A Week on Maui

Hawaii | Maui | United States

A Week on Maui

Maui is arguably the most popular of the Hawaiian Islands. It certainly has a lot going for it: great beaches, whales, volcanoes, and one of the best drives anywhere. Maui Revealed is the best guidebook and is highly recommended. If you think Hawaii is Honolulu you have not been to Hawaii. Here’s our suggested week in Maui. If you have additional time, consider pairing it with one of the other islands, either Kauai, Oahu (the back side) or Hawaii.

Length – 8 days

Transportation – Car. You should grab a rental car at the airport, check out kayak or expedia for deals. They have most US rental car brands.

Best Guide Book – Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook

Day 1 –  ‘Īao Needle, Lahaina

Day 2 – Haleakalā : House of the Sun

Day 3 – Ocean trip

Day 4 – North and West Maui

Day 5 – Hana Highway / East Maui

Day 6 – Hana Highway / East Maui – part 2

Day 7– South Maui

Day 8 – Return home

  • Drive to the airport (allow 45m)
  • Fly home

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – ‘Īao Needle, Lahaina

Aloha and welcome to Maui! Once you land, pick up your rental car at the airport. Generally, most of the American main car companies rent in Maui, and you can find them online at kayak or expedia.

Drive to ‘Īao Needle State Monument (20m drive). It’s a great intro to the beauty of the island and near the airport. Limited pay parking or try the road on the way to the pay parking.

From here head to Lahaina (45m drive), the charming old capital and whaling station. We suggest lunch at Kimo’s – right on the water, wander around the old town and down front street. See the banyan tree, consider the historic walking tour, grab a shaved ice at Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, then head to your lodging in Napili. We like Napili Point condos the best, but also consider Napili Shores or Napili Surf (20m drive).

Lahaina banyan tree

We suggest checking for needed foodstuffs: spices, coffee, etc., and seeing if the lodging supplies snorkels and boogie boards (the latter are optional; the former are essential). See snorkeling information. This is a good day to swing by the grocery to grab stuff for lunch, breakfast, and dinners. Then hit the beach! You’re in Hawaii!

At the condos there are great barbecues overlooking the ocean so fire one up for sunset grilling or eat out. Options include Pacific’O, Old Lahaina Luau, Maui Brewing Company, or Merriman’s.

Napili Beach

Day 2 – Haleakalā: House of the Sun

Maui is made up of two volcanoes, and you really need to drive up Haleakalā at some point on your trip. Whether you decide to watch a sunrise from the summit is up to you. We suggest a Haleakela excursion on day two because, if you’re coming from the east, it’ll be easier to get up earlier in the beginning of your trip before you’ve fully acclimated to the time zone change. We think Haleakalā is worth a visit even if not at dawn, and, frankly, we’ve haven’t been overwhelmingly impressed with the hoopla around sunrise. The key to an awesome sunrise experience is for there to be clouds and have the sun rise above the clouds but below you on the summit. If there aren’t any clouds, it’s probably not worth the bother of going at sunrise. If you do decide to do sunrise a few caveats: 1) you need reservations. It became so crowded up there the park service now requires them. You can get them online (Haleakalā reservations) 2) Leave early – it’s an almost 2 hour drive from Napili. You will want to be there a half hour before dawn if trying to get to sunrise and there will be traffic. 3) Dress warmly – likely it will be near freezing at dawn. Many tour operators will take you up the winding road if you’d rather be driven (1h 52m drive from Napili).

Haleakala at sunrise

If you opt for a more civilized departure time, still go early. By afternoon the mountain is usually cloudy. There are some short walks around the top, but if you have more energy take the sliding sand trail down into the crater (just remember you have to come back up). If you can arrange a shuttle there’s a great 11-mile walk from the top into and across the bottom of the crater then back up to to the Halemau’u Trail trailhead that really allows you to explore this other-worldly crater environment. You could leave your car at this Halemau’u Trail trailhead and try to hitch a ride to the summit. If you do this trip allow all day (or a 2-3+ hours for a trail run). You can also find amazing stargazing at night (they built a big observatory you’ll see on the summit because it is so good for looking at stars).

Haleakala crater

On the way down from the summit, Hosmer Grove is a nice spot for a picnic lunch before heading to surfing goat dairy  The dairy has a fun little tour where you can visit and feed the goats and sample the fantastic cheeses. They also have a café where you can get lunch. On the way down is also the Lavender Farm which has fantastic views and some good lavender products but is otherwise small and pricey and the Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery which also has great views and quite good vodka and is a fun place to taste.

Spend the rest of your afternoon at the beach and/or snorkeling the cove. Then cook dinner in your condo or go out to one of the options from the night before – Pacific’O, Old Lahaina Luau, Maui Brewing Company, or Merriman’s.

Lodging is the same as the night before.

Day 3 – Ocean trip

Today we recommend you get out on the water, and there are several ways to do that:

  • You can take a snorkel trip to Molokini. Go early; the water is calmer in the mornings.
  • Head out on a sailboat which is a great excursion in whale season (November to May) as you get to sail AND visit whales on the Scotch Mist. The wind picks up in the afternoon, so sailing may be better later in the day. Many humpback whales visit Maui to birth their babies, and on our last trip we saw at least 5, including a calf less than a month old.
  • You can take a trip to Lanai for snorkeling and dolphins (and see whales if they’re in season). Mornings are definitely best for this (7:15 am check in).
Whale watching excursion

You’ll have an otherwise free half day – If you opted for the afternoon sailing trip, spend the morning snorkeling in the cove, or if you were just snorkeling it’s great time to play in the waves at the beach. You can also do the sailing trip as well as a morning snorkel trip unless that sounds like too much.

Then cook dinner in your condo or go out to one of the options from the night before – Pacific’O, Old Lahaina Luau, Maui Brewing Company, or Merriman’s.

Lodging is the same as the night before.

Day 4 – North and West Maui

Head north 10 minutes through Kapalua to Kapalua zip line (get reservation). You might consider zip lining in the morning, as it often rains in the afternoon.  From here either go north to Honolua Bay, Kapalua beach, or south to Black Rock near Kaanapali for the beach and snorkeling.

Then cook dinner in your condo or go out to one of the options from the night before – Pacific’O, Old Lahaina Luau, Maui Brewing Company, or Merriman’s.

Lodging is the same as the night before.

Day 5-6 East Maui / Hana Highway

In our opinion the road to Hana is a must see. It is undeniably gorgeous, and you’ll see waterfalls, jungle greenery, spectacular ocean vistas, and a view of old Hawaii. If you are not comfortable with driving winding roads, a variety of tour operators make the trip.

We have done this drive each time we’ve been here and have concluded that staying in Hana should be strongly considered to truly enjoy the drive, soak up the east shore vibe, and not feel rushed. This itinerary is describes as a two day trip (but see Hana road page for one day alternative – allow 12 hours and leave Kahalui by 8am).

To make the most of your trip, get the Maui Revealed  guide book, GyPSy app, and wear appropriate clothing (i.e. a swimsuit) and shoes (Tevas  or  tabis are ideal – flip flops not great) for walking on muddy slippery trails). For walking to the Waimoku Falls waterfall in Kīpahulu District some walking shoes are also not a bad idea.

Hana Highway

Day 5 – Hana Highway

If you are staying in Hana tonight you can leave later. The peak of traffic seems to be 8:30 – 10:30. If you stop at most of the falls and do swimming and exploring, it will take you about 4 – 4.5 hours to get to the black sand beach, so a good plan would be to pass Kahalui around 10:30, get lunch along the way, and aim to reach the black sand beach by 2:30 or 3:00, spend an hour or so at the beach, and arrive in Hana around 4 or 5pm.

Don’t miss the turnoff to the Ke’anae Peninsula for sheer Hawaiian beauty and the church.  You can grab some great banana bread here at Aunt Sandy’s or further along at Halfway to Hana.

A series of food trucks at Nihiku are a good spot to grab lunch if you did not bring a picnic. There are good picnicking spots at Wai’ānapanapa State Park on the bluffs above the black sand beach.

As you drive, look for wide spots, parking spots, parked cars. There’s probably a waterfall there. Plan on jumping or swimming in as many as you like. Some are challenging to get to (Upper Waikani Falls (3 bears)), some are easy (Pua’a Ka’a).

As you continue along, don’t miss Wai’ānapanapa State Park just before Hana with its black sand beach and sea arch. This is a lovely place to swim if the waves are not too high. When arriving in Hana make your way to the red sand beach (but be cautious of swimming there).

In terms of dinner, there are some food trucks in Hana or eat at the Preserve.

There are a few options of lodging in Hana, more described under stay in Hana.

Day 6 – Hana Highway

Even though this is the “road to Hana” be sure and go PAST Hana – the jungle gets even MORE lush. Detour down to Hamoa beach just past Hana. James Michener called it the most perfect beach in the South Pacific. It has the best body surfing on the island if it’s not too rough. If the surf isn’t up, keep going to Kipahalu and come back later. Otherwise, stop now as later it might be too rough. Past Hana the road narrows and becomes even more beautiful until you finally arrive at the Ohe’o Gulch and Seven Sacred Pools, located in the Kīpahulu District, a finger of Haleakalā National Park that extends to the coast. For great hiking take the Pīpīwai Trail two miles (one way) to the Waimoku Falls. This hike gains 800 feet in elevation but is really worth it if you have time. If you don’t, take the short hike (0.5 mile return) and splash in the pools under the waterfall.

Stop by Hasagewa general store to grab something to drink or a snack on the way back. The store is an amazing hodgepodge of groceries, hardware, fishing equipment, building supplies, outdoor apparel, and the best machete selection on Maui.

You will be amazed how much less time it takes to drive back when you’re not jumping in every pool (about 2h to Paia). We suggest that your Hana return day is a good day to head to Mama’s Fish House for dinner (get reservations long in advance of your trip). It’s not cheap, but the setting and the food are great.

Tonight you can head to the South shore (where you’ll spend the next 2 days). Look at the Wailea Marriott or Makena Surf for good places to stay.

Day 7– South Maui

Today you will explore south Maui. Wailea developed later than some other parts of the island so the resorts are somewhat newer. Kihei however is not a great place to stay and is not recommended.

The beaches near Wailea are great. Be sure and check out the infinity pool and poolside drinks (after all you are paying for it), and the beach right down from the hotel if you are at the Marriott. For those of you (like me) who can’t spend more than about 20 minutes sitting on a beach, the beach path in this part of the island is a great walk from resort to resort and beach to beach. It’s an excellent opportunity to see turtles, dolphins swimming by, and to go snorkeling. We also suggest that you make the short drive down to the end of the road to Big and Little beaches at Makena State Park. Big Beach can be good for body surfing but tends to have a small shore break. Little Beach generally has better surf if it’s too high at big beach (but be aware Little Beach is one of the nudist beaches – which, while technically illegal, are still prevalent; you can check out the beach from the trail before deciding if the “view” is appropriate for your group). Alternatively, consider body surfing at one of the many great south shore beaches in Wailea.

Grab dinner at either Monkeypod or The Mill House. Or you can splurge (a lot) and dine with an ocean view at one of the many resorts populating Wailea.

Lodging is the same as the night before.

Day 8 – Return home

You’re heading home today, so drive to the airport (allow at least 45 minutes in case there is traffic) and drop off your rental car. Then say goodbye to Maui.

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