Travel review: Maui has it all – amazing sun, sand, surf!

Amazing sun, sand, surf. Need I say more??! Well, I will. Read this travel review: Maui for our idea of a great time in Maui.

Maui was a place I went when I was younger for swim camps and when my parents had me tag along on vacations as a teenager. So, okay memories, but, hadn’t really experienced it much as an adult. In fact, when we update our list of travel destinations each year, it was never something that came up on the list.

That all changed in recent years. Within a couple years, we had friends there we had met on a cruise; family had a place there; and we wanted somewhere to visit in the cooler months other than Mexico and mainland USA.

The laid back attitude and the familiarity are very comforting. Although the tropical breezes make you think it is a far away world, its creature comforts of N.America make it very easy to relax in.

We have tended to focus ourselves in Kihei and Wailea, but, we have ventured on some short excursions as well to enjoy the sights and scenery.

Recommendations

Activities

Beaches:

Check out this site for the best rated beaches in Maui.

Beaches we’ve enjoyed over the years include: Kamaole Beaches II and III (more family focused, lots of little kids, and can be very shallow), Polo Beach (excellent boogie boarding), Makena (amazing boogie boarding but watch out for the undertow, and there is a strong riptide) Wailea Beach and Kaanapali Beach. Kapalua is gorgeous, but as of January 2024, much of the beach had been washed away due to tides – it will return. All of these are good for a little boogie boarding and lazing away an afternoon.

We strongly encourage you to think twice about your snorkelling and swimming during the rainy season and run off from inland. It can be quite dirty water, and may not give you the results you want. However, if this is when you are there, then it is what it is!

Sailing:

We love spending an afternoon or evening out on the water! Trilogy Excursions is great fun – we enjoyed a lovely day of snorkelling and some excellent food and company; Pacific Whale Foundation has some wonderful evening/cocktail cruises for whale watching – we highly recommend Marty’s cruises – check out the sunset cruises for information and his own website for more information.

Recently we enjoyed whale watching tours with Sail Maui – a fun crew, smaller boat and able to coast along and sale with the whales without impact. Daniela was a hoot! Most recently – January 2024 – we were with Maui Reef Adventures. Highly recommend this business – fun, informative, focused on the whales, their interactions and relationships. The boats are very nimble and can make a lot a distance seem very short in the caldera.

Hiking:

On our last couple visits to Maui we have made more of an effort to go for walks/hikes beyond Kihei and Wailea. Picking the right time of day and weather is the challenge, and ensuring you are prepared depending on what roads you are travelling on. Some recent walks/hikes have included:

Iao Valley: we did this walk with family. Good for varying walking abilities, it has a lot of trails and the State Monument is well worth the short walk.

Twin Falls: we ventured out to do this walk a day after 2 days of rain – we should have known! Two of the paths were flooded partway, but that didn’t stop anyone. Either bring water shoes or take your shoes off to get across the rushing water. A little slippery – we both had a couple balance challenges – but refreshing on hot, muggy days. The falls themselves are gorgeous and folks were taking a dip in them before venturing back on the trails.

Nakalele Blowhole: Beautiful, beautiful. Love the direct walk down as well as the more circuitous route via an earlier parking area on the road. Great to do on a breezy day as it can be quite calm. Also, best to see the blowhole in action on high tide.

Ma’alea Beach Walk: After walking through the nature conservancy, follow the beach to Ma’alea. We kept a picnic in the car cooler, and after our 2 hour walk along the beach (there and back) we had a great picnic lunch watching a local kite surfer!

Surfing, Paddleboarding:

Paddleboarding was fun and easy with Maui Stand Up Paddle Board. We took a semi private lesson and within a few minutes we were enjoying watching the turtles under our boards as we coasted along. We also, in our first lesson, learned how to ride a wave! Great fun.

Surfing with Maui Waveriders was excellent – highly recommend. For the price of the lesson, you then can use the board for the rest of the day. Take advantage of it – you’ll be sore, but, so glad you did it!

Eat:

So much good food! We’ve had some great meals on the island including: Morimoto Maui – Yum!! Great layout and ambiance for a wonderful dinner! Monkeypod Kitchen – an excellent option, particularly after a long day or long walk when you want some great choices of great food. Nick’s Fishmarket Maui – loved the seafood here, and the service was superb! Recent favourites include: Humble Market Kitchen – excellent happy hour, great view for sunsets, and excellent service. Their lamb is excellent! Blue Door Bread & Pizza Company in Kihei is wonderful for pizza and of course, their fantastic bread! Best burger on the island of Maui is at the Ulupalakua Ranch. Custom order your burger at the counter and then enjoy it out on the grounds at the top of the mountain looking down to Wailea and the ocean. If you miss the burger at the ranch, head down the highway to Pukalani and enjoy a meal at Restaurant Marlow – amazing!

Shopping:

We keep a lot of our shopping in Maui to 1) what we need to enjoy ourselves (great ingredients for our home-cooked meals), and, 2) what we want to take home with us. Given the remoteness of the Hawaiian islands, some things go out of stock and can be so for a few days, so, you learn to adapt. We’ve had great success finding what we need for meat and seafood by exploring all the grocery stores in Kihei and Lahaina. Shout out to Maui Artisan Sourdough – OMG amazing! Love that we can get great bread on the island. For take home, we love Honolulu Cookie Company (take an extra suitcase just for this order!).

In addition to this travel review: Maui, check out our Planning posts for more details on how you can plan your own wonderful getaway!