3 days in Maui, Hawaii!

by myegceptionalplanet · July 20, 2020

Why did I choose Maui, Hawaii?
We have been wanting to visit Hawaii for a very long time, but a flight from New York to Hawaii is ~12 hrs long. We knew that was a state we would go to once we moved to California. This was our first time in Hawaii and we had a difficult time choosing between Maui and O’ahu for this quick trip. We wanted to go somewhere a little less bigger city like, so we decided on Maui! We hope to go to some of the other islands soon.

My Travel Time
February
It’s a little less hot around this time and the wind is a little stronger, but we didn’t mind and really enjoyed it. The flight prices were definitely cheaper at this time as well and humpback whales were migrating at this time!
Click here to check the weather
Click here to check when the sun rises and sets

My Flight Details
Airline: Hawaiian Airlines, SFO – OGG (5-6 hr flight)
Price: ~300-400 USD depending on when you book it and if you have a checked baggage
Transportation: We rented a car as that’s the best way to get around the island. It was ~50 USD per day. Parking was definitely easy to deal with!

My Hotel Details
Aina Nalu Lahaina: This hotel in Lahaina, which was close to food, shops, whale watching tours, and beaches. It’s a great and convenient area to stay. The rooms are quite nice and spacious and it feels like a condo as there was a washer/dryer in the room. However, they charge a HUGE cleaning fee. I would likely not stay here the next time I visit Maui. The price of the hotel was ~300/night plus a cleaning fee.

Day 1
~ 1 hr and the 40 min of driving
Big Beach/Little Beach: Big Beach is a part of Makena Beach State Park and one of Maui’s well known beaches. It is a long white sand beach (different from the white sand beaches in Turks & Caicos). Over a little hill is Little Beach (a cove), which is a nude beach.
Makena Cove: A little south of Big Beach and Little Beach is Makena Cove/ It’s smaller and more quaint if you want to be away from the crowds.
Ahihi Bay: A little snorkel spot and is thought to be good for beginners.
Front Street (Down the Hatch, Ululani’s, Honolulu Cookie Company): This street is the “downtown” of Lahaina. There are tons of restaurants and stores. We went to Down the Hatch for dinner, where we had fish and shrimp tacos, Ululani’s for shaved ice, and Honolulu Cookie Company for some buttery cookies to bring home!

Day 2
~7 hrs and 50 min of driving
Haleakala National Park: Haleakala is the East Maui Volcano that forms more than 75% of the Maui Island. We watched the sunrise here and it was one of my favorite sunrise experiences. There’s a limited number of cars that can go in the park to watch the sunrise. If you want to visit during sunrise, make sure to plan ahead and reserve early (use link above to go to the reservation page).
Ho’opkipa Beach Park: A surfing and snorkeling spot on the north coast of Maui with giant turtles. We wanted to see sea turtles in Maui and this place is almost a guaranteed place for turtle sightings! Every morning, many turtles head to this beach shore and sunbath – it’s a beautiful sight! For the safety of the turtles, be sure not to touch them.
Waikamoi Waterfall (Road to Hana): This was one of my favorite parts of the trip as we got to swim by the waterfall and had the waterfall all to ourselves. There are two waterfalls in this area. If you continue walking past the first waterfall, the second one is around a 5 min hike away.
Hana Farms (Road to Hana): We stopped here for lunch. It is a nice outdoor dining with restrooms available. They also sell banana bread here, something the Road to Hana is known for.
Black Sand Beach (Road to Hana): The beach is not too big; the sand is a beautiful fine black sand and the water is slightly warm.
Red Sand Beach (Road to Hana): To get to this beach, you have to hike a little. The hiking path is sometime a bit thin and slippery, so be careful! The beach is not too big, the sand is red, and the waves coming into shore are bit more gentle as there’s a rock wall slowing down the waves.
Da Kitchen: Delicious food near the Maui airport. The flavors of the dishes are strong – we had SPAM musubi, noodles, and a chicken bowl.

Day 3
~15 min of walking
Ultimate Whale Watch: We woke up early for a whale watching tour and it was awesome. We saw several whales and we actually saw a baby humpback whale do a twist jump!
Pioneer Inn Grill & Bar: After whale watching, we walked through Front Street and had brunch at Pioneer Inn. We had Lechon rice bowl and a breakfast ramen.