maui guide
Our trip to Maui was amazing! We never thought we would be vacationing in Maui, but my sister-in-law and husband were going for the second time this summer and asked us to join them. We were so glad we did because it was the most beautiful place on earth and the atmosphere was perfect for vacation. For us it was the right amount of relaxing on the beach and doing great adventures like the Road to Hana.
dress (old- stolen from karissa) // sandals
The Flights
We left on May 24th and returned June 3, so we were gone a little more than a week. I could have easily stayed a few more days but we had to get back to the real world. We flew American Airlines into Denver, which was a 3 hour flight. Then, had a very short layover and got on a massive plane to Maui. That leg was 6 1/2 hours but I took a sleeping pill so it flew by. I was pretty concerned about the time change but after feeling pretty sleepy the first night it was not bad and I adjusted quickly. We would wake up about 6-7 each day and I would go to sleep around 9pm. Nobody is really raging in Hawaii after 9pm and it is called Maui Midnight. The flight back we left at 10pm Hawaii time and returned to Columbus at 3pm the next day. We flew 6 hours forward into time, but again this journey was not bad because I took a sleeping pill. I can't normally sleep on planes. We were on smaller planes on the way home so Zach was pretty cramped and there were no screens to watch movies.
Where we stayed
The first night, and first two full days we crashed my sister-in-law's room at the Four Seasons which was the most beautiful resort. This serenity pool (below) we could have stayed at all week. There were no kids and the pool had a swim up bar with the cutest cocktails in pineapples and the best smoothie I've ever had in my life. From here you could walk the beach or the beach path which weaved through all the beach front resorts. After this we went to a condo right up the street for the rest of the week. We stayed on the south side of the island in the Kihei/Wailea area and were very close to many great restaurants and grocery stores. The condo was great, we had another pool and a huge patio area for eating breakfast and lunch outside. We tried to eat at least two meals a day at home, but the prices in Maui for both groceries and eating out were not nearly as bad as I expected.
Where we ate
Monkeypod Kitchen - amazing farm to table restaurant right by our condo. I had the gnocci!
Mamas Fish House - Check out the view from the restaurant below! This is the most famous and oldest restaurant in Maui and it did not disappoint. I had the crab and lobster stuffed fish breaded in a macadamia nut coating.
Millhouse - My favorite restaurant of the trip. You can see part of the scenery in the photos below but it was located on an old sugar mill and like a jungle oasis right where the grassland part of the island met with the upcountry hills so you were basically looking out over the serengeti.
Kihei Cafe - Cutest little hole in the wall breakfast place by our condo. There are birds and chickens walking around outside.
The Cinnamon Roll Place - Literally what this place was called. We picked these up early on a jetlagged morning and the cinnamon rolls are as big as your face.
Paia Fish House - This is located on several places on the island but the one we went to is in the town of Paia, about 45 minutes away and the first stop on the Road to Hana. I had the best seafood pasta.
Fleetwood - The whole restaurant was Fleetwood Mac themed and the rooftop was gorgeous and overlooked the water on one side and the town of Lahaina on the other.
We spent the day exploring Lahaina and touring their art galleries and shopping for trinkets.
Below is part of the rooftop patio at Fleetwood's.
Maui Winery - This is located in upcountry and if you are taking the back way home from Hana. It was like a slice of heaven in the middle of windy roads and many of their wines were pineapple wines.
Maui Brewing Company - Highly recommend the kale Caesar salad! Like many of the restaurants this place is open air but located further up on the hill so it is a great location for sunset.
amazon bikini // sarong from Hawaii
What we did
Marriott Wailea Luau - Loved this experience! I was so glad we did this. You do need tickets in advance and we decided to try the Marriott, which was a short walk from our condo. Most of the beachfront resorts have luaus and they run about $125 a person. You walked in and could shop from local artists or get fake tattoos (below haha). Then they pulled the pig out of the ground that had been roasting all day. The buffet meal that we had was one of the best of the trip and our table was all other vacationers some from Wisconsin. After dinner the luau started and it was a combination of storytelling and dancing all while we were enjoying the sunset right on the water.
Road to Hana - This is a must if you are traveling to Maui. If you aren't familar with what the road is check out this picture. You can see why we needed a heavy dose of Dramamine. We used the app gypsy and got on the road at 7:30 am. You can decide which of the landmarks you want to stop at but the app summarizes that pretty well. We stopped at several hiking trails and food trucks for lunch. At the end we were a little bummed that the Seven Sacred Pools were closed due to dangerous water levels and the chance of a mudslide. Maybe check the National Park website so if that happens you can make sure to stop and swim in some of the waterfalls along the way.
Above is part of the 2 mile trail we hiked completely through a bamboo forest. Below is the end us the trail with a very Jurassic park-esque waterfall. This is all at the National Park that is after Hana on the Road to Hana. Make sure when using the app to guide you through the Road to Hana you keep going past Hana and then take the back way home around the island rather than turning around and taking the winding roads home. We thought the trail was even prettier than the drive to Hana and the off-roading was perfectly manageable in a small SUV.
Below are the beautiful eucalyptus trees. They were extremely tall like redwoods and the coloring of the bark was bright green, orange, blue and yellow.
If you are planning on traveling soon to Maui and have any additiional questions feel free to email me at prettygirlparade@gmail.com and I can answer away!
