Aloha! My husband and I just got back from Maui last week and I’m so excited to share our travel guide.
I’m sorry this took a couple weeks, but I wanted to be sure to get you ALL of the info in one spot, plus outfit details.
Here’s the details of our Maui anniversary trip! We had the best time and honestly kept it to a pretty affordable budget (for Maui that is!).
Saturday Arrival
We flew out on an 11am flight that landed around 2pm on Saturday. The only complaint I had was the airplane had no wifi, and at 11am on a Saturday, I was definitely not tired! The plane did have TVs, but they played the cartoon version of Spiderman so I was very bored for 6 hours. I highly recommend downloading movies before you get on a flight to Hawaii just in case!
I’d say day 1 was a little rough. We got a rental car from Hertz, and waited almost 3 hours to get our car. The rental location was insanely unorganized, and literally handed out cars to whoever with no rhyme or reason of timing. They actually said it was slow because it was the end of Spring Break, but there were no families and mostly more mature couples (if you get what I’m saying). I spoke with one of my girlfriends who had the exact same experience the week before. There were TONS of people who got there after us, didn’t have status with Hertz and got their cars before us. It was frustrating to say the least! Next time we plan on Ubering to an off site car rental location. I swear it’ll be easier!
Although we landed at 2pm, we didn’t get to our resort until 5:30pm. We stayed at the Westin Villas South in Kaanapli, which is about a 50 minute drive from the airport. Since we were hungry and tired, we ate at Auntie’s at the hotel, and had amazing Poke! It was also only $20, which we found to be affordable for fresh fish at the hotel. We called it a night early, after our long travel day!
Sunday
Sunday we woke up and got breakfast at the hotel restaurant then headed out to grocery shop.
Before that we stopped to get Kona coffee at Maui Coffee Co. The coffee is SO good! Highly recommend stopping there.
Our hotel room had a kitchenette, so we went to Safeway after breakfast to get some snacks, drinks, and breakfast food. We like having breakfast in the room, because that way we can have a slower start to the day and not waste time eating out (more beach time!!).
We wanted to explore a bit, so we went to Lahaina to walk around and stopped at Dukes for lunch. I had the fish and chips and Jesse got a salad and the hula pie. We had many recommendations for the infamous hula pie, and Jesse seemed to love it! (In case you’re wondering, I can’t eat it, it has macadamia nuts inside (sad to have allergies!!).
We walked around for an hour or so, and then headed to the hotel to chill by the pool.
For dinner went to celebrate our Anniversary at Pacifico in Lahaina. The food was really good (we both had fresh fish), but there was a wedding going on and the service was slow. I think they were just focused on the wedding! The views there were to die for though. It’s right on the beach.
For dessert, we walked down the street to get Hawaiian shaved ice. SO freaking good!
Monday
Monday we did a beach day and went to Lahaina for lunch. The absolute best place we ate was Paia. They have a few locations (one in Paia, one in Lahaina, and one in Wailea. The prices are extremely affordable, and the fish is incredibly fresh! We ended up going here three times, because we loved it so much.
After our chill beach day we headed to Honu for dinner. We had pizza and a crab appetizer. It was to die for!
Tuesday
We are huge explorers so we decided to head to the Hyatt resort’s beach. All Maui beaches are public, so it was fun to go over there and lay by the beach! It was actually larger than ours, so we enjoyed that.
Actual View From Our Villa!
Here’s the details from the rest of our day:
Lunch – Fish Market Maui
Dinner – Sushi at Miso Phat (SO GOOD!!)
After dinner we walked around Whalers Village. It’s super cute and has tons of stores (everything from Louis Vuitton to Rip Curl). We also stopped at Monkey pod for drinks. The restaurant was recommended to us, and the views there are incredible! We heard the Mai Thais are what they are known for, but I can’t have Macadamia Nuts, and we were stuck on Hawaiian beer (SO good!).
Wednesday
On Wednesday we signed up for an incredible Helicopter Tour. We used our concierge to help us book the safest tour. We went with Blue Hawaiian.
Since the airport/heliport are about an hour away, we figured it was the perfect day to explore another area of Maui.
If you’re heading to Maui and considering booking a helicopter tour, here are a few helpful resources to get you started:
We started at the Maui Tropical Plantation and took a fun hour tour. The tour was $20 and was a blast! We were able to learn how to open a coconut (they did a live demonstration), and more about the native fruits and plant life.
We stayed there and went to the Mill House for lunch. It was a bit pricy, but again, we saved money on eating breakfast in the room most days.
From there we drove over to The Needle. It’s a quick hike, and I actually did it in flip flops. Super easy and most incredible views!
At 3pm we went on our helicopter tour. It was amazing! We were a little nervous, but felt completely comfortable once we got up. The pilot was seasoned, and truly gave us the best guided tour! We did a 45 minute flight over Maui and Moloka’i. There’s no tourism on Moloka’i, so it’s really the only way to see that island. We loved that!
After our helicopter tour, we drove 20 minutes to Wailea. They have shops and restaurants, so we got drinks for happy hour at Longei. We shopped a bit, and I ended up getting a new Gucci bag. I’m putting this detail in here, because if you don’t know, luxury bags are actually less money in Hawaii! I got my bag for 25% less than it was at home, and the tax is 4% (vs 10% in AZ). Point being, if you’re considering buying a Gucci or designer bag and you’re heading to Maui, do it there!
Afterward we went to Maui Brewing Co for a drink at the bar. We actually got flights of beer and they were SO good. I loved the coconut brews. They also have food and tours, and we hear they’re amazing!
For dinner, we wanted something easy, so we went back to our favorite place in Lahaina…Paia.
Thursday
Thursday my husband went golfing, and had the best time! While he was out, I was lounging poolside and drinking Pina Coladas. It was perfect!
For lunch we walked over to Duke’s at the Hyatt. All of the hotels are linked with a long pathway. We love walking, so it was about a half mile, super easy!
The one place you absolutely have to go to is Mamas Fish House! I can’t tell you how many recommendations we got for Mama’s, and it’s definitely a splurge, but SO worth it!
Friday
Friday we went to the beach by the Sheraton. BY far our favorite beach! It was peaceful and huge. BONUS: Lots of doggies playing in the sand (yes we love dogs). We basically hung out here for a while until dinner, and we went to Down The Hatch.
We love going to shows, so we ended up at Warren & Annabel’s for a magic show. It was SO fun and the magicians were insanely good! Someone one of the two magicians got out of a straight jacket in 30 seconds, and pulled a bowling ball out with it. Crazy to even type and probably makes no sense, but 100% recommend the magic show! One thing to note, we ate dinner prior, and we did the 8:15pm show. They basically tell you to arrive at 8:15pm, but everyone who ate dinner was still finishing. They do serve you upon entry, so if you want drinks know you’ll have 45 minutes until they actually seat you.
Saturday
Saturday was our last day! We went to Kapalua for breakfast at the Plantation House. I had pancakes and eggs, and Jesse had the eggs benedict. We really liked it, but know it’s extremely windy up there! Don’t sit by the window.
For lunch we heard about Tamara’s Fine Wine and Liquors. It’s actually a liquor store in Lahaina, and they have fresh seafood and poke bowls. I wish we had discovered this the first day! I would have eaten there every single day. SO good and also very affordable!
We had a 9pm flight home, so we stopped at Paia for a quick dinner, and were on our way!
(jumpsuit is Olivia Hudson, MELISSA20 for 20% off)
Hope this helps you plan your next Maui vacation!!
xoxo, Meliss
