Introduction
After spending five days in Oahu (read about my experience here), I hopped over to Maui for another four days.
I was still working East Coast hours (4 AM – 12 PM HST), which meant I got to spend my afternoons exploring.
During my time on Maui, I went to Haleakalā for sunrise, drove the Road to Hana, hung out at the beaches past Lahaina, and spent time in the towns of Paia and Kihei. I injured myself surfing in Maui, so this part of the trip was less about hiking and more about great views and great food.
North Shore (Paia)
Activities and nature
- Baldwin Beach: I watched the sunset here. The beach is peaceful and beautiful, with a great view of the mountains in the distance, and the sand is unbelievably soft.
- Ho’okipa Lookout: Ho’okipa is known for being a fantastic sunset spot. I came in the early morning, and there was no view of the sunrise (wrong direction), but the lookout offers a fantastic view of the mountains and surfers.
Food
- Artisan Ice Cream in Paia: Fantastic coconut coffee ice cream!
- Island Fresh Cafe: Cold brew was good. The burrito was not – too much egg, not enough other stuff, bland, expensive.
- Paia Fish Market: Unpopular opinion: I didn’t like it. The fish quesadilla tasted off, a bit sour and the cheese wasn’t fully melted.
- Baked on Maui: Cold brew was bad (really watered down) and quiche wasn’t great either.
Central Maui
Activities and nature
- ‘Iao Valley State Monument: Super short visit – I walked the path to see the iconic ‘Iao Needle. The needle and surrounding area are beautiful and worth it. Advance reservations are required.
- Kumu Farms: Stopped by to pick up a Maui Gold pineapple, which was probably the best thing I ate on my trip. You can get the pineapples pretty much anywhere on the island, but I enjoyed walking around Kumu Farms, which is a visitor attraction in and of itself.
- Slaughterhouse Beach: Quiet, not too crowded, good snorkeling and big waves. It’s located past the resorts on the west side of the island, where the roads get a bit narrower and windier, but not hard to drive until you go past Punalau Beach.
- Papalaua Wayside Park: Surprisingly nice spot for sunset, a pullout along Honoapiilani Highway. Was fun to watch the hermit crabs emerge from their burrows after sunset.
Driving the Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is known for its windiness, blind turns, and one-way bridges, as well as beautiful stops and views.
I recommend starting early when there are way fewer cars, taking the full day to drive the Road to Hana, and staying in Hana overnight, making the drive back the next morning.
My stops along the Road to Hana, from west to east (and my honest reviews):
- Kaumahina State Wayside Park: Nice viewpoint overlooking the ocean, convenient bathroom stop.
- Honomanu Black Sand Beach: Black sand beach at the end of a narrow, steep, and windy road. Much quieter than the famous black sand beach at Waiʻānapanapa State Park.
- Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread: To be honest, this banana bread was unbelievably bad. Dry, doughy, too sweet, texture of a brick. Huge letdown.
- Keanae Lookout: Great place to watch huge waves crashing over the rocks. The macadamia nut brittle sold nearby is great.
- Nua’ailua Bay Lookout: My personal favorite lookout on the Road to Hana – Huge waves and palm trees to frame the ocean.
- Wailua Valley Lookout: Lookout with views of the hills and ocean, at the top of a short set of stairs. Parking is limited.
- Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside: Can park here and walk across the road to swim in a (very cold) waterfall!
- Coconut Glen’s: One of the best things I ate in Hawai’i. The coconut & coffee toffee ice cream was incredible.
- Cajun Fresh / Cocoa Bananas Farm: Very peaceful roadside stop with a bathroom, fresh fruit, and ocean lookouts.
- Hana Lava Tube: I didn’t go into the Lava Tube because I’m not that into caves and it was kind of expensive ($15), but my friend (who loves caves) thought it was cool.
- Huli Huli Chicken: Iconic chicken spot, cash only, sells out fast. Good, but it’s not mind-blowing.
- Koki Beach: Red sand beach (more like red pebble beach), nice spot to relax after getting huli huli chicken!
- ‘Ohe’o Gulch: I regret this stop. The water at ‘Ohe’o Gulch looked dirty and the view wasn’t that impressive. The road gets significantly less maintained past Koki Beach and we got a flat tire here.
- Waiʻānapanapa State Park: Famous black sand beach. We had reservations for the park but couldn’t make it due to our flat tire.
South Maui (Kihei)
Activities and nature
- Keawakapu Beach: Public access beach with free parking. Soft sand, great snorkeling, and lots of turtles!
Food
Kihei has a fun food truck park with live music in the evenings, I visited a few times and thought it was a great place to eat and hang out.
- Blue Door: Their Lilikoi caramel french toast (on sourdough!) was surprisingly good, and their banana bread was solid.
- Da Green Coffee Shop: Cold brew and almond butter toast with strawberries are both delicious.
- Kitoko: Mahi mahi bento box was alright. The fish and crispy rice were both really well-cooked, but the sauce was really bad, and they put very little effort into the vegetable side. For a $24 food truck meal, I expected better quality and bigger portions.
- Aloha Prime: Hoisin chicken plate was easily one of the best meals I had in Maui.
Upcountry & Haleakalā
Haleakalā National Park
Haleakalā is a national park featuring a volcanic crater, rainforests, and incredible views over Maui.
We tried to go for sunset first, but got turned away because we arrived too late.
For sunrise (reservations required), we left around 2:30am from Kahului and arrived around 3:30am. I thought we arrived a bit too early, there was still a good amount of parking at the top and we spent a lot of time waiting around in the cold before sunrise. Before the sun came up, it was freezing at the top (I wore five layers and a ski jacket on top).
Everyone says the “show” starts before sunrise, but honestly, I thought 5 minutes after sunrise was the best view of the day.
Food
- Crema Maui: Very cute cafe built in an old school bus. Almond croissant was decent but really greasy. Cortado was pretty good.
Accommodations
- Mike’s House Airbnb (Paia, 2 nights): $200 / night. Private room, attached private bathroom in a shared house / kitchen. Nice amenities, clean and spacious room. Slightly annoying extra charges, such as parking (even though the owner of the Airbnb owned the parking – we just parked on the street) and luggage storage (very expensive).
- Hana Inn (Hana, 1 night): ~$180 / night. Private room, attached private bathroom in a refurbished inn. Great, spacious rooms, a really cute resident cat, free coffee / fresh fruit available for guests. The staff are really, really nice and helpful (fixed our flat tire). Great value option for a stay in Hana.
- Howzit Hostels (Kahului, 1 night): ~$200 / night. Private room, shared bathroom. Would not recommend – Sketchy at night (someone screaming expletives on the street when we were walking to the hotel), no parking available nearby, dirty fridge and moldy food / water. Kind of gross / unsanitary, very expensive for what it was.
Costs
I was on a mid-range budget and split all costs with a friend. My total costs for 4 days on Maui came out to about $700.
- Accommodations: $380
- Food: $175
- Car: $120
- Park reservations: $22
Final Thoughts
Maui felt quieter, more peaceful, and wilder than Oahu. The diversity of landscapes and slower pace of life were pretty one of a kind.
I had a great time on Maui and can’t wait to come back to explore more of Hawai’i in the future!
Read about my experience in Oahu here:
ADJENTURING 