Exciting Maui

November 2021

Maui is certainly the most visited Hawaiian island after Oahu. It offers very different scenery depending on where you are. The west side is dry, with a lot of nice beaches, snorkeling spots, and resorts. The East side is more rainy with lush vegetation, waterfalls and hikes. In this 8 days itinerary we present a full tour of the island. To see itinerary to the other islands go here.

8 days itinerary

Practical Information

• Where to stay: Wailea and Lahaina areas on the west and sunny side are nice places to stay. Going to Hana can be done in a day. Staying there one or two nights is really a great experience that we advise.
• How to go from point A to point B: In Maui you need a car rental. If you want to do the back road to Hana it is better to have a 4 wheel drive.

Step 1 Wailea (South West)

Wailea is a dry area with nice beaches. This is on the west side so we can enjoy nice sunsets, but the sunrises are also beautiful. There is no real town and it’s more a vacation residential area. It’s a good option to go to Haleakala or to La Perouse

Arrival: Maui Brewing company

We arrive just after the sunset at our apartment rental. We are hungry so this is the perfect time to go to Maui Brewing company. During our first trip to Hawaii we enjoyed their location in Waikiki. The Kihei location is mainly outdoor, this is open seating so we take a table and order samplers and food. The food is what we expect from a good brewery food. The beers are not as good as in our souvenir but we certainly built some over expectations. Our advice is to skip the IPAs and to focus on the more local beers like the Pineapple Mana which is great. We like this location and we will come back multiple times. It may not be the best sunset or the best food in Maui but we love the open area, the food, the live music during the weekend and the vibe of the place.

Day 1: Chang’s beach – La Perouse Bay

For our first day we decide to do a mix of snorkeling and hike. We arrive at Chang’s beach around 6:30:am and discovers that the parking lot is closed and open at 7am. We finally park at Malena landing park which open a little bit earlier and go to Chang’s beach with a 10minute walk. This is a small beach with brown sand, it’s known for good snorkeling. In the water the visibility is not perfect but we see some turtles, corals and a lot of fishes. The beach is quiet, around 8:00am some kayak groups arrive close to the snorkeling spot.  This is a perfect way to start a day. 

Before to head to La Pérouse bay we take a shower at the parking lot on the Makena road (close to number 5300).

We then go to La Pérouse mémorial to park the car and start the Hoapili trail (ref AllTrails: Hoapili Trail to Hanamanioa Point Lighthouse). This is a heavily trafficked trail in lava fields close to the ocean. The black of the lava fields contrast a lot with the bleu of the water, the white of the corals on the beach and the green of the few areas with vegetation. We do the trail until Hanamaniua point light and then head back. We are lucky to see goats on the lava field and dolphins playing in the ocean at about 750m of distance.

Hawaii would not be Hawaii without the Poke. The inexpensive option is to buy the poke at Foodland. We buy 2x half pound of Poke with a rice bowl that we eat for lunch and dinner.

Day 2: Haleakala national park (summit)

We were not able to buy passes for the sunrise at the Haleakala submit so we enjoy the sunrise at the Kamaole beach close to our lodging in Wailua. The colors are purple and pink as the sun rises on our back. We then stop at the Maui bred company in Wailea for breakfast, some bread and Goyava bread.

After packing our food and the hiking gears we are ready to head to the Haleakala summit. (About 1h30 driving). The road starts from the dry part of Maui, it then passes through some nice residential areas. As the road continues to climb we enter an area that looks like Alpes pasture. The final part of the road is more rocky and dry, this is more typical of a volcano summit. 

We park at the Haleakala visitor center and starts the trail (Alltrails ref:  Halalai’i and Pu’unaue Trail). It goes down for about 1000m which is a little bit unusual (we start by hiking up most of the time). The temperature is not that cold and the weather is nice. The top is dry with yellow brown color, and as we go down other colors appear, some red, black and green. We stop for lunch just before KawilinauGulch.  During lunch we find out that the sole of Ariana shoes start to come off. So we decide to shorten the loop a bit and to go back using the same trail. 

We are able to achieve the 1000m up easily. We do stop to take more pictures of the great views and spend some time admiring the silver sword. This is an endemic plant in a bowl shape. 

At the top we take some time to check the different viewpoints. They are nice for photo but a little more packed than the trail. We are able to go down early enough to reward ourselves with a beer at Maui brewing co.

Step 2: Hana ( South East)

Hana is a small town on the south side of the island. It’s accessible through two small roads. This is a more humid area surrounded by forest. There are not a lot of activities, it’s perfect for one or two days or for more if you like quietness.

Day 3: Road to Hana

The road to Hana is one of the most famous activities in Maui. This is a road that goes along the south east coast of Maui across the lush forest and the cascades. To prepare for the trip I checked a lot of blogs online to find the best stops. We end-up doing relatively few stops on the road to have more time enjoying Hana and the activities that you can do from Hana. 

After the Arboretum we stop at the Waialohe Park, which is a parking lot with a nice view of the ocean. There are a lot of waves and seeing the water crashing on the black rock with the forest behind is very relaxing. Back to our car we stop at the Wailua Valley Lookout for our picnic lunch. This is a small lookout, not crowded and with a fairly nice view. Our next stop is just after the bridge of the West Wailua Iki Stream, there is small parking for 2 cars. The waterfall that goes below the bridge is quite nice from this point of view. If you do this stop there is also the possibility of doing a trail to a waterfall (Alltrails ref: Wailua Iki Falls) but we skip this one.  Our last stop is the Pua’a Ka’a Falls. This is a very popular stop with a nice waterfall and swimming area but a little bit overcrowded for us. We skip the swimming and finally arrive at the Hana Maui resort which will be our hotel for 2 nights.

Hana Maui resort: Finding a hotel in Hana is challenging. We decide to book at the Hana Maui resort which is expensive but there are not a lot of other options available. Cons: The rooms are big but not really at the level of what you would expect for the price. Pros: The outdoor area and the main swimming pool with the ocean view are both exceptional! We enjoyed relaxing at the swimming pool during the afternoon, and drinking a cocktail to watch the sunset. Staying at least a night in Hana is great, it gives you more time to explore this wonderful area.

Food truck in Hana: Between the Hana Maui resort and the Hana Ranch there is an area with multiple food trucks. We try the Poke Bobs food truck two times and are very happy with our Poke or kabobs. We discover the fried okra and I enjoy the grilled pineapple. Stopping in this area for lunch is definitely a good idea.

Day 5: Haleakala national park (Kipahulu visitor center) – Venus pool – Red beach

As we spend the night in Hana we can be at the Kipahulu visitor center early. Even a little bit too early as we arrive at 8am but the parking lot open only at 9am. One of the park employees advice us to continue on the road and stop a little bit further at one of the beaches. So we continue until Alelele bridge to take our breakfast on the beach. We go back to the park at about 8:45 which is when the ranger opens the gate. 

We do the  Pipiwai Trail first (AllTrails ref: Waimoku Falls via Pipiwai Trail) . This is an amazing trail which starts with sugar cane vegetation and goes then inside the forest with a huge Banyan tree. As the trail continues along the stream cliffs it enters inside a bamboo forest. It finally arrives on the last part where we can see the magnificent Waimoku waterfall. One boomer is that there is a sign saying that going to the bottom of the waterfall is forbidden. We do go a little bit further but not under the waterfall.  There is no real value added at going under the waterfall as there is no swimming area and the view is better from the trail. Experiencing this trail with no one is really a wonderful experience. This is certainly one of the best hikes I have ever done if I consider the distance of the hike (short), the variety of vegetation and the view of the waterfall.

After the Pipiwai trail we do the Ohe’o Gulch part. This is a short hike to go close to the beach area and see the stream. There is a nice view but it’s certainly more impressive when there is more water. 

On our way back  to Hana we stop at Venus Pool. The trail is a little bit hidden but visible on Google map and in Alltrails. The trail is short and with no real value. But the Venus pool area is great. This is a salt pond between the forest and the ocean. Five friendly people are already here when we arrive. They are giving us advice about where to jump and where to go out of the water. The Water is clear and the scenery between forest, rock and ocean is amazing. We stay here for about one hour and we see a few couples coming and leaving. The area seems to never be over crowded.

Back to Hana we try Red sand beach which is marked as being on a private property. Alltrails discourage people to go even if the trail is available on the app (ref: Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach). We go in the middle of the afternoon but are not impressed by the area. Maybe because there are too many people and because the beach is mainly in the shade. Going around noon or in the morning might be better for the sun.

Day 6: Waiʻānapanapa State Park – Road to Hana

For our second day in Hana we booked an entry pass for Waiʻānapanapa State Park (need to book entry in advance). This is a black sand beach with coastal trails. When we arrive to the park we have some rain for our first time in Maui. Considering how green the Hana area is I think we were lucky to not have more rain before. The rainy weather is not the best to visit a beach but it does create rainbows and offers different lights. 

We don’t enjoy the park that much and we decide to go back to Venus pool for a quick swim before checking out at the hotel and doing the road to Hana back to our next stop on the north west side of Maui. When making the road to Hana from Hana we notice some rainbow eucalyptus on the ocean side of the road. I don’t have a specific mile marker but I would say that this is around the Bamboo forest area. 

Step 3: Napili Bay – Lahaina (North West)

The Napili Bay and Lahaina are on the north west side of the island. This is a dry area. Lahaina is an old town with some nightlife. Napili Bay is 20 minutes north. This is an area with multiple nice small beaches and bays surrounded by houses and small resorts. Between Lahaina and Napili Bay there is the Kaanapali Beach which is a large beach surrounded by huge resorts and golf courts.

Day 7: Snorkeling turtle rock – Lahaina

Honolua Bay is supposed to be one of the best areas for snorkeling. So we decide to go early in the morning. We are the 1st one on the parking spot and we do the 3 minutes nice hike in the forest to access the water. The water is not very clear and there are few waves so we decide to go back. (being the only one in a popular snorkeling spot is never a good sign). We stop at the Honolua lookout to see the view and discuss with a local who explains us that with the recent rain the Honolua bay is not a good spot. He advise us to check Turtle Rock. 

Following the advice we head to Turtle Rock (Google map ref: Turtle Rock by the post office). This is a rocky area located close to the post office, a little bit north from Wahikuli wayside park. The beach just south of turtle rock is empty (not a good sign) but from the beach we can see a turtle from time to time so we decide to go. The water entrance is easy despite the few waves, but the visibility is not perfect. Inside the water we have the pleasure to see multiple turtles resting or eating. This is a beautiful spectacle. As we leave the water we do see one or two other couples of snorkelers but the area is mostly empty. This is really a good spot if you want to see turtles.

After this morning snorkeling we go to Napili Bay which is one of the multiple small bay on the north west part of the Island. The beach is nice but crowded even in winter. We don’t see a lot of people on the water, certainly due to the waves. I go to play a little bit in the waves and I’m surprise by how strong the waves are. This is funny but I bring back a lot of the sand beach in my swimsuit. 

On the south side of Napili beach there is the Gazebo restaurant which is alway packed. We go for lunch. After waiting 30 minutes in the queue and forecasting 45 more minutes we try to call to pick up. They do accept pick-up and after 15 minutes our food is ready and we eat close to the Gazebo. I would recommend doing the pickup to skip the line and to eat on the rock just close to the Gazebo. The food is good and the view is even better.  The Napili bay and Gazebo are also great locations to see the sunset. A lot of people come to sit on the swimming pool chairs or on the rocks. 

For the evening we go to Lahaina. Lahaina front street is the type of street where we love to hang out during vacation. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and souvenir boutiques. Our favorites stopes includes:

• The Waikiki Brewing company where we can enjoy a beer while watching the sunset
• The different surf shops (Quicksilver, Billabong, Volcom,…) to find souvenirs
• Small souvenir shop with local design 
• Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave ice 
• Lahaina Banyan court to see the wonderful trees.

Day 8: Waihee Ridge trail – Lahaina

The Waihee ridge trail (AllTrails ref: Waihe’e Ridge Trai) is located on the North East part of the Island. We take the north road to access the trail. The road is beautiful and there are not a lot of cars, we find it more vertiginous than the road to Hana. Nothing scary but it can be surprising. Also the turn to access the Waihee Ridge trail is easy to miss (I read about that and still miss it). When we arrive the parking is already half full. The hike starts by a forest part to access the ridge. It then goes along the ridge up to a small platform and view point.

The trail is not difficult by itself but any rain may transform it into a bobsleigh track. We are on a dry day and we already see a few people falling down. This is a popular hike and when we arrive back to our car the parking lot is full (there is a possibility to park a little bit lower). When the weather is good we recommend this trail, it offers very nice views of the valley and the ocean. 

Leaving the Waihee Ridge trail we go back to Napili bay through the south road. As we pass close to the Iao Needle we decide  to do this stop. The view is ok but we don’t understand why there are so many people and the price of the parking for a 3 minutes hike. We recommend skipping this stop or doing it with low expectations.

For our last night in Maui we treat ourselves to a nice restaurant: the Pacific’O. We have a nice view on the beach and the food is great. It’s not a cheap option but it’s a good way to try nice local cocktails and dishes.

Maui was great we now head to Kauai hopping for an even better experiences.

Reflecting on the itinerary

Overall the itinerary works well. There are cool activities everyday and time to rest. Some possible improvements include adding the sunrise or sunset at the Haleakala summit and a snorkeling stop at Ahihi Cove. The entry in Ahihi cove might be difficult because there is no sand, but it also means a better visibility.

We did not try the Molokini Crater. It is certainly a nice experience but not sure if it is worth the cost considering all the great snorkeling spots already available.

Hana is definitely a must do, with the following advises:

• If you can, spending a night in Hana is a good idea.
• If you want to do Hana without staying for a night, my favorite option would be: doing the back road to Hana, Haleakala national park at the opening, Venus Pool, a food truck in Hana, and the road to Hana with a limited number of stops. (be careful to check that the back road to Hana is open, we have not done it but another couple told us they had no issue)