TO DO:
Molokini and Turtle Arches Snorkeling Tour: my favorite activity of the trip! While you can snorkel without booking a tour, this tour gives you access to places that would be difficult (or impossible) to get to on your own. We booked a half day excursion through the Pacific Whale Foundation and got continental breakfast, drinks, and lunch on board. They take you out to two different sites for an hour each (the turtle spot was my favorite! We saw four sea turtles up close). We brought underwater disposable film cameras with us, which made it even more fun.
Haleakala National Park (Summit District): There are two sections of the national park and both are time commitments (each is about 2 hours from the tourist side of the island in either direction). The summit district is famous for the volcano view at sunrise, but it’s hit or miss with weather if you visit in the winter. You have to schedule your sunrise reservation for the summit parking lot seven days in advance, and a park ranger told us there’s a 50% chance of visibility during winter months. The day we went it was rainy with zero visibility, so we ended up going back for sunset another day when we could check up on the weather throughout the day and view the online webcam of the summit to check to see if it was worth our time. Reservations aren’t required for sunset, so if you’re visiting in the winter, I’d recommend just going for sunset. In the summer, the weather/visibility tends to be much better (according to the park ranger we talked to).
Haleakala National Park (Kipahulu District): This side of the park is accessible from the far side of the island close to Hana. We hiked the Pipiwai Trail to Waimoku Falls, which takes you through an incredible bamboo forest to a 400 foot waterfall. I thought both areas of the park were worth visiting if you have the time, but if I had to choose just one, I’d choose Kipahulu District.
Nakalele Blowhole: a beautiful spot on the island. It’s a quick drive from Lahaina and an easy hike down to the blowhole and cliffside views. I’d recommend bringing a camera for some beautiful landscape shots, but don’t expect to get a good portrait here—it was incredibly windy.
Surfing Lessons through the Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy: This was my husband’s favorite activity of the trip. He took a private lesson, but if you book as a group or as a couple they’ll lower the rate. They guarantee you’ll get up and surf or your money back, and they provide booties to keep your feet protected and a ultra wide surfboard so you feel steady on the waves.
Whale Watching: If you visit in the winter (December-March), Maui is one of the best spots in the world for whale watching. We saw quite a few whales when we were there in late December/early January, but I’d love to go back in February sometime because we were told that’s when you can see the most whales.
Road to Hana: Hana is nothing to write home about but there are some beautiful stops along the road to get there. We liked seeing waterfalls, stopping at the black sand beach, and hiking through the national park. Driving the road is an all day event (2.5 hours there and back, so five hours of driving total, plus time to hike and see the beach) and not for those who get car sick or are nervous drivers (the road is winding throughout and narrow at parts).
Paia: a cute beach town before the road to Hana. We grabbed lunch here and walked the shops.
Front Street Lahaina: the “main street” of the island. It’s a good place to get a souvenir, shave ice, or eat dinner.
IPU Island Crafts at Lahaina Cannery: a local shop with a ton of handmade goods. We found plenty of Christmas ornament options there (IPU is close to Front Street, so you can stop there before or after a Front Street visit).
TO EAT:
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice: Hands down the best shave ice I’ve ever had, including shave ice on other Hawaiian islands. We went every day, sometimes twice a day! There are a couple locations on Maui. My favorite flavor was guava but you can get up to three flavors in each serving. Add ice cream to the bottom, and a snow cap + Li Hing powder to the top.
Pi Artisan Pizzeria: Our favorite dinner spot of the trip. We loved the garlic knots, Chicken Parmesan, and thin crust pizza.
Star Noodle: A good stop if you like Ramen! Reservations were hard to come by so we got it to go and ate on the beach.
Gazebo Maui: Great breakfast spot! Get there 10-15 min before opening or get it to go so you don’t have to wait in line. The view was beautiful and the food was good.
Paia Flatbread Company: Good lunch spot in Paia. They use local/organic ingredients and the place had a cool vibe. We went twice.
Huli Huli Chicken Hana: This is literally a sketchy tent on the beach in Hana but the food was good, especially if you want authentic Hawaiian BBQ. Bring cash and download Google Maps to Hana ahead of time to make sure you can find it.
POG juice: our favorite thing to drink in Hawaii. You can order it at most restaurants or get it by the half gallon at local grocery stores.
TIPS:
Save money on food. Most of the meals we ate were overpriced and average at best (see the restaurants we actually liked above). I’d recommend getting some breakfast options at Costco or Walmart after you land (both stores are close to the airport) and consider buying some lunch things for picnics on the beach.
Beware of high rental car rates. We booked a rental car in advance but found the prices were much cheaper once we were searching from Maui. Book a rental online before you go just in case (make sure a cancellation policy is in place) then search once you land to see if a better deal is available. We saved over $200 by doing this.
Bring a beach bag. I brought a reusable one from Baggu and it was a game changer to keep everything dry on excursions and [mostly] free from sand on the beach.
Download Google Maps to Hana ahead of time. It’s obvious where to go (there’s only one road) but you might want to search for restaurants or gauge time back to where you’re staying, and reception is spotty along the drive.