By 
Aloha! Almost two weeks ago I came back with my dad from five unforgettable days on Maui! If you read my travel section on this blog, you’ll see that last year, on my first visit to Oahu I was completely taken aback by the beauty of it. Seriously, even though Hawaii is one of the fifty states, the islands are a completely different world than the mainland.
Prior to my first visit, when I thought of Maui the first thing that came to mind was luxury resort hotels. So many celebrities like Oprah, Steven Tyler, Owen Wilson frequent their estates in search of relaxation, away from the buzz of Oahu, particularly Honolulu.
The first thing that struck me about Maui is the size of the island. It’s the second biggest after the island of Hawaii, so if you’re planning on exploring the island, a car rental is a non-negotiable. Our average drive times were from 40 to 50 minutes.
There’s only so much you can do in four days. Everyone is different and the weather in Hawaii is unpredictable. With this being said, plan accordingly and stick to a doable itinerary, something you can change on the fly. Our main focus was the beaches – because we are suckers for exotic beaches – but some people love the hiking and swimming in waterfalls. Other people like to be safe and prefer going to a luxury resort without stepping out. Be open to discovering new things!
Moreover, the long distances between outdoor activities that closed so early made it trickier to balance the beach and nature attractions, which were tucked deep in the center of the island.
Something I missed about Oahu was the spontaneity of our trip. In 20 minutes, you could cross to the other side of the island through the interstate. Maui has a four lane road with a 45 mph speed limit that is highly enforced and in some areas it was only a two lane road! In my Oahu blog post, you can I mentioned the fact that drivers on Oahu were slow but Maui has surely beaten that record!
In this blog post I gathered up all the places we went to, where we stayed and the best beaches to visit. Also, don’t forget to visit my other blog post Maui for foodies. All in all, to sum up the vibe of the island, think of it as Oahu’s easy-going brother. While Oahu is the most populated island and receives the majority of tourist influx, Maui’s lack of development provides you with a calmness that washes over you as soon as you step off the plane. The islands are so close to each other, providing beaches and endless nature, yet they’re so different from one another. Good luck partying the night away on Maui, whereas in Honolulu, tons of of options are at your disposal in Waikiki beach.
A very last important suggestion: wear lots of sunscreen. Despite the fact that the sun was not present 100% of the time, we got sunburnt shoulders and I came back the tannest I’ve ever been. Not even on Oahu did I get this tan. I’m not upset but the sun was just unbeatable at times.
Lahaina
Lahaina is one of Maui’s beautiful beach towns. It’s an amazing place for eating, dining and further discovering the magic of Maui with its quaint and rustic architecture. Lahaina’s main hub is Main Street which offers several historical and cultural sites like the Heritage Museum and other amazing restaurants. We didn’t stay in the tourist area of Lahaina but in a much better secluded area located on a residential street.
The Kulani Maui
441 Ilikahi St, Lahaina, HI 96761
This is where we stayed. If you want to get an authentic Hawaiian experience instead of staying at a regular hotel with a concierge and full room service, come here. Kulani Maui is a gorgeous boutique bungalow hotel away from the touristic area but in the right place. It was so quiet and peaceful, exactly what the doctor ordered to get away from the real world. The room was a Hawaiian dream: tall ceilings, hardwood floors, gorgeous deck all of it furnished in Hawaiian style furniture made of bamboo. I loved waking up to the chirping birds and being surrounded by the sounds of nature. Instead of being startled by a loud tourist, I was startled by a wild squawking bird when I got out of the shower.
This hotel has only been open since December 2018. The owners, Heather who is a New Jersey native and has been living on Maui for 7 years and Pavel, a Czech tennis player, are super knowledgeable about the island. You can definitely tell Heather loves living there and truly embraces the Hawaiian lifestyle. She told me she used to live in Santa Monica but loves Maui because of the tranquility and of course, the beauty of it.
Heather even wrote us a list of her favorite places. The best thing was coming back to the hotel at night and finding the garden completely lit up in green lights by the fireflies. It was a beautiful experience and I would go back in a heartbeat. Just be aware that this is not a kid-friendly hotel and room service is not provided, not deal-breakers at all but just keep that in mind. They do provide Wifi, a change of beach towels, tons of bathroom towels and trash bags for the bathroom.
Visit the website for more photos and reservations.
Whaler’s Village in Lahaina
We went there on our first day to take a relaxing stroll, but it was crowded with tourists. Whaler’s Village is an upscale outdoor mall tucked into one of Maui’s many impressive golf courses with a nice selection of high-end stores, including a Sephora! At least in the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, you could see some local people, but given the upscale location on Maui, Whaler’s Village was all tourists with large groups of friends and families that were meeting each other for dinner.
The crazy amount of tourists at every restaurant put us off, so this is not a place I would come back to although Monkey Pod Kitchen was on my restaurant list and is located there…
Kaanapali Beach
This is a beach resort, but don’t let this put you off. The three-mile stretch of beach is enormous enough for you to peacefully lie down and relax. But there are two downsides: the wind and the complete lack of shade.
Slaughterhouse Beach
This treasure of a beach was only 19 minutes away from our hotel. We loved it so much that we came here twice. The cliffs on the beach will make you feel like you’re in Tulum. The highlight was swimming alongside two sea turtles. I was happily catching waves when I noticed not too far from me the giant turtle beak peeking through the water. Everyone noticed them too but thankfully, most people who visit Hawaii are very respectful of the marine life and no one attempted to touch them. This beach is also famous for snorkeling and since it’s located in a cove, the waves were perfect for boogie boarding and bodysurfing, but not big enough to surf. Given the semi secluded location, it’s not super crowded but keep in mind that parking spots are very limited. There’s also a flight of stairs to access the beach but it’s super easy and short.
It’s a beautiful white sand beach with crystal clear water. Every time I dove beneath the water and opened my eyes it genuinely felt like I was inside an aquarium.
Wailea
Forty minutes from Lahaina on the southern part of the island, lies what can be described as the Beverly Hills of Maui. On your way to the following beach list, you’ll drive down a beautiful road with luxury hotels on one side and the best golf courses in the country on the other side. Out of curiosity, we parked at the Four Seasons and took a walk around the premises. Let me tell you, although we loooved the Kulani, we wouldn’t have minded staying there for a night or two however a night at the Four Seasons starts at $900 and goes up from there! Just do a quick google search to grasp the beauty and the luxury of it.
Makena Beach
This one is Maui’s signature beaches and one of the most beautiful if you’re looking for white sand and crystal clear blue water. It contains Big Beach, Little Beach and One’uli Beach. The latter is a gorgeous black sand beach that flies under the radar and receives very few visitors. You have to drive down a short but narrow and bumpy dirt road, which is why a big car is preferred.
This black beach is really secluded. I was surprised that it was just us and a small group of tourists. Some other people came, quickly snapped and a few photos and left. The sand was super soft and the water was great for snorkeling.
Big Beach and Little Beach, on the other hand, are right next to each other and parking is easily accessible.
Paako Cove
Also known as Maui’s secret cove. This beautiful pocket of sand is very popular for beach weddings, and lo and behold, there was a Hawaiian wedding going on when we got there late in the afternoon. The locals kindly allowed us to crash their wedding. It’s a beautiful intimate beach that sets itself apart from the rest. If you want to go for a swim, enter safely in the space between the rocks on the right side.
This is how Paako cove looks like on a clear day.
Kihei
Kihei is another beach town with restaurants and resorts, but in my opinion Lahaina is more charming and quaint.
Road To Hana
Maui’s famous historic scenic route. In a nutshell, Road To Hana is a long narrow road full of twists and turns at every corner that goes around the East side of the island. While Maui’s landscape is dry in general, Road To Hana reminded me of Oahu: beautiful lush foliage at every turn, scenic sea cliff vistas and dreamy waterfalls. The drive to Hana from Lahaina is 3.5 hours. We only went halfway and that was more than enough: All those curves got a little tedious after a while. I don’t recommend this to inexperienced drivers.
I drove on the way to Hana and my father drove right behind a tour bus, which saved us from paying attention to yield and stop signs on that treacherous road.
If you have the extra time and want to experience the Road To Hana in its entirety, download the Gypsy App guide on the App store for $5, which is a GPS guided tour.
Wai’anapanapa State Park Black Sand Beach
Almost two hours from the beginning of Road To Hana, we stopped by the Wailalap black sand beach. This place is a must-see if you have the time to do the Road To Hana. My dad and I unloaded all of our swim gear ready to take a dip in this unique beach but the windy conditions made the water too choppy. The beach was small and got crowded pretty quickly. The sand was super fine and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Despite the wind, it was a sheer delight to walk barefoot on this jewel of a beach. If you kept walking you could venture into the caves and see the blowholes. It was stunning to see the juxtaposition of the black sand, the blue water and the green trees.
Hana
Hana. I wish I could say that Hana as a destination was special and full of interesting activities, but I was disappointed. There was only a locals beach, a hotel, small museum and numerous food trucks lined up next to each other. No souvenir shops, no street scene. We missed Hana in the blink of an eye and I had to make a U-turn. I also had to go to the hotel for Wifi because there was no phone service around either – none. Heed my warning and plan your route very well on your GPS. It goes without saying that a full gas tank is a requisite.
Hana is worth it if you have the extra time, but if you’re looking for waterfalls and you don’t want to make the arduous drive, there are other waterfalls in Maui. Afterall, the main attraction is not Hana but the road itself.
On our way back, just 3 miles before exiting the endless road, we stopped at the Bamboo Forest, ventured into the mud and finally reached the rewarding waterfall. Only two seconds before we reached our car, we were surprised by a heavy but short downpour.
After reading the numerous warnings and safety tips online, I thought Road To Hana was going to be hell but surprisingly, I managed the drive pretty well. It also helped that we rented a Jeep given the fact that tall cars are the best for these roads. There are many horror stories online of people getting carsick or being aggressively tailgated by locals. Thankfully, none of this happened and we had a pretty peaceful drive.
If you want to get a glimpse of how Road To Hana really is from a drone’s eye view, enjoy this awesome video by Shay Mitchell.
Paia
This is the most laid-back, hippie town on Maui. Lots of cute restaurants, boutique stores, art galleries and even yoga studios! At the entrance of the town there’s a huge free parking lot. I loved strolling around the main street, called Hana highway, and browsing the different stores after a healthy breakfast. Paia has nice array of healthy cafes like Paia Bay Coffee, which was my favorite breakfast spot on Maui.
Blue Helicopter Tours
One of the main highlights of our trip! It was absolutely amazing! The route was intended to go over the island and Hana, but the weather was not in our favor that day, so we went from Maui to Molokai, which is another island. The island of Molokai has the biggest cliffs in the world and it was a once in a lifetime experience to witness this remarkable sight.
We couldn’t see the tops of the cliffs because of the clouds, but we could get a really good grasp of the enormity. We saw another helicopter flying near them and it was staggering to compare the size of the helicopter to the grandiose cliffs.
My dad and I are obsessed and we’ll definitely be back. Here a few things we’ll have to save for our next trip:
Seven Sacred Pools – Although locals are known for embracing the Aloha lifestyle, Hawaii has a big locals-only policy. There are reviews online of how horribly some tourists have been treated at this place. Furthermore, the recent reviews warned that the pools were closed for swimming due to weather hazards and the treacherous the road to get there. Because we didn’t experience the greatest weather on Road To Hana, we decided to skip this.
Another recommendation if you’re going to swim in waterfalls is to bring a good pair of sturdy shoes. Unlike the beaches, waterfalls are hidden and require a small hike to get to them.
Halakeala Crater. People wake up well before dawn to see the sunrise from the mountain peak around 5am and reservations are required. On our last day, we see this impressive crater from the overlook spot but it was almost a two-hour drive from where we stayed in Lahaina. Plus, the weather on our last day was too good not to go to the beach and bask in the sun as much as we could before catching a red eye back to LA – back to reality.
Surfing Goat Dairy Maui. I wanted to go there after one of our days at the beach but again, the drive was too long from Kihei and we preferred to squeeze in another beach in Lahaina. This farm features adorable goats adorably prancing around on surfboards scattered around the grounds. Not only you can taste the amazing goat cheese, but you can also feed the friendly goats and take photos with them.
Ziplining Who would pass up the opportunity to
Red Sand Beach on Road To Hana.
Have you been to Hawaii or any of the islands?
