I had always had Hawaii on my list, and Jessica had loved Maui during a previous trip with her family. We chose Maui because it was a bigger island with a lot to explore for the group of 4 of us. We went with two of our friends from Denver. We visited Hawaii in 2021 when there were still COVID restrictions in place. This post is based on two trips – the trip we went on with our two friends and Jessica’s trip with her family in January 2020. Both of these trips happened before the fire in Maui, so some things might have changed since then. Enjoy our Maui travel guide below!
How we traveled there
We were in Molokai, Hawaii before Maui. To get to Maui we took an island hopper airline Mokulele Airways, which was on a 10-seater plane. In Maui, we rented a Jeep Wrangler through Alamo Car Rental. The staff was friendly and they allowed us to add another driver halfway through the trip. On the way home to Denver we took a direct flight on United Airlines.
Where we stayed
We booked a VRBO property in Kihei, Maui which was a block away from Charley Young Beach. We loved this area and beach, which was busy but never too crowded. It was also walkable to restaurants and shops. This two-bedroom condo, with one queen and two twin beds, had two full bathrooms, a kitchen, and living room space. It was on the ground floor with a small porch and included one parking spot. Staying in a condo with a kitchen allowed us to save on food and drink costs. The condo had beach chairs, towels, and a cooler available borrowed.
Jessica stayed at Montage when she visited Maui with her family, which is located in Kapalua Bay.
What activities we experienced
- We spent many days and nights at Charley Young Beach in Kihei. It was never overly crowded, the water was swimmable, and it was a great place for sunset. Our condo was across the road from this public beach, making it very convenient.
- Waihe’e Ridge Trail is a hike near Wailuku, Maui with beautiful views of the mountains and Maui as you climb. The top of the hike was too foggy to take in the view but the views along the way made up for it. It is a 4-mile out-and-back hike with 1,443 ft of elevation gain. There was a parking lot right at the base of the trailhead with 20-30 parking spots.
- Sunset at the summit of Haleakalā National Park was a spiritual experience. You drive through the national park until you are above the clouds to catch the sunset. Give yourself additional time to make it by sunset because it takes time to drive up to the summit, and parking fills up. You do not need a reservation for sunset, but you do need a reservation for sunrise. If you plan to experience the sunrise on Haleakalā, I recommend doing it your first morning in Maui because you will likely wake up earlier due to the time difference. Bring your national park pass if you have one. The entrance fee is $15-$30 if you don’t have a national park pass.
- Snorkeling off the Maui beaches. We bought a snorkeling set from Costco to use instead of renting one each day.
- Hana is a small town (1,500 people) on Maui that is surrounded by rainforests and waterfalls. The road to Hana is a 64-mile-long highway with scenic twists and turns. If you get car sick like Jessica, we recommend being the driver. There are tall waterfalls right off the road. There are a few parking spots at most of the waterfalls for a quick picture. This road can be dangerous because you are climbing in elevation without guardrails and some of the road is only one lane for both ways of traffic.
- We recommend staying overnight in Hana in order to not feel rushed and feel like you have to see everything in a day trip. Jessica stayed at the Hyatt Hana-Maui with her family. There are only a few hotel options in Hana, so book early! I did the road to Hana in one day and regretted not staying overnight. I didn’t get to see everything I planned to see because we had to drive back before it got dark out.
- Here are some of our favorite stops on the road to Hana;
- Waimoku Falls via Pipiwai Trail is in Haleakalā National Park (bring your national park pass or pay $30 per vehicle to enter). The hike has a massive waterfall and a bamboo forest which made it my favorite stop of the day. No reservations were needed when we visited. If you have time, check out the Seven Sacred Pools, which is a short walk from the parking lot.
- Black Sand Beach at Waiʻanapanapa State Park was a second favorite. The black sand beach is small between two cliffs and was quite crowded. We did not go in the water, but many people were swimming. There are picnic tables in the park and a blow hole you can walk to. Reservations are required.
- We stopped at Braddah Hutt BBQ Grill, a food truck, for lunch. It was busy, so plan to get there right before or after the lunch rush. The barbeque did not disappoint.
- Wailua Falls is a waterfall right off the road to Hana that you can make a quick stop at. If you want to get closer, you can walk 0.5 miles to the waterfall.
- The rainbow eucalyptus trees are near mile marker 7. These trees look like artwork with beautiful colors on the bark.
- Shaka Guide Maui is an app you can download ($20) that plays an audio tour while you are driving the road to Hana providing history and recommended stop offs.
- Flyboarding off Kaanapali Beach was an experience two of our friends did while we watched from the shore. You are boated out to a dock in the water. The flyboards are powered by jet skis. It was very amusing to watch our friends attempt to stay above water on their boards. There were some cute boutique stores in Whaler’s Village next to Kaanapali Beach.
- We played tennis at Kalama Park which is in Kehei and walkable from our condo. This park also had a soccer field, skate park, and basketball court.
- We shopped at the stores in Paia. It was a cute area where we bought perfume and jewelry.
- We took a ferry to Lanai, another Hawaiian island, for the day. We spent most of our time at Hulopoʻe Beach, which was walkable from Manele Harbor, where the ferry drops you off.
- Two of us ziplined at Skyline Hawaii, but it was underwhelming. Based on the website, we thought we would be ziplined through a tropical landscape. Instead, the zip lines were in an open area. I wouldn’t do this zipline again.
- On our last day, we had a lot of time before our flight left at night. We spent the day at the Spa Montage, which was a perfect way to relax and detox before our flight home. They had locker rooms with showers which allowed us to clean up before heading to the airport.
- We booked the Renewal Day Pass, which was $150. It is a walk-in pass but we called ahead to make sure they had availability. We had access to their steam room, sauna, whirlpool, fitness center, locker rooms, relaxation lounge, and co-ed outdoor infinity pool.
Don’t leave without picking up the Ola Passion Fruit Sugar Polish. We fell in love with it during our treatment and have ordered it a few times since.
Where we ate
- Mala Ocean Tavern is a restaurant in Lahaina right on the water with live music. We recommend reservations and sitting outside to enjoy the views.
- Miso Phat is a sit-down sushi restaurant in Kehei
- Paia Fish Market which was walking distance from our condo. It was a quick-serve fish place we visited a few times.
- Braddah Hutt BBQ Grill in Hana which is a food truck that gets busy
- We cooked a lot at home, too which was a benefit of staying in a condo. Since we had a big group, we went to Costco a few times to buy food and drinks in bulk.
Where we drank
- Maui Brewing Company had a large outdoor area and live music
- On the Charley Young beach – we would pack a cooler and watch the sunset. We packed koozies and cups to avoid purchasing drinks everywhere we went.
- We love the ciders from Ola Brewing which are available at local stores and some restaurants
What we recommend knowing/preparing
- There is a Costco close to the airport to pick up food and alcohol for your trip. This saved us a lot on food and beverage costs. We also bought snorkeling gear at Costco to avoid the costs for renting it multiple times.
- We liked having a car to explore more of the island but book early. There are only so many cars on the island.
- Non-mineral sunscreens are banned in Maui to protect the coral reefs. To avoid paying a high price on the island, bring mineral sunscreen in your luggage.
- Bring your national park pass if you plan to visit Haleakalā National Park.
What we didn’t do but looked into
- Makena Beach, located south of Wailea, is one of the largest beaches on the island at 1.5 miles long and 100 yards wide. You can swim and snorkel here or take in the views of the cliffs.
- Seven Sacred Pools Trail (‘Ohe’o Gulch) is close to Hana in Haleakalā National Park (bring your national park pass).
What we packed
We didn’t need much yet we still overpacked! We mostly wore bathing suits, sundresses, and flat shoes the entire trip. Pack mineral sunscreen and a hat. I love this hat because it’s foldable, making it easy to pack, and it covers my chest and shoulders. We also brought Yeti cups to make our own drinks that stayed cool while on the beach. If you can fit it, pack your snorkeling gear so you don’t have to buy or rent.
We hope you enjoyed our Maui Hawaii travel guide. Leave a comment below or contact us for any questions. If you are still considering islands check out our post on the other Hawaii Islands.
~Elyse
