Maui, HI
So you’re heading to the islands! Whether you already have your flights booked or you’re just starting your search for the best island getaway, this guide to Maui will help you decide what to do once you get there. I see Maui as almost 2 different islands that just happen to be connected by the airport in the middle.
🌅 Haleakalā Summit– Sunrise or sunset, sunrise or sunset? You’ll find endless articles debating which is better. Sunrise is said to have a slightly better experience but having seen the heavens before my eyes during sunset (and not having to get up at 3am) I think that it’s hard to justify, especially when it means waking up at 3am means I’m probably in bed by 8, and going to bed early means no night time mai tais. Either way, get up to the top of Haleakalā because not only is the drive beautiful, but the summit is amazing. You sit atop the clouds like gods, watching the sun rise or set into a fluffy horizon and as a cherry on top, all you have to do is turn around and you’ll see looking straight into the craterous history of the volcano. Similar to the drive past Hana, you see many different terrains as you scale the mountain and it makes you even forget that you’re on a tropical island for a moment.
Pro tip: Pack warm clothes! It’s easy to forget as you’re preparing for beach vibes but 8000 ft up, the skies don’t care that you’re in Hawaii. So pack long pants, a thick jacket and some socks!
Snorkeling boat tour – there are tons, we took one out to Molokini and it was great.
Luau – While I love to spend my vacations just eating my way through new cities, I always try to find something culturally unique and nothing else does that better than a Polynesian luau. You are literally taken through the history of the island through song, chant, hula, and even culinary preparation. Find one that digs the kalua pig up from the pits and has a fire show! We went to The Honua’ula Sunset Luau at the Grand Wailea Resort (check the local Costco for discounted tickets, luaus can easily be$120-130/pp but at the time of purchase Costco was selling them for $89), we almost went to one near Kaanapali but read some recent reviews and noticed they were remodeling so they had moved their luau onto the parking lot! Check reviews on TripAdvisor/Yelp/Google before booking, just in case!
Maui Babe Factory – Okay, so this is probably something that only interested me, but on our way to Sam Sato’s we literally drove by the factory where they make Maui Babe. It’s a small operation and the people there are super friendly. They showed me their new products and their production line which is manned by a little Hawaiian lady. I was happy to scoop up a couple of bottles of reef-safe sunscreen and Maui Babe and was on our way!
EATING IN MAUI
Da Kitchen (Kahului) – This place is a Maui staple, so good even Obama ordered food from here to be catered to one of the White House’s Easter Sunday celebrations! Musts here are definitely the mixed plates and spam musubis (they have a deep friend spam musubi too for the really brave.) The line can get pretty long but they also have a take out window in case you want to take your lunch to-go!
Tinroof (Kahului) – Mmm, Tinroof. The mochiko chicken, delicious pieces of fried chicken with spicy mayo ($8) and fish of the day with poi ($14) are the way to go! Don’t forget to pick up a dime bag; no not that kind of dime bag. At the Tinroof a dime bag is a medley of crushed up chips, nori (seaweed), sesame seeds, dried garlic and onion, and a few other flavors that you can either add to the top of your plate or on the remaining rice when you’re done to liven things up! For only $.50 extra, it’s a no brainer. There isn’t any seating inside so you can try to grab a spot on the bench outside or plan to hit up a beach and grub while you watch the waves come in.
Monkeypod (Wailea) – If I’m going to be honest, this place seemed to get a lot of hype and I honestly don’t feel like it lived up to it. I will say their Mai Tais were really delicious and even had a homemade lilikoi foam on top which was 👌but everything was so expensive and the wait was so long that I felt like there were so many other great options available. To be fair, the bulgogi tacos were really delicious (and I’m normally pretty hesitant on getting Korean food from any place that isn’t a Korean restaurant.) The macadamia nut mahi mahi was also good but for $44 it’s hard to justify a piece of fish when I could have gotten a whole bowl of fresh poke for a fraction of the cost! My rec here: Go for happy hour (between 3-5pm, or after 9pm) and sip on a mai tai and bulgogi tacos and get a proper dinner before/afterwards.
Sam Sato’s (Wailuku) – When we landed in Maui we had a little time to spare before our friends got in, so we asked the car rental guy on our way out where he likes to eat. He told us the noodles at Sato’s Sam were really solid so we entered it into the GPS and were on our way! We got there and discovered the pinnacle of local eats; a small mom and pop diner operation where it was clear everyone knew each other. Was it the most amazing meal I ever had, no, but was is a good spot to get a loco moco and some dry noodle with relaxed vibes? Yeeep. It also looked like they had pastries at the front like pineapple turnovers and **look up their house specialty pastry**. I had never had dry noodles before (they aren’t actually dry, there’s a savory liquid at the bottom of the bowl you coat the noodle in as you eat it) and it was a perfect simple holdover meal as we knew we’d be eating again when our friends got in.
Kihei Caffe (Kihei) – You. Must. Go. Here. If you find yourself staying in the Kihei/Wailea area, be sure you grab some cash and make it over to Kihei Caffe one morning for breakfast. Banana nut french toast, chorizo scramble and pork fried rice. They have a coconut syrup that goes so well on the french toast my mouth is salivating just thinking of it. You get the real island vibes here; cash only, find a seat wherever you can, you might be sharing a table with someone else, and they’ll come out and call your name when they have your food in hand. Get yourself a glass of P.O.G. (pineapple, orange, guava juice) and just sit back and enjoy the ocean breeze. You can also rent tons of water sports equipment nearby if you’re looking for some afternoon activities. There’s a parking lot in the back of the restaurant too since street parking is a little hard to find. We didn’t get one but the cinnamon rolls were HUGE and they looked pretty popular as well.
Ono Kao Kao (Kaanapali) – This place is a must but go in with a warning. Did you ever see that Seinfeld episode about the Soup Nazi? Same vibes. Walk up, place your order, take a step to the left. Don’t ask questions. We stood in line and watched as he took people’s orders by hand, walked back each order to the kitchen, then came back to handwrite the prices next to each item so he could tally it up on his manual cash register. He also served as the busboy so between orders he’d abruptly come out from behind the counter, clear some dishes and then come back to take the next order. With a line out the door we watched him field telephone orders and for one that was going on for far too long I heard him end the call by saying, “I don’t have time to talk to you anymore.” and with that, he hung up. I got nervous as the line wasn’t moving very quickly and more calls were coming in, but don’t you worry, this guy has your back – as he was writing the prices of the last order, some poor soul likely hoping for a mixed plate of their own called in, and after 5 rings he picked up the phone by barely lifting it an inch off the receiver, he dropped it back down. No time to take calls, this guy’s got a line! The menu can be a bit overwhelming here, but just know you can essentially make a mixed plate out of any combination you see. We went with the seafood plate (garlic shrimp and fish), chicken katsu and short rib, combo #1 (short rib, beef curry ). There is seating inside and out, though he stops table services about an hour or so before closing so we actually took our food to go and set up shop at the food truck lot next door.
Times Market (Kaanapali) – My mom and I came to Maui before and she let me in on this little secret. A great place to get some poke is actually just visiting this local grocery store! Since I came a few years ago, they upgraded and now have a poke bar where you can get anything from spicy tuna to octopus to their house special. These bowls are decently sized, so fresh as it’s all caught locally, and there’s no line! Plus if you’re anything like me and are in love with Portuguese sausages and can’t find them anywhere back home, it’s a good place to load up to bring back!
Japengo at the Hyatt (Kaanapali) – Food here overall was pretty good but definitely on the pricer end. I recommend coming for drinks and the hamachi watermelon appetizer – definitely worth coming here for just this app, it’s light and just a perfect combination of flavors!
Star Noodle (Lahaina) – Definitely a solid spot if you’re in the mood for good Japanese food. I recommend the Hapa Ramen and pork belly baos! The line can get a bit long but that’s pretty standard for any of the popular spots around the island.
DOLE WHIP – (Lahaina) – I mean, when in Hawaii, one must Dole whip.
Miso Phat (Kihei & Kanaapali) – We didn’t go here but a few friends recommended either location for sushi!
COFFEE IN MAUI
I need to preface this by saying that if sweet coffees are not your thing, you are going to have a difficult time finding a good cup of coffee on the island. Similar to a lot of asian countries, Hawaiian coffee preferences seem to lean on syrups as the driving factor in a drink: macadamia nut syrups, coconut syrups, and what seems like a sugar cane plantation in your cup. We hit up a few of the popular spots, and this is what we found:
Kaimana Coffee (Kihei – next to Maui Brewing Company Tues-Fri 7am-1pm & Kahului -Maui Swap Meet Saturdays 6am-1pm) – I feel the need to start with Kaimana Coffee as it was the best coffee we found on the island. Since the rest of the places we tried ranged from pretty lackluster to kind of bad, I don’t want to lose your attention before I can give Kaimana the credit they deserve. We tried their peaberry iced coffee, the batch brew, and even their mocha and all hit the spot. The peaberry was complex yet light and very drinkable, as was the batch brew. The mocha syrup was made in house (or I guess you could say in car as this is a food truck setup!) and it’s the perfect balance between being a little chalky and a little sweet. I don’t get mochas often but when I do, it’s always such a relief when the chocolate brings flavor and not just a sugar dump. Not to mention the people running the coffee truck were super nice, really knowledgable about third wave coffee and left us thinking there was hope after all.
akamai coffee co (Kahului) – I was a bit nervous looking at the photos online before coming here since the majority of the drinks had super sweet names but thought, what the heck, this place has a perfect 5 star rating, I’m going to take a chance here. I ended up getting honey bee coconut with coconut milk and it was perfect for driving up Haleakalā, lightly sweet, almost tasted like the drink was sun kissed by the island.
The Mill House (Maui Tropical Plantation) – While we were waiting for our friends flight to get in, we found ourselves at The Mill House, thinking it was just a normal coffee shop, we quickly realized it was on a tropical plantation! We didn’t have a whole ton of time to spare but it looked like you could take a tram tour of the plantation and learn about the different tropical fruits that grew on the island. While the location was beautiful and I would recommend checking out, the coffee was.. fine and kind of overpriced. I got a lilikoi black tea (didn’t really catch any notes of lilikoi which was a bit disappointing) and a cold brew, Jimmy got the light roast drop coffee and both were just fine but between $5-6 each. The banana bread was good at the time, but after having amazing banana bread on the road to Hana, looking back, I don’t think I’d get it again.
Honolulu Coffee Company (Wailea) – If you are not a fan of sweet drinks, this place is not for you. Expect to spend over $6 for a drink and for it to have way too much syrup in it.
USEFUL THINGS TO KNOW
- Island time is a real thing. More than once have I seen a “be back later” sign with no indication of when the shop would open back up. Take the opportunity to ~slow down.~
- The cheapest gas is usually at the Costco by the airport which is convenient if you are a member. Also a good place to grab things like macadamia nuts/chocolates if you’re looking to bring any home as gifts.
Road to Hana a Guide to Maui, HI
How to See the Road to Hana and avoid as much of the crowds as possible
Aloha, travelers! If you’re visiting Maui, you’ll find yourself split between activities to do across the entire island. On the east side, you have the Road to Hana, Haleakalā, and lots of amazing snorkeling locations like Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. I would recommend a minimum of 3 days on this side of the island to not short yourselves on the full experience. The Road to Hana in itself is a whole day adventure and whether you want to see Haleakala at sunrise or sunset, you’re still spending a couple of hours getting up and down; not to mention all the stops to get some amazing shots of the scenery along the way.
At the time of this post (June 2021) Covid vaccination and a negative PCR Covid tests are required to avoid Hawaii’s 10-day quarantine. The test has to be taken 72 hours from the final leg of departure. Be sure to check for updates here: Hawaii’s Safe Travels program and here: Trusted Travel Test Partners.
ROAD TO HANA (full-day)
I highly suggest making sure that you carve out an entire day for the Road to Hana, leaving around 8-9 am to get back by sunset. This particular trip started at 9:30am and ended around 6pm (sunset was at 7). With the number of stops along the way, you can not do it all in a day. Pick and choose what is appealing to you (more forest, more waterfall, something else like lava caves) and map out your day. Make sure you’re back before sunset as the roads can get very narrow, windy, and are not well lit.
There are a lot of guides that will explain where to go if you only have a couple of hours if you only want to go halfway, if you want to reach Hana then turn around or if you want to complete the loop. What I will say is that going the full loop around (past Hana and back around) is ABSOLUTELY worth it, so get yourself a car that can handle the bumpiness of the road, buckle up, and be prepared to see the most breathtaking scenery on the island has to offer! Many car rental companies will make you sign a waiver saying you won’t take it into Hana unless it has 4WD so keep that in mind as you choose your car to rent.
A couple of considerations on the Road to Hana:
- Do NOT believe the mile markers! They start to go backward in numbers at some point and then start again mid-way through. Use a map and other landmarks as indicators of how far out you are.
- Speaking of maps, download offline maps! You will lose reception at some point and you will want to know how far you are until the next stop or when there is a hairpin turn coming up. Google Maps allows you to download maps you can access offline so do this ahead of time when you’re on good wi-fi!
- If you do not have a whole day to spare, you can hit up the spots at the beginning of the Road to Hana, but note that many other tourists are planning to do the same so the first handful of waterfalls are the most crowded. I would actually recommend skipping these and going to the ones halfway in to avoid the crowds.
- If you can, get a Jeep or something with 4 wheel drive rather than a small rental car. Once you pass Hana, there is a good stretch of maybe 15-20 miles of bumpy unpaved terrain and many rental car companies will make you sign a waiver saying you won’t take their cars out unless it’s 4WD. You’ll need a car with similar power to summit Haleakalā if that’s in your travel plans.
- If you can, go on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowds.
- The entire road, no matter how far you go, is very narrow and windy. The 2-way roads are more like one-way roads. Be prepared to drive slow as most of the turns you take require you to creep around and hug the corners of the road or yield to one-way traffic. It’s best to have the most experienced driver behind the wheel.
Stops along the Road to Hana (in order so you can plan out your day):
💧 Twin Falls (We recommend skipping this)
This is a very popular stop to hit up. I’ve gone in the past when I’ve only been able to see one or two locations, but it’s definitely the most crowded and difficult to find parking with tons of people on your path up to the waterfalls – I’d avoid this if you have the whole day ahead of you. If you do choose to go through, there is a waterfall at the end where you can swim in the pool at the bottom so bring swim trunks if you’re planning to jump in and then hop back into your car after!
🌳 Garden of Eden Arboretum and Botanical Garden (We recommend skipping this)
Also a very popular spot, it’s $15 per adult, $5 per child. Tons of beautiful scenery but again, if you are planning to do the whole loop, I promise you’ll get your fix of jaw-dropping moments at no additional cost. If you only have a short day though this isn’t a bad bet.
💧 Ho’okipa Beach Park & Lookout
Skip the first few stops and start here! You can park easily in the upper parking lot (the lower lot is mostly for surfers) and see the view of the ocean from here – additionally, some of the most intense surfers surf here if you want to watch people catch some waves. The water here has always looked bluer than anywhere else. The signs suggest not to walk down further buuuut, I’ve heard that you can see turtles from further down. Forever Nomday is not responsible for the choices that you make on this trip ^-^
🌳 Ke’anae Arboretum
This was our first forest stop so we walked all the way to the end out of excitement, but I’d say the best parts were on the paved path. This area is a reserve where they plant native flora for preservation.
🍌🍞 IMPORTANT BANANA BREAD PSA:
There is a whole online debate on who has the best banana bread on the Road to Hana. After having eaten many different contenders the verdict was that Halfway to Hana has the best one by a landslide! It’s the perfect mix of super moist banana-y goodness along with a crispy crust. Paired with a shaved ice – it is the perfect rest stop as you continue down the road. It was also the catalyst for making Chrissy Teigen’s Twitter Famous Banana Bread when we got home – which came out pretty damn close!
🌋 Lava Tube
A unique stop along the way if you want more that forests and waterfalls is the Lava Tube; an underground cave formed by flowing lava! Okay, I’ll be honest, I initially balked at the $12 entrance fee but having never been in a cave before it was not disappointing. They give you a flashlight at the entrance and allow you to self guide your way through the cave. There are signs posted along the way so you can learn about how the cave was formed by lava and the history of how it came to be. All I’ll say is that there were once 17,000lb of cow bones in that cave. The rest you’ll have to find out on your own.
🌳💧 Haleakalā National Park
In addition to the popular trek up to the summit of Haleakalā (which by the way you can not access from this side of the park), you may access Haleakala National Park from the Road to Hana. First, entering the park you will need to buy a parking pass ($25 for 3 days – or free with a National Parks pass!) which will also work for when you visit the summit so save your receipt! Park your car and follow the path that leads you up to the waterfalls. You can take a .5 mile walk up to view the Falls of Makahiku, continue up 1 mile to the Palikea Stream Crossing, or 2 miles to Waimoku Falls. By the time we got there, we had a full day of the Road to Hana under our belt and couldn’t walk any further, but I’ve heard the hike up to Waimoku is well worth it, weaving through bamboo forests, crossing waterfall rivers, and ending on breathtaking views. It’s already on our list for next time!
💧 ‘Ohe’o Gulch and its Seven Sacred Pools
As you head back follow the path back down, keep going until you reach ‘Ohe’o Gulch and its Seven Sacred Pools. ‘Ohe’o means “something special” and it certainly is. This is probably one of my favorite waterfall views as it flows down creating the pools below, definitely a breathtaking view.
Continuing around the back of the Road to Hana
As I mentioned before, it’s a little longer to continue the full road wrapping around Hana but I 100% recommend it as it’s far less crowded and the scenery is definitely to write home about. The landscape changes completely into something else every 20 minutes or so, it was jaw dropping. Plus once you get this far, it’s pretty slow to return back the way you came due to all the rest of the tourists with the same idea.
Have a great trip and comment below if you find the recommendations helpful. Mahalo!
