Maui, Hawaii

Every Hawaiian island has its unique characteristics. I visited Oahu and Kauai for the first time 5 years ago. Oahu was busy and lively with a little bit of everything from great shopping, food, and hiking. Kauai was a lush and quiet oasis that felt off the beaten track from bustling Oahu. Having recently visited Maui this year, I can say it felt like a blend between Oahu and Kauai. This post will mainly be split into West Maui and Northeast Maui where we spent the majority of our time.

West Maui
We stayed in a rental condo in Lahaina, where most of the tourists are. It is about an hour's drive from Maui airport. Before heading to Lahaina, I recommend stopping by Costco Food Truck Park, only a five-minute drive from the airport to grab a bite of Geste Shrimp Truck. Honorable mentions for food include: Tamura's Fine Wine & Liquors for the freshest poke you will ever find in Maui, Leoda's Kitchen Pie Shop for the lightest coconut pie you will ever taste period, and Lahaina Fish Company, an oceanfront fine dining experience you will stumble upon walking down Lahaina Front Street. For snorkeling, we went to Napili Bay and Kapalua Bay, the former being the strong spot for viewing sea turtles in my opinion, but it depends on timing and luck. 

Northeast Maui (Road to Hana)
Road to Hana is definitely an all-day affair and its hype is very real. I have never done or seen anything as close to Road to Hana in my life. It felt like Jurassic Park/Choose Your Own Adventure. A pro tip would be downloading the offline Google Map of at least the northeast coastline of Maui since we quickly found ourselves with no internet signal for the majority of the trip. Twin Falls was the first stop and quite honestly the best waterfall with swimming access. It is recommended to get there early to beat the crowds since it is a popular stop. What made Twin Falls memorable for me was finding a smaller but quieter waterfall nearby, which was my personal favorite. Honorable mention for a food stop is Coconut Glen's Ice Cream with the freshest and most natural coconut ice cream and the most chill cat companions living their best lives. If you forget to make a reservation for the Black Sand Beach like we did, you can find the Red Sand Beach a suitable alternative with no reservation required and plenty of shade. Though it was impossible to hit every desired spot in Hana, every sight was beautiful and worth seeing. On the second day, we survived the sketchiest roads down south to reach Haleakala National Park to hike Pipiwai Trail and Seven Sacred Pools Trail. I underestimated the difficulty of Pipiwai Trail but the view of the waterfall at the end was worth the trek. The Seven Sacred Pools Trail was a lot shorter and easier trail with no short of beautiful views as well. 









Five days and four nights were just enough to see the highlights of Maui. If I could go back, I would wish for one more day to rest and recover. But that said, this trip will forever be memorable with no regrets.

Cheers,
Kimberly

"I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I never spent so pleasant a month before, or bade any place goodbye so regretfully. I have not once thought of business, or care or human toil or trouble or sorrow or weariness, and the memory of it will remain with me always." - Mark Twain
 

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