Maui 2022 & 2023
We had the opportunity to travel to Maui in both 2022 and 2023. We went there the same week both years, so this will be a breakdown of both trips. We stayed in two different locations, just five miles apart. It was interesting to note the differences even though they were so close to one another.
Our annual trip started off a little differently than normal. A massive storm was making its way across the United States in the days leading up to our departure. We decided to fly out a day early and that turned out to be a great decision. Thousands of flights were canceled and delayed. So we ended up spending our first night in a run of the mill, totally overpriced hotel near the Maui Airport. We got up the next morning, excited to get out and explore the island, and of course, get into our Vrbo rental.
We decided to check out some sights on our way, since the airport was a good forty-five minutes away from Napili. Our first stop was The Maui Ocean Center. This spot is more geared for children, but they did have an incredible Humpback Whale Exhibit. It’s all in 3D, and it truly makes you feel like you’re in the water swimming alongside the whales. They also had a really amazing jelly fish exhibit too.
After that we headed off for a leisurely lunch at Kula Lodge, which had a gorgeous view down the mountainside to the water. The grounds around the restaurant are beautiful as well. From there we went to the Kula Botanical Garden. We love seeing all the different flowers, plants and trees that are so abundant in Hawaii.
After a full afternoon, we headed west to Napili, where we’d be staying for the duration of our trip. Our condo was amazing, very comfortable with a beautiful view of the water. The sunsets and sunrises were very picturesque.
SNORKELING
The snorkeling directly in front of our condo at Honokeana Bay, was exceptional. We literally walked out the door and went down and got into the water. I’d never been able to see sea turtles up close like that before. We saw so many colorful fish, many which I’d never seen in person before either. This was hands down the best snorkeling that I’ve ever done. We even saw a few Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, the state fish of Hawaii.
Spectacular!!!
On the following day, which was Christmas Eve, we got up and hit the Kapalua Coastal Trail. This is a great trail because you can stay out as long or as little as you want. As the name indicates, it runs right along the coast. We love exploring lava rocks and tide pools, and this trail also had a bunch of places you can stop and do this. I would recommend getting out on the trail as early as you can. A lot more people were coming out as we were getting ready to leave.
That evening we went to Lahaina and had a delicious dinner at Mala. The fresh Mahi-Mahi was so good. Speaking of fish, both Mahi-Mahi and Ahi Tuna are available at most restaurants in Hawaii. Take advantage and order it when ever you can. It is so fresh and delicious. After dinner we took a stroll down Front Street and spent some time admiring the largest Banyan Tree in the United States. It’s fascinating. We learned that night, that that specific park is a mecca for the homeless population. There was a man there who kept randomly screaming which was a bit off putting, but don’t let that keep you from enjoying the splendor of a such magnificent tree.
After that we made our way back down Front Street as the sun started to set. We bought so yummy shave ice and enjoyed the sunset while we ate it.
The following day was Christmas. We spent the morning boogie boarding in Napili Bay. We had a relaxing afternoon then had some more delicious mahi-mahi at the Hula Grill in Kaanapali. We caught a beautiful sunset outside the condo before calling it a day. We wanted Christmas Day to be pretty low-key because we had a full day tour of the island that started early the next morning.
The Road to Hana
If you ever visit Maui, you’re sure to hear about The Road to Hana. This is the road that leads all the way around the island, with Hana being on the far eastern side. The road is very small and winding in most places and you go across fifty-nine bridges. We opted to take a private tour which turned out great. Not having to do the drive yourself is key and you can enjoy the scenery so much more. Doing a private tour is also really nice in the fact that you can stay for as little or as long as you want in all the different places. There’s also no annoying people to put up with on a crowded bus or van.
Our first stop was at the red sand beach. It’s a bit of a hike to get there, but the water is cool and refreshing once you arrive. I wouldn’t want to take small children since there are severe drop-offs on the hike out there. The beach is quite small, but that was fine since there weren’t a ton of people there.
After a hearty lunch at Huli Huli Chicken, we continued on to Waianapanapa State Park. This would make a great day-long get away if you wanted to spend a lot of time in the water, on the beach and exploring the lava rocks and caves. You must have a reservation to enter the park. This area is protected, so they limit the amount of people who can enter every day. Make sure you book at least one day in advance. You can’t buy a pass when you arrive. We opted not to spend time in the water, since we’d just gone swimming at the red sand beach. The lava tubes are so loud and interesting, and they’re quite hidden so tons of people walk by never realizing they’re there. If you have a good tour guide like we did, they’ll know the great rock formations to take you to, so you can hear the rock breathe.
After the black sand beach, we continued on to see the Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees. They’re so beautiful and unique. You can spot them all over the island, but this particular place had the big daddy, which I really wanted to see. Our tour guide told us that these trees originated in Australia.
We rounded out the day with a visit to a waterfall and a stop for some delicious snacks to tide us over for the return trip. My husband and I have both wanted to jump off a cliff into the water and swim under a waterfall. We got to check off both of these activities at our next stop. We pretty much had the place to ourselves which made it even more special. The water was VERY cold, as you might imagine. I decided to go first because I didn’t want to chicken out if it didn’t go well for my husband. It was exhilarating but FREEZING.
It was a very long day, with a whole lot of driving, but it was totally worth it. To see all the rugged countryside and beautiful spaces that many won’t see, made it very special. We both get car sick pretty easy, but we managed to avoid it that day. Definitely have someone drive you, so you can truly enjoy it.
We were pretty wiped out from such a long day, so the following day we did a whole lot of relaxing. We went for a swim and that night we had a fantastic 11th Wedding Anniversary Dinner at Merriman’s. If you want to have a special night out while you’re in Maui, I would highly recommend them. The food and service are incredible and the view is hard to beat. Definitely make reservations ahead of time. They typically book a month out.
On our last full day on the island, we did some more snorkeling then late in the afternoon we took a drive up the north western coast. It was really nice because we had almost every spot to ourselves. We did some hiking and more lava rock climbing.
Food, Glorious Food
In wrapping things up, I need to talk a little bit about the food. Overall it was excellent. I can’t say that we had a bad meal during our trip. There are two things I can’t stress enough when eating in Maui, and Hawaii as a whole. Make sure to eat tons of fresh seafood and fruit while you are there. These two things are so fresh and full of flavor. Every chance I get when in Hawaii, I order anything I can find with passion fruit in it. I LOVE it and it’s hard to find it in many places on the mainland of the U.S. We ate tons of papaya, mango, passion fruit and guava. Most of their cocktails feature fresh fruit or citrus, and they’re so good. Any chance you get to eat outside with a view, do it. There’s something special about enjoying a meal with the waves gently crashing beside you. We discovered the Sea House restaurant for breakfast and went there five times. We sat ocean front every time and they made a killer Eggs Benedict. The fresh fruit juices were incredibly good too.
Overall, I would say that Maui is my favorite of the Hawaiian Islands. I’ve now been to all four of the major islands and I liked it best of all. It was a combination of things. Of course it’s beautiful, the snorkeling is spectacular and the locals seemed really friendly and helpful. It’s been over twenty years since I visited Oahu, so I need to go back there and see how it stacks up. You can’t go wrong going to Hawaii. Every island is beautiful and has something very unique to offer. Aloha!
Here’s the start of our second trip to Maui. We were there 22-30 December, 2023. This trip was quite different from the first one in that we didn’t have much planned during our stay. We jam-packed a lot into our first trip, so the second time around was much more relaxing and slow-paced. Another massive change was the horrible loss of the town of Lahaina in August 2023. On 8 August, 2023, utility poles and lines along Lahainaluna Road were snapped by strong winds shortly after 6:30 a.m., igniting tall grass and brush below. One hundred people lost their lives and over 2,200 buildings were destroyed. We sat glued to the TV that morning. We couldn’t believe the destruction. The magnificent 150-year-old banyan tree that stood as a landmark on courthouse square on Lahaina’s famous Front Street, was also badly burned.
Fast forward four months, and the miraculous has happened. The glorious tree has started showing new signs of life with the sprouting of bright green leaves. On the day we arrived, we had to drive past where the old Lahaina once stood. There is still debris removal ongoing, and most of the streets are completely blocked off. To see that kind of destruction up close was very eery, and it made the loss of life much more real. I know the island won’t recover from the loss entirely, but they’re a very strong community and people from all around the world are doing what they can to help.
So Many Rainbows
This might seem a little strange, but I have to talk about the rainbows we saw on our second trip to Maui. I suppose the cloudy and rainy conditions helped , but we seriously saw rainbows every single day of our trip. They weren’t just your run of the mill, hard to discern the different colors type rainbows either. They were saturated with color and often very low to the ground. They were simply beautiful and we looked forward to spotting them every day.
Dragon’s Teeth
Just a quick 5 minute drive to the north and we found an interesting spot to hike amongst the rocks. This place is aptly named as it resembles sharp teeth and there are several places where you can listen to the deep breathing of a dragon (air pockets in the rocks). Keep going out towards the water once you pass through the teeth and you can be as adventurous as you want to be. Vic wanted to get sprayed when he climbed around the various blow holes, and Mother Nature complied.
We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Sheraton on Christmas Eve. We had the best seat on their outdoor patio. The sunset was beautiful. We ran into a friend of ours from Colorado. Talk about a small world.
Our next hiking and scrambling adventure took place up in the north western region of the island. We eventually made our way down to a super interesting mushroom rock. The best part of that afternoon was that we had the place completely to ourselves. This is something I truly love about Hawaii. You can venture out and find the most amazing places and you’ll be the only one there. This area was a great place to scramble on the rocks, and to see blowholes and lots of interesting rock formations.
Maui Gold Pineapple
We had a great time celebrating our twelfth wedding anniversary while we were there. We had a leisurely morning, then headed east to the Maui Gold Pineapple Tour. This took about an hour to drive to as it was on the opposite side of the island. I would highly recommend this tour. I never knew how interesting pineapples are and what care they take to grow them on Maui. The tour included going through the processing plant, walking through the farm, a delicious and very hefty sampling of three different pineapples and of course you take home your own, pre-boxed Maui Gold Pineapple.
We planned our day around a much anticipated dinner at Mama’s Fish House. I think this place might be the most highly recommended restaurant in all of the Hawaiian Islands. Every person I’ve talked to about Hawaii has mentioned Mama’s Fish House. This is a restaurant that you must have a reservation to, and it fills up sometimes 12 months in advance. I wondered if it would live up to all the hype, and I am so happy to say that it did.
It’s a family run restaurant that’s been around for 50 years. The restaurant sits right on the water and is surrounded by palm trees. The service was amazing and the food was absolutely delicious. I’ve been disappointed so many times by seafood restaurants that don’t know how to properly cook fish. Everything we ate and drank was perfection. Everything was so fresh and flavorful. We wrapped up an exquisite meal with the Polynesian Black Pearl. As a lover of sweets, this totally hit the spot. I was skeptical that I would like passion fruit and chocolate together, but it totally worked. Run, don’t walk, to Mama’s Fish House if you ever travel to Maui…but make sure you make reservations a long way in advance.
On our last full day, we ventured north again and took a stroll to Honolua-Mokuleia Bay. It was a very rainy day, so the trail was super muddy. It was worth it though. The trees on this trail are spectacular. There were also a lot of friendly chickens who followed us around. The bay is supposed to have incredible snorkeling but the water was too rough to get into that day.
Our return trip to Maui was wonderful. It was a relaxing, slow-paced trip, which was exactly what we were looking for. Our second trip turned out to have a lot more rain than the previous year, but thankfully the rain moves in and out quickly. All of the islands are beautiful, but Maui holds a special place in my heart.
