With just seven days left of our trip, we were on our way to the final island of our month-long Hawai’i tour: Maui. At this point in the trip, (yes I’m labeling this as mostly as a trip not a vacation, see the difference here) we were exhausted. A month is a long time and with the number of tours, hikes, flights, rental cars, and non-stop activities we needed a break. This is exactly what I mean when I recommend adding a “vacation” to any “trip” you may be taking. You want to come home and return to everyday life, or in our case, our wedding reception, feeling refreshed and rested. We did have a few things on the itinerary in Maui but the majority of our plans were to relax on the beach for a week and really enjoy some downtime before returning home.
Day 1-2:
We stayed in a condo in Ka’anapali, on the west side of Maui, located on a golf course and right in front of an absolutely stunning beach. This region is a resort area and our condo was just a short 8-minute drive to Front Street, the “jewel in the crown of Maui”. This street was where all the action was: scenic ocean and mountain views, restaurants, retail shops, and more. On our first day in Maui we checked into our condo, stopped by the grocery store, and had dinner with wine on our lanai.
The next morning we woke up late and decided to pack the cooler and head down to the beach in front of our condo. We spent the whole day here, drinking, snacking, reminiscing on all the tours we had experienced in Hawaii thus far, and cliff-jumping into the crystal-clear waters. We then went back to the condo to grab sweatshirts and some takeout for dinner before heading back to the beach for sunset with our Bluetooth speaker. We stayed long after dark and had the whole beach to ourselves. It was perfect.
Day 3-4:
The next day we drove around Ka’anapali for a bit, venturing out to the Nakalele Blowhole and driving by Front St. We had our luau that night, Feast at Lele. It was incredible. The show took place right on the beach, with a sit-down dinner of five courses from the Pacific Island nations of Aotearoa, Tahiti, Samoa, and Hawai’i. While we ate, we got to see dancers, fire twirlers, and hear music from all four Pacific Islands. The Hawai’i portion consisted of their oli (chant), mele (song), and hula (dance) while we feasted on imu roasted kalua pua’a (pork), lomi lomi & poi, and traditional dessert. The next region was Aotearoa, or New Zealand, which featured harore kumara (mushroom & onion on sweet potato), miti hangi (braised short ribs in kiwi), and authentic dessert. After New Zealand we got to try the regional cuisine of Tahiti with e-iaota (fish and veggies), and giner moa (chicken in a mango soy sauce). Lastly, we had Samoa where we got to try palusami (braised coconut cream corned beef wrapped in taro leaves), stew figota (fresh seafood), followed by guava chiffon cake, a Liliko’i lemon tartlet, and whipped haupia cream. Everything was so well done, informative and the food was amazing!
The next day we had planned on doing the Road to Hana but after one too many mai tai’s at the luau the idea of driving all day on twisty roads was a no from me. We spent this day on the beach again with takeout from Duke’s Beach House nearby. Their filet was perfection, but the star of the show was the Hula Pie. This dessert is made with macadamia nut ice cream stacked on a chocolate cookie crust with a cool chocolate fudge layer and whipped cream; hot fudge is then poured over the top and toasted macadamia nuts are sprinkled on top. It’s honestly heaven on a plate.
Day 5-6:
The next day I surprised my husband with his wedding present: powered hang-gliding. I booked this in advance and it was one of the coolest experiences! We left the condo early in the morning to drive to the airport, stopping for coffee and breakfast sandwiches on the way. We then parked and watched the sunrise before heading over to the hangar they would be taking off from. On the hang-glider it was just him and the instructor soaring over lush rainforests, waterfalls, and crystal-clear ocean. The pictures and videos he took with our GoPro are stunning, I can’t even imagine what it was like in real life.
On the last full day in Maui, we finally got to do Road to Hana. After extensive research, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to stop at and what I thought we could pass up. One recommendation I read time and time again was how early you should start the drive as driving in the dark is dangerous with how curvy the road is. The issue we had was that a lot of the food stands along the road wouldn’t be open early enough for us to stop the morning of. We got up around 5:30am to make it to Pa’ia town for sunrise; this is where we began our Road to Hana journey. For a detailed list of the places we thought were worth it vs what you could drive on by see our Road to Hana dedicated post here.
The number of waterfalls and sheer beauty on this road is absolutely unmatched. From the onset of the drive all the way to the very end we were in awe, craning our necks left and right to catch everything. The drive definitely takes the entire day so make sure you dedicate the right amount of time. If you want to let someone else do the driving so you can take everything in they do have guided tours. We opted out of this and were happy with our decision because we wanted to be able to stop and go at our leisure. One major spot we weren’t able to see because you need reservations (we had one for our originally planned Hana day but not the day we ended up going) was Waianapanapa State Park. We planned to stop here for lunch on the black sand beach but ended up much farther than this point when lunch rolled around. The final stop was my favorite: Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park. This beautiful bamboo forest trail is 4 miles round trip and leads to Makahiku and Waimoku Falls. Walking the boardwalk through the bamboo was like no terrain I’d ever seen before. It was such a surreal experience!
Maui was incredible. It was exactly what we needed it to be after a month spent trekking around the other three islands. It gave us a chance to relax and rejuvenate before we were to head home and get back to real life. This being said, we missed so much! At the time I definitely did not regret a single moment we spent on the island but looking back, especially after the devastating 2023 wildfire, I do wish we spent more time on Front St. and explored more of the beautiful island while we had the opportunity. I would also make sure to get a Waianapanapa reservation, so we could’ve spent time there on the Road to Hana. My single biggest regret is not making reservations for Haleakala at sunrise. This is said to be the number one thing to do on the island and next time we venture there we will certainly be renting bikes and making the trip down.
Maui, despite the devastation of last year’s wildfires, is rising from the ashes with locals rallying together as the tight-knit community they are. Tourism to the island at this time is a subject widely debated. Some residents and business owners advocate that tourism and travel to Maui is an integral part of its economic recovery, while others express concern about the appropriateness of vacationing amidst the ongoing hardships. Thousands of residents are still without permanent housing and the fear of many is that short-term rentals may proliferate, altering the island’s character. For those considering a visit to Maui, I think it is crucial to demonstrate a sensitivity to the local community. Whether you spend a day volunteering in the cleanup, donating to recovery efforts, or patronizing the reopened small businesses, there are a lot of different ways to do your part in preserving the essence of Maui.