui, so beautiful. I wasn't gluten-free when I was there, so I'm not a lot of help. However, I remember a Cheeseburger In Paradise in Lahaina, and I recently read they have introduced some gluten-free options. The fresh fruit is so wonderful in Hawaii, you could live on that if you had to! I haven't travelled since my Dx, the thing that bums me out is going to the same old places (ie Outback) that I can go to here. I don't go all the way to <insert destination> to eat at Outback again. It totally kills my desire to travel, but that is just me.

Anyhow, have a wonderful time, Maui is so beautiful and it just smells so darn good there.....