Maui, Hawaii

We took a couple trips to Hawaii growing up and they were HUGE to me. There’s not many warm places where you can find big mountains, beach, and city, but Hawaii is one of them. I remember waking up super early and watching the humpbacks with my grandfather there. He died when I was in high school and I’ve treasured our special memories there ever since.

For our honeymoon, I wanted Cal and I to go back, but it was just too much. Flights from Knoxville are super expensive and LONG. Nathan and I would take turns with one of us sleeping in the floor and one of us sleeping on our seats. It’s about 13 hours of flight time from Tennessee…. BUT WORTH IT. Flights from Seattle to Hawaii, though, are cheaper than us going home! And let’s be honest… Hawaii > Knoxville. It was an important trip for us to do while we live out here since the flights are way more reasonable and only 5.5 hours! The hotels range from about $400-$1000 a night, just to give you an idea. We looked around at all of them and were willing to splurge more than we normally would, because this was really our ten year anniversary trip (just a little early!)

I knew I wanted to be near Lahaina and Kaanapali …it’s more our vibe! They face west, so you get tons of great sun and the best sunsets! Kihei is a pretty area, but not really our style. Wailea is further from all the action than we like to be. I’m trying to think of some comparisons if you’ve never been…. Downtown Lahaina is kind of like downtown Charleston, SC … old buildings with lots of character and cool, mostly local, shops, and historical buildings. It all sits on the beach with a marina there. Kaanapali is more upscale, new, and geared toward tourists, but not in a cheesy way. It’s around the corner from Lahaina. There’s a sidewalk that runs along side the beach and most of the resorts. You can walk it to see them or walk down to shop at Whaler’s Village. Whaler’s Village has lots of nice restaurants, upper end shops (like Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Lilly Pulitzer, Sephora, etc) and sits across from the golf courses. I can only think to compare it to maybe West Palm Beach, but much smaller! Paia is also a really cool, hippie, surfer town, but it’s on the rainy side of the island so we ruled it out! Keep in mind Maui’s microclimates when you’re booking a hotel!

We decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency Maui in Kaanapali, where I had stayed as a kid, because I’m a sentimental sucker. If you missed my insta story, when we flew here as kids, our family sat beside Hulk Hogan and his family on the plane ride over. They have a son and daughter that were almost the same ages as me and Nate. We played together the whole plane ride and we exchanged info. The next day, the Hogan’s showed up at our pool and we spent the day together. They ended up buying our lunch and we’re so kind!

Alright, back to the hotel. As you walk in, they put a fresh orchid lei on you…it’s one of my favorite Hawaiian things. Almost everything in Hawaii (including the airport) is open air, the lobby to the Hyatt is no different, wide open with the breeze blowing through and birds flying by. There’s NOTHING better. When Cal walked in his eyes filled with tears and he looked back at me and said “this is magical.” There’s just a feeling in Hawaii that you cannot grasp through the photos. We had to pause and talk about how grateful we were to have finally made it there with our 3 healthy kids.

When they found out it was our ten year anniversary trip, they upgraded our room to one with a better view, mountain AND ocean instead of just mountain! We did a Lahaina King Suite with a pullout couch for the kids. The room was gorgeous and housed all 5 of us easily. They even threw in a $100 credit for our anniversary to use at the resort. So incredibly kind and unexpected!

The grounds of the resort are amazing…3 great restaurants, an adorable coffee shop, a little convenience store, a miniature Macy’s, an art gallery, jewelry store, clothing store, a Sunglass Hut, a bird sanctuary, penguins (think like the peabody ducks but penguins!), multiple pools with waterfalls, waterslide, grotto, pool bar, Ululani’s shave ice, and an amazing kid pool. Let me touch on the kid’s pool, because its worth noting. The ground is made of tiny gravel, so they aren’t going to break their legs jumping in the very shallow water. There’s a little oasis in the middle where they can dig and play in the pebbles or sit in smaller pools, a slow waterslide that empties into very shallow water, beach entry, and some floating animals the kids can ride! Simms can swim, but the twins aren’t there yet. For the first time ever, Cal and I could sit in chairs and just let the kids play without worrying someone would drown or get hurt. It was WONDERFUL.

Usually hotel food is overpriced and very mediocre, but we actually loved everything we ate. The food isn’t cheap, but sometimes it’s nice to not leave to go get meals. The breakfast buffet was our favorite and the open dining area overlooks the bird sanctuary. Its super neat to see flamingos, swans, and ducks come by as you eat. Some days we just grabbed acai bowls in the coffee shop and headed to the beach. Definitely budget for more than you expect meals to be, Hawaiian food is expensive. The drinks are astronomical and honestly, laughable. To get a mixed drink in a pineapple started at $30. I’ll splurge on a good bag or shoes, not on a pineapple drink. Haha!

We happened to go during peak humpback whale season, so I knew we HAD to do a whale watching boat. I’m not typically one that likes touristy activities, but this is a must! I wanted to do a raft type boat that gets really up close and personal to the whales, but having the kids with us we needed bathrooms, access to indoors, and snacks… I know you other parents feel me on this, ha! So we went with Hawaii Ocean Project. It was totally affordable and we saw countless whales. Get there early to get in line or you’ll likely get a bad seat. The humpbacks come down from Alaska to have their babies in warm water without predators (orcas) and some also breed. What I didn’t realize is that we’d be able to see whales from the beach everyday! The boat was able to get us much closer though.

Our other excursion was the Road to Hana. My parents took us as kids and I don’t remember loving it, but I wanted Cal and the boys to see the rainforest side of Maui. We got up early and hit the road about 8 AM. Google maps tells you it takes about 5ish hours for the 60 mile trek…took us 12!!!!! We stopped about 4-5 times, maybe 20 min each time, but it still took us that long. We downloaded the app “Gypsy Guide road to Hana” and it was a LIFESAVER. It’s like $6, but you won’t have phone service for almost the entire trip and this is like having a tour guide with you. He told us when and where to stop. We would’ve never seen our favorite parts (where they filmed Jurassic Park, the red sand beach, the Ke’Anae peninsula, black sand beach, food trucks at Nahiku Marketplace for lunch, sacred pools, etc) I cannot recommend it enough. On the way home, he told us a lot about Maui’s history.

rainbow eucalyptus tree

orchids just grow casually along the road

black sand beach

red sand beach

the sacred pools

I’m including a list of our favorite restaurants below, but Mama’s Fish House deserves it’s own paragraph! Ranked as one of the best restaurants in the US, Mama’s is worth the splurge! Make you reservation as soon as you book your flight, and even then, you might not have many (or any!) chances to get in. All the celebrities have signed pictures up on the wall and there’s no shortage of them. It’s no secret that this is the best place to eat and it absolutely lives up to the hype. I remember going as kids and finally trying fish we liked for the first time as we watched surfers! The location is killer, the vibe is amazing, and you MUST GO. Mama’s menu changes daily and it says what their fishermen caught that day and where they caught it. It’s all VERY fresh, because the fish is cooked within 24 hours. They did have a keiki (kids) menu, prices ranged from $20-$40. You can stop in the cool surfer town, Paia, on your way. So, don’t forget to make time for that!

Cal and I had planned on sticking the boys in Camp Hyatt for a day so we could have a day date to go scuba or snorkel. We ended up deciding to bag that idea when I realized I could snorkel from the beach at the resort and see plenty. I’m my happiest in the water and scuba diving is my favorite thing I’ve ever done. It wasn’t in the cards this trip, but snorkeling didn’t disappoint. I saw turtles daily at the resort and even got some great pics my last day with this green sea turtle…

I also taught Simms how to snorkel and he caught on so fast. He said it was “the coolest thing he’s ever done in his life.” It was such a joy getting to see him look underwater in the ocean for the first time. I know he’s hooked now! I am dying to get the twins swimming well so that we can take them.

If you haven’t been to Hawaii, I can’t urge you enough to move it to the top of your bucket list. It’s PARADISE. The perfect temps, the American feel (of seeing “normal” things like Home Depot and Whole Foods, driving on paved roads on the right side, using American money, etc), while also feeling like you’re in another country and learning a completely new culture, the huge mountains, the gorgeous clear ocean, the lava rock, the fresh fruit, the starry nights, the clean air… it just cannot be beat.

I couldn’t finish the blog without mentioning how amazing the luau was. We debated on whether or not it was worth it, but it exceeded our expectations. We decided to do the Drums of the Pacific Luau that was at our hotel. Cal called it the “Hawaiian Dixie Stampede” all week…and lets be honest, I LOVE Dixie Stampede. We saved it for the last night of the trip to give us something to look forward to. We did VIP seating, in hopes it would keep the kid’s attention longer since you get to sit closer and it worked! I had read mixed reviews about the food, but we loved everything! The kids even had their own buffet for picky eaters with things like chicken nuggets and pasta. The highlight was them pulling Cal (who HATES dancing) up on stage and making him dance.

I wanted to be sure and include some of our favorite spots, to help you narrow down things to do! I am a yelp maniac (and elite now! Don’t get Cal started on how stupid he thinks that is) and excessively read all reviews to make the perfect decision… enneagram 1 probs… so I can promise you I did thorough research.

Restaurants:

Mama’s Fish House - one of the top restaurants in the US. Book WAY in advance.

The Mill House - almost everything on the menu comes from the plantation is sits on. All organic and absolutely gorgeous.

Frida’s Mexican Beach House - great mexican and right on the beach!

Leilani’s - great drinks and right on the beach!

Drums of the Pacific Luau - book VIP and don’t look back!

Ululani’s Shave Ice - these are all over the island and a Hawaiian MUST.

Cheeseburger in Paradise - sounds cheesy BUT its legit on the beach, like you could fish from your table through the window ha!

Dirty Monkey - ate lunch here on a whim and it was really good. The tables overlook the streets of Lahaina.

Maui Pineapple Store - don’t leave without eating some Maui gold pineapple!

Ohana Tacos - for a quick and cheap lunch, this place is banging!

MUST DOS:

Whale watch - we used Hawaii Ocean Project but would’ve done this one without kids.

Scuba or snorkel - you can snorkel almost anywhere!

Eat Maui gold pineapple - seriously. It’s not like anything you’ve had in the states.

Try Maui beef- sounds strange, but Maui is known for this! Think of how happy those cows must be there.

Road to Hana - you don’t even have to do it the whole thing, but definitely go see the rainforest side!

Walk around Lahaina - the old shops and history are worth seeing!

See the banyan tree - in downtown Lahaina. It’s the second largest in the US!

I’m definitely not a Maui pro, but hope this blog was helpful to anyone trying to plan a trip. Huge thanks to my sweet sweet husband that made it priority for us to get to Hawaii! It was life changing for us all in so many ways!

xoxo-Hannah