Review: Maita’i Catamaran Sunset Sail

Rick loves boats and cruising and after I’ve popped a Dramamine, I can get on a boat, too. And I love having great views. And a tropical cocktail in my hand. So when we booked our trip to Honolulu, we started looking for on-the-water activities to add to our Honolulu travel itinerary.

I searched for sunset sails as I knew the views would be incredible. I found a few different options but really loved the price and inclusions on the sunset sail aboard the Maita’i Catamaran.

Given we would be sailing in July, their sunset cruise was offered at 5:30 p.m., as it does change throughout the year. That worked perfectly for us as we could spend the morning and early afternoon at the beach, get a late lunch, and then enjoy cocktails in the evening aboard the catamaran.

We ended up having a great time and would highly recommend this sunset sail in Waikiki. Continue reading to see what we loved about our sail!

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Booking information

Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know to book this sunset sail in Waikiki.

Duration: 90 minutes (add 30 minutes as you need to check-in half an hour ahead)
Days offered: Daily
Times: 5 or 5:30 p.m. (depending on the time of year and sunset)
Price: $79 per adult
Meeting point: On the beach between the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and the Halekulani Hotel
Inclusions: Alcoholic beverages, juices, soft drinks, and water
Tickets: Book online

We were so excited for our sunset sail and happy hour high-seas adventure. Our sail was at 5:30 p.m. and was set to last until 7 p.m. The sail itself is 90 minutes, but the total time is really two hours as you are asked to check-in 30 minutes before the scheduled sail time.

Now, I will say the check-in area was a bit hard to find, we had to ask an employee at the Sheraton. The check-in counter is on the beach between the Sheraton and the Halekulani Hotel, but we had to walk through the pool area of the Sheraton to get there and it felt like were weren’t supposed to do that.

But once we got checked in, it was all good. We were able to use the restrooms at the Sheraton before boarding, and the boarding process was well organized. They do take a souvenir photo of you when you board, but we did not end up purchasing ours.

At 5:30 p.m., it was time to leave the beach behind and set sail. The views were incredible from the water, there was music, and there were plenty of delicious drinks onboard.

Highlights of the Honolulu sunset sail:

Open bar: One reason we booked this specific sail is the open bar. Other tours were priced similarly but had cash bars. With this sunset sail, we had unlimited mai tais, beer, wine, champagne, and hard seltzers. They also had juices, soft drinks, and water available. We started with some sparkling wine to celebrate our sailing adventure and then I imbibed some of their mai tais (which were delicious and always topped off!), and Rick switched to Hawaiian hard seltzers.
Group size: I’d estimate there were about 30 people on the catamaran. But it never felt claustrophobic nor overcrowded.
Crew: The crew was absolutely fantastic. We had a captain and I suppose she was a first mate, but both crew members were friendly and engaging. The captain let us take a picture “driving” the boat, and the other crew member was making sure people had drinks, were comfortable, and was always happy to take pictures with the city or Diamond Head behinds us.
Beautiful views: The sail was timed perfectly. We started the sail heading towards Diamond Head for impressive views of it, before eventually turning back the other way to see the sun dip below the horizon.

I will add that there is a head or bathroom on the catamaran. But you have to climb down to use it and I guess it was a very tiny room. Rick did end up using the facilities, but I just waited until we were back at the hotel. But there is a bathroom available.

I will also say as someone who tends to get motion sickness or has gotten ill on other sails, I felt completely fine on this one. The waters were pretty smooth and it wasn’t a high-speed sailing. I brought Dramamine with me just in case, but never had to take it.

Someone did get ill on our sail, but I do think it had more to do with drinking than seasickness.

Tips for your sunset sail

Wear slip-on shoes: You will take your shoes off for boarding and getting off, so wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. And you’ll be putting your shoes in a cubby, so no need to wear the fancy shoes for this activity.
Expect to get wet: This is onboard a catamaran and you will get splashed, especially if sitting around the edges. They do say you can bring a towel in case you get wet or want a bit of protection from the cooler winds as the sun sets.
Plan ahead: If you get seasick, be sure to bring medication or aids to help manage it. I normally get seasick, but I was okay on this trip. There were a few bumps on the way out that my stomach was not happy with, but overall the sailing was quite smooth and I never had to pop my Dramamine.
Bring a charged phone: The views were absolutely stunning and I took so many pictures and videos during our sail.
Bring some cash: When we got off the boat, they did have a tip jar for the crew. We luckily had cash on us and were able to tip as the crew was outstanding.

When we eventually return to Oahu, we will definitely want to book this activity again, or perhaps book their Friday night fireworks sail to try something different. But this was one experience we were so happy we booked for our trip to Honolulu.

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