Sending a kid off to college is both surreal and exciting. The anticipation of saying goodbyes to the semi- adult that you brought up is a hard reality to face. 2022 was a year of both anxiety and excitement for me – full of many ‘lasts’ and ‘firsts’: one last road-trip, one last ski trip, one last camping and then before I got to blink it was the college move in day. I know that these ‘lasts’ are not really ‘last’ and our kids will always crawl back to their cozy nests, but it definitely felt like California was stealing a part of my heart for ever. We really needed this last best vacation before good byes.
Plans to visit Maui was always in my books, something that got pushed aside every year without any specific reason. Back in 2004 we visited the Big Island of Hawaii which was one of the best experiences we had. Made a promise to myself that I will be back soon and cover the rest of islands, but life happened and it took 18 years to fly back.
With my planning hat on, I was determined to make this our best vacation and it definitely was one for the books (Or the blog.. !).
Read on if Maui has been on your mind lately but don’t have the time and energy to plan the details – this post is perfect for all types of travelers and will guarantee the best fun-packed experience !
Highlights of the trip
Here are some of the best experiences we had in Maui:
Humpbacks
December to April is the season to watch humpbacks in Maui. They make there way from the cold waters of Alaska all the way to the warm waters of Hawaii to mate, give birth and raise their young. By the end of season, once the babies get a bit strong to swim back they trace their path back to Alaska. They don’t eat while in Hawaiian waters (Yes, you are perfectly safe – although even otherwise, whales prefer krill and small fish over us). To Hawaiians, the whale is a representation of the Hawaiian god, Kanaloa — the god of animals in the ocean: an animal that is well protected, revered and respected.
Since our trip was by the end of February, situation was all so perfect to see these gentle giants. When we started, I was hoping that we would at least see one whale during our days there. The first day we woke up and looked out from our ocean front room to see a HUGE splash, a big huge humpback playing very close to the bay. Since then we spotted at least 30-40 of them, some with babies and some with ‘escorts’. They are visible from almost all around the island but with most concentration in the North west Lahaina-Kaanapali area. For a closer encounter, we also took a whale watching trip small boat trip to see them up close and hear the whale songs. They are definitely the largest and most beautiful animals I have seen in the wild, and the sheer number concentrated in that small bay was unbelievable.
- Note
- Do not attempt to touch or go near these animals
- Make whale watching reservation early to save money
Haleakalā (House of the sun)
Located in the east side of the island, Haleakala is a shield volcano that covers more than half of the island. The last time the volcano erupted was around 500 years back. The area around the volcano is preserved as a National Park and offers many hiking paths down to the interior of the crater. A few miles of hiking from the summit can get you to the crater which is dotted with many volcanic feature you will not see elsewhere like cinder cones, reminiscence of previous eruptions, unique flora and fauna.
You can drive up to the summit and reach one of the 2 main trailheads that takes you to the crater. We took the sliding sands trail to go down. The trails are very easy but the weather there changes very fast. The highlight of this trip is to watch the sunrise from the summit. We started our hike in a very warm sunny weather but within half an hour faced heavy winds and thunderstorms. Dress up and be ready to face the nature, even though the distance to cover is not much the walk is not easy because of high altitude and changing weather. There are provisions to camp in the crater overnight but you have to haul the logs and camping provisions from the summit. Make sure you start early and carry enough water and snacks. The crater was used to train astronauts for moon landing at some point – the view is unique and I definitely felt like I was in a different planet.
Hawaiians believe that taking a rock from Hawaii will bring down a curse on the thief from Pele, the volcano/fire goddess. Remember never to take any lava rocks from the these National parks, whether you believe in Pele’s wrath or not.
- Note
- You need a reservation to view sunrise at Haleakalā. Reservation should be made online up to 60 days ahead at www.recreation.gov
- Bring a wind breaker, jacket and water and be prepared for the changing weather
- Restrooms and water fountains are available only in the visitor center and park headquarters
Road to Hana and the Backroad
You will be surprised how geographically different the east and west coast of Maui is. When the east coast is dotted with beautiful beaches, the west coast looks like a tropical rain forest. Most of the tourist hotels are in the beachy east coast of the island but a day trip to the west coast is one of the best road trips you can ever take. The road to Hana is not a destination but a journey through winding roads, hairpin curves, narrow bridges and waterfalls. Within 30 mins of your trip through the Hana highway, the landscape changes from flat dry plateaus to wet rainy mountains. We took two days to cover the Hana area, first day we focused on the road to Hana up to the town of Hana and second day we drove straight to Hana and focused on areas beyond Hana, like Pipiwai trail, Ohe’o Gulch and drive back through the backroads.
We rented a convertible Jeep and drove ourselves. You really don’t need an organized tour guide since the place is very tourist friendly. Lookout for highway signs marking waterfalls and swim holes. Most of these swim holes and waterfalls are in private properties but the owners are ok with visitors enjoying them unless it is explicitly marked otherwise. We stopped at every waterfall and took a dip. Also stop by at local stalls to buy local fruits and vegetables. Most of these stalls are unattended and run on honor system, where you can take what you like and drop the marked cost in a box. We enjoyed very fresh lychees, bread fruit, soursop, passionfruit etc. Stop to smell gardenia, pikake and ginger lilies- my personal favorite. The ocean in the Hana coast is much rough compared to the Lahaina area but there are some interesting places like the red and black sand beaches, lava tubes and blowholes. Do not miss the Pipiwai trail and Waimoku Falls.
Make sure to download the a travel guide app in your phone. There are multiple apps available through App store, we used the GyPSy app. These apps are GPS guided and will guide you through the landmarks. It also keeps your drive interesting by sharing local folklores and history throughout your trip.
If you feel adventurous, a very interesting road trip is to drive through the backroads. Most of the apps will guide you to turn around at Ohe’o Gulch or to go back via Hwy 37, but if you keep taking the gravel roads through the coast line you can circle back to Lahaina. This road is pretty treacherous with narrow gravel roads, high cliffs and over hanging rocks. Make sure you take this trip with ample sunlight and be prepared navigate without cell phone reception. For me, the drive gave me enough adrenalin rush to keep me pumped throughout the vacation, but our jeep got scraped multiple times on the overhanging rocks several time and it was definitely not a smooth ride. The view is amazing from the backroads.
One of the biggest disappointment for us was the seven sacred pools or Ohe’o Gulch. After watching Meg Ryan in the movie I.Q describing the swim as “a million kisses on your skin”, I was determined to jump in. But the place didn’t look as charming as her description and it was closed after a bunch of accidents in the area when we visited.
- Note:
- Purchase and Download a Road to Hana Tour App (eg: GyPSy App) in your phone. Totally worth the cost
- Backroads is an amazing adventure road trip
Molokini and Turtle Town Snorkeling
If you search up best snorkeling destinations in the world you will come across a crescent shaped island off the coast of Hawaii. This island was formed by an ancient volcano eruption. Although tourists are not allowed in the island itself, the waters around it presents one of the most diverse and beautiful snorkeling location.
We saw many schools of fishes, octopus, rays and star fish. The tour started at Lahaina and we had to book a few days ahead to get the best package.
Turtle town is another snorkeling location we visited. Both places were packaged together but I found Turtle town pretty disappointing. Only highlight there was an opportunity to see a lot of celebrity owned farms and residence including Oprah’s Maui home.
- Note:
- Book ahead for a good deal: Best if you go before sunrise
- Look for more whales
Other Interesting Highlights
Some additional destinations and activities we enjoyed in Hawaii are listed here :
- Iao Valley: A different landscape but very unique and beautiful. Look out for trails at the bottom of the valley that leads to a few beautiful swim holes. Stop by at the fruit stalls on the way
- Luau: For any Polynesian island visit, going for a Luau is a great experience, fun filled evening with great entertainment and food.
- Westside drive to Paia, Nakalele Blowhole, Olivine pool : Another shorter by unique road trip with a lot of natural infinity pools and blowholes. This is a bit more rugged than other areas but make sure you take a dip in the Olivine pool. Stop by at a coconut stall and enjoy some fresh young coconut with lime and tajin ( Look for a stall run by Kevin to hear great stories)
What we missed
- Scuba Diving: We had to cancel it since we were flying the same day of booking. Apparently you cannot scuba and fly the same day. Do this ahead of time if it is in your agenda
- Red Sand Beach: We drove through the area pretty late and could not see a thing
- Chutes and Ladders: Another swim hole. Found it rather dangerous to get down to this location and dropped the plan
Books, Media & More
- Download GypSy Guide App for Hawaii history and as a travel guide
- Watch all the Hawaiian YouTube food vlogs by Mark Weins ( Big fan of Mark here)
- Visit the store Vintage European Posters in Lahaina to buy unique posters
- Watch the Movie I.Q (If you are too lazy, just watch the scene where Meg Ryan talks about Oheo Gulch)
Food & WIne
Try something unique and enjoy the local fare. We absolutely enjoyed the food trucks and fruit stalls of Hawaii. A few definite dishes to enjoy :
- Paia Fish Market (Thanks Mark Wiens)
- Poke Bowls
- SPAM Masubi