43, 44, 45, 46. No, I’m not counting how many days in a row it has been raining in Seattle, but rather how many states I’ve visited. While I grew up within a family that advocated the importance of domestic travel, Hawaii has always been one of those elusive, fantasy-like destinations to me, similar to Rivendell. Since I saw 95% of the U.S. by the time I graduated high school, you would’ve thought that Hawaii would’ve been one of the first U.S. states I visited, especially with how much I talk about islands, sunsets, LOST, and mai tais. Yet here I am, mere weeks before my 30th birthday and Hawaii remains as one of four U.S. states I have yet to visit. However, that’s all about to change.
When I moved to the west coast a year and a half ago, I often claimed that one of the reasons I did so was to make it more convenient to get to the Pacific destinations I had yet to visit, including Baja, Alaska, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. And how many of those places have I been to? One, that being an Alaskan cruise last summer. After my best birthday ever being at age 28 in Central America, a rather uneventful birthday last year in San Francisco, and my 30th fast approaching, I knew the pressure was on. So when I saw the I could fly from the west coast to Hawaii round-trip for as little as $250, I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to go “big” for my birthday, while visiting a destination I’ve dreamed about since watching Hawaii Five-O I was a kid (If you’re already bored, watch the video for the best TV theme music in history).
In a few weeks I’ll be hopping on my first Hawaiian Airlines flight for two and a half weeks in Hawaii, splitting my time between the Big Island (Four days and Maui for two weeks). While I’ll be doing several assignments for the first week and a half, the last half of the trip I’ll be unplugging to enjoy a vacation with friends for a few days in Maui. With the trip still a few weeks away, I wanted to publish an interactive travel post, like I’ve done a couple times, such as when planning my Europe trip (And similar to what Matt from Landlopers does), to give readers and other travelers a chance to weigh in. I want to hear from my readers and those who have traveled to Hawaii. What would you like to see me do on Maui and the Big Island? For those, who have been, what are your recommendations? Maybe there’s a hike, I just can’t pass up, or a particular spot that’s beautiful for viewing sunset, or possibly a food truck that’s a must-visit for shrimp tacos. Leave your recommendations below and you may find your way into a future photo, post, or even video if I use your recommendations.
Recommended Reading
Puna: The Big Island’s Best Kept Secret by @WanderlandAlex
Hawaiian Lei Culture by @Ottsworld
January ‘Spotlight On Maui’: The Empty Beaches of Moloka’i by @kylethevagabond
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Spencer! You are going to love Hawaii – I can’t wait to see your pictures from the trip!
I’ve been lucky enough to go to Maui twice – one was an adventure trip and the other was more resort oriented, so I feel like I’ve seen both sides of the island. Here are my recommendations for you:
1. Road to Hana – you’ve probably already been told about this, but I felt I had to mention it because it’s a must-have experience.
2. See the sunrise or sunset from the edge of Haleakala, but take the drive up slowly.
3. Hang out and watch the surfers in Paia.
4. Find the perfect hidden beach between La Perouse Bay and Ahihi Bay.
5. Snorkel or scuba and get up close to a sea turtle.
There are a few places we had some extra good experiences with, so if you’ve got money to spend, these are good bets:
Book an excursion with Blue Water Rafting – they have amazing guides who will take you to the popular snorkel spots on a high speed raft.
If you’re looking for a fancy birthday dinner, you should try Mama’s Fish House, home of one of the best meals of my life. You can’t beat lobster stuffed mahi.
If you want something dirt cheap but still amazing, check out Ono Tacos, a roadside food cart in Kaanapali, and Ululani’s Shave Ice, which has multiple locations and the best ice on the island. I also loved the Surfing Goat dairy – if you’re a fan of goat cheese, it’s worth the trip. Plus, baby goats!
Most of all, be sure to enjoy your downtime. I had the best experiences when I was just kicking back in a beach chair, watching all the wildlife swim/fly by. Do as much relaxing as you can!
Most of my recommendations are food. Shocker, I know. I didn’t make it to Maui, so all of these are for the Big Island.
-Volcanoes National Park
-Hilo Rainforest
-Kona Brewing Company! (free tours with samples, attached restaurant is very tasty!)
-Any and all food trucks!
Hope you have a blast and hope to see you soon!
We went once before and Hana was my favorite place on the island. The one thing I regretted from our trip was not having booked a night or two to stay there. Especially after driving the long road there, stopping a lot for photos and hikes to some beautiful waterfalls, that didn’t leave us much time to enjoy the beaches once we got there (which I thought were the prettiest on the island). When we go back this fall we’re going to stay there for three nights before heading back to Lahaina where the event is we’re attending.
Oh, also there’s a homemade ice cream stand along the road to Hana that you’ll want to stop at. Really creamy, tasty coconut ice cream–served in half a coconut shell as a bowl and you eat it with a shaved slice of shell as a spoon!
Maui – I like to say you might leave after your visit, but Maui will never leave you. What I find most enjoyable (aside from the Road to Hana and Pools of Oheo beyond):
- Breakfast at the Gazebo in Napili Shores – decent food, tremendous view and great staff.
- Lahaina – just strolling through town along Front Street is fun and relaxing. There are often art displays and craft shows at Banyan Tree Park. Lots to see and do around Old Lahaina Center and the few blocks surrounding it. Don’t miss Aloha Mixed Plate! Ono grinds, as they say.
- Old Lahaina Luau – Yes, it’s a terribly touristy thing to do but how can you NOT catch at least one? We’ve attended several and this was our favorite. Conveniently, Aloha Mixed Plate is right next door. Close by is the Jodo Buddhist Mission; the Great Buddha there is the largest of its kind outside of Japan.
- Lanai – we took a Trilogy catamaran to Lanai for a day. The crew was great, and Lanai was so beautiful and relaxing! (Okay, not hard to find someplace relaxing anywhere in Hawaii…)
- Kanapali – The beach here is awesome, and the nightly ceremony at Black Rock is enchanting. Good snorkeling, a little wave action and lots of sand. We stayed at the Sheraton Maui in Kanapali, and the staff was truly excellent, but I’ve heard good things about almost every resort in the area. Also a good area if you like to golf.
- Iao Valley State Park – Even more beauty and great hiking. A little different than the strolls along the beach! 1200′ tall Iao Needle is something to see!
There is so much more…you will find your time there was not enough! Meanwhile, I have not been to the Big Island, so I’m looking forward to following along!
You are going to love Hawaii – it is truely amazing!
I’ve been lucky enough to go to Maui twice – once in January and once in October . It rained alot when we were there in January so I didn’t like it as much as October which was amazing! Here are my recommendations for you:
1. Road to Hana – you’ve probably already been told about this, but I felt I had to mention it because it’s a must-have experience. We actually stayed in Hana for 2 nights and drove past Hana the 2nd day. It was even more beautiful that the road to. Plan to stay overnight. You tend to get beauty fatigue after driving for hours and doing it on seperate days makes it even more amazing.
2. See the sunrise from the edge of Haleakala. It is truely a spititual experience! Do it the second day while you are still on Mainland time. It makes 2 a.m. much easier on you!
3. Check out Paia. We stayed the 1st night at the Paia Inn. A very cool boutique hotel. It is a small hippie town with great places to eat and shop and is on the way to Hana.
4. Check out all the different types of beaches. There are red sand, black sand, and of course white sand beaches. All offer a different experience!
5. Go on a snorkel or scuba excursion. Very worth it. If you are there during the winter months, you will also see the humpback waleas which will come very close to the boat. If you have the time, take a day trip to Lanai. We saw lots of turtles on that island!
We have done two types of trips. One was a week at Grand Wailea. We went on a jungle hike which was very cool and we went on a snorkling trip which was ok. It rained and the boat was very choppy. We did not have a car so we were limited to the resort area. You can snorkel on a reef right near the hotel and they have busses that go to Lahaina for shopping and sightseeing.
The second trip was by far our favorite. We rented a Mustang convertable….a must for the road to Hana! Our 1st night was in Paia which is about an hour from Haleakala. After the sunrise we explored the mountain and then headed to Hana. If you plan to stay overnight, you have the advantage of leaving later and avoiding all the traffic. After our days in Hana, we stayed at The Four Seasons Resort for 4 nights. We decided to keep the car because we liked the convenience. We were really glad that we did because we used it the next morning to go to mass. It was so cool to experience their rituals! The resort was awesome and beautiful. We then spent the next 4 days at The Four Seasons in Lanai. There is not alot to do on this Island so after 7 days/nights of adventure, it was the perfect way to relax and the resort is amazing!
Enjoy your time! Take a helicoptor ride of the west side of Maui if you get a chance. It is so cool to see how different the island is from one side to another.
Have fun!
I’m from Molokai but spent my summers on Maui. Most people will suggest a visit to Hana (DEFINITELY book a night there, you won’t regret it) and Haleakala (bring a jacket), all for good reason. But for an alternative, if you have time and what to see another interesting and less popular drive, try driving the West Maui coastline from Kahului/Wailuku to Ka’anapali/Lahaina. It’s very beautiful and dramatic scenery contrasts with the Hana drive out east, and will show you how many differences in geography can be found on such a small island. This contrast in landscapes is typical for every island.
Also, if you have an extra day, go to the island of Lanai, my favorite island after Molokai. You can catch a ferry rom the harbor of Lahaina, Maui, and it’s a short 45 minute ride away. The beach there at Hulupoe Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii, and you get away from the crowds. Also, The Four Seasons Manele Bay is right there where the ferry pulls in and it’s a beautiful property. If you take the ferry up into town, you’ll see a totally different Hawaii from the postcards. There’s only one small historic town on the top of the island, and the community there is very close. It may be one of the best ways for you to see one of the most overlooked parts, and ironically one of the most influential on modern culture, of modern day Hawaii culture, the plantation towns! The majority of us Hawaiians today come from Native Hawaiian roots blended with Asian immigrant ancestry, and this town is like a microscope into that culture.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip. I’m kind of jealous!
Hi Spencer,
I echo a lot of what has already been written:
Haleakala National Park (Bring jacket). We were just there in November and I hope to have my blog post up about it in the next week, though it will focus on the endemic birds we saw there (natch).
Mama’s Fish House. I love the Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi.
Definitely take a scuba or snorkel trip out to island of Lanai. I totally recommend Maui Dive Shop. They have several locations on the island. We dove with them for three days while we were on Maui. If you aren’t already certified, you could get certified there, you know. Though if you do that, you need to visit Haleakala BEFORE you dive. You won’t be able to climb elevation (or fly) for 24 hours after diving.
Check out Trip Styler’s posts on Napili when she stayed at Maui (you probably already have). She stayed at Napili Kai, if I remember correctly. We stayed just a 1/4 mile south of that property. Napili is a little slower, but a lovely area of the island.
Want to really spoil yourself? Go have dinner at the Ritz Carlton. I’ve had two Thanksgivings there and it has never ever disappointed me. The service is so exceptional you won’t ever want to leave, even if you just happened to dropping in for dinner.
In February there should be gobs of humpback whales on the way to the island of Lanai. The captain of our dive boat was telling us that February around Valentine’s Day there is a lot of activity with the whales, and particularly around full moon time. They say that for divers you can also hear them under water. We saw a couple when we were on the way to Lanai last November.
By the way, don’t touch any of the sea turtles. It’s a big crime in Hawaii. I heard from one of the divers on one of our dives that the day before when the boat got back to the marina the police were waiting for a guy who was on the boat who was trying to maneuver a turtle underwater to take a photo. They took the guy’s underwater camera from him and called it “evidence” and took the guy in. I think it’s a $10,000 fine. The dive boat operator took it seriously and is the one that turned the guy in. You’re smarter than that, of course.
There’s a Costco right near the airport on Maui. If you’re in a condo you can get loads of stuff there and at Costco prices. Don’t forget, eating out in Hawaii is expensive, so it’s not a bad idea to get a Costco hotdog and coke for $1.50 once in awhile. Husb and I did that on the Big Island too where there’s also a Costco near the Kona airport.
Speaking of Kona, we spent most of our days diving there too, but didn’t care for the dive company we dove with. They were okay, just not spectacular, though I have to say it was our dive in Kona where we saw (are you sitting down?) a 14 foot Tiger Shark pass over us–TWICE! Needless to say, I sucked through my air rather fast. Crazy.
While in Kona you should check out the Manta Ray night snorkel or night dive. We did the dive. It’s a little crowded, but I have to say, seeing loads of Manta Rays at night come in to feed on the plankton is a big WOW experience. It’s on my Top 5 Favorite Things I’ve Ever Done list. Manta’s are HUGE and friendly. I remember when the first one came in I was sure I could hear the Close Encounters of a Third Kind music playing. It was like seeing space ships in the water.
We stayed at a B&B in Kona that was on a coffee plantation. I remember you saying you’re not a coffee drinker. Nor are we, but it was fascinating! The coffee plantation is called Mango Sunset. (Or was that the name of his B&B?) Anyway, Google it and you’ll find it. The owner is Hans and he’s a retired engineer from Germany who spent many years in California where he met his wife. He gave us a lesson on coffee and how to roast it. Fascinating man.
We also went to Volcano National Park, but didn’t get to spend a lot of time there. Will likely go back to spend more time. My mom who had been there before totally recommends the helicopter.
Hilo? Not so much. We did spend time there, but that’s because we were visiting my former boss from when I worked in the Bay Area. She and her husband sold their home in San Mateo and now are living the retirement dream in Hilo on loads of acres. I think the helicopter rides to Volcano NP leave from Hilo.
If you run across any Coconut Peanut Butter GRAB IT! It’s amazing delicious. Hilo Hatties carries it. I fell in love with it last November and my mother (who is living on Oahu right now) sent me a bunch for Christmas.
Best guide books for Hawaii are the Revealed series. It’s what the locals recommend.
So excited for you!
-Lisa
I consider Maui my second home. My Mom lived there for most of my life, sadly I did not, however I have spent quite a bit of time traveling from Vermont to Maui! Here is what I’ve got for you.
Probably the best restaurant in all of Lahanina is David Paul’s http://www.davidpaulsislandgrill.com/
Have sunset drinks (or dinner) at the Plantation House in Kapalua http://www.theplantationhouse.com/ Great north shore views. There are stunning golf courses where the PGA plays and it will show you a different side of the island. Or as another user suggested eat at the Ritz Kapaula. It is really beautiful up there.
Spend some time exploring “up country” on the way to Hana or Haleakala. You can have lunch or dinner at the Hali’imaile General Store. http://bevgannonrestaurants.com/haliimaile/
Makena beach is one of my favorites. Located at the South of Wailea at the end of Wailea Alanui Road.
If you like seafood, don’t miss Mama’s Fish house just past Paia http://www.mamasfishhouse.com/
I think Jan-March is optimal Whale watching season. But it can’t hurt to take a whale watching boat out from Kaanapali beach (in front of Lahaina Grill). It is a beautiful way to see the island of Maui from the water.
If you drive to Hana I think it is totally worth staying over night at the Travaasa http://www.travaasa.com/hana/
Can’t wait to see where you go!
Nice! I do hope your Hawaiian experience would be a blast. I’ve booked a deal through travelrepublic.co.uk for a Hawaiian vacation this summer; maybe we’ll meet there. Hehe! Thanks too for the other commenters. With your posts, I can properly formulate my itinerary.
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