What to Do in Maui, Hawaii
HELLO FRIENDS
I just got back from my weekend in Maui, Hawaii and I wanted to share with you what I did so that hopefully you get inspired to plan a little vacation for yourself, and if you go to Hawaii, you can enjoy it as much as I did!
We flew Southwest Airlines, which, if you’re flying from LAX is awesome because they’re located in Terminal 1 (which means quick drop off and pick up). We landed around 11:00 am in Maui and DANG that airport is small. It’s also mostly outdoors, which meant the sweats and sweater I wore on the plane got me sweating real quick. Side note, how do people wear anything BUT sweats and a sweater on the plane?! I’m comfies all the way. Ixnay on a bra, it’s a sports bra or bralette for me.
Anyways, we used the Turo app to rent a Jeep (because we’re in Hawaii of course we’re renting a Jeep). We rented from a woman named Lucky Joy. When we got our luggage, we called our contact and they delivered the car right to us with complimentary cookies and water (how cute)! It was in great condition, clean, and a full tank of gas. The 4-wheel drive was VERY helpful when navigating certain roads. When we left, we dropped the car off at their house near the airport and they drove us over. So easy and they were so friendly. Overall we were really happy with our experience and would 10/10 rent from Lucky Joy again.
We stayed at the Royal Lahaina Resort in, you guessed it, Lahaina (lol). When we got there they surprised us with some extra resort fees, which is always annoying, but they also upgraded us to a nicer room on the top floor and let us check in early once we arrived. Bed was super comfortable which is a huge plus. You do have to pay extra for parking, so budget that in.
We unpacked our bags and head out to the beach in front of the hotel to get into the water. The water was a bit colder than I thought it would be, to be honest, but you get used to it so quick (unlike the water here in LA). Before leaving, I made sure to get “reef safe” sunscreen. Now, I’m not sure if this is all sunscreens, or just the one I got, but oh boy was that hard stuff to get on. It was a PROCESS and it left me looking whiter than I already am (especially when getting out of the water). I got this one for the body and this one for the face (they were the only ones I could find at Target). Needless to say, I did not get a tan, but I did my part protecting the reef, and my skin, so I feel good about it. On the same note, the sun in Maui is seriously no joke, it’s piercing. When I looked up the UV Ray Index on my phone, it was at an 11+ (Extreme), which I’ve never seen before, so please please protect your skin when you go.
Later that night we went to a Luau, which was definitely an experience you have to do once, but I don’t feel a need to do it again. We went to the one at the Sheraton, but the one I hear a lot of people recommend is the Old Lahaina Luau. We really loved our host and the food was so so good. We watched the sunset on the beach and overall it was a great way to spend our first night in Hawaii.
The next morning we woke up early because we were going to drive the Road to Hana. This, honestly, was probably one of my favorite parts of our trip. The drive is absolutely stunning filled with different hikes, waterfalls, beaches, views of the coastline, volcano, jungle, etc. We went late August and started around 7:00 am and were some of the only people on the road (I know this isn’t always the case). I downloaded the GyPSy App audio tour guide for $9.99 (at the time) and it was totally worth it. Note: Download before you get there as you will lose reception. We would have missed so much if we hadn’t used that app. The drive itself is about 3 hrs to Hana and 3 hrs back. With all the stops we took, it ended up being around 10 hrs total. Take a lot of snacks and water, and some actual full meals as well. Take some extra clothes and bathing suit if you want to swim in the waterfall pools. Most of the stops don’t require a reservation, but the Black Sand Beach at Waiʻānapanapa State Park does. Get that as soon as you book your trip if you want to go. If you get car sick, grab some gum or ginger chews (or another remedy that works for you) or sit in the front seat (or drive). There are a LOT of turns and parts of the road that only allow for one car at a time. Also, take bug spray for the hikes.
That night, we went to dinner at MonkeyPod in Whaler’s Village. It’s a good spot to go to if you’re like me and didn’t reserve anything a month ahead of time (seriously, the well-known restaurants book up quickly). Everyone told us to get a Mai Tai there. I don’t really drink so we shared one and it was very good. If you enjoy Mai Tais, it’s definitely the place to get one. The restaurant is located in a cute little shopping mall center that we walked around while waiting for our table.
The following day we spent in the water. We went snorkeling in Kapalua Bay and then Honolua Bay. Honolua Bay was our favorite of the two. Much more reef and things to see. It’s a bit of a swim until you reach the actual reef to the right, but it’s worth it. Go earlier in the day and you’ll see more wildlife. I would recommend water shoes because it’s really rocky getting in and you could hurt your feet. I took my own snorkel gear, but Tyler was able to easily rent his from our hotel for the day. Our favorite thing we saw were the turtles! Please be mindful that turtles in Maui are sacred and it’s illegal to touch them. So, admire them from a distance and give them 10 feet of space to not disturb them. A few helpful tips: Apply a LOT of sunscreen to your back (a remember to re-apply) or wear a swim shirt (the worst sunburn I’ve ever gotten was from snorkeling). If your snorkeling goggles fog up a lot and you don’t have an anti-fog spray, here’s a trick that works wonders: Spit inside the lenses (quite a lot, like two nice spits) and rub to cover everything. Quickly fully submerge into water and then shake it out. Then, rub some water onto your face to cool it down and apply the goggles. That should do the trick.
After snorkeling we went surfing. It was my first time (in a long time) so I wanted to make sure I was surrounded by newbies and in waves that weren’t terrifying, so we looked up a surf school and went to the cove they go to. We found Maui Culture in Lahaina and rented boards directly through them. Tyler was pretty confident he could teach me himself (big mistake, sorry Tyler lol), so we just rented boards. If you’re new, I highly recommend getting surfing lessons, they looked like a lot of fun and totally worth it. If you’re teaching yourself, watch where the instructors are located and stay near them as the water elsewhere can get scary (in my opinion). Anyways, renting through Maui Culture was amazing. The boards were $25/per person/per day and you could take them anywhere on the island. They were nice boards (according to Tyler because what do I know) and they came with a free rash guard and water shoes. They also gave us a small locker to use and cold water. The staff was super friendly and after you’re done they let you use their outdoor shower with shampoo and conditioner. Would 10/10 rent from them again.
On our way back we stopped at Front Street to see the shops and get shave ice from Uluani’s (not shaved ice, don’t make that mistake). If you’re a fan of shave/shaved ice, definitely go. I, personally, don’t love it, so it wasn’t my favorite thing we ate, but I can appreciate the quality. Also, shout out to Tyler for getting me this skirt that I really loved, thank you beans!
That night, we went to eat at Waicoco at the Westin (which I was able to find reservations for the day of). First off, The Westin is an absolutely gorgeous hotel. After dinner, we sat and talked in their lobby which had waterfalls with REAL flamingos in them. I mean… What?! The food at dinner was delicious and we sat outside near the water which was beautiful.
On our last day, we wanted to grab coffee at Island Vintage Coffee, but their espresso machine wasn’t working so we went elsewhere, I’ve heard great things though! Then we packed up our things and headed to the airport (or rather, to drop off our car first as I said before). Before we left, I HAD to get poke from a grocery store. It was the one thing that all my foodies told me to do. So, we stopped by Foodland and went to the poke bar (I also heard great things about Safeway’s Poke Bar). We got 2 different kinds of poke over rice for a great price and then drove down to a beach on the way and ate it while watching the surfers. If I go back to Maui, I’ll definitely be eating this for lunch every day. It melts in your mouth (not chewy at all) and has so much great flavor. Delicious.
The last thing I’ll say is to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours ahead of time. The TSA security line is NO joke (the longest I’ve ever seen) and we’ve been told can take up to 2 hrs on busy days.
A few things we wanted to do, but didn’t have time to:
Cliff Jumping at Black Rock
Reservation at Black Sand Beach
Sunrise (or Sunset) Hike at Haleakala
Iao Valley Hike
That’s it! I hope that’s helpful!
Have you been to Maui? Is there anything not on this list that you’d recommend? Please leave a comment below!
