Maui Trip: What To Do In Maui
For my 30th birthday I decided to go to Maui. While Maui wasn’t my initial plan, it was still a great visit nonetheless.
If you’re wondering what to do in Maui, this post is for you. Today I will be sharing what I did in Maui and where I ate. These are things you can do in Maui too.
See more of the trip on Instagram: @daysbymc
TRIP SUMMARY:
DURATION:
We were there for 5 days. We started our trip on East and Central Maui. We ended our trip on West Maui. I highly recommend starting on one side of the island and then moving to the other end. This will help save time driving.
GETTING AROUND:
We got a rental car. The car was in pretty good shape and had great mileage so it helped us out a lot on our trip.
If you can’t get a rental, I’ve heard Turo is a great app to use. (It’s like Airbnb for cars). There are also a lot of tour buses and shuttles that will come pick you up at your stay to take you to on the tour. You can also Uber and Lyft on Maui.
STAYS:
We stayed in 2 airbnb. First one was in Haiku because we were doing things on east/central Maui the first half of our stay. Second one was in Napili because we were doing things on west Maui the latter half of our stay.
There are various hotels and motels options. There are also camping sites available if that’s something you want to do or explore.
OTHER NOTES:
Be mindful and respectful of the locations and the locals.
ITINERARY
Haleakala Sunrise : Haleakala Sunrise Reservation
We were able to reserve a ticket for the sunrise on Haleakala Mountain. Hands down my favorite activity out of everything we did. It was beautiful and breathtaking and amazing. There are limited sunrise tickets so try to book early and book fast! They’re sold out very quickly.
We did end up going on a Sunday so I don’t know if that helped, but definitely worth reserving tickets for.
Sliding Sand Trail on Haleakala : Haleakala National Park
After watching the sunrise, we hiked the Sliding Sand trail. It had amazing views. Seriously such a beautiful hike. The incline back can be quite challenging so definitely stay hydrated and take your time.
Freshies in Makawao : Website
We had lunch at Freshies, a brunch and lunch restaurant. The restaurant is right by a huge tree so the seating is right underneath the tree. It was a cute and pretty place. I had the French toast with fruit and it was delicious.
Paia
Paia is a small town in north east/central part of Maui. It has shops and restaurants. It gets pretty busy here. We didn’t stay too long because it is quite small. A great place to still see and stroll through even if you’re not into shopping.
Kihei & Wailea
Kihei is a town in the south central part of Maui. It has great restaurants and beautiful ocean views. We also did some grocery shopping here.
Wailea is just south of Kihei. We stopped by the Wailea Beach and it was beautiful. We also had dinner here. Wailea is a beautiful town.
Lineage in Wailea : Website
We had take out from Lineage for dinner. The food was good. My favorite thing was the garlic noodle we ordered—that was delicious!
Road to Hana
Road to Hana is the Hana Highway, a 64.4-mile-long stretch of Hawaii Routes 36 and 360 which connects Kahului to the town of Hana in east Maui. It consists of a lot of turns and 1-lane bridges. I think it’s worth doing at least once, especially if you’re going to Maui. It has beautiful, lush views with different stops and waterfalls. I recommend including the Pipiwai Trail at Haleakala National Park as a must-stop.
I drove the Road to Hana and my honest opinion: if you take your time, pull over for locals, watch out for other vehicles, you’ll be just fine on this road. It’s not as bad as what I thought it’d be.
Pipiwai Trail
Typically the final destination for most people on the Road to Hana. People usually turn back around after this hike. (The south part is not always safe due to flash floods).
This trail, I think, is a must-do on Road to Hana. It is 4 miles round-trip. You end at the Waimoku falls, but you’ll see other waterfalls along the way. You’ll also go through a beautiful bamboo forest (my favorite part).
* It’s right next to the Pools of Oheo (aka seven sacred pools). So if you have time, walk over to see those pools of water too.
Paragliding : Proflyght Website
We booked paragliding sessions with Proflyght. Highly recommend them. The owner was there and he was really nice and thorough. The instructors were also really thorough, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Most of the instructors have been doing this for years. My instructor started flying before I was born and he’s been doing tandem paragliding for as long as I’ve been alive (30 years).
Tin Roof : Website
We had lunch here. I got the spicy salmon poke bowl, it was delicious. My sister got the saimin noodles, that was also delicious. The restaurant had a line, which makes sense because the food is great.
Ululani's : Website
Then we had Hawaiian shave ice at Ululani’s. We had the sunset combo and it was so good! Highly recommend.
Honolua Bay
We snorkeled at Honolua Bay. To get to the water part of the bay you had to walk through this gorgeous lush mini forest. It was unreal. Past that you get to the rocks where you can put your stuff and get in the water. It was so much fun snorkeling. I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy being in the water. I saw so many things! It was great.
We rented our snorkel gear at Water Works Sports in Napilili. It was easy.
Nakalele Blowhole
The infamous Nakalele Blowhole is located in north west Maui. The blowhole is a lot smaller than I had imagined, but the view of the north mountains are breathtaking. The cliffs and the high mountains alongside the ocean were picturesque. So while the blowhole was a slight letdown, the view made up for it. Absolutely gorgeous views.
Kitchen 3515 : Website
We had take out at Kitchen 3515. The food was delicious.
Waihee Ridge Trail
It opens 7am and closes at 7pm. There is parking where the trail begins and then there is also overflow parking 1mile down from where the trail begins. You can get there early to get a parking spot.
You can also wait for a parking. A lady there said she was told about a 10-15 minute is usually the ballpark to people getting out of the parking lot.
The day we went it was super cloudy up in the mountains so I didn’t get to see the lush green mountain tops. But because the trail itself is very lush on the sides, the fog still made it beautiful.
It’s 5 miles total roundtrip. Another great and beautiful hike.
Luau : Wailele Luau
I booked the Luau for us on my birthday as the birthday dinner. And it did not disappointment. The food is good, the atmosphere was great, the show was amazing! Highly recommend reserving a Luau when in Maui. We went to the Wailele Luau in Lahaina.
Tiki Thai : Website
We had thai food in Lahaina. The food was amazing.
Lahaina
We explored Lahaina. The infamous Banyan tree is located here. You can spend a few good hours here in downtown Lahaina. There are a ton of different shops and restaurants. There are also open free museums you can visit. We ended up spending more time here than expected.
Maui Tropical Plantation : Website
We visited the plantation and walked around the property. It is such a cute pretty place. There are different flowers and plants to see. People even come here to just picnic. There’s a gorgeous gazebo with hanging lights next to a gorgeous blossom tree, it was beautiful and so romantic. It’s free to walk around the property so definitely recommend stopping by.
There is a zipline and other things to do here too if you want to spend some money.
Café O’lei : Website
This restaurant is in the Maui Tropical Plantation. This was our last dinner in Maui. It was delicious. The ahi nachos were amazing! Definitely worth trying. Our server was also great!
That sums up the list of things I did in Maui and things you can do in Maui. The trip was a gift to myself and a celebration of a new decade. I enjoyed Maui a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the views there.
Will definitely go back one day.