One of the great joys of a Hawaii vacation is the opportunity to see magnificent marine mammals in their natural setting. Swimming with wild dolphins and seeing Hawaiian monk seals frolic make for great travel experiences. A pinnacle for many, though, is glimpsing the whales as they winter in the South Pacific. Maui whale watching tours are one of the more popular tourist activities on the island. Particularly in the winter months, the whales seem very happy to oblige their human counterparts (hello, photo opportunity!) with spouting, breaching, and other easily visible signs of whale behavior. Whale watching tours, when done right, provide for some of the best Maui vacation activities around.

Maui is one of the best places to go on whale watching tours in the winter. Now, I’ve seen whales spouting and breaching while I was ashore, and that’s really cool. It’s even more exciting to be on a whale watch tour, and see them up close. The best season for whale watching in Hawaii is the winter, so whale watch tours are especially popular Christmas vacation activities. Peak whale watch season is December 15 to April 15.

One of Maui’s best whale watching tours, Pride of Maui, actually guarantees a whale sighting (or else the next trip is free). This guarantee speaks to the knowledge and skill of the tour boat captains — it wouldn’t be good business to give a lot of whale watch trips away for free! In the winter, though, it’s a pretty good bet that there will be a lot of whales off Maui’s shores. Whales are intelligent animals; who WOULDN’T want to spend the colder winter months swimming around the Hawaiian islands? Pride of Maui whale watching tours travel up and down the peaceful southern coast of the island, where whales love to hang out.

One of the more popular Maui whale watch tour destinations in Molokini Crater. I’ve been on half-day snorkel trips to Molokini Crater a few times, and believe me — Molokini Crater is no secret spot. There are lots of catamarans, glass-bottomed boats, and other vessels that take Hawaii tourists to this spot.

Pride of Maui has several aquatic adventures for travelers to enjoy, including snorkeling, SNUBA (that’s sort of halfway between snorkeling and fully-fledged scuba diving, with a breathing apparatus attached to a a raft above the swimmer), and scuba diving. Molokini Crater is a great location for this — it’s an uninhabitable, tiny, ancient and extinct volcanic crater where many species of fish congregate. Lots of snorkel trip tourists also congregate there, but I’ve found the early morning trips to be the best. More fish, a few less people. It’s great.

It’s the whale watch tours that Pride of Maui organizes that are the ones guaranteed to find at least one photo-ready whale, although you never know what you’re going to see on the boat ride along the southern coast of Maui or to and from Molokini Crater. A few years ago, while returning to mainland Maui from a a half-day snorkel trip to Molokini Crater, I saw a pair of humpback whales breach just fifteen feet or so from the sideboard bow. Everyone gasped — it was so fast, and unexpected, that no one had a chance to take photographs (remember, we were on a snorkel trip, the whales were a bonus). It was a joy; I found myself laughing without thinking about it, and the woman next to me burst into tears.

There is something so majestic, ancient and wise about the large whales that migrate to Hawaii each winter. It’s almost an intangible, emotionally sweeping quality; sharing space with the marine mammals makes for incredible vacation memories. Everyone has some sort of reaction upon seeing them up close, in their natural habitat. What will your reaction be? You’ll only know if you take a whale watch tour.

This post is sponsored by Pride of Maui.

What makes an island vacation destination great? For the Vacation Gals, the best tropical islands have predictably terrific weather, are far enough from our homes (mainland United States) to feel like a true getaway, and have a large variety of activities to appeal to many different types of travelers. The state of Hawaii has been our favorite island retreat spot for years now, and clearly, we’re not alone. Maui has been named the “Best Island in the World” for the 17th year in a row by the discerning Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

Wait, there’s more! Maui was also named Best US Island. Kauai, the lush paradise where, without trying to sound too New Agey, I find myself spiritually comforted, was named the second best island. The Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu tied for fourth. (Kiawah, South Carolina, placed third). My kids’ favorite snorkel experience was on the Big Island, by the Captain Cook Monument; clearly, great family travel memories can be had on any of the Hawaiian islands.

The Conde Nast Traveler Readers ‘ Choice Awards are considered a reliable source for what picky travelers, who put thought into where they spend their travel budget, enjoy on their vacations. Certainly, Maui’s diverse array of activities has great appeal across sectors.

Maui’s Vacation Appeal

• Adventurous travelers can hike or bike in Haleakala National Park (Maui’s highest peak), snorkel Molokini — although the 1/2 day catamaran-led snorkel trips to Molokini are in my mind overly popular) and zip line with Skyline Eco-Adventures, Flyin Hawaiian Zipline, or Piiholo Ranch Zipline. The Waihee Ridge Trail makes for a fun and exerting hike as well, though the drive there is a big adrenalin-inducing itself!
• Backpackers can crash in a hostel on the north shore near the airport, and make their way to fun, casual Paia. This is my favorite “little” town in Maui, far from the touristy feel of Ka’anapali, Kihei and Wailea. It’s as mellow, warm and relaxed as is the Polynesian culture itself.
• Family travelers can ensconce themselves in one of the several family friendly resorts. For example, the Grand Wailea Resort has water slides and “white water rapids” galore, for example, and the Ritz Carlton Kapalua offers Ambassadors of the Environment programs for kids. Off-resort family-friendly activities include a stop in the Maui Ocean Center; this aquarium is Hawaii’s top rated family attraction. The Atlantis Submarine is fun for kids, as is investigating the lava tubes in Hana (though this last one is a big drive for families staying in Wailea, Ka’anapali, etc).
• Romantic travel fans can get away from the crowds in Hana. This town is so far removed from the bustle of well-traveled Maui that it feels like an island unto itself. Sunset sails with cocktails are famously romantic activities, and there are several companies providing this service from the Lahaina Harbor (near Kihei and Ka’anapali). The Four Seasons Maui in Wailea is incredibly romantic, especially for a large, full-service resort.
• Luxury travelers will find everything they need at the aforementioned Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. It is one of the most pricey options, but travelers see where their money goes; service is top notch, the views are incredible, and the signature restaurant’s sunset meal (outdoor dining, with classical music softly piped in and mixing with the crashing waves) makes Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante a destination restaurant for hundreds of tourists who stay elsewhere on the island. Also along the prime Wailea Beach strip are the Fairmont Kea Lani, Grand Wailea Resort, and Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

I love every island I’ve been fortunate to experience in Hawaii, and agree with the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island are, indeed the best islands in the US, and Maui deserves its recognition as the best island in the world.

Many centuries ago, the goddess Hina, whose tapa cloths just wouldn’t dry, called on her son Maui to help her lasso the sun over the crater of Haleakala and demand it to slow its journey across the sky. The ancient Hawaiians were thrilled with the extra sunlight, lovingly christening the crater “house of the sun.” Centuries later, on an early morning in March of this year, Maui’s sun, up early as instructed, once again shocked her spectators and broke green over the horizon.

There is, of course, a certain mysticism to Hawaii’s landscape, whether or not the sun really did promise to walk instead of run across the sky that day. The fabled sunrise at Haleakala, like many activities, can offer an exceptional spiritual experience: while it can be cold, exhausting, and cloudy, it can also be beautifully jaw-dropping. Sometimes, it can even be downright surprising.

While many will tell you that it isn’t exactly a myth, the legendary green flash is not something most expect to see after the 2 1/2 hour drive up the 10,023 foot volcano in the middle of the night. What they do expect to see, and why it’s so essential to set your alarm for 3:30 a.m., is the sun. Getting up at this hour, I know, might sound like an utter nightmare on a vacation, but the middle-of-the-night drive—and the coffee and coconut candy at the little shop on the way down—is absolutely worth the sleep sacrifice. Plus, if you’re staying anywhere near Ka’anapali or the eastern coast, renting a car and getting up at least this early is a necessity. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself crammed in line to pay the $10 at the gate and regrettably without a parking space.

This being my first trip to the islands, I had been on-my-knees-begging my boyfriend to join me for the transcendent sunrise experience atop Haleakala since I’d read about it in his revered Maui Revealed guidebook. Though I am definitely not a morning person, I wanted to see the place where Maui once caught the sun.

So we set the alarm. At 4:30 a.m., as we reached the base and began threading our clunky Oldsmobile rental through Haleakala Highway, the rising height began turning Maui’s glittering lights into distant little stars and the beaches and villages into a fish-shaped island. By the time we’d reached the top, the sky was quickly becoming a messy palette of pink and orange, but the four of us—me, my boyfriend Ryan, his sister Rachel, and her beau Bardia—had made it.

“You did bring a scarf, didn’t you?” Rachel asked me as we slid into one of the last parking spaces at the summit, wrapping her neck in a thick wool scarf. Unfortunately for me, though, my thin zip-up jacket was about it. I’d been told that Haleakala can be chilly—cold, even—but a scarf? The words “scarf” and “Hawaii” seemed about as mismatched as the haphazard outfit I scrambled together from the loose pieces of clothing in the trunk.

As fate would have it, the chill in Haleakala Crater did not disappoint: on this day in late March, it was a cool 27 degrees. The rest of the sun-seekers, flung across the dark grey lava rocks, looked like statues under their long white blankets; some were kneeling and praying, some were cuddling children, and some were simply sharing wooly layers. Scattered across the horizon, teeth chattering under blankets, in scarves, and among clouds blushing pink, we waited.

And then, a flash. An apple-colored flicker splintered across the clouds just before the sun popped over the horizon.

I grabbed Ryan’s jacket. “What was that?”

“You mean the sunrise?”

Ryan, it appeared, had blinked.

According to Maui Revealed, the green flash appears, ever so rarely, when the sun’s rays pass through the thickest part of the atmosphere, causing the light to bend as it does in rainbows. Hawaii, I’d later learn, is one of the best places on earth to catch the elusive green flash—if you can avoid blinking at the precise moment the sun pops through the fluffy clouds.

That afternoon, after we’d thawed out, descended the volcano, had at least one coffee, and devoured entirely too much coconut candy, we walked along the shore at nearby Waiehu Beach. There, I couldn’t stop thinking about that split-second lime-green flash and how I’d seen something as rare as triple rainbows. I thought about how, unlike the ancient Hawaiians, we have long abandoned legend for explanation, and yet, seeing the sun turn from green to yellow was as inexplicably enchanting as it might have been all those centuries ago. Perhaps, though, that’s the point of middle-of-the-night voyages.

Perhaps, tapa cloths or not, we need to capture a bit of the sun sometimes, too.

SonoranGal Kristin Mock is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but currently calls Tucson, Arizona home, where she enjoys the cacti, the sun, and the close proximity to Mexico. She edits a travel blog and is currently working on her first book, a travel memoir of Spain, Malta, and Colombia.

Editor’s note: If you don’t want to drive yourself to the top of Haleakala Crater, consider a sunrise bike tour. A local outfitter will bus you to the top of the crater, along with a fleet of fat-tire cruisers, and then lead the group down the curvy roads to the bottom. I’ve done this twice now — once with my intrepid mother in law — and found it a fun, unusual, rewarding experience! –ColoradoGal

The best tropical vacation destinations offer more than a break from the winter chill; terrific activities and sights for memorable winter romantic getaways and family vacations add to the appeal of a top warm winter vacation spot. From all-inclusive Mexican and Caribbean Christmas vacation ideas to top winter travel destinations in southern Europe, our travel experts all have their favorite winter vacation recommendations. Notably absent from their picks, though, is a popular spot –Walt Disney World. Perhaps it’s too obvious a choice? In any case, The Vacation Gals and other travel experts’ recommended best winter vacation destinations hopefully give travel planners inspiration.

Riviera Maya, Mexico – ColoradoGal Kara Williams adores Mexico’s Riviera Maya for tropical winter vacations; in fact, her family is hoping for another all-inclusive vacation there in March. It’s easy for her family to get from their Denver home on a direct flight to Cancun. From there, it’s a short hotel-shuttle ride to any number of all inclusive resorts that dot the coast from Puerto Morelos to Tulum. Her family has fond memories of their stay at Azul Sensatori, with its great pool-butler serivce, extraordinary meals, and ocean views. Travel in the Riviera Maya can include visits to Xel-Ha or Xcaret (ecological water parks), day trips to Mayan ruins, and many other outdoor activities, from snorkeling in cenotes to ziplining through jungle canopy.

The Caribbean - TwinCitiesGal Beth Blair recommends a Caribbean vacation for tropical winter travel. The white sand beaches, turquoise ocean, and lack of tourist hubbub makes Turks and Caicos the epitome of a tropical island getaway winter getaway spot. The flight is only a short hop from Miami but it feels worlds away. In addition, St John in the US Virgin Islands is similarly quiet and peaceful for a Caribbean island vacation destination.

Big Island, Hawaii - Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere spent most of his life in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and has come to the conclusion that winters are best experienced where there’s, well, no winter. One of his favorite places is the Big Island of Hawaii. The ambient temperature should keep you warm, and if that isn’t enough there is always extra heat from the volcanoes. If you find yourself missing snow during this tropical vacation, you can always go to the top of Mauna Kea, which is covered with snow in the winter.

Cusco, Peru - Wandermom‘s Michelle Duffy told us, “wearing yellow underwear is only one of a long list of Peruvian New Years’ holiday traditions. As we counted down to the New Year my toddler loved trying to eat twelve grapes from my glass of bubbly. Kids love funky and funny differences between cultures, and South American countries seem to have more than enough to go around – particularly Peru. From the mountains in the North to the Incan city of Cusco high in the Andes, Peru has something to offer anyone looking to escape from the cold Northern winter.”

Crete - Andy Hayes of Sharing Travel Experiences recommends Crete as a top warm winter vacation spot. Most people assume that the only things to do in Crete are sun, sand and surf related. While a lazy afternoon with a cocktail in the sun is definitely a must-do, the island has many other great activities. Hiking is a huge draw, as are the geology and historical aspects. And come hungry; many say Crete has some of the best food in Greece. Andy warns that winter weather can be varied, so be sure to pack both an umbrella and sunblock.

Sicily - Everyone’s favorite Italy resource, Italylogue‘s Jessica Speigel, told The Vacation Gals that her pick for a winter getaway is the island of Sicily. Sicily is a popular summer destination among Italians because of its spectacular beaches, but in winter it’s one of the parts of Italy that’s most likely to still have decent weather and is full of things to do and see (including some fantastically preserved Greek ruins in addition to the Roman ones). If the weather does turn sour, you’ve got an array of museums, churches, and indoor attractions to keep you warm. And hey, if you get a yen for snow, you can always ski on Mount Etna! One of the options for how to get to Sicily from Italy includes a train that actually goes on a ferry boat – fun for the kid in everyone.

Mexico - Barbara Weibel of Hole in the Donut writes, “When The Vacation Gals asked me for my favorite winter vacation destination, I didn’t have to think twice. I spent four months backpacking around Mexico this year and it quickly became one of my favorite places in the world.” Barbara explored historic colonial cities like Guanajuato, swam next to whale sharks in La Paz in Baja California Sur, and lived among the Tarahumara Indians. Barbara especially recommends Merida in the northeast corner of the Yucatan. Merida overflows with culture and is one of the best bases for exploring scores of Mayan ruins scattered throughout the peninsula.

Maui, Hawaii - As for me, I love the Hawaiian islands. They’re each diverse enough that different winter vacations can be had on each, but for the best all-around tropical winter vacation, I’m going to recommend Maui. Family vacations here can’t be beat, what with Whalers Village and its museum in Lahaina, the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium in Wailuku, the soft sandy stretches of Wailea (perfect for first time snorkeling), and a wide range of lodging possibilities. The frequent sightings of brides attest to the romantic nature of Maui, making it a top spot for destination weddings and honeymoons. Adventurous travelers will have a great time hiking around Iao Valley State Park and Haleakala, a dormant volcano and US National Park. Maui really is that rare island that has something for everyone, and I can’t recommend it highly enough as a best tropical winter vacation destination.

Top travel experts also weighed in with their picks for top winter vacation spots — ski and snow edition. Warm, cold, or both — make a winter vacation experience right for your travel preferences.

Frequent readers of The Vacation Gals know that I can talk for hours about the benefits of a family vacation in Hawaii. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately as the case may be, I was recently given the opportunity to expound at length about Maui. The resultant podcast is here, courtesy of Addison Schonland (yeah, that’s my 10 year old in the hammock, there). He asked some smart questions about family travel in this popular Hawaiian island, and I happily prattled on. It was great to be given the chance to share suggestions for family-friendly Maui activities, from exploring the ruggedness of Kapalua to snorkeling off the touristy soft white sand beaches along Wailea. Maui has so many many things to do, and so many accommodations worthy of note, that I could have talked for twice as long. Maybe next time!

Thanks go to the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. As is clear from the podcast, I recommend each for wonderful, albeit very different, family vacations in Maui.

What happens when everybody’s favorite vacation spot turns out to be, well, everybody’s favorite vacation spot? Some of the best snorkeling in Maui is actually a boat ride away, off the coast of an uninhabitable crater called Molokini. This is no secret: it’s in every guide book, travel article, and blog regarding Maui activities. So, what happens when “the best snorkel spot” is widely known? Easy – everyone remotely interested in snorkeling reserves a seat on half day snorkel/scuba trip catamaran there.  Hawaii itself is a popular vacation destination, Maui even more so, and Molokini the go-to snorkel and scuba spot. It’s not always a pretty site.

The first time I did a half-day snorkel trip to Molokini was in 2006. It really was great. Though hardly a secret, this was just at the advent of online travel blogging, so tourists still relied more on their hotel concierges for activity tips and suggestions. There were two other catamarans besides ours that cruised from Maui to Molokini, and this was few enough so that we could all snorkel in relative peace. Flash forward to the Christmas holiday season of this past year, and…well, not so much. Everyone seems to know about Molokini, and there were seven other day trip boats out there along with ours. That equals a lot of people! Snorkeling with my family was fun, but there wasn’t a minute that went by without other Hawaii vacationers right next to us — some shouting, others elbowing, or worse accidentally kicking one of my kids.

My Family Snorkel at Molokini Crater, Hawaii

Last year, we snorkeled at the Captain Cook Monument site of Hawaii’s Big Island and, while popular, it wasn’t overcrowded. This is likely because the Big Island simply isn’t as popular a travel destination as is Maui. The snorkel trip was better, in my mind. Part of the joy of snorkeling is the feeling one gets of being in the hot sun one moment, and in a completely different underwater world the next. Colorful tropical fish and the occasional green sea turtle, with no one else in sight…it’s quite a memorable experience. Being kicked in the face by an overzealous snorkeler’s fin is also a memorable experience, but in a completely different way.

Now, all these people swimming around, splashing and noisily calling to their families, has a deleterious affect on the marine life. Fish prefer to be left alone, of course! While we did indeed, see lots of butterfly fish, yellow tangs and the like, the shyer species were nowhere to be found. The humuhumunukunukuapua’a for example, is a trigger fish, and trigger fish are notoriously skittish. No shy trumpet fish, either. So, while I think I saw around the same amount of fish at Molokini Crater as I did in 2006, the diversity of species was reduced. It’s a shame. Biodiversity keeps habitats healthy.

Nearby child-friendly alternative: The southern coast of Maui, in particular the Wailea beach resort area, is famous for its smooth, calm waters. We stayed at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, and were able to snorkel right off shore, a few steps east of the Marriott resort property. It was less crowded than Molokini, and my kids had a great time exploring the underwater world without worrying about getting a foot in the face.  While Molokini is still on everyone’s lists of best Maui snorkel spots, Wailea is pretty awesome too (go offshore a little for best results; we kayaked out a bit the second day). Now, what may be lost by not taking a chartered boat to Molokini is a secondary stop at “Turtle Town.” However, it’s an easy drive from Wailea to Makena, and there are so many green sea turtles lazing around there and La Perouse, it would be hard to miss them.

The best snorkel spot in Maui used to be the Molokini Crater, of this I have no doubt. However, if the site continues to grow in popularity, more fish will leave for quieter lives elsewhere. That can’t be a good thing, not for the marine habitat, not for the local economy, and not for tourists eager to see a fantastical underwater world while on vacation in Hawaii. Let’s hope things change, before it’s too late.

Catamarans at Molokini Crater for Snorkel Trips

Thank you to the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa for hosting my family for this travel experience.

Marriott International is such a terrific brand of hotels and resorts. I saw dozens of families happily reaping the rewards of cashing in their Marriott Points at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Maui over Christmas; what a way to spend the holidays, on the most luxurious stretch of beach on that Hawaiian island. The company as a whole was the first corporate sponsor of the Children’s Miracle Network, way back in 1983, and Marriott Resorts Hawaii has been a generous partner to The Vacation Gals for some travel articles. Back in August, we wrote about how anyone could try to win a free Hawaii vacation with Marriott Resorts Hawaii, and to date, a bunch of (lucky, lucky) people have. The contests were broken down into two parts; one, a simple “twitter and enter” type of raffle, ended in October. The second part is pretty stupendous – in this one, a single winner gets to bring eleven friends and/or family members along for a full week in Hawaii.  Amazing!

The “Win a Hawaiian Trip for 12″ video contest is at the public voting stage now. Go to MarriottHawaiiTweets.com to watch the videos of the 10 finalists, and vote for your favorite. They’re pretty creative – and voting is fun – so it’s enjoyable to watch these video contest entries…well, not as much fun as winning a full week’s vacation in Hawaii, but fun nonetheless. The top 10 videos will be available for viewing and voting from January 11 to January 15.  I can’t wait to see who wins.