My Maui travel guide is here! And let me tell you how we ended up coming here!
I had been begging Dan to go somewhere tropical and warm for so long! Mexico was our typical go-to, since it is a quick flight from Chicago. But when we decided to start trying for a baby, we decided to avoid all places where there was a Zika risk. I didn’t want to deal with it, or be paranoid our whole trip. Hawaii was on our bucket list – so we started planning! But how do you pick just one island?!
We both wanted beautiful beaches, lush greenery and flowers, beautiful hiking, and lots of activities. After doing some research and asking friends and family, we decided that Maui was the perfect Hawaiian island for our 7 day baby-moon.
Maui Travel Guide – Where to Stay:
- The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali. Since I’ve only been to Maui once, I can only recommend one hotel! The Westin was beautiful, clean, had lovely pools, a nice beachfront, and fit our budget. I highly recommend it! Some other hotels folks recommended:
- Andaz Maui
- Sheraton – Sister in Law and her husband stayed here on their honeymoon and they loved it.
- Hyatt
- Grand Wailea
- Fairmont Kea Lani
Maui Travel Guide – Where to Eat:
There are SO many good restaurants, but these were our favorites!
- Mama’s Fish House. This is the most recommended place we went! They have a beautiful view and the freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. Reservations are a must.
- Grandma’s Coffee House. We stopped here on our way back from seeing sunrise at Mount Haleakala. Get the Acai bowl or banana macadamia nut pancakes!
- Leilani’s. The best fish tacos and hula pie.
- Leoda’s Kitchen. We had breakfast here multiple times! Go early, because it is always busy.
- Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. The portions look huge, the remember that it is just flavored water!
- Big Star Noodle. Quite possibly the best pad thai I’ve ever had.
- Merriman’s. This is a fancy-style dinner with great seafood. Dan is still talking about the chow fun noodle appetizer.
Maui Travel Guide – What to Do:
You could easily stay at the resort and lump by the pool the whole time! But since we rented a car and there is just too much to see in Maui, we decided to do 1-2 activities a day. Believe me, we still had plenty of time for hanging at the pool and beach.
- Sunrise At Mount Haleakala.This one requires some planning. You have to make a reservation to enter the park, since they cap the amount that can come in for the sunrise. We took advantage of being jet-lagged, and went the first morning. We left the hotel at 4am, and arrived at the state park just in time to get in position to see the sunrise. It was absolutely beautiful, and totally worth it. Bring some warm clothes because it gets a bit chilly that high above sea level!
- Old Lahaina Luau.Our guidebook said that this was the best luau in Maui. Since it is so popular, you need to get tickets way in advance. Entry includes an open bar, full buffet, and a beautiful traditional show where you learn the history of hula dancing and Hawaii culture.
- Wale Watching – Pacific Whale Ecological Adventures. We went mid-March, so it was prime time for whale watching. If we’re getting nerdy about it, the whales come to the shallow Maui waters to give birth, away from their orca predators in the deep ocean. We got to see tons of whales, and baby whales, too! I totally threw up on the boat from seasickness, but it didn’t ruin it for me.
- Shopping in Lahaina. A cute town with tons of art galleries, kitschy souvenir shops, and beautiful boutiques.
- Paia shopping. Another pretty town with shopping and great restaurants.
- O’o Farm Coffee Tour. A couple of Maui chefs decided to open up a farm and grow their own produce for their restaurant, Pacific’o. We took a tour, learned about coffee bean plants and the roasting process, and had a delicious lunch prepared with ingredients from the farm.
- The Road to Hana. An absolute must! It takes ALL day, so I recommend starting early. We started at 6am and had no problems with traffic. A good guidebook will tell you which mile markers have the best places to pull over to see magical views, gorgeous waterfalls, and black sand beaches.
- Warren & Annabelle’s Magic Show. I’m still wondering how that guy got the Queen of spades into my pocket, haha! Seriously the best magic show I’ve ever seen, and it was funny, too.
Maui Travel Guide – Tips and Tricks
- Rent A Car. Otherwise you can’t get anywhere too easily. We rented a convertible and it was perfect for cruising around the island and taking in all the views. Just make sure you reapply sunscreen, because we got nailed by the sun. We also saw that a lot of people rented Jeeps! Parking wasn’t an issue.
- Start The Day Early. I know it is annoying to wake up early on vacation, but in Maui, it pays off to be the first on the road. Trust me. Remember that it is a small island, with only a few main roads that get congested super quickly. An early start means you won’t have to sit in traffic or wait in lines. Once your daily activity is done, you can sit by the pool from 2pm-sunset and still enjoy a bit of relaxation.
- Try All the Things. We tried Poi (the traditional tarot-paste) and roast pork and shaved ice. Might as well try new things! Otherwise, what’s the point of traveling?!
- Get a Good Guidebook. We loved Maui Revealed. It has lots of great tips and recommendations.
Let me know if you’ve been or if you’re going to Maui! Is absolutely beautiful and will cherish the memories of our baby-moon!
–Roxanne
On Mondays We Link Up
Caitlin | Beauty & Colour says
I want to go now!
Beauty & Colour | Vegan Fashion + Lifestyle Blog
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says
We are going to Maui in July! I need to save this post and look back on it before we go for ideas! 🙂 We are staying at a different resort than you.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Ruth says
Ah I loved watching your stories when you were there. That sunrise looks so amazing and sounds like it’s worth the early wake up!
http://www.ruthyannie.com
Roxanne says
I’m glad we took advantage of our jet lag, though! Thank you for being such a loyal fan!
Bojana says
Your baby moon looks amazing. i think it’s awesome that you two made this priority before baby arrives and your life change in a good way but still a change. I’ve never been to Hawaii but it certainly looks like you made the most of your time there and you didn’t seem to let pregnancy slow you down too much. 🙂
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Roxanne says
Thank you! We’re super lucky we got to take one last trip together before baby glam comes.
Meghan says
My husband and I were married at sunset in South Maui-Big Beach by a traditional Hawaiian minister. He blew the conch shell and played tradition Hawaiian music on his eukalele. It was magical. There even was a double rainbow on the mountains behind us. That will be 10 years in June. We went back for our 1 year anniversary. Both times we stayed the Hyatt. Beautiful hotel. We also took the ferry over to Lanai-my husband is a big golfer and I love to ride with so he played both Four Season’s courses in one day. We dearly wanted to go back to renew our vows this June but no matter which way we planned it, it was over $8,000. for 6 days. Not including the vow renewal. Too much money for now. Anyway, I’m so happy you two went for your baby-moon. Your lives are about to change in a million ways-all of them wonderful but you deserve to have this time on your own.
Thank you for taking me down memory lane!
Roxanne says
WOW that must have been absolutely gorgeous! The sunsets in Maui were some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I will say, Hawaii is one of the most expensive trips ever. We’ve spent 2 weeks in Europe and spent LESS!
Grace Liang says
Love these photos! Looks like you had a blast!
Please stop by at http://www.colorandgrace.com every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for linkup parties! Hope to see you there!
Grace Liang
http://www.colorandgrace.com
Roxanne says
Thanks Grace!
Lisa Richardson says
We went to Maui 2 years ago for our 25th Anniversary. It was the best vacation we’ve ever been on (and the first we’d been on alone since having kids). We stayed at the Hyatt and loved it and did a lot of the same things y’all did. Such a gorgeous place. We want to go to one of the other islands before we move out of CA. (because it’s such an easy trip from here)
Roxanne says
What a perfect anniversary vacation! Most of the people we met were from CA and WA!
Amy Johnson says
Wow! What a dream vacation!
Roxanne says
Thanks for reading!
Julie | This Main Line Life says
The island looks beautiful. I’ve heard that going to the smaller islands can be more fun since Maui gets so crowded. Would love to go some day.
Roxanne says
I’d love to explore the smaller islands some day!
Shelbee on the Edge says
Beautiful photos, Roxanne! It looks like such an amazing trip!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Roxanne says
It was certainly the perfect baby moon!
Mica says
What fun trip! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the link up!
Hope that you have had a wonderful weekend 🙂
Away From Blue
Roxanne says
Thanks for joining in!
Daniela says
what a different place beach with dark sand interesting journey
Roxanne says
Isn’t that black sand beach cool? It is all volcanic sand!