E and I spent five days in Maui – here are some of the key highlights/places we went!

Activities:

  • Snorkeling tour at Molokini/Turtle Town
    • Due to weather (strong winds), we actually weren’t able to go there. The tour company offered us the opportunity to reschedule but we had a tight itinerary since we were only there a few days and ended up just going the day-of – we snorkeled at a different part of the island
    • If experienced with snorkeling, I’ve heard it’s cheaper/worthwhile to snorkel on your own off the coast of Maui
  • Tour of a coconut palm at Punakea Palms
    • Super cool especially given that I love coconuts! They showed us their coconut palm, explained how the trees grow, and we taste tested coconuts at different ages (for coconut water, cream, and the meat)
    • This was a small group tour and especially awesome because we had the chance to ask lots of questions
  • Road to Hana
    • We didn’t plan on completing the whole drive – instead, we did about 2/3 of the road and took our time
    • We hit heavy rains the day we went and had to drive slower, and didn’t make as many stops
    • However, lots of cute stalls, amazing banana bread along the way (Aunty Sandy’s) and very scenic rainforest/ocean views
    • Mama’s Seafood is along the way back and supposedly very good but was a bit out of our price range
    • Roadside fruit stands are also amazing – we had some of the best starfruit and passion fruit along the way
  • Catch sunset or sunrise at Mt Haleakala 
    • You need to get a pass for seeing the sunrise since they limit traffic, and you have to wake up super early
    • We drove up early for the sunset instead since we didn’t have a pass
    • It gets super chilly once the sun has set, so make sure to dress warmly or you’ll be stuck watching the sunset from inside your car
    • Note that after sunset, you do have to drive downstairs in the dark
  • Lots of beach time and reading
    • I believe in Hawaii, all beaches have to be publicly accessible so none of the resorts rope off any stretches of the beach
    • We did explore quite a few resorts – found it easiest to park at the Fairmont and the Four Seasons (the other resorts had only valet parking options)
    • Our hotel was also beachfront, so we did also use that beach a few times (Mana Kai Maui – primarily a timeshare/condo rather than hotel, but with a couple units for hotel rentals)
  • Exploring small towns
    • Paia and Lahaina were the ones that stood out
    • Lots of cute stores, local grocers, and many food options

Dining:

  • Traditional Hawaiian food at Poi by the Pound near the airport (lots of more affordable luau style options but in a traditional restaurant setting)
  • Lots of poke bowls from grocery stores (Times and also Foodland in Kihei had plenty of options)
  • Wine/pineapple/local coffee beans from Costco 
  • Fancy Hawaiian fusion at Humuhumu in the Waldorf Astoria resort (free valet parking for dining guests)
  • Great breakfast at the cafes around the island – we found that the coffee was consistently amazing
    • Had pancakes from Piko Cafe
    • Had the biggest bagel sandwich from Cafe La Plage 
  • Great vegetarian pot pie at Leoda’s Kitchen and passion fruit (lilikoi) pie at Maui Pie
  • Fresh fish at Paia Fish Market (several locations, we went to the one in Paia)
  • Fresh fruits from roadside stalls

Other thoughts:

  • There are a lot of outdoor hallways here, whether it’s at hotels or at the airport – I was surprised by this but figure it has to do with saving on AC and/or spending time outdoors
  • The airport is surprisingly small and feels a lot like a bus terminal – this was unexpected but in retrospect not that surprising
  • Rental car facility is a 3-5 min drive from the airport and requires a shuttle transfer
  • The beaches have darker sand but the sand is incredibly fine and soft
  • If you do ocean activities, you’ll need reef safe sunscreen – we purchased this locally but I would have not brought my own non-reef safe sunscreen had I known in advance this was an issue
  • Costs of food/activities feel on par with San Francisco, so may likely feel more expensive for tourists from other places
  • I think for the most part, the locals are quite integrated with tourists in terms of where they live – it felt like there were a number of locals in most places we went, and I thought that was really enjoyable. The grocery stores were quite down-to-earth and so were many of the strip malls, stores, and restaurants in Kihei near our hotel