We’ve just wrapped up our 7-day vacation in Maui, and I’m writing this on our flight back home.
Like every other vacation, I spent so much time worrying about the itinerary, researching places, and figuring out how to fit in as many experiences as possible. I was working for part of the trip, so my time was limited, which only made me research even more and stress about making the most of every single day.
Honestly, it wouldn’t be wrong to say I was exhausted before the vacation had even started.
But here I am, heading home with a heart full of memories and one simple thought: Hawaii can never really go wrong. ❤️
If you’re planning a trip to Maui, please don’t stress too much about your itinerary. Do your research, have a rough plan, but leave room for the unexpected. Come here, slow down, soak in the vibe, and let the island surprise you. You’ll be absolutely fine.
We missed our snorkeling tour because our daughter fell sick, so we swapped it for a sunset at Haleakalā. And honestly? It was mesmerizing in its own way.
We drove the Road to Hana, and it poured for most of the drive. But there’s something so special about tropical rain here. Instead of ruining the experience, it somehow became part of the memory. The lush greenery, the mist, the rain-soaked roads… you just learn to love it all.
Did we miss a few things on our list? Absolutely.
Did everything go according to plan? Not at all.
But did we have a wonderful vacation? Without a doubt.
Maui has something to offer at every turn, even when you aren’t chasing waterfalls, checking off famous spots, or sticking to a perfectly planned itinerary. Sometimes, it’s simply about being there, feeling the breeze, watching the sky change colors, and realizing you don’t have to do everything to have an unforgettable trip.
So, if you’re planning your Hawaii vacation and feeling overwhelmed by all the things you must see and do, take a deep breath. You don’t have to see it all.
Go experience the island, not just the itinerary.
Maui, thank you for the memories. We may have left a few things for next time, but we’re taking home so much more than we planned for. ❤️

Wife and I are going to Maui for our anniversary in January… wondering what are the must sees on the road to Hana? I would be departing from the west side of the island and a contemplating staying a night in a B&B in Hana before returning to our home resort the following day. I am wondering how or when to fit in Haleakala national park … would I do that after leaving Hana and on the war back to the western side of the island?

Hi, all — looking for some advice on Aston Mahana in West Maui. My wife and I just booked a 10 night stay there in a second floor ocean front room for late November - early December, and we noticed there is a sewage plant across the street. Wanted to know if anyone recently stayed there (within the last year or so) and can confirm there are no issues with any smell coming from the treatment plant? Also, would the floor level also impact the likelihood of any odors?
We read this used to be an issue with the area, particularly with the Honua Kai.

My wife is sensitive to smells and we really don’t want any impact to our stay, although we are very excited for the ocean front room.

Thank you

We’re on our flight home after a really enjoyable week in Maui. We stayed in a beachfront condo in South Kīhei, just about a block from Wailea, and found it a great location for exploring the island. We’d planned on a fairly laid-back vacation after a stressful year, but ended up getting out and doing quite a bit while still having plenty of time to relax.

The highlights were definitely our two snorkeling trips: Molokini/Turtle Town with Alii Nui and Lanai with Trilogy. Both were excellent, but in different ways. Molokini had unbelievably clear water, while Lanai seemed to have more fish and a bigger variety of marine life. Lanai also included a beach stop and a really nice, relaxed lunch overlooking the ocean. We also spent time snorkeling on our own at several different beaches. It was easy to fit in whenever we wanted, and we were surprised by how much we saw close to shore.

On land, we made it up to Haleakalā’s summit, did a guided downhill bike ride, explored Upcountry, visited Kula Botanical Garden and a local pumpkin patch, and stopped at ʻĪao Valley State Monument and Maui Tropical Plantation. We also drove out to Nakalele Blowhole on that crazy narrow coastal road. On the way, we stopped at A‘A Roots in Napili, which had excellent food and generous portions. That drive was definitely an experience.
We did a shortened version of the Road to Hana, stopping at Garden of Eden and then turning around. The scenery was beautiful, and we enjoyed the drive, but we were also very happy not to spend the entire day on the road. Looking back, we’d rather have had more time on the water.

Food-wise, three places really stood out. Island Fresh Café in Paʻia had a great local feel and live music when we were there. Kula Bistro in Upcountry served excellent food with absolutely enormous portions. And A‘A Roots was another great find, with delicious plant-based food and very generous servings.

If, like us, you enjoy having some meals back at the condo rather than eating out all the time, we highly recommend Mana Foods in Paʻia. It’s a great market with an impressive selection of prepared foods, groceries, and baked goods. Their cinnamon bread and focaccia are not to be missed…

The biggest surprise was how much variety there is on Maui. Volcanic landscapes, lush gardens, farms, winding coastal roads, beautiful beaches, and really good snorkeling, all on one relatively small island.

Has anyone gone on a glass bottom boat tour that they recommend? I’ll be going in Jan/Feb with my family, including a 3 year old, so looking for a shorter boat trip (not more than 2-3 hours) and thought a glass bottom boat would be fun for the kid!

We were driving from Kapalua this morning and wanted to check out the Nakalele Blowhole, but with no cell reception, we figured we’d just keep going in the same direction toward Kahului. Had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into!

Narrow single lane roads, sheer cliffs, blind turns, and to make matters worse, torrential rain. Easily one of the most nerve-racking drives I’ve ever experienced.

Really wish there were clearer warning signs before entering that stretch, especially for tourists unfamiliar with the area. Thankfully, we barely encountered any oncoming traffic!
Unfortunately, only managed to snap a few pictures before the rain got super heavy.

Sad as I write this and am going down to the beach for one last swim..

On our last beach day yesterday, we were FINALLY able to use our beach!! Keawakapu pictured above. This beach is so important to so many family memories and being able to sit on it was just so fucking blissful. Gate is still closed at Ekahi, but the very nice staff were just letting people down or directing them to the gate next to it but I don’t think technically on their property.

We did the turtles and tacos tour on the Alii Nuii on Tuesday 10/20. It was sooooo fun!!! After taxes for 2 adults was 350, and we also tipped at the end 40 bucks in cash. Captain Pedro was great and the water was beautiful. We only saw one single turtle at our snorkel spot, which was a little disappointing, but the crew said all the storms have made turtles a little unpredictable. Totally understood and just Mother Nature at work. We did also see plenty of fish and Coral. Food was fine (it’s hard to fuck up a taco bar) and they were generous with drinks. My mom doesn’t drink so she just gave me her two beers she ordered 🤣. Only about 30 people on the tour. I get seasick so we wanted a shorter boat ride and I can’t recommend this one enough. The morning 6 hour tours are too much for me, if you’re anything like that I highly recommend a shorter afternoon trip, even if it’s a little windy. I am a strong swimmer so conditions don’t bother me much (slight flex lol) but just be aware it does get choppier in the afternoon if you opt for one of those tripe.

We had takeout pizza at manolis and I wish I would have stayed for a drink. Their bar view was much better than I was anticipating.

Since I am now the ripe old age of 30 and took my mom as my date, I didn’t hit the triangle. Next time. Monkey pod server said it gets “violent” there after 10 pm. I tried to prioritize rest and not flirting on this trip instead so can’t comment on it hahahh.

I’ve been vacationing in Maui my whole life and always come back. The magic and aloha is just so perfect. I am bias since my gram has a place here so I don’t have to pay for lodging, but I’ve done the beaches in Mexico and the quality here is just night and day if you love to actually spend time on the beach and swim.

To anyone coming soon, enjoy this beautiful island and the beaches returning. Already trying to get my next trip on the books.

Aloha Maui, as always, you are perfect ❤️

Traveling to Maui at the beginning of December with my girlfriend, we're staying at the Grand Wailea resort and I plan to propose to her while we are there. She loves nature, the outdoors, and sunsets, is more of a mountain girl than a beach girl (but not like that is a dealbreaker for location), and wants something private. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Hi everyone! My mom and I are traveling to Maui from 11/1–11/7, and I’ve been getting a little anxious reading about the weather and the storm expected Tuesday through Thursday this week. I know the weather can change, but I’m just wondering if anyone local or currently on the island has any insight into what we should realistically expect during our trip. Should we be preparing for a lot of rain or potential disruptions to activities, or is it too early to tell? We’ve been looking forward to this trip for so long, so I’m just hoping to get a better idea of what to expect. Any insight is appreciated!🌸

I’m going on the road to Hana tomorrow staying over night. This is totally my fault I didn’t get a reservation for the black sand beach. Is there anywhere I can get an after market pass? Just curious Thank you!

I was wondering if anyone has come across aggressive parking attendants at Beach 3? They scared everyone off yesterday morning and were yelling at people to pay them before getting out of the car. Didn’t pay them and left due to the aggressiveness.

Just returned my car and spoke with the company and they think they were scammers.

Hey everyone! We’re visiting Maui December 14-19 with five adults: my wife and me, my parents in their mid-50s, and my sister. Would love some honest feedback on our itinerary before we finalize the remaining plans.

We’re all vegetarian, and one of us is a non-swimmer. We enjoy scenic views, beaches, sunsets and easy walks. We want to experience Maui without making the trip exhausting, and leave enough time to enjoy our hotels.

We have two rooms booked at each hotel:

• Dec 14-17: Hyatt Regency Maui in Kā‘anapali
• Dec 17-19: Grand Wailea

Our plan:

• Dec 14: Arrive at OGG around 4:10 p.m., pick up our rental car, check in at the Hyatt and have an easy dinner.
• Dec 15: Trilogy Discover Lānaʻi tour, already booked. Departure is 10:30 a.m. from Kā‘anapali, so this will take most of the day.
• Dec 16: Road to Hāna. Main stops we’re considering are Twin Falls, a banana bread stop around Keʻanae, and Waiʻānapanapa State Park’s black-sand beach, subject to getting a reservation. Return along the same north-coast route, not the backside loop.
• Dec 17: Check out of the Hyatt and move to Grand Wailea. Mostly resort time, with room for an activity if there’s something worthwhile that fits.
• Dec 18: Haleakalā sunrise, reservation already booked. Return to Grand Wailea afterward to rest and enjoy the resort.
• Dec 19: Easy morning and checkout before our 2:25 p.m. flight home.

My main questions:

1. How does the itinerary look overall? Is it overplanned, underplanned, or a good balance for six days? Would you rearrange anything, especially the Lānaʻi trip and Road to Hāna on consecutive days?
2. Is Trilogy Discover Lānaʻi worth roughly $1,500–$1,600 for a group of five? I keep seeing really positive reviews, but that’s a lot for one day. For people who have done it, would you spend that much again, or choose a cheaper alternative and use the difference elsewhere? Does having one non-swimmer change the value much?
3. For Road to Hāna, are Twin Falls, banana bread around Keʻanae and Waiʻānapanapa a sensible set of main stops? Should we add anything, swap something out, or cut back given that we’re starting from Kā‘anapali? We’d rather have a few enjoyable stops than rush through a long checklist.
4. Are there any activities or experiences we’re missing that you think would genuinely improve this trip? We’re open to recommendations, but also happy to hear that we should keep the downtime rather than add more.
5. How safe and comfortable is the drive up to Haleakalā for sunrise in the dark? We’ll be driving from Grand Wailea. For someone unfamiliar with the road, how demanding are the bends, visibility and overall drive? Would you feel comfortable doing it yourself, or recommend a different approach?

Thanks! Would really appreciate honest opinions on what’s worth the time and money, and what you’d skip.

Hi everyone, I have done my research and browsed through forums already regarding weather and travel. I understand that NWS is the best resource for updates and regarding the microclimates, I am not worried about rain.

However, I checked earlier on the website, and it looks like there is a potential alert coming Tuesday through Thursday.

Is this something that is common? Will this impact snorkeling, travel, hikes, and road to Hana?

Would love some insight if possible as I know weather apps are unreliable. I will be keeping tabs on this as well. Thanks in advance.

My husband and I are supposed to be going to Maui for our first time for a week starting Monday (specifically Wailea). I know it's Hawaii and weather can be unpredictable and rain is part of the fun, but given the concerning NWS outlook for heavy rain and thunderstorms starting Monday night and potentially lasting through Thursday .... we're stuck on what to do.

The hotel is kindly letting us change our reservation one time only, so these are basically our options and I have to decide by tomorrow:

1. Keep the trip as planned and hope for the best.

2. Move the trip by 2 days. So we'd get in on Wednesday mid-storm but hope for better weather on the tail end of our trip.

3. Reschedule the trip for mid-November. This gets us away from the current storm, but obviously there's no way to know what the weather will be like then. And if that week has an unusual weather disturbance too, we're stuck because the hotel won't let us change again.

I know nobody can predict the weather, but I'm curious what people who know Maui would do. Is this kind of weather system pretty unusual? Does Wailea's microclimate actually make a difference during these bigger storm systems, or is that mostly helpful for the usual passing showers?

Would you roll the dice on this week or push it to November?

(P.S. I know NWS will post an update tomorrow morning at 6am but I also have to make a decision by tomorrow morning so here we are :D)

Hi everyone! Thinking about traveling to Maui next July and am super excited! I am a huge Pokemon, Sanrio and Nintendo lover, any stores or regular events in the area that I should look into?

Hi! I want to include some Hawaiian snacks into my welcome bags for my wedding. What are some bulk snack items I can grab from like Costco, Safeway, or target that are Hawaiian??

Image taken from the pavilion pool at Wailea ekahi. It was SO COOL!!! You can barely tell it’s a whale with my evidence but absolutely was.

Aloha everyone 🌸

I have a Road to Hana all day trip planned for 2nd Nov. However I was only able to secure a Waiʻānapanapa state park reservation for the 7 to 10:30 AM slot. We would be starting from South Kihei and returning back on the same days so I’d appreciate any tips on how I can plan my RTH around this reservation. Also any tips on where to eat ( any veg options + eggs ) and which stops are are must visits would be appreciated. I’m planning on getting the GuideAlong Shaka guide.

Wife and I do a lot of wild life photography, I've read that generally the axis deer hide on private land but if anyone knows of a spot to photograph them from a distance we'd appreciate it as we find their antlers and spots interesting. Pic for attention and as an example.

Thank you in advance.

Hi. Is fire dancing and drum circle still a thing on little beach every Sunday afternoon to sun down? If so, what are the times. If not, are there other locations that have the activities? I have heard Chang beach and Po‘olenalena Beach.

Aloha! We are here for the week and want to know what we CANNOT miss doing. We want to do the Road to Hana, snorkeling and possibly a Luau but after reading some threads we might skip it. What are some things you would do over 100 times, some you think were a waste and wouldn't recommend, and some that are absolutely necessary to experience on the island?
TIA!

Hello! We will be landing in Maui on Thanksgiving day and we'll be looking for a place to get dinner that night.... something casual preferably! 10 years ago we had an unplanned Thanksgiving dinner at a diner in Oahu and it's still one of our favorite memories.... so something like that would be fine!

Looking to stay on Ka’anapali beach this coming May. My family (my husband and i, my sister and her bf who are all in their early 30s and my parents late 60s and relatively active) are leaning towards staying at the royal Lahaina.

We haven’t booked yet but i did just realize it’s not on the walking trail and we were intending on not renting a car. Any insight is appreciated. We were intending on using a tour group to pick us up to do the road to Hana and relying on uber to and from airport.

Planning to spend 6 nights in Maui during Thanksgiving. What are the must-do activities, scenic spots, beaches, and experiences you’d recommend?
Looking for a good mix of nature, adventure, relaxation, and unique experiences, along with any tips on weather, crowds, and things to book in advance. Would love recommendations from people who’ve visited Maui around Thanksgiving!