Planning a trip to Maui and want to make the most of your time while in paradise???
Then we've got you covered! Below we share where to stay, the best beaches to visit, the best places to eat, roads less traveled, and all of our Maui adventures.
About Maui
Maui is the second largest Hawaiian island, and is one of the most popular Hawaiian Islands to visit. From visiting its beautiful beaches, hiking in lush terrains, whale watching, exploring volcanoes, Maui has endless activities and entertainment for all ages.
The island is broken up into five main areas: West Maui, Central Maui, South Maui, Upcountry, and East Maui. Each of these areas provide endless adventures and are all very different.
Similar to the other Hawaiian islands, each region of the island varies in weather and terrain. The eastern side of Maui tends to be more lush and green, and thus is more wet and rainy. The western and southern sides of the island tend to be warmer, drier, and often sunnier making the beaches on this side of the island more desirable to visit.
Best Time To Visit
The busy seasons for Maui are typically the summer and winter months. While these are still great times to visit, keep in mind prices tend to be higher, and areas may be more crowded during peak seasons.
When traveling to other islands, we enjoy finding the unique characters that each island is known for. For example, on Big Island, swimming with manta rays and hiking through volcanoes were unique adventures we cannot find on Oahu. In Maui, some of the top adventures include whale watching and driving the Road to Hana.
While whales can be viewed on some of the other islands, nothing compares to the amount of whales you will see in Maui. We could have spent an entire day just watching them from the beach!
Whale season in Hawaii is November-May, so if having close encounters with whales is at the top of your list, be sure to plan your visit during these months. We highly recommend Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel for your whale watching adventure.
Looking for more Maui ideas?
Check out:
Two Days Along the Road to Hana in Maui
*Disclaimer before we continue and share our favorite Maui adventures: we currently live on Oahu and thus get more than enough beach adventures on our home island; we additionally are not a hang out at the beach all day type of family. We love to spend our days snorkeling, hiking, eating, and exploring the unique character of the towns we visit.
General Tips & Preparing For Your Visit
Determine where to stay based on the adventures you plan to do. There are several areas across the island with beautiful resorts, beaches and plenty of delicious food.
- Kihei and Wailea: More centrally located on the southwest shore of Maui; close to beautiful beaches, high end shopping, and restaurants.
- Kaanapali: More touristy area with plenty of beachfront resorts, restaurants, and shops within walking distance. Located close to Lahaina, another popular spot for restaurants and shopping.
- Kapalua and Napili Bay: Located in West Maui; more quiet area with resort and condo options.
- Paia: Located on the North side of Maui, has more of a surf town vibe with restaurants and shops. There are no large resorts in this area and less beach front rentals. Paia is the start of the Road to Hana so this may be a good option if a day trip to Hana is on your list of things to do.
- Hana: The road to Hana is one of Maui's most popular adventures on the island! The town of Hana is small, very limited on restaurants and shops, and there are only a few places to stay in Hana. If you plan to do the road to Hana, we highly recommend you stay at least one night in Hana to truly explore all that the east side of Maui has to offer.
-Plan ahead when booking hotel reservations, rental cars, restaurant reservations and adventures!! Activities and restaurants fill up quickly, and there is currently a shortage of rental cars on most of the Hawaiian Islands following the pandemic. You will need a rental car when visiting Maui to truly experience all that the island has to offer.
Our 4-Day Itinerary On Maui
Spending a week or less on Maui?! Our 4-day itinerary includes our favorite adventures, restaurants, beaches, and things to do while in Maui.
Day 1: Iao Valley State Park, Nakalele Blowhole, Northwest Coast Drive, Mama's Fish House, Haleakala Sunset
1. After arriving early in Maui, we swung by the Iao Valley State Park and took a short walk to view the Iao Needle and the valley floor. The park is a 15-20 minute drive from the airport and worth a quick visit for some beautiful views.
2. Following a stop at our hotel in Kaanapali, we headed out for the day to explore the northwestern coast. Our first stop was the Nakalele Blowhole, located off of highway 340 at mile marker 38.5. The blowhole is a natural geyser caused by trapped seawater in an underwater lava tube. It is quite the sight to see as it shoots water up to 100feet in the air! Be sure to use caution when walking along the lava rocks. A good rule of thumb is to stay on the dry rocks; the large waves crashing into the rocks are always unpredictable.
As we continued on our coastal drive, the maintained highway eventually ended, and the roadway turned into a narrow winding road. This part of the highway was much less traveled, much less maintained, and we only encountered a few other cars along our trip.
If you are looking for a scenic drive that is less touristy, we highly recommend driving along the northwest coast, the views will not disappoint!
3. Further along the highway in Kahakuloa Village, we stumbled upon Julia's Banana Bread Stand; this is a necessary stop if you love delicious snacks and scrumptious banana bread....trust us, just pull over and grab a loaf or two!
Love to hike? Waihee Valley Ridge Trail is a 4 mile hike along highway 340. Unfortunately, we were unable to hike this trail during our trip as we simply ran out of time; the photos of this valley look amazing and it would make one great adventure if you can fit it in during your visit!
4. We slowly made our way around the coast to the north shore, and made a stop in Paia to eat a late lunch at Mama's Fish House. Mama's Fish House was by far our favorite restaurant on Maui; they give oceanfront dining a whole new experience! If you are looking to splurge and enjoy a nice meal with unforgettable views, Mama's Fish House is your place.
5. After eating way too much, we headed towards Haleakala National Park in hopes to catch the sunset at the summit.
(During our 4 day visit to Maui, the weather on the east side of the island presented with continuous heavy rain throughout the week and even flash flooding).
We took a chance driving up to the summit as this was our only day to visit, with low expectations and a winding road we traveled through the clouds and made it to the top.
At 10,023 feet elevation, we were unfortunately greeted with cold, wet clouds and wind, with zero visibility. After taking a few photos in the clouds, we headed back down.
Much to our surprise, the clouds opened as we approached lower elevation and we pulled over to catch the most incredible sunset with a double rainbow as a consolation for the poor conditions at the top!
Visiting Haleakala Summit is one of Maui's most popular experiences. If you are planning to go at sunrise, be sure to make a reservation online and prepare to wake up extremely early to assure you get a good spot a the top. Based on photos we have seen and recommendations from friends, sunset is equally as amazing as the sunrise, does not require a reservation, and is typically less crowded.
We highly recommend a visit to the Haleakala Summit during your visit no matter the time of day, nothing beats looking out above the clouds, or in our case, looking into the clouds at 10,023 feet elevation.
Day 2: Black Rock Snorkeling, Pool Time, Whaler's Village, Leilani's On The Beach
1. On day 2 we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at our hotel, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa.
After breakfast we headed down to Black Rock Beach for some snorkeling and cliff jumping. Black Rock Beach is a great snorkeling spot as the cove is protected from big waves due to the black rock ledge. The water is clear and there are often schools of fish, and occasionally sea turtles can be spotted swimming here.
2. Following our snorkeling adventure, we enjoyed some lunch and drinks poolside at the hotel and watched dozens of whales from the shore. We could have sat there all day spotting the whale spouts and tales.
3. We spent the late afternoon doing a little shopping at Whalers Village before we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Leilani's On the Beach.
Day 3: Maui Brewing Company, Lahaina, Sunset Cruise, Fleetwood's On Front Street
1. Day 3 we enjoyed another great breakfast at our hotel before enjoying a little morning pool time with some more whale watching. If you plan to stay at the Sheraton in Kaanapali or at a neighboring resort, be sure to try the avocado toast from the hotel cafe, it is mouthwatering!
2. Following our pool time, we headed out to explore more of the island and made our way to Maui Brewing Company in Kihei for lunch and beers. The restaurant and grounds are beautiful, and made for the perfect lunch spot.
3. Although we wanted to stay longer, we had to head back to Lahaina for our sunset cruise with Sail Maui. There is simply nothing more relaxing then being on the water at sunset in Hawaii. If you are unable to squeeze in a whale watching tour during your visit, a sunset cruise is a great way to spot whales while out on the water.
4. We finished our evening on Day 3, enjoying dinner at Fleetwood's On Front Street. This is a fantastic spot with amazing food, great ambiance, and live music.
Day 4: Molokini Crater Snorkel, Haven's Burgers, Ululani's Shave Ice, Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop
1. Our final day in Maui started with snorkeling at Molokini Crater. Molokini Crater is a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater in ʻAlalākeiki Channel between the islands of Maui and Kahoʻolawe. The crater is uninhabited and can only be accessed by boat.
We booked our snorkel tour through Maui Snorkel Charters, Inc. and our adventure was incredible. The crew was friendly, knowledgeable and took us to all of the secret spots that were less frequented by other tours. The tour made five spots: three at and around Molokini crater, and two sea turtle spots near "turtle town". The water was crystal clear at all of the stops, and we saw dozens of turtles within minutes of hopping in the water.
2. Following our snorkel tour we stopped for a quick bite to eat at Havens in Kihei. Located inside of a gas station store, Havens is said to have the best burgers on Maui and we couldn't agree more! They specialize in smash burgers with a special sauce; think In & Out style, but better!! They also offer a variety of noodles (ramen, saimin, chow fun), and the most delicious tater tots we have tried. Be sure to check them out during your trip, they are certainly worth it!
3. After enjoying our burgers, we headed back to the hotel to pack up and check out. We still had some time before our flight so we headed to Lahaina to walk around and grab some Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice!
4. On our way to the airport, we made one final stop to grab some infamous pies from Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop. We tried multiple times to grab food from Leoda's earlier in our trip; however, the timing never worked out. We were determined to try it, and man was it worth it! Their savory pies are equally as good as their sweet pies, and we have no doubt the rest of their food is incredible! This is a must stop for food in Maui.
If you have extra time during your visit, here are some other great activities on Maui:
- Visit the Hali'maile Distilling Company and experience their tasting and tour
- Visit the Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm
- Schedule a wine tasting at MauiWine-Ulupalakua Vineyards
- Explore some of Maui's most beautiful beaches: Makena Beach/Cove, Big Beach and Baby Beach, Kapalua Beach, Napili Bay Beach, and Ho'Okipa Beach, just to name a few.
- Grab some scrumptious cookies from Maui Cookie Lady and explore the shops in upcountry (Makawao)
Finally, if you have a day, or two, or three, be sure to check out Maui's crown jewel, THE ROAD TO HANA!!
Check out our guide, Two Days Along the Road To Hana, for a detailed itinerary on the best stops along your Hana adventure! (Coming soon)
Food Recommendations:
Ready To Plan Your Visit To Maui?
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