Maui, Hawaii
WE LOVE MAUI.
Triadically, the fires in August 2023 will be devastating to the local economy. We spent most early evenings the area formerly called “Front Street”. My food recommendations will be cut in HALF without the restaurants located on Front Street.
The area that was destroyed was a tourism hotspot. We’d browse through the shops before our dinner reservations, grab an ice cream cone and get our loved ones souvenirs. Our future trips won’t be the same but I can promise we will still go back as I am sure the rebuilding of this area will pay great respect to it’s former glory.
If you are planning a trip to Maui, here are a few recommendations for places to stay, activities and food.
Places to Stay on Maui
Marriott Maui Ocean Club in Lahaina ($600-$1200/night; 1 bedroom/2 bedroom)
Highly recommend a resort with kids!
Located on Kaanapalli Beachfront
Super cool pool with basketball hoop, volleyball net, slide, waterfalls and hot tubs near the bar
Attraction such as whale watching and snorkeling trips launch within walking distance from the beach
You can rent snorkeling gear, surfboards, wake boards and walk out to enjoy less expensive activities right on the resorts beachfront
You can walk to a ton of different restaurants within other hotels along the beach
The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua ($1000-$2200/night)
OMG.... if you want a luxe, quaint and relaxing ambiance this is AMAZING, it is indescribable
Closest thing to an “all inclusive” you can find on Maui is their “Club Experience”
Taken from their website “The Club Experience offers a dedicated concierge and a well-appointed, relaxed lounge environment. Club Lounge access includes five food presentations daily, a fine selection of wines, liqueurs, beers, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, and desserts.
The food is fantastic, the surrounding area has golf, shopping and more
VRBO/AirBNB ($300-$1300++)
Be diligent, read reviews, read ALL the notes
Look for AIR CONDITIONING a lot of them only have “AC units” in certain room
Look at the map if you are looking for “on the beach”. A lot of times the “views” are great from one room but you are looking at powerline on the other side or you need to cross a street to actually access the beach.
If you aren’t on the first floor of a building you will also may have amazing views but beach access may be limited or a little bit of a walk.
Look at parking rules, size, how to access
Look at checkout procedures, if you want to leave early you’ll want enough time to strip beds or start dishwasher if you are required to do
Contact the owner if you want more information, ask about TVs, wifi, available appliances (cooler, beach chairs, towels)
Things to do
Helicopter rides
Whale watching
Snorkeling Turtle Town
Snorkeling with sting rays
Surf Lessons
Road to Hana (takes a full day, 2 days if you have the time)
There are van tours but I’d drive if you rented a 4x4 vehicle and have a confident, experienced driver with you - so much too if you have to make pre-determined stops with a set timeframe sounds too limiting for me
Front Street Shops ( no longer there with the fire in Aug 2023) I am sure it’ll get rebuilt but won’t have the same charm we will always remember
Hikes to waterfalls
Beach/pool days (rent snorkel gear, wake boards)
Rent bikes/ebikes tours
Pineapple Tour/ Vodka Tour
Saw “Jaws” (huge waves during winter)
Zipline Adventure
Lahaina ATV Adventure
Rappel Maui Waterfalls and Rainforest Cliffs
Horseback riding
Golfing
Submarine Tours
Sunrise/Sunset hike to Haleakala (hall-lay-ah-k-a-la) National Park (need reservations)
Paddle Board Tours
Tackle Bottom Fishing Tour
Sunset Cruises
Places to Eat (many other places were destroyed in the fire Aug 2023)
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a at the Grand Wailea Resort ($$$)
Great for celebrations
Kihei Caffe
Breakfast, brunch, lunch
Da Shrimp Hale ($$)
Hidden gem, awesome seafood, family style
Manuela Malasadas
Theses donut like creations are AMAZING, a must try!
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice
Mama’s Fishhouse
Need reservation made well in advance
