07 Sep Hawaii – Maui

Colby and I just got back a few hours ago from a 13-day trip to Hawaii. It was our first time there and we loved it. Today, I am recapping our first stop which was Maui!

This post contains affiliate links. A portion of this trip was provided at a discount, but all opinions and tips given are accurate.

Day 1 – Dallas to Maui

We flew direct from DFW to Maui. We rented our car from Kihei car rental and drove directly to our condo where we spent the afternoon hanging out at the beach and relaxing.

Day 2 – Kaanapali Beach + Black Rock

We walked a few miles along the boardwalk that was right outside our condo and shortly after headed towards Kaanapali Beach where we snorkeled and jumped off the cliff otherwise known as Black Rock. This beach was very crowded, but again there were so many sea turtles and we loved the cliff jumping!

Day 3 – Halaeakala Crater + Old Lahaina Luau

We made the very early wake up time  at 2:15 am to drive to see the sunset at Halaeakala Crater. This was a long and early morning, but the sunrise at the crater came highly recommended to us. After arriving around 4:45, and waiting an hour and 15 minutes in the 40 degree weather, the sun finally rose. Even though most people immediately leave, since we were already there we started the hike on the Kaupō trail. After leaving the trail and making the trek back to our condo, we spent the afternoon at the beach in front of our condo.

That night we went to the Old Lahaina Luau which was our first Luau. It was blast. We got there early to walk around and enjoy the ocean view. They revealed the buried pig that had been roasting all morning and after dinner we enjoyed the show. We got rained on too, but it didn’t seem to stop the party!

Day 4 – Road to Hana

We did the famous Road to Hana drive. We had so much rain this day. Rain and more rain. We found that the “stops” that were suggested along the road were either very hard to find or had too many cars to find parking… so we skipped all the stops and headed for Hana. We didn’t find much there. Actually, it was pretty dissapointing. So we kept driving and headed towards the Seven Sacred pools where we did a 4 mile muddy hike on the Pipiwai trail to get to the Makahiku Falls, a 400 foot waterfall. We thought this trail had a lot of mud, but it wasn’t much compared to what we would experience later on in Kauai. After making the way back to our car, we made one stop at the national park and then made the very long and windy drive again. This was a long day and in my opinion too much driving and too many windy roads. But, we did see many beautiful views.

Day 5 – Wailea Beack + Fly to Kauai

After packing up, we spent the morning at Wailea beach before heading to the airport for our flight to Kauai.

Our tips for the trip:

Condo –  We absolutely loved our condo. The location was amazing. We had the beach all to ourselves. We had a full kitchen which really made a difference. There were grocery stores close by, a great boardwalk, the view was amazing. It also had a beautiful patio overlooking the ocean, and snorkel equipment provided. I felt like our condo was a secret gem on the island 😉 Also, Sue, the owner, was incredible and so easy to work with. I highly recommend booking with her.

Rental Car – Kihei Rental Car was so helpful and amazing. They were ready for us when we got off our plane, had amazing customer service, and were super helpful in offering their Hawaii tips. I highly recommend using this company.

• Get the Maui Revealed book — it’s so helpful and gives you all the inside tips you need
• Bring water shoes and a rain jacket. You will need both.
• An SUV is a poor choice if doing the Road to Hana or Haleaka crater – windy narrow roads – so if you stick with the economy car or convertible you will be fine.
• Bring goggles/snorkel
• Lightweight water bottles during hiking are a must! These are a good option. Bring lots of water and snacks. You will need them
• Get to hikes earlier for best parking options
• We were grateful to make several Costco stops both for groceries and gas. You can’t beat the prices, so if you have a Costco card, make sure you bring it.
• Bring an underwater phone case. You will be glad you did. We got this one and loved it!

Have questions? I would love to hear from you via email or comment below and I will get back to you!

I didn’t start sharing our traveling adventures on the blog until the end of 2013, but you can see some of our vacations below as well as how to travel on a budget here. Next up I’ll be sharing my recap on Kauai and Oahu!

• • Pacific Northwest
  • Western Caribbean Cruise
  • Arizona
  • Hilton Head
  • South America: Argentina
  • South America: Torres Del Paine
  • South America: Lake Region
  • South America: Santiago + Coast
  • Colorado
  • Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio
  • Costa Rica: Santa Teresa
  • Costa Rica: La Fortuna
  • Michigan
  • Las Vegas
  • Caribbean Cruise – Grand Turk + Dominican Republic
  • Caribbean Cruise – Aruba + Curacao
  • Colorado Ski Date #2
  • North Carolina

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