I have dreamed of going to Hawaii since I was a young girl. My parents honeymooned here and I have always thought of it as the ideal romantic destination. It turned out to be exactly that for me, as my boyfriend and I ended up getting engaged on Ka’anappali Beach while watching the humpback whales play against the sunset.

EXPERIENCE

There is a ton to do in Maui, but Maui is also the type of place you can arrive to with no plans whatsoever and have a wonderful time! We flew in from Honolulu near immediately after arriving in Hawaii. We rented a minivan and began our road trip around the island.

The Road to Hana is a classic, slightly underwhelming activity. It was a good way to ease into island life, but we found its attractions quickly topped by other stops on the island. The highlights for us along the drive included Hoopaki Beach filled with giant waves and surfers, Twin Falls, and Waikani Falls. We did a small hike from our car which was okay, but my no means a must do.

We spent our first night in Wai’anapana State Park. This park is worth a visit. It has amazing black beaches and a great short hike through the lava fields. This park provided us with our first opportunity to see the humpback whales breach and show off their blowholes.

From here we headed to the southern portion of Haleakala National Park. Here we hiked the Pipiwi Trail, which was absolutely spectacular. This hike allows you to walk through a forest of high bamboo, climb a gigantic old tree and ends at a humungous waterfall called Waimoko Falls. While here, also check out the Sacred Baths for a quick swim to cool off after the hike. We skipped sunset in the upper portion of the park, due to a late start that day after celebrating our Maui engagement. We did however make the strenuous drive up to the Haleakala Crater later in the day and were very impressed with the view.

En Route to the beaches we hit the Upcountry to check out the island winery. The pineapple wine was truly unique and makes for a fun treat. From here we made our way to the island’s beautiful western beaches. We went down to Makenna and Big Beach in the southern tip of the peninsula. We stayed the night at Ka’anapali Beach and had a great time doing some snorkeling and boogie boarding in this area.

We finished our trip exploring the northern portion of the island which was the most lush. During our visit the island was experiencing unusually high surd, so the Nakalele Blowhole was a real sight. I would recommend hiking down to the blowhole if you have the opportunity, it made for a fun photo opportunity.

STAY

While in Maui we chose a wide variety of accommodations. We found the hotels to be one of the priciest parts of the visit, so we chose to stay in a nice one for one night and off set the cost of with a few nights of camping and Airbnb stays.

We camped in Wai’anapana State Park one evening, which was a convenient stop after driving the road to Hana. We treated ourselves to a night at the Westin Ka’anapali once we made our way up the western coast of the island for some beach and relaxation time. Our Airbnb experience in Waihee-Waiehu was excellent! Our hostess made us breakfast which included homemade banana bread, jams from her fruit trees and fresh papayas with fresh limes from the backyard. We enjoyed her property on the coast very much and even managed to see a rainbow while dining on her patio.

EAT

We began our journey through Hawaii with a stop at Mana Foods in Paia before starting the road to Hana. This quaint Whole Foods style local grocery has fantastic prepared food, including salads and seafood dishes that make a great picnic. That evening we set up camp near Hana and were surprised by the lack of dining options, we settled for a Thai food truck called Ae’s Thai Kitchen, which ended up being quite tasty.

As we traveled the west side of the island we enjoyed our best meal of the trip at Oceanside in the Westin Hotel. This spot had amazing ahi poke and wonderful salmon and mahi mahi dishes. Another favorite stop was the Jawz Taco Truck near Makenna Beach. Two fantastic baked fish tacos for $7, be sure to check this out. We really fell in love with ahi poke on the trip. My favorite experience with it was at a food truck in Lahiana on the way to the airport, called Like Poke? This place is worth a stop on your way in and off the island. Other favorite local foods we enjoyed throughout the trip included the local Kona coffee, taro chips and sugar cane (straight from the fields).

We thoughroughly enjoyed our time on Maui. If we return someday we may try another island but if not I’d like to make sure I am able to try sunrise at Haleakala and perhaps try biking down the mountain afterwards. Also, I’d like to add a snorkel trip out to Mookali Island to our next visit, if the surd wasn’t as violent. If in town on a Tuesday, I’d also hope to check out the clothing optional drum circle that forms on Little Beach. And until next time, we will have our happy memories to satisfy us!