Maui Must-Sees

The Wandering Warmacks
Aug 21, 2021
6 min read

Updated: Aug 28, 2024

Hunter and I were so lucky to be able to go here on our belated honeymoon. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed - we had the best adventure, even when certain things didn‘t go as planned. Maui was an incredible first taste of Hawaii. See below for what we did on our 8 day trip:

Day 1: Arrive in Maui (Saturday)

After our long flight from St. Louis, we picked up our rental car and headed out to grab a bite to eat. We ate at a local food truck and took our meal to the ocean (which we ended up doing frequently on this trip). We stayed at a condo in Kihei rented through AirBnB. We absolutely loved the town and strip we stayed on - it had all of the accommodations you would need and a smaller beach was right across the street, without feeling overly touristy. I highly recommend staying in Kihei if you want to see a lot of the island!

Day 2: Mākena State Park & Whale Watch (Sunday)

Hunter and I were in complete awe of this place. Mākena State Park had the most gorgeous beach we’d ever seen and it was only a 10 minute drive. If you could only do one thing on Maui, we would recommend this over and over. We literally went almost every day (even if it was just for 30 minutes) because we loved it that much. (note: there is a parking fee for non-Hawaiian residents).

That evening, we went on a whale watch in Ma’alaea Harbor through PacWhale. We did a double decker boat cruise. They provided drinks, small appetizers, and a great tour! We got to see quite a few whales and learned a lot about them. The prime time to see whales in Maui is from December - March.

Day 3: ʻĪao Valley State Park & Western Maui (Monday)

ʻĪao Valley State Park is a trail through the volcanic mountains. It was so beautiful! We showed up pretty much as soon as the park opened and the morning sun made it that much prettier. There was a cool river and a decent amount of paved walking paths and trails alike. We spent half our day here! (Note: there is a parking fee for non-Hawaiian residents)

After that, we took a drive up the western Maui coast. The views from up here were absolutely stunning. We just enjoyed driving along the coastline and getting out at different lookout spots.

We took a trek to visit the Nakalele Blowhole, which was almost like a geyser. You have to hike down a lot of rocks (which wasn’t tough, just wouldn’t suggest wearing flip flops) to get to the bottom, but you’d still be able to see it from the top of you didn’t feel like going all the way down. This was so neat!

We went to the town of Lahiana afterwards to walk around town, eat dinner, and visits to Maui Brewing Co and Island Cream Co.

Day 4: Whale Watch & Beaches (Tuesday)

In the morning, we went on yet another whale watch - this time, through RedLine Rafting. The dock was super close to our condo. The tour took place on a completely different vessel - it was a small motorized rafting boat, so you were super close to the water. We also saw a lot of whales on this one too. We had unique experiences on both tours, so it's hard to pick a favorite.

We drove up to Paia, HI after where we visited Baby Beach. The tide was insane that day and it looked like it was about to storm, so we didn’t go swimming. We did see an amazing sea turtle making its way on land which was super cool!

We went back to Mākena State Park that night. This time we visited another part of the park with a gray sand beach. This was really a neat contrast from the other parts of the park. Not many people were out here and it felt so secluded and serene.

Day 5: Haleakalā National Park attempt (Wednesday)

We had plans to go snorkeling that day, but it unfortunately got cancelled last minute due to high wind conditions. Instead, we made our first trek to Haleakalā National Park. The conditions on the east side of the island vary drastically from where we were at. It took us about 1.5 hours to get from our condo to the top of the summit (10,000 ft). One of the reasons we wanted to go here was because the park was truly above the clouds - which would be amazing to see in great weather, but the conditions were immensely foggy and rainy. We put on our rain jackets and walked around for a couple hours, but couldn’t see very far in front of us. From all the pictures we’ve seen online, this looked like a really neat place - we wish we had gotten to truly experience its beauty!

Day 6: Haleakalā Sunrise and Beach (Thursday)

We attempted Haleakalā National Park for a second time. We had reservations to see the sunrise, which are extremely hard to get! On our sunrise tour day, we woke up at 3:30 a.m. It was honestly SO cold up there, probably around 30 degrees. Unfortunately it was so foggy that we didn’t have a clear view. We saw it gradually get lighter out, but didn’t get to see the sun. We spent around an hour hanging out at the park after but didn’t get to see too much. When we got back to Kihei, we took a nap and then went back to the beach.

Day 7: Road to Hana (Friday)

Since it had been pretty rainy in Eastern Maui, we weren’t sure if we’d have the opportunity to take the Road to Hana. To briefly explain, the Road to Hana is a crazy curvy road (sometimes one lane) with SO many scenic stops along the way. Waterfalls, jungles, beaches - you name it. We drove from Kihei to Hana and it took about 8 hours there and back with a couple main stops: Red Sand Beach (Kaihalulu), Garden of Eden (this costs $), Twin Falls, and Honomanū Bay. There are also a lot of drive-by waterfalls you will see along the way too. This was one of our favorite things we did and we wished we had more time explore!

Day 8: Last Day (Saturday)

Since our flight wasn’t until 10 pm that night, it gave us another full day to explore Maui for the last time. We went back to Makena State Park of course, got Acai bowls and smoothies from BeachStreet, and did some other fun activities such as visits to Ali'i Kula Lavendar Farm and MauiWine. Our favorite wine was definitely the Maui Splash (pineapple).

Before heading to the airport, we took one last scenic drive in western Maui. The last picture we got truly was the epitome to an unforgettable trip:

Continue reading if you want some tips for planning your vacation:

Helpful Tips for Visiting Maui:

Road to Hana: definitely do your research about scenic spots ahead of time. Make sure to also check the weather, allocate plenty of time, and fill up on gas before you leave (limited options).

Bring a picnic lunch or eat beforehand - we recall seeing some fruit stands, but options are limited on the way to Hana
There most likely won't be a lot of cell phone service
To visit the red sand beach, be sure to specifically type the name into Google or it will bring you to a different spot. This also requires a small hike with a few feet right next to a small cliff edge!
This can be a day trip, but you'd honestly need a few days to truly explore all the scenic spots

Don't expect all-inclusive resorts like you'd see in Mexico

Reduce/Reuse: If you plan to grocery shop, pack re-usable bags. They don’t provide any in most stores or you have to pay for them! On that note, bring a reusable straw if you don’t like paper ones.

Rent a car! We couldn't be more glad we did this. Make room in your travel budget to allow for you to truly see all that Maui has to offer. You'd miss out on so much without one.

Be sure to reserve your car at the airport ahead of time since they book up quickly.
If you're under 25, you can waive the younger driver fee with a AAA membership at Hertz car rental.

Make Reservations: make sure to book excursions and make dinner reservations (if possible). A couple particular excursions to note:

Haleakala Sunrise: Every day at 7 a.m. Hawaii time, they release 50 passes to view the sunrise 7 days in advance. There are only so many parking spaces on the summit and it’s rated as one of the best places in the world to view it. We tried for almost 5 days straight to get these tickets.
Waiʻānapanapa State Park: There's a black sand beach on the Road to Hana with an entry fee and parking reservation for travelers. Be sure to book the time slot ahead of time

Things We Wish We Had Time For: