This year, we spent the week surrounding Easter in Maui, Hawaii! We had some Southwest points we had saved up making it a much less expensive trip. That paired with the knowledge that my great aunt lived there and would be able to offer many suggestions of things to do solidified the destination. Per usual we researched hardly anything and planned near nothing so each day we took it as it came and ended up having a really, really lovely trip!
Josiah and I got super lucky that we both like to travel in similar ways. We don’t show up completely blind (most of the time…), but we really just take each day as it comes. Each of us does some casual research and the rest we kind of just learn as we go. For us, it allows us to adapt as we go and doesn’t leave us bogged down by reservations that we don’t end up wanting to use in the moment— in fact we’re hardly ever have a reservation (usually just hotel/airbnb ones, but we are never above changing those — hosts are generally more flexible than you’d expect!). That being said there are definite cons to not booking anything ahead (sold out, etc.). But, usually if we have a hotel and airline tickets we are golden. I can also see how this could be a super frustrating way to travel, so if it’s not your jam — i get it.
Getting THere
Getting there from Omaha isn’t the easiest — it’s not terrible, but it’s a journey. We flew 2 hours to Vegas and then 6 hours to Maui. On the way back we went through Phoenix and had similar travel times (side note, the Phoenix airport has a new terminal and it has some gorgeous art totally worth checking out!).
Renting a car
Pretty much non-negotiable unless you just came to lay on the beach. Which if you flew all the way to Hawaii just to lay on the beach you are missing most of the wonderful uniqueness that the islands have to offer! The beaches are pretty, but the real magic is in the mountains and rainforests.
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed at my Aunt’s house in Wailuku which ended up being the perfect location! They live in a little subdivision that allowed us easy access to the beach, but wasn’t far from town if we needed to grab anything. Staying in Wailuku is a good option since it’s only 15 minutes from the airport and still gives easy access to the rest of the island. If we weren’t staying at my Aunt’s I think it would be fun to have stayed in Paia, a close-by town that was smaller and a little closer to the road to Hana (it is also where our favorite coffee shop was).
A lot of people really love staying in Lahaina, but although it’s cute to go visit, it’s so touristy and personally wouldn’t be where I’d want to stay. To get to the road to Hana from here is a bit more of a trek. Just worth noting.
Things that surprised me:
Time Change
The time change HIT ME HARD. Maui is 5 hours behind Omaha. Although I was warned that I would likely wake up at 4am every day and be left twiddling my thumbs waiting for a coffee shop to open — and although my experience wasn’t that dramatic— it definitely hit me hard. I was awake by 5am most days, but with each day I gradually inched my way closer to waking up at 6am — just in time to fly home and be forced to switch my schedule back to Omaha time. Waking up at 6am Omaha time on our first day back was like waking up at 1am Maui time. It. Was. A. Struggle. Maybe just have a bit more foresight than I did and take an extra day off of work to recover when you get back.
Touristy
I shouldn’t have been shocked….like it’s Hawaii for goodness sake, but I was shocked at how touristy/busy some of the island was. I was kind of expecting since we were hitting it on the off season that it wouldn’t be so intense, but man if that’s what the off-season is like I would never want to be there during busy season. We adjusted our plans accordingly and moved faster on the road to Hana than we probably would have to avoid the larger, lingering groups Pretty much anything we thought could be busy we tried to start early and that did help a bit.
Claustrophobic
I felt a little claustrophobic being on the island. It’s a pretty small island honestly— only 727 square miles (about the same size as Rhode Island)— and that actually got to me more than I expected. In the short-term I don’t think it affected me too much, but the idea of living there full-time definitely freaked me out a bit. Which is kind of crazy coming from someone who almost always dreams about moving anywhere we visit. The remoteness of it on top of the small size was just a little freaky for me.
food cost
People talk about Hawaii food being expensive…but dangggg it was really, really expensive! We ended up balancing our eating out with picking up some groceries so we weren’t spending so much $$$ per day on food. It was a good compromise for us, but if you prefer to eat out just be prepared.
COFFEE
Full disclosure, truly none of the coffee shops we ended up at swooped in and stole our hearts. I definitely won’t recommend flying there just to explore the coffee scene by any means, BUT if you end up on Maui and find yourself in search of some caffeine, these were the top three coffee shops that we found. If you’ve gone and found others you’ve liked I would love to hear about them!
Better Things Cafe - This one was in Paia and was on our way to most of the places we wanted to go so we ended up going here almost every day. I went for their drip coffee every day that we were there and it was really consistent. It was a medium-light roasted coffee and was overall a pretty balanced cup — no crazy notes or anything, but just a smooth cup that proved a good start to the day! Their iced coffee was actually pretty dang good too. It felt like the kind of place locals visited often, but there would also occasionally be groups of tourists popping in as well. The atmosphere was the kind of place that you just wanted to hang out and read a book. We got bagel sandwiches here one day and they were good, but really pricey!
Momona - The coffee here wasn’t quite as good as the coffee at Better Things so we only went here once HOWEVER, their pastries were to die for! They had tons of options that I might still dream about going back for. The timing never worked out for us to go back, but I would gladly work my way through their menu.
Espresso Mafia - Such a cute place! They serve their coffee out of an adorable camper! It was on our way to Haleakala National park so a very convenient location, suuuuuper friendly staff, and an adorable patio. I would recommend it more for location convenience and cuteness of the patio, but not a terrible cup of coffee either.
Food
Before we went to Maui people warned that the food was really expensive. It’s a warning I’ve heard often when traveling so I assumed that it was maybe an exaggeration, but quickly learned it definitely was not an exaggeration. Once the initial sticker shock settled in we decided to balance eating-out with picking up some fruits, veggies, yogurts, sandwiches, and salads at Whole Foods. This ended up working out great for us because we spent a lot of our time in the mountains where there weren’t restaurants closeby anyway! When we did eat out we did end up finding some really, really great gems.
South Maui Fish Co. - This is the kind of place I’d fly back just to go eat at. They had 100% local fish that you could get as a plate, poke bowl, or tacos. I opted for the plate and Josiah got the tacos. Everything was so flavorful and fresh! Definitely our top food experience of the trip (pictured above).
Sensai Kiehe - The atmosphere of this place wasn’t great, BUT the food was phenomenal. My cousin’s husband is the chef here so we got to try A TON of the menu. The sushi was to-die-for, but the miso butterfish was the absolute best! I’d definitely recommend making this a stop on your Maui food adventures.
Leoda’s Kitchen + Pie Shop - The salads, the sandwiches, the PIES! We went twice because we couldn’t stay away. Everything felt so fresh! This is located just south of Lahaina so it’s the perfect stop if you’re exploring that area for the day. I had read that the lines can get super, super long, but both times we went it wasn’t too bad. We did try to hit it on “off hours” and I think that helped. The first time we went around 2pm and then the second time was around 11am.
Paia Fish Market - The shrimp and chips were perfectly crispy and even though they were fried they didn’t leave you feeling heavy!
Cafe O’ Lei - We went here for brunch and not only is the food good, but the scenery is stunning! The restaurant is nestled inside a former sugarcane plantation turned into a coffee shop, boutique, and market. It’s a super fun place to go and hang out for a few hours in the morning. I’d definitely recommend the eggs Benedict or the sautéed Mahi Mahi if you’re going for brunch.
The Road to Hana - there are a lot of little places to stop along The Road to Hana. We did the road to Hana on our first full day and so we hadn’t yet figured out the high cost of food and therefor did not bring a lunch. We ended up stopping at a lot of different little “food trucks” and “food shacks” along the route which was so, so fun, but it was VERY expensive. It wasn’t bad food by any means, but I paid $15 for a tiny sandwich that I was still really hungry after eating. Totally fun to do for the experience, but I think if I’d do it again I would bring more snacks to supplement with.
Hana Farms Bakery - In contrast to the places on the way to Hana, once you’ve arrived in Hana, Hana Farms has an adorable market, cafe, and bakery with lots of fun options. We didn’t eat at the cafe, BUT what I ended up getting from the bakery was some of the most amazing banana bread I’ve ever had! When we bought the loaf I knew we needed to try it because everyone raves about it, but i thought, “No way would the two of us be able to eat the whole loaf!!” — Well…we did and we started dreaming about driving back for more. We got the macadamia nut banana bread and it was so, so, so good! It had a crispy crust on top, it wasn’t too sweet, and it was perfectly moist. If we go back I’d love to eat at their cafe (and smuggle 10 loaves of banana bread into my suitcase). Definitely worth a stop!
sights
Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is a magical drive along the eastern side of the island where you’re met with various waterfalls you can stop and swim in and breathtaking views around every corner. I was worried that this tourist attraction would not be worth the hype, but it was definitely worth the hype. Plan to spend the whole day driving this epic part of the island, getting out of the car for various photo opportunities, stopping for food at the various food trucks and just taking in all the views.
The Road Past Hana
I absolutely loved the road to Hana, BUT the road past Hana was even better! Most people get to Hana and then turn around and go back the way they came, but if you keep going on 360 towards Kaupo you will be in for a treat. The road opens up and you can see so much farther. The traffic is also less which makes it more enjoyable overall. Be aware that the amenities (gas, toilets, food, etc.) on this portion of the road aren’t really available though.
Haleakalā National Park
The park is situated on the southeast side of the island and provides various hiking trails on the volcanic terrain. We only did one hike here, but it was unlike any other hike we’ve done before. We started at the Halemau'u Trailhead on the upper part of the mountain and hiked down into the crater. The ecosystem we got to experience was surreal. The crowd on this particular hike was almost non-existent which was a definite win for us! We ended up hiking four miles in and four miles back and it was pretty dang strenuous. Be prepared and bring lots of water.
Pipiwai Trail - Bamboo forest
This hike is technically located in Haleakalā National Park. In contrast with our strenuous volcano hike in the park, this hike was pretty low-key. The downside to it being low-key however is that it was also pretty busy. If you can try and get there early your chances of it being less busy are probably better. This 4-mile trail takes you on a nice, moderate hike through a bamboo forest to Waimoku Falls — a stunning waterfall that will not disappoint. Bring water and wear shoes that have good traction.
Driving the northwestern part of the island
We started the drive in Wailuku and then drove along the coast, staying on 340 the entire way to Lahaina. This drive was equal parts terrifying and magical. The road hugs the mountain very closely and at times it turns into a one lane where you have to honk going around the curb to see if anyone else is coming. The views felt like what I envision Ireland to be — lush, green, and craggy mountains. We didn’t have great luck with cell reception over here so I would definitely recommend downloading offline maps just in case.
