Maui was the first island of Hawaii we visited, and really set the bar high for tropical relaxation. Although it was a little rainy during our visit at the end of November, it definitely made a great break from the mainland. It’s a great place to enjoy the outdoors, and even has a National Park!
Practicalities of Maui:
Currency: USD
Recommended length of stay: one to two weeks
Month of visit: November/December
Useful tips: Rent a car! You absolutely should get wheels for maximal exploration of this island.
Packing List for Maui:
- 2-3 bathing suits and coverups
- 2 pairs of shorts and lightweight shirts
- Lightweight dress or long sleeve
- Lightweight long pants
- Sandals
- Sneakers
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen
- Packable towel
- Beach blanket
- Packable water bottle
The Itinerary
Maui is a really relaxed and laidback island, so having a hard-and-fast itinerary isn’t a good idea. Here are a couple of suggestions to help you make the most out of your time! By the way…we have never seen so many rainbows as we did in Maui!
Ka’anapali
Our journey started in Ka’anapali. We rented a car through at the airport in Kahului and drove 45 minutes to get to Ka’anapali. The AirBnB was party of a condo complex an we really recommend staying somewhere like this. You usually get free access to the complex’s amenities (pool, hot tub, etc.) but without the expensive resort fees. Our complex was walking distance to the Honokowai beach park which was a beautiful area to stroll down. We saw some fabulous sunsets around here. We also saw wild sea turtles crawling on the beach!
Ka’anapali is also fairly close to Lahaina. If you want to do some shopping, there is a large mall called Whaler’s Village with many chain and smaller stores.
Lahaina is a beautiful small town filled with art galleries, and you can easily spend hours strolling up and down Front Street. We did find Kaanapali to be much more affordable area to stay in than Lahaina. Lahaina is also a great place to book a boat trip. Offerings range from sunset cruises to whale watching tours. We opted for a submarine tour with massive windows to get up close and personal with the fishies!
Road to Hana
We highly recommend driving the Road To Hana, or the Hana Highway, in northeast Maui. We didn’t have enough time to spend more than one day doing this. You can do it in one day…but it would have been much more ideal to spend a few days! We really loved Waianapanapa State Park. This was one of the first stops we took on the Road to Hana. It’s on the coast and has amazing volcanic sand and ocean blow holes! You can even take a camper van here.
Other highlights include lots of beautiful waterfalls, pools, bridges, craggy rock faces, and scenic views. In order to not miss anything, you can download an app to guide you through. Just make sure you’re not using your phone and driving, since safety can be an issue. If you want someone else to worry about driving, click here to book a tour. Make sure to stop at a fruit stand along the way and try some dragon fruit or pineapple!
Kihei and Wailea
We continued on to Kihei. This made a great launching point for visiting the Haleakala National Park. It is also known as the “house of the sun”. Keep in mind you do need reservations in order to go up at sunrise – found here. When we went, there was absolutely no sun to be found (see below) and it was cold and rainy! Kihei is also really close to Wailea, which is home to multiple fancy (and pricey) resorts.
On our last night of the trip, we checked out the luau at the Marriott Resort in Wailea. It’s held on the rooftop which has stunning sunset views. We actually learned a lot about Pacific Islander culture and were happy we went (link here). There are a few things we wished we had time to do, including kayaking from Makena in southwest Maui. There is also a tea farm and lavender farm not too far from Haleakala. The Kula Botanical Gardens also seem like an amazing place to get in touch with native greenery.
Planning on island hopping? Check out our Oahu itinerary!
