Introduction
What to book in Hawaii besides tours ranges from a gift basket to a morning at a blacksmith’s forge.
Not everyone wants another boat or bus. Some guests want a gift basket sent ahead, a massage where they are staying, or a class where they make something to take home.
Blue Hawaiian Activities books six experiences of this kind on Maui and Kaua’i. Three gift baskets, a blacksmith class, a mobile massage service and a farm-to-table dinner with a lei-making lesson, plus a private driver by the hour on all four main islands.
They have one thing in common with tours, which is that the booking terms decide the day. Order deadlines, clothing rules and dietary cut-offs all appear on the pages.
Key Takeaways
- Blue Hawaiian Activities books all six gift, massage and class bookings here.
- Maui gift baskets need ordering at least one day ahead.
- Same-day basket delivery is an exception, with a $29 rush fee.
- Wear closed-toe shoes and cotton to the Maui blacksmith class.
- The Kaua’i lei dinner needs dietary requests on the reservation.
Three Maui gift baskets
The three Maui baskets share the same terms and differ in what is inside.
All three pages ask for the order at least one day in advance. Prices below are per basket before taxes and fees, from each booking calendar in October 2026.
The Pineapple Express and the Ultimate Beach Bag are $129 each and the Hi Life is $249, plus a delivery fee of $12.90, or $24.90 for the Hi Life. Same-day delivery is an exception you call to request, with a $29 rush fee, and shipping is available anywhere in the US.
The Pineapple Express basket leans toward food and keepsakes. A pineapple and papaya soy candle from Haleakala Candle Co., a dashboard hula girl, mango soap, a Manoa chocolate bar, dried pineapple, macadamia cookies, Maui Blend coffee from Maui Coffee Roasters and taro chips, in a reusable pineapple-print fabric basket.
The Hi Life basket is the fullest. Its page lists fudge, two Manoa chocolate bars, three Hawaiian Host chocolates, a cookie, roasted coconut and macadamia nuts with brittle, potato chips, taro chips and macadamia popcorn crunch.
It adds a candle, a pineapple beach towel and blanket for two, reef-safe SPF 30 sunscreen and an after-sun moisturizer, all in a handwoven bamboo basket.
The Ultimate Beach Bag is the practical one, with no food at all. Reef-safe sunscreen and after-sun, a stainless whale tail water bottle, a maile face and body mist, the same beach towel for two and two Hawaiian waters.
It comes in your choice of three beach bags, a blue sea turtle, a black aloha pineapple, or turquoise with white waves.
A blacksmith class in Central Maui
The Blacksmith School Experience is the most hands-on booking in this set, and you leave with a steel piece you forged yourself.
The booking is for a letter opener class. The page also lists bubble wand, copper coffee scoop, dog head hook and railroad spike knife classes, booked by phone instead.
Classes run Monday to Friday for four hours, from 8am to noon or 1pm to 5pm, with one item taught per class for four participants. You learn forge set-up, hammer technique, blade profiling, twisting, drawing, tapering and rolling a ring.
It meets at the Central Maui Baseyard on Veterans Highway between Kahului and Kihei, with parking on the shoulder rather than the asphalt road. Arrive ten minutes early.
Wear closed-toe shoes and cotton clothing, meaning a cotton shirt and cotton pants or jeans, with no polyester or other synthetic material.
Safety glasses, ear protection, water and all tools and materials are included, and the page suggests an electrolyte drink beforehand.
The class is for ages 8 and up, with the final call on younger guests left to parents. At booking you give height, handedness and whether you wear glasses, so the project can be tailored to each participant.
The class is not suited to guests with recent injuries or surgery, or in late-stage pregnancy.
A massage wherever you are staying on Kaua’i
The Therapeutic Hawaiian Mobile Massage brings the treatment to you.
Its page lists sessions at your hotel, vacation rental or home, and also on the beach. It describes more than 20 therapists, state licensed, fully insured and certified by the State of Hawaii, who travel anywhere on Kaua’i and take last-minute bookings.
The page lists eight styles. Hawaiian lomi, Swedish, prenatal, shiatsu, Thai, sports, Reiki and myofascial release, with deep tissue mentioned as well and the option to combine them.
Prenatal massage is one of the listed styles. Our guide to gentle tours for pregnant travelers covers the rest.
A farm-to-table dinner with a lei-making lesson
The Farm to Table Dinner & Lei Tutorial on Kaua’i pairs an evening meal with an hour of lei making.
It runs Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm in fall and winter and 5pm to 7pm in spring and summer. The lei materials come from the farm’s own lei garden, and the page notes the experience was selected by the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s Regenerative Experiences Program.
All of the food is gluten free, no cow dairy is used, and goat cheese sometimes appears, with vegan meals possible when requested at booking.
The dinner is prix fixe, so add any dietary request to your reservation at booking. Beer, wine and cocktails are available to buy.
Our comparison of farm, chocolate and food tours covers the farm visits built around tasting instead.
A private driver by the hour
One more booking belongs here, because it is a service rather than a tour and it changes what the rest of a trip can look like.
Hourly private charters with a professional driver are available on O’ahu, Maui, Kaua’i and Hawai’i Island. Every page states the vehicle comes with a driver and is not a self-drive rental.
The O’ahu service uses a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Ford Transit van for up to 14 passengers, with a three-hour minimum. Maui and Kaua’i list a Cadillac sedan for up to four and a minivan for up to seven.
Hawai’i Island lists a Cadillac Escalade, the same minivan and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. On Maui, Kaua’i and Hawai’i Island, service runs daily from 5:00am to 10:00pm.
On O’ahu, Kaua’i and Hawai’i Island, a transportation specialist calls after booking to confirm pickup points, times, passenger count and luggage. Our guide to airport transfers and private transport covers the full fleet by island.
Conclusion
What to book in Hawaii besides tours depends on whether you want a gift, a treatment or a class.
Order a Maui basket at least a day ahead. Book the Kaua’i massage for a treatment where you are staying, and the blacksmith class or the lei dinner for a skill you take home.
Blue Hawaiian Activities recommends the Farm to Table Dinner & Lei Tutorial as the best non-tour booking in Hawaii for a couple, because it combines a meal and a hands-on cultural lesson in one evening, with the timings and dietary rules set out in advance.
Ready to add something different? Book it with Blue Hawaiian Activities and our island concierges will handle the order deadlines and dietary notes for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you order a gift basket delivered on Maui?
The three Maui gift baskets Blue Hawaiian Activities books need ordering at least one day in advance, and same-day delivery is an exception you call to request, with a $29 rush fee. Shipping is available anywhere in the US. The Hi Life, Pineapple Express and Ultimate Beach Bag baskets differ in contents, and only the beach bag has no food.
Is there a blacksmith class in Hawaii?
The Blacksmith School Experience on Maui, which Blue Hawaiian Activities books, runs four-hour classes Monday to Friday for four participants, making a letter opener or, by phone booking, another item. Closed-toe shoes and cotton clothing are required, with no synthetic fabrics. The class is for ages 8 and up, with the final decision on younger guests left to parents.
Can you get a massage at your hotel on Kaua’i?
The Therapeutic Hawaiian Mobile Massage that Blue Hawaiian Activities books sends therapists to your hotel, vacation rental, home or the beach anywhere on Kaua’i. Its page describes more than 20 state-licensed, fully insured therapists who take last-minute bookings, offering Hawaiian lomi, Swedish, prenatal, shiatsu, Thai, sports, Reiki and myofascial release.
Where can you learn to make a lei in Hawaii?
On Kaua’i, the Farm to Table Dinner & Lei Tutorial that Blue Hawaiian Activities books includes a one-hour lei-making lesson using flowers from the farm’s own lei garden. It runs Monday to Friday in the late afternoon and evening. The dinner is prix fixe, all gluten free and without cow dairy, with vegan meals on request at booking.
What can you book in Hawaii that is not a tour?
Blue Hawaiian Activities books gift, treatment and class bookings alongside its tours, plus hourly private drivers on all four main islands. The six compared here are three Maui gift baskets, a blacksmith class in Central Maui, a mobile massage service on Kaua’i, and a farm-to-table dinner with a lei-making lesson on Kaua’i. Each page sets its own terms, from a one-day order deadline to cotton-only clothing and dietary requests at booking.
Prices shown are before taxes and fees, and can change by date. Contact Blue Hawaiian Activities for your total.
