Maui
- Naomi
- Jun 24, 2019
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 25, 2019
Once upon a time a gal from Tennessee met a tan man from South Florida. He played her ukelele and they traveled up and down Manhattan searching for the freshest poke. Eventually, they gave up and moved to the West Coast. Finally, with Companion Pass and Southwest’s new Hawaii flights, they made a journey to the magical land of Maui!
How long to stay:
As long as you can! We stayed for five nights and wanted to continue eating, beaching, and snorkeling forever.
Where to stay:
Kihei: We stayed in an Airbnb in the Island Surf condominium complex which turned out to be a prime location. It was right across from a beach where you can learn to surf, next to famous food trucks and restaurants, a handful of bars to go out, a cheap snorkel and dive shop, and most importantly: FOODLAND grocery store! Maui isn’t known for its nightlife, but if you’re looking for some, Kihei is the closest you’ll get.
Paia: If we hadn’t stayed in Kihei, we would have chosen this quaint, hippy town just east of the airport. Paia’s got everything you need: a great grocery store serving tons of vegan pastries (Mana Foods), fresh fish restaurants (Paia Fish Market, Mama’s Fish House), a yummy coffee shop and bar (Paia Bay Coffee and Bar), cute boutiques, and nearby beach access (Baldwin, Ho’okipa). Paia’s an area worth walking around for a couple hours even if you don’t sleep there.
Wailea: There are lots of nice hotels and an upscale shopping area on Maui's southwest coast. Our friends stayed at the Marriott and their pool was incredible.
Lahaina: We spent an afternoon walking around Lahaina which had some good food and small shops, but the antique-y town attracted older tourists and the stores were less trendy than in Paia. Not a must-see in my book, plus parking was expensive and a pain.
Kaanapali: More nice hotels on Maui's west side and good waves in the summertime for surfing. The famous Black Rock Beach is here, but the waves were too high when we went to snorkel, so we skipped it.
Getting there:
Southwest recently started flying to several islands in Hawaii. We took a direct 5 hour flight from Oakland. There’s one airport (Kahului, OGG) which is located on the north central side of the island a 30 minute drive from Kihei. We didn’t do extensive research on which island to visit. Some friends of ours had visited Maui, and it, along with Oahu and Kauai, all look like paradises!
Gettin’ around:
Rent a convertible!! Or a topless Jeep. It is 100% worth paying more and makes driving around the island an enjoyable activity in itself. Maui’s roads were well maintained, wide, and we never hit much traffic. Disclaimer that we skipped the road to Hana because we heard it was a scary narrow and windy drive. There were Ubers and Lyfts available, but more of the former than the latter. Three out of our four Uber rides were with the same driver. If Scotty picks you up, tell him we say “hi.”
Download an offline map of the island because AT&T service was bad.
What to pack:
Hat
Sunglasses
Bathing suits
Goggles and a snorkel mask
Flip flops
If you’re planning to watch sunrise atop Haleakala, bring warm clothes (pants, jacket, beanie) because it gets VERY cold at the summit
To do:
Watch the sunrise or sunset atop Haleakala volcano: Sunrise reservations open 60 days in advance. If you’re a last minute planner like us, log in two days in advance at 4pm when the park releases 80 additional sunrise tickets for entry between 3am – 7am. The road is a little scary to drive at dark since it has a lot of curves, but not terrible. You can hike down into the crater, but be warned that it’s an 11-miler!
Turtle watch at Ho’okipa Beach: This beach was the best because you can see so many turtles up close and personal chilling on the beach and floating in the waves! I watched them for at least 30 minutes. They do move slowly so you have to be patient…
Hike at Iao Valley: Located in the center of the island, Iao Valley is a beautiful green park with hills and streams. When you get to the tourist lookout point, hop the fence with the “Area Closed” sign and follow the trail for a couple miles, roughly a two hour hike to a higher viewpoint. On your way into or out of the park, be sure to stop at the Pineapple Coconut and Mango bread stand! SO yummy, and much tastier than banana bread.
Kapalua Coastal Trail: A nice two mile walk along Maui’s Northwest coast. Great reviews, although we didn’t get to it.
Road to Hana: The road to Hana is a 64 mile drive starting near Paia and ending in Hana. People advise starting the drive early and making stops along the way at the waterfalls, black sand beach, and other points of interest, but we decided to skip it since we heard the roads were frighteningly narrow and windy. #wehatedriving
Snorkel: There are tons of snorkeling spots on Maui’s northwest and southwest sides. The most famous spot is Molokini just off Maui’s coast, for which you’ll need to book a boat trip. The best I’ve heard on the northwest side are Honolua Bay, Slaughterhouse Beach, Napili Bay, and Black Rock Beach, but be sure to ask if there is a wave advisory which could make snorkeling difficult.
Beach: There are so many, you can't go wrong! Some are better for surfing and others are better for lounging, though.
JAWS: An infamous surf beach with some of the highest waves in the world--we’re talking 60 feet! Probably worth going just to see crazy, masochistic surfers if you happen to be there during a day in the winter when the surf is good. You have to hike ~1.5 miles one way to get there, so it’s only worth going if you know it’s a good day.
What to nom:
Maui has SO MUCH good food. You could eat poke all day err day or completely ignore this list and yelp 4.5 star places near wherever you end up and find some unreal meals.
So fresh and so clean (eating) fish:
Mama’s Fish House: The most famous restaurant on Maui. The $$$$ were outside of my budget for this trip, but I hear incredible things. Make a reservation.
South Maui Fish Co: A food truck selling fresh, caught-same-day fish. Try the half shoyu and half spicy poke bowl.
Paia Fish Market: Located in Paia (duh) and Kihei, get one of the fresh grilled fish plates. The blackened mahi mahi was soft and so flavorful.
Coconut’s Fish Café: Their spicy poke bowl was BOMB. You must also order their fish tacos, for which they are famous and the manager will talk your ear off about their 17 ingredients. Two locations near Kihei, and one randomly in Sacramento.
Miso Phat: Sad story-- I didn’t find out about this sushi spot until AFTER I’d returned to Cali and saw it on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. I saw them make the TNT roll and it looks mind-blowing. Please order it, and I will live vicariously through you.
Sansei: This sushi restaurant is expensive during normal hours but has a late night happy hour after 10pm with 50% off sushi and live karaoke. Karaoke is surprisingly everywhere in Kihei!
Foodland: Head to the back of this heavenly grocery store for their poke bar!! You can buy ~10 types of poke by the pound and eat it by the beach for breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night…. Also be sure to grab some bottles of Shaka Tea, a somehow zero calorie iced tea bursting with tropical flavors like guava ginger and mango hibiscus. My favorite is the pineapple mint. Pro tip: if you’re planning to bring back macadamia nuts as gifts, buy them from Foodland because they're cheaper than at the airport.
Hawaiian BBQ and brunch:
Paia Bay Coffee and Bar: Super trendy spot for brunch with a laid-back vibe. We went on a Sunday and they had lovely live music.
Da Kitchen: You must try their Hawaiian plate. Most of their dishes are massive, and this was no exception; it was enough food to feed two people. Get there early after they open at 11am to try deep fried spam musubi, which sells out later in the day. Next time, I want to try their Loco Moco with katsu! Two locations: Kihei and Kahului.
King’s BBQ: I know this sounds weird, but if you’re craving a late night meal after a night out in the Kihei Triangle (which you should, because you’re in Maui, so you should eat as much as you can), go to this spot and order Meat Jun. It’s a giant plate of teriyaki beef covered in egg and served with macaroni salad and rice for $11.
Grandma’s Coffeehouse: Grandma’s opens at 7am, so it’s the perfect stop after watching the sunrise atop the Haleakala volcano. I really wanted the crab waffle benedict, but they only serve it on weekends, so I settled for the kalua pork plate which was good, but not worth going out of your way for.
Jaws Country Store: Just past Paia before the road to Hana, where my boyfriend had the best bahn mi of his life: pork with mint. Their smoothies and bowls looked great too, and they have a cute store.
Tin Roof: Located near the airport, Tin Roof’s poke, pork, and chicken bowls look insane. I am getting upset as I write this that it was closed on Sunday when I was in the area.
The Gazebo: Real talk, we drove an hour to the Northwest shore of Maui and then waited for an hour and a half to eat the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes here, and they were pretty good but not worth it.
Kihei Cafe: The brunch menu seems similar to The Gazebo, but with a shorter wait and more convenient location. The locals love it, so I’d check it out next time. Cash only.
Sweets:
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice: The most famous shaved ice spot on the island, with several locations. Get the macadamia nut ice cream. Huapia, coconut pudding, is a famous local topping. I topped mine with a ton of fresh mochi which was delish.
Mana Foods: This grocery store in Paia randomly has a lot of yummy-looking vegan pastries. Get some to go for beach or hiking snacks.
Your Bliss: A little family-owned ice cream shop in Kihei under our Airbnb. Probably the best coconut ice cream I’ve ever had.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere:
Maui Brewing Co: Taste some island brews at this spacious brewery. For a deal, pop by during happy hour from 3:30 - 5:30pm and 9:30 - 11pm.
Monkeypod: The most famous spot on the island for mai tais. I heard they’re amazing, although they’re also $15. Avoid the $3 mai tais you see advertised in Kihei… trust me.
Tiki Lounge was our favorite spot in Kihei’s Barmuda Triangle of bars. At 10pm they have a DJ that spins throwback tunes and plays music videos! If you know us, you know we love our music videos, so this was our SPOT. Their wifi was also the best service we got on the island. #turnup
Maui Wine: Maui has a vineyard! With grape AND pineapple wines! The vineyard itself is a couple miles away from the tasting room, but the tasting room is still cute if you’re in the area near Haleakala or Grandma’s Coffeehouse. I didn’t love the pineapple wines enough to buy a bottle, but when in Maui, why not taste them?
A note on tap water: You can drink the water, but it tastes very minerally, so we opted for bottled instead.
Visiting an English-speaking tropical destination where we could drink the water, speak the language, and not worry about getting sick was a welcome change for us. Mahalo Maui, you are worth the hype, and we love you.
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