Things to do in Maui island of Hawaii

After spending a year in home quarantine and just dreaming of traveling to new places, we booked our flight to Maui… whaaaaattt!!! We were thrilled to finally tick off another island of Hawaii from our bucket list. Why did we choose Maui? Because it has the best of  both worlds – mountains and beaches! From stunning beaches and dramatic volcanoes, luxurious resorts to relaxing spas, fresh meals and unbelievable landscapes – Maui has it all! Well, first thing first, since I am taking you all on this virtual Hawaiian journey, let’s learn some words in the Hawaiian language. “Aloha” means Hello and “Mahalo” means Thank you! 

Now that you have mastered those words, pack up your swim suits and sundresses, book your flights to Hawaii, and use this Maui guide to craft your perfect Maui itinerary! But first, a whole lotta logistics!

A little bit about Maui

Maui island is split up into four major areas:

West Maui: West maui is the largest resort and beach area including Kaanapali, Lahaina and Kapalua. This side has plenty of gorgeous beaches, shops and restaurants. It rains randomly here which usually means – Rainbows!!

South Maui: The south side is always a sunny and dry part of the island, and it’s home to Kihei and Wailea. This side has plenty of swimmable beaches and upscale resorts. 

Central Maui and Upcountry: This part of the island includes the airport area, town of Paia, Haiku, Iao Valley.  

East Maui: East Maui is mostly jungles and waterfalls, and typically experienced via the Road to Hana. It requires a day trip to cover this entire area.

Due to erratic weather patterns of Hawaii, and the amount of showers and misty rain that occurs when the sun is shining rainbows are a common sight in Hawaii. One of Hawaii’s nicknames is “The Rainbow State,” and a rainbow is also depicted on vehicle license plates. We were fortunate to witness so many sights of rainbows on our trip!

Where to stay?

Now that we know the breakdown of this island, the first thing you want to do is book your stay. Personally I feel you would at least need 4-5 days in Maui, more the merrier. If you want to explore the island without any long exhausting day trips, I would recommend staying in three different places if possible. Couple days near Paia or airport, couple days in Wailea and majority of the time near Lahaina. Here are some of the best resorts of Maui:

• Montage Kapalua Bay
• Four Seasons
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort
• Andaz Maui
• Kaanapali beach club
• Hotel Wailea

What outfits to pack for your tropical getaway?

I don’t think I need to tell you exactly how many dresses or pairs of shorts to pack, but I can definitely show you some of my outfits for inspiration!!

One thing I love doing while traveling is learning about the culture & history of the place we are traveling to and explore it like locals. As soon as we got on the island, I picked up haku lei that is flower crown from @petite.maui , she specially made it for me and I loveeed it. If you decide to get one for yourself, tell Andrea that Madhura from TheDreamMapper sent you! 

The ultimate travel guide to Maui

Depending on the length of your trip, where you are staying and the style of your vacation, you can mix and match things to do from the following list. I’ll divide them up in major areas of the Island.

West Maui

1. Kapalua Bay

Kapalua beach is one of my favorite beaches on the island for some sun, sand, and relaxation. It is a wider beach as compared to other beaches on the west side. This is a great place to paddle around or snorkel. If you want to enjoy all the beaches along the way, then I would recommend Kapalua Coastal Trail- it is an easy, beautiful coastal walk in the northwest. Once you have spent enough time at the beach (what’s that now?!) and up for a mini adventure, jump in the car and head to Napili Bay, Nakalele Blowhole, and Makaluapuna Point. 

2. Beaches on the west side

Kaanapali and Lahaina area has so many resorts and almost all of them have their private beaches with public access. Here’s a map of beaches in this area, choose any of them and you will be treated with an amazing view, tall coconut trees and blue waters. My recommendations for must visit beaches are baby beach, Kaanapali beach and  Slaughterhouse Beach.

Pro tip: If you are exploring around Kaanapali, park at the Whaler’s Village (great shopping mall) where they’ll validate parking with a minimum purchase. 

3. Lahaina Town

Lahaina is a cute little beachfront town with many restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and shops. Don’t miss Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, shopping at Whalers Village, the huge banyan tree and Lobster rolls at the local food truck. There’s a famous fruit stand called Olowalu Juice Stand a few minutes south, we enjoyed some really yummy tropical fruits over there.

4. Whale watching tour in Lahaina Harbor 

While whales can be seen throughout all of the Hawaiian Islands during December through April, they’re most prevalent in the shallow waters between Maui and Lanai and Molokai. We had an amazing experience of whale watching with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Maui is known for Humpback whales, who migrate to Hawaii from Alaska every winter to mate and give birth in the warm waters. And spotting them either from the shore or from a boat is usually a highlight of anyone traveling to Hawaii during this time of year. There are a couple other activities like sunset cruise, helicopter tour that I would definitely recommend. We had already done these activities on Kauai island so didn’t want to duplicate. 

5. Spa day at Montage Kapalua bay

On our trip to Maui, one day we had dedicated only for RELAXATION! Imagine getting pampered right by the ocean, drifting away to the melody of the gentle ocean waves and chirping birds. I had only seen in movies and read in the novels about how queens used to take milk baths during ancient times and it always sounded so luxurious and glorious. I finally got to try it myself at Montage Kapalua Bay Spa! We had an entire day of spa relaxation which started with Lomi Lomi hot stone massage, milk bath in a stone-carved bathtub immersed in vibrant tropical florals, a relaxation hydrotherapy experience in a lush private oasis, bamboo rainfall shower and dry cedar-wood sauna. We ended our day with chilling in the infinity pool of dreams!

South Maui

1. Makena Beach

This is my most favorite beach on Maui, perfect for spending an entire day chilling on the beach reading novel, jumping in the water or just admiring the blue ocean. It has plenty of space for beach-goers to spread out, plus picnic tables and even food trucks.

2. Secret Cove

Secret cove is a part of Makena State Park and a grand beach divided into two sections “big beach” and the hidden “little beach“. We were pretty much alone on this little beach for about 2 hours, it felt like we had this paradise all for ourselves!

If you have some time time to explore, here’s a link of google map, where I have added more beaches and places to explore on south side.

3. Luau experience

Let’s start with what is Luau! The Luau is a Polynesian and ancient Hawaiian ritual, a popular social gathering meant to unite the people of a town in celebration of a significant life event. The celebration involves traditional Hawaiian cuisine – including pig, salmon, taro corms, and coconut milk-based dessert – arts and crafts demonstrations, traditional games, hula dance and live music.

This evening is full of entertainment, new learnings about Hawaiian culture, eating lots of good authentic food and making memories for lifetime. You will have so many options to select from, and we had considered these as our top options – Old Lahaina Luau, Feast at Mokapu and Feast at Lele. Whichever you select, make sure to reserve it in advance, usually they are all sold out. We ultimately chose Feast at Mokapu at @andazmaui for a few reasons: the food is brought out individually (meaning no buffet), private comfy tables vs. benched seating with those you don’t know, limited number of guests and it is considered as the most luxurious experience on the island. 

Central Maui and Upcountry

1. Iao valley / Iao Needle Monument

Iao valley is the perfect place if you want to escape the beach for a little while and enjoy the lush greenery like in Jurassic park and tropical flowers of Maui. While at the Iao Valley I would recommend taking the easy, paved 0.6-mile walk to view the Iao Needle Monument.

2. Paia

Paia is a small town on the North Shore of Maui. If you are early here for a brunch, take a quick stop at Island Fresh cafe for some authentic tropical food. Don’t miss the chance of posing in front of instagrammable Rainbow Surf Boards!

3. Dinner at Mama’s Fish House

By far the most popular restaurant in Hawaii, you can pretty much find this as must visit restaurant on any blogpost about Maui. Remember it’s not cheap, but it never disappoints. Mama’s fish house also has its own private beach where you can relax and enjoy the view and if you get lucky, you will have turtles’ company. 

East Maui

1. Haleakala sunrise

Sunrise at Haleakala National Park is without a doubt the most unique and unexpected experience you’ll have on Maui. The summit/crater feels like you’re on Mars. It can take up to two hours to reach the summit of Haleakala from some of Maui’s resort areas. Don’t forget carrying your winter jacket and gloves since it is SUPER cold up there. You can either drive on your own to the summit, for which you will need to a reservation (check more details on this website) or the alternate option, which we opted for is to book a sunrise bike tour with BikeMaui. They take you up on the summit in a van, you enjoy the sunrise and a few sightseeing points followed by a downhill guided/self-guided bike tour, which in my experience is a must-do in Maui. 

2. Road to Hana

The Road to Hana is one of the best things to do in Maui (and all of Hawaii). Road to Hana, a curvy, narrow road that winds along eastern part of Maui with some incredible landscapes, is definitely the greenest place I have seen until now. We started super early around 6am and spent the entire day driving on the Road to Hana while witnessing this lush green rainforest, countless waterfalls, unique trees, multiple hiking trails, stopping at random local fruit stalls and listening to very romantic music while it was drizzling outside! You can choose to be active and hike through the jungle to hidden waterfalls or stay close to your car and still see plenty. Most people drive the Road to Hana in one (very long) day, starting early around 6am and returning the same way they came because the back road to Hana is not well defined and sometimes even dangerous due to landslides. 

Quick tips before we start our journey on this road:

• Download the self guided tour app – Gypsy Maui before leaving your hotel. This app has an AMAZING audio guide that tells you really fun facts about all the stops along the Road to Hana and it is totally worth it!
• You won’t have cell service during most of this drive, so make sure to download offline maps.
• GAS UP, there won’t be a gas station until you reach Hana.
• Bring cash for roadside fruit stands.
• It is a rainforest, you will get wet so dress up accordingly.
• It is a popular place for car break-ins, so don’t leave any valuables in the car.

On that note, let’s begin our road trip!

Twin Falls

Twin Falls is one of the first stops after driving for about 30-40 mins on this road, it is a short walk from the parking lot. It is a fun way to start this trip and spend some time near the waterfalls. There are going to be countless waterfalls on this road so make sure to keep eyes on the clock and keep moving ahead. 

Ke’anae Arboretum/ Rainbow Eucalyptus

Rainbow eucalyptus trees are very unique and unusual trees on the road to Hana. What’s so amusing about them is their multi colored bark that peels off revealing new bark below in streaks of vibrant orange, green and blue colors. It’s hard to believe that they are real.

Town of Ke’anae / Aunty Sandys

This is a small town which houses locals and a good stop for some food. Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread stand, a popular spot to grab a bite to eat, especially their pineapple/banana bread! I’ll just take another trip to Maui to eat this!

Black Sand Beach

A black sand beach is a magnificent sight, formed by lava flow that has cooled, hardened and then fractured into tiny pieces by the relentless battering of the ocean waves over thousands of years. Recently they have started a reservation system, make sure to check that before going here!

Wailua Falls

This was one of the largest and prettiest waterfalls during our entire drive! Spend some time admiring the beauty of this tall waterfall.

Pipiwai Trail

We didn’t have time to stop by and complete the trail due to flash flood warning, but it’s one of the major Road to Hana trails that most people love to see. Throughout the rainforest there were so many stops where we had already witnessed bamboo forest, so we had no regret of missing out on this spot, but we will definitely do it the next time.

If you have some time time to explore, here’s a link of google map, where I have added all Road to Hana stops.

Recommendations for food places on the island

The first thing I did while planning for Hawaii is to make reservations at some must-try restaurants in Maui, because believe me they are usually booked in advance. Every meal that we had in Maui was of an authentic Hawaiian cuisine, I didn’t want to miss any chance of trying out such delicious food. My list is a mix of both local specialties plus some popular $$$ restaurants. Here’s list of my favs:

• Mama’s fish house @mamasfishhouse
• Island fresh cafe @islandfreshcafe
• Da nani pirates food truck
• Shave ice in Kaanapali
• Lahaina fish co. @lahainafishco
• Olowalu juice stand, 
• Aunty Sandy’s bread @auntysandys
• Hula grill @hulagrillkaanapali
• Tommy Bahama @tommybahamarestaurant
• Son’z steakhouse @sonzsteakhouse
• Haliimaile General store @hgsmaui

Hope you had fun on this virtual visit to Maui! Aloha and Mahalo <3