Maui

From the Hawaiian islands I have visited, Maui is a good in-between island with views and adventure similar to those found on both Oahu and The Big Island. Maui is a good place to relax and also have access to stores and amenities, and is a good choice if you can only visit one island.

East Side of the Island

  • The Road to Hana is one of the most iconic things to do in Maui. It is a very twisty turny road full of cliffs and one-lane bridges that runs from Kahului to Hana (on the east side of the island). It is a beautiful drive on its own, but there are many cool stops along the way. Our favorites were the Eucalyptus Rainbow Trees and Keanae Lookout. You’ll pass so many waterfalls along the way. Plan to spend several hours making the drive, and pull over when you see something interesting! We spent one night in Hana and made the drive a 2-day event. We drove back around the south side of the island (making a full loop), and saw beautiful views over the ocean from high on the cliffs. 

  • In Hana, we ate at Hāna Farms Roadside Stand, Pizza Oven and Bakery for a pizza dinner, and they have lots of cute covered seating in a rainforest setting. Coffee at My Tita’s Cafe is a must, and this coffee shop is in a lot with several other food trucks. 

  • We loved the black sand beaches at Wai’anapanapa State Park. There is a fee to enter, and you have to buy your parking in advance (hawaii.gov). It was raining part of the time we were there, but the hour of sunshine we got was SO worth waiting through the rain.

  • Wailua Falls is a bit past Hana, and is a large waterfall with good off-road parking. Keep going and you’ll run into the Haleakala National Park’s Eastern edge which contains the Ohe’o Gulch. This is a very accessible 0.5 mile loop marked trail from the parking lot to the water. Also at the park is the Pipiwai Trail, which we didn’t have time for, but I hear is a great hike along a stream and up the mountain that takes you by a large Banyan Tree, through a bamboo forest, and ends at Waimoku Falls. 

Central Maui

  • Although we ended up skipping it on the first visit, the Haleakala National Park summit looks epic! You can make reservations online to go into the park for sunrise (nps.gov, there is a $1 booking fee and you must book in advance). 

  • We stayed in Kihei (key-hay), which provided good access to food, shopping, and getting around to other parts of the island. It was very windy in Kihei and thus not the best for the beach, but the sunset views were AMAZING! Kamala Beach Park is a great place to stop for sunset, and the food truck court around Kraken Coffee was excellent!

  • Although we didn’t have time, there are lots of biking trails around central Maui, and I would LOVE to get to do this in the future!

  • The Kihei Marketplace is one of my FAVORITE markets ever! It’s an open-air shop with lots of vendors selling all kinds of trinkets, souvenirs, apparel, jewelry, and more. The market is surrounded by food shops and has good parking. There are lots of pop-up markets and farmers markets throughout the week in Maui. I recommend looking up what will be in the area when you visit if you’re interested in this kind of thing!

  • The #2 most amazing beach I have ever visited was Wailea Beach, south of Kihei. On the day we visited, the water was perfectly clear, calm, and shallow. My short self could walk out pretty far into the water and still touch, and also still see to the bottom. There is a rocky point at the south end of the beach that is good for snorkeling, and we saw a turtle while there (I heard turtles often visit this area). You’ll see why high-end resorts are built right along this beach.

  • There is a large shopping area in Wailea and is generally just a fancy-bougie area. It was cool to drive through and grab lunch.

On the West Side

  • We did not actually make it to the west side of Maui during this visit, but the stops on my list to visit were the town of Lahaina, the oldest Banyan tree at Lahaina Banyan Court, Olowalu beach, Kaanapali and Kaanapali Beach. I would love to hear recommendations from others who make it to this side of the island!