my guide to maui, part 1

i know several lucky people going to maui this summer who were asking me for travel advice, so i decided it was the perfect time to share my family’s week-long trip to hawaii in 2009 [which I have been meaning to do for a while] on the blog.  i’m splitting it into two posts, and at the end of the trip, we flew to oahu and stayed there for one night so we could see pearl harbor, so i’ll add that in to part 2.

first of all, if you know my family, you know that 1.) all of us are pretty fair-skinned, with the exception of my dad, who could be so dark (like the rest of his family) if he wasn’t a sunscreen FREAK, and 2.) my dad doesn’t sit still for more than 15 minutes.  so needless to say, beach vacas – that is, vacations that revolve solely around the beach – aren’t our thing, for the most part.  don’t get me wrong, we’re big fans the ocean and love the beautiful views and walks on the beach and being out on the water and seafood for every meal and we definitely tend to gravitate toward places on the ocean when planning trips – but we just aren’t the type to relax and lay on the beach for an entire vacation.  i think that maui is a fantastic vacation destination because it can satisfy the “doers and see-ers” like us as well as the beach bums who are simply looking for some R&R, a nice tan, and their toes in the surf.

back in high school, i had a friend whose dad also worked for the same airline company that my dad works for [which meant that her family could fly for free too – woohoo!], and she and her fam were nice enough to invite me on one of their trips to maui one summer.  they went every year, so they knew where to stay and all the fun things to do, and i fell completely in love with the island and the idea of a “beach vacation.”  we had such a great time, and several years later, i convinced my family that we needed to vacation there, hence this trip.  my ex-travel-agent mother and i teamed up to plan it all, as we usually do, and we used my last trip as a guide, which worked perfectly.  please excuse the quality of the photos – this was pre-dslr – but here’s what we saw and did:

: :  day 1:  we left DFW at 12:15 pm, and our flight was 7 hours long and got into kahului at 3pm.

we stayed at the royal kahana in a condo that we found here.  [my friend’s family used this website every year to book a condo, and i think the one we stayed at on my first trip to maui may have even been in the same building as the one we stayed at on my second trip].  this was the perfect option for us – overall, probably less expensive than a hotel, but still really nice, with lots of space and several rooms and a full kitchen.  our condo was on the second floor, right on the water, with an oceanfront lanai [balcony].  the royal kahana has a pool, a beautiful lawn next to the water for laying out, and tennis courts and a ping-pong table [imperative for our boys haha], plus you can walk straight out to a nice beach.  apparently the place also gets exceptional whale sitings from december through april.  the royal kahana is about a 50 minute [very scenic] drive from the airport, and there’s a safeway on the way off of hwy 30 in lahaina, so my recommendation is to stop on the way to stock up on beverages, sandwich fixin’s, and breakfast items.

{the royal kahana}

{our lanai}

{the pool and a rainbow!}

{the lawn and the ocean}

{the beach at the royal kahana – our “backyard” for the week}

{sunset from the lawn}

by the time we had arrived at the hotel, gotten settled, and explored the grounds, it was dinnertime.  we opted to eat somewhere nearby since we were pretty tired, and ended up at china bowl, which was decent, although “nothing to write home about,” as my mom would say.  if i were going back, i might try china boat, which gets a little better reviews.  then it was a walk on the beach and bed.

: :  we had a pretty sweet morning routine going.  every day, we would have a “mini breakfast” of coffee and tea and fresh fruit on the lanai, and then the boys would go play tennis and ping pong while mom and i would take a walk on the beach and then around the neighborhood for exercise.  then we’d all come back to the condo and shower and eat breakfast #2, again on the lanai – bacon and eggs and buttered toast and more yummy fruit – and make sandwiches if we wanted a picnic lunch that day.  having breakfast at home + some picnic lunches saved us $$ and also worked perfectly with our schedule of morning walks, tennis matches, and beach picnics.  we started every day like this and we loved it.

{breakfast on the lanai}

: :  day 2:  we went to my favorite beach, kapalua beach [only about 8 minutes away from our condo], and spent the morning and early afternoon there, snorkeling, swimming, laying out, and taking walks with the waves lapping at our ankles.  a few things about kapalua beach:

1.  it’s known as one of maui’s most beautiful beaches.

2.  the water is so clear and wonderful for snorkeling.  it’s safe and an easy beach to snorkel at, and we saw tons of beautiful fish, sea urchins, and even an eel!  a lot of people have also seen sea turtles there, and if you go at the right time of year, i’ve heard it’s good whale watching.

3.  rent your snorkeling gear from boss frog’s on the way.

4.  great for families – the water is fairly calm and there are bathrooms and showers, but there’s not a lot of shade, as an FYI.

5.  don’t go there if you’re looking for a beach that’s quiet and “secluded” – there are generally a lot of people there, although i’ve never been there when it’s too crowded.

after the beach, it was time for showers, naps, and then we headed to the town of lahaina for the evening.  lahaina is a historic whaling village and was once the capital of the hawaiian kingdom.  these days, it’s the second most visited spot on maui after beaches, and a great place to take a stroll, eat, and shop.  front street, the best place to walk around, was only about 15 minutes away from our condo.  you definitely want to see the famous banyan tree in the center of city, which is said to be over 400 years old [i swear i got a picture of it but i couldn’t find it anywhere!].  we went to cheeseburger in paradise for dinner, which was a bit commercialized and not actually affiliated with jimmy buffett, but it was a fun atmosphere – open air and on the ocean, with live music.  plus we had really good maui burgers with sweet and sour sauce, a slice of pineapple, and macadamia nut coleslaw.  yum.  and then we walked around after dinner and got ice cream.

{evening in lahaina}

: :  day 3:  this was the day that we drove the road to hana!  and it was probably my very favorite day on the trip.  the road to hana is a 42 mile drive [don’t be fooled – it takes much longer than your average 42 miles] along the hana highway [hwy 36], which runs along maui’s northeastern shore.  there are 54 bridges and 600 hairpin turns on the drive, along with TONS of gorgeous views and sights to see.  we started early [which i would definitely recommend doing], and it took almost a whole day, but it was SO worth it.  it’s all about the journey, not the destination.   we got smoothies for breakfast + a picnic lunch to take with us at hana juice co. in paia [the start of the journey].  just don’t make the same mistake i do and drink your smoothie too fast – on some portions of the trip, there aren’t any restrooms for miles!  [there was one time when i BARELY made it. ha.]  i made a pretty sweet road to hana playlist before the trip, so we were jammin’ with the windows down and beauty all around us.  for the most part, we followed this guide and saw the majority of the sights on the list between paia and hana.  [NOTE:  the maui grown market, which is listed on the guide, is closed.  we didn’t know this, and made the mistake of pulling into the driveway and getting out, but a snarling dog and an angry woman quickly sent us back in our car and on our way.]     don’t miss going to the garden of eden arboretum and botanical garden or the black sand beach at wai’anapanapa state park.  you will be blown away.  in addition, paia is a fun little hippie town to check out on the way back – i remember falling in love with some gorgeous swimsuits at some of the boutiques.

{hookipa beach park, one of the greatest windsurfing spots in the world}

{the historic kaulanapueo church in huelo}

{the scenery is unbelievable}

{one of the many waterfalls that you’ll see on the journey}

{garden of eden – botanical gardens and arboretum}

{the black sand beach at wai’napanapa state park was just stunning.  i couldn’t get enough.}

{we stopped at the wainanu fruitstand and bought a little loaf of banana bread and some pieces of fresh coconut, cut straight from the shell.  then, in hana, we stopped at another fruit stand, and got to try an apple-banana and rambutan – SO good.  we took some rambutans back to the condo, along with some homemade mango bread for breakfast.  i’m telling you, the fruit in hawaii is DIVINE.}

we got home in the late afternoon, showered and chillaxed on the lanai a bit before dinner.  we had dinner at a place that is no longer open, but hali’imaile and market fresh bistro are supposed to be really good.  they’re fairly close to paia, so my recommendation is to take the time and go straight to dinner before heading back to the west side of the island.

even though we’re not halfway through the trip yet, the road to hana kinda took over in terms of pictures, so i’ll save the rest for part 2.  hope you’re enjoying it!

xoxo