Maui

Transportation

To get to Maui from Oahu, we took a plane from the Honolulu airport. It was a pretty small plane that fit twelve people. It was nice because you could see out the windows at all the beautiful scenery. I reserved the tickets pretty far in advance (maybe 6 months) so it only cost around $20. I know some people have said they have paid a lot more than that.

Every time we went to Maui we rented a car. It’s pretty easy to get around. On one of our tours, there was a little road construction going on and about three cars backed up. The tour guides apologized for the traffic jam. The whole thing lasted about 15 seconds. All us tourists were laughing that this was a “traffic jam.”

Accommodations

The first time I went to Maui, we stayed at Embassy Suites. It was a beautiful hotel right on the beach. It has changed names since then and I’m not sure what the new name is.

Tony and I stayed at the Royal Lahaina. They had just remodeled and our room had an ocean view. The hotel is right on the beach with a great view of Moloka’i. One day when we were sitting on the beach, a huge pod of about 100 dolphins went swimming past. It was such an amazing experience.

Food, food and more food

There are some chain restaurants on Maui and a lot of local places. Most of the restaurants and shops are in Lahaina. There’s a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. There is a Duke’s on Maui also which, of course, we always recommend. Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mack also has a restaurant in Lahaina called Fleetwood’s on Front Street. Mick has been know to drop by to play with some of his famous friends. Steven Tyler, Alice Cooper and Sammy Hagar have all stopped by Feetwood’s for a jam session.

Of course, you will always find great food at a luau. And in Hawaii, the best luau you can see is the Old Lahaina Luau. But get your tickets as far in advance as you can because they sell out quickly. This is the luau where all the celebrities and U.S. Presidents go. You can get table seating or the traditional seating on the floor. Just beware, if you do the floor seating like we did, you are sitting there a LONG time. It is totally worth it being long because the luau is so amazing but next time we go, we’ll be in chairs. Lol. There are a lot of things to do at the luau so get there early. You can learn how to hula or get your photo taken by a professional photographer.

Events

There are a lot of activities to do on Maui. One of the many things you can do is go to Iao Valley State Park and see the Iao Needle. You can explore the surrounding grounds and take a dip in the river. It’s hard to find parking so we just pulled over and parked on the side of the road with all the other cars.

You can’t go to Maui without taking the Road to Hana. If you rent a car on Maui, check with the rental car company before driving there yourself because a lot of companies don’t let you take their cars over there. Also, if you get car sick at all, this trip may not be for you. The roads are very windy and narrow.

The drive along the road is absolutely breathtaking. There are waterfalls and beautiful flowers at every turn. The tour companies stop at a lot of the waterfalls so you can take pictures.

You will see where Charles Lindbergh is buried and a few celebrity homes. The town of Hana is very small with a couple stores. You will get to stop and have lunch and take a look around. This tour is definitely something you don’t want to miss.

We love to go snorkeling and Maui is one of the best places in the world. Molokini Crater is THE place to snorkel when you go to Maui. There are over 250 species of fish and a colorful reef. Of course, the water around Hawaii is crystal clear which makes for great snorkeling and scuba diving.

When you go on a tour, they will most likely also take you to another area fairly close where you can snorkel with turtles. But don’t touch them, they are endangered. It’s very tempting because they are curious and will probably swim over to check you out which makes for great photos!

Our favorite part of Maui is Haleakala. Whether you catch a sunrise, sunset or both, you have to see it. If you want to drive up yourself, it’s not a bad drive. The roads get windy but it’s not enough to keep you from going. Make sure you take a coat or at least something warm because it’s 10,000 feet high and very cold. Also beware of altitude sickness. If this is something you have experienced before, prepare yourself.

The top of Haleakala reminds us of Mars with the rocky, red ground. The Haleakala Observatory is on top of the volcano. They say if the earth was flat, and you looked through their telescope, you could read a license plate in Canada from Texas!

You can also see a plant called the Silversword which only grows in this location. The plant produces a tall flower which spread seeds and then the plant dies. These are very rare and you cannot touch them. The leaves are truly silver and they look so cool!

We went at sunrise our second time there and it was totally cloudy and rainy. We didn’t see the sun at all. It was very disappointing but that’s just the risk you take. The first time we went, we went for sunset and we can honestly say we have never seen a sunset like that before. We took so many pictures and video! When you go to Maui, definitely don’t skip going to Haleakala.