Teralani Sailing Adventures — Attraction in Maui

Yep...they did it...a well deserved five stars. To start with they are close to Kāʻanapali so easy to get to if you are staying at one of the resorts there. They seemed to be affiliated with Outrigger so have an agreement to use the Outrigger parking garage for only $8 which had plenty of easy parking. We were on the Teralani 5 (sailing catamaran) with Captain Patrick. Hotel valet directed us on where to go. Check-In was super easy and then we did a beach boarding near the Outrigger. Once on board the crew took care of us like VIPs. Started by getting everyone a cup of water to stay hydrated, nice touch, then handing out equipment to anyone who needed it. Motored away from the beach while the Captain gave his briefing. The captain seems to be on Aloha time because his 2 minute briefing is not 2 minutes...hehe...anyway... Continental breakfast was the usual breads & fruit & juice & Starbucks coffee. Well, Starbucks wasn't usual. Our sail had two stops (captain's choice) both beautiful locations. Snorkeled the first location then motored to the other. BBQ lunch and snorkel at the second location. They opened the gate on the second deck for brave souls (like my grandson and me) to jump into the ocean. So much fun. On the way back to the beach they put up a sail and sat on the front net and enjoyed the quiet, wind powered (no motor) trip back. Had a first day crew member (Phillip) who seemed to go out of his way to make us feel like ohana. I think he chose a good boat to work on. A cool bonus (which had nothing to do with the planning or the boat) was we happened upon a pod of about 40 or so spinner dolphins. They swam next to, then crossed in front of us several times and a couple rode the bow wake at about 10-12 knots for several minutes. You can't plan things like that, just lucky.

Okay the snorkel trip was pretty much like most others, good communication, good safety procedures, professional captain & crew and a nice boat. The difference on the Teralani 5 was the culture. They treated their guests and each other like ohana and VIPs. The culture seemed to be "welcome to our boat and how may we take best care of you." Food, service, Open Bar, questions, whatever we can do for you we will. Everything was included once you were onboard. (Photos from the professional photographer were optional at a reasonable price.) All boats go to basically the same locations, but what sets the Teralani 5 apart is the crew and how they put forth the extra effort towards their guests. We will certainly work to get onboard with them again next year...

My husband and I did the 5-hour Premier Snorkel Sail. Pick up and check-in was right on the beach in front of our hotel (Outrigger Kaanapali Beach Resort). It was great not having to drive somewhere!

We had a great time. I don't remember any names, but the captain was great! Every time I snorkel, I get a bit of anxiety when I first get in the water and he did a great job of reminding me to relax and that my floatation device and flippers will basically do all the work for me. I removed one star because one of the crew members (younger guy) didn't acknowledge us like he did others on the trip, and even looked directly at us and walked right past us and didn't offer us the cookies that were being handed out after lunch that we watched him walk around and offer to everyone else, which we thought was rude. All of the other crew members were very friendly and helpful, though!

Unfortunately, we didn't see as many fish or other sea creatures as we have on other snorkel excursions in different areas, but we still had a really great time.

The sail we chose included a small breakfast (mini muffins, croissants and fruit) and also included lunch after the first snorkel at Honolua Bay, which consisted of burgers or chicken sandwich, pasta salad, potato chips and an open bar for those 21+. Afterward, we stopped in one other area to snorkel, but I don't remember what the area was called.

There's a professional photographer on board who will take pictures on the boat as well as in the water. Purchases are optional.

All snorkel masks, flippers, and life preservers are provided. If you need additional support, they will off your a boogie board. I found that the waist preserves worked really well, and I liked them much better than the vests or pool noodles we've used in the past on different excursions. They have a life guard in the water with everyone the whole time, too, and do role call numerous times to account for everyone on board before departing. There are also 2 restrooms on board, storage, and seating areas with small...

Teralani Adventures is absolutely recommendable. We went on two tours with them. The HOLO HOLO SUNSET COCKTAIL SAIL right before sunset (5 - 7 PM) and the WEST MAUI ADVENTURE SNORKEL SAIL (8 AM - 12 PM). Both cruises were high quality on the same level. The boats are very large, comfortable and stable new catamarans, easily accessible directly from Kaanapali Beach, with plenty of seating space on and below deck, including comfortable restrooms. The snorkeling tour inlcudes two excellent spots close to the coast where we saw all the coral reef, with marine wildlife and plenty of super-cute turtles. Our crew was very professional and also very accessible on a personal level. Captain Matt (Sweet home Alabama), tour chief Julia and chef du bar Alaina run our tour masterfully and had fun doing so: we loved them all. Service was excellent too and fully complementary: immediately upon leaving the shore breakfast with crossaints, fruit, coffee and drinks was avaialble. After the first snorkeling round a bbq lunch was prepared including burgers, chicken wings, hot dogs along with very good salads and chips. A nice treat obviusly is the open bar with a variety of drinks, including sparkling white wine to enjoy close to midday. Our second tout, the sunset tour was equally pleasurable. Our guys Cpt. Patrick, tour leader Josh from Albuquerqe and bar hostess Nicole (good sense of humour there) made us feel good and delivered a flawless experience. Kudos to them equally. Sails were set and we cruised the coast of Maui on wind alone for more than an hour. Exceptional! Great food also here and the open bar with great cocktails and wines was perfect for that time of day. To catch these great Moments a supplementary photo service is on board. To sum it up: at Teralani the know what they are doing, we were fully happy and can recommend the...