This coming Saturday I am flying into Kahului on Maui (SYD-HNL-OGG) to meet my parents and my brother and his wife (flying in from various points in the US) for a little family time. We are staying on the western side of the island, in Kaanapali, but we will have a car. Any must do ideas while there? My brother and sister-in-law did a bike ride down a mountain last time they were there and said we should do it. Other than that, no ideas on what to do (other than decompress from work). There will be 5 adults and 1 child.

Well even those this is cliche, the Road to Hana really is a special trip. This is the road that takes you from Kahalui to the leeward side of the island. Scenic and full of history. You should be able to download a recorded this for the trip or be able to rent a CD while you're there.

We are going to Maui the next time we go to Hawaii. We changed planes at OGG on the way back (HNL-OGG-LAX-OAK) and the displays for what to do and things to see looked great. A woman on our flight was standing next to me at one of the displays and said something like "it really is a beautiful place, isn't it?" I told her we had spent the week on Oahu and were just changing planes. She gave me the side eye, snorted and left. Apparently, Maui is something else.

Also, we flew in on a 717 and it was very windy and bumpy landing in OGG.

I've been to Maui 5 or 6 times, all but once have stayed in Honokowai, just north of Kaanapali. Depending on how long your stay is, here's a few things I'd recommend:
Road to Hana- very full day and exhausting driving, but stunningly beautiful
Haleakala- I've only been there mid-morning on a drive, but cool (literally) experience
Half day in Lahaina- mostly shopping but a nice walk, be sure to get shave ice at Local Boys
Morning trip to upcountry- stop at Komoda Bakery in Makawao for some sweets, then down to Paia for lunch at the Flatbread Company
North shore- drive clockwise around the northwest coast, stop at the Iao Needle on your way back
Beach day- Kaanapali beach is big and beautiful, but busy. I prefer Pāpalaua State Wayside Park just south of Lahaina, generally much quieter, more locals, still very pretty. Many trees for shade. No water, but there are portable toilets.
Lava fields- drive down to the lava fields at La Perouse Bay. Not much to do but it's a very absurd site.

Don't bother with anything in Kahului, besides Costco and Krispy Kreme right after you get off the plane.
I'd also highly recommend picking up a recent version of the "Maui Revealed" book. It's a good read for the plane ride over.

If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer!

In addition to the above don't forget Mama's Fish House , a perfect ending to the day on your return from driving to Hana, I think the town is Paia. And if you dive don't miss Molokini Crater, truly a world class dive experience. I recommend B and B Dive Shop for this. They leave Kihei around 5 am which is brutal but they get there first so you're finished just as the flotilla arrives from Lahaina. Pure magic and astonishing sunrises over the peaks above that side of the island.

I'd recommend a luau called Feast at Lele.

Thanks for the ideas! I look them over and pass them on to the family.

I really liked Maui, agree on the road to Hana (leave lots of time).

If you want to eat at Mana's Fish House, make reservations before you fly. Once there, likely too late.

Kaanapali is nice, but I think Kihei is much more laid back and fun, especially going to Kama'ole Beach Park 1 or 2 for snorkeling (before noon, when the wind is calm).

Another thing to consider is Ioa Valley state park.

Hope you have a great time in Maui!

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to relax and decompress at the beach and/or poolside. Enjoy Maui, it is great!

I agree with everyone above (although I also spent a week each on the Big Island and Kauai). My only caveat -- and others might disagree -- is to take a tour bus or shuttle on the Road to Hana. Yes, it's a great drive, but the designated driver won't see much. He or she will have their eyes glued to the road on this torturous trail. That poor person will miss a great deal of astonishing vistas.

I'll chime in having been to Maui several times and it is our favorite. Mush is already said be those above. And the area you are going to be in is my favorite part of the island.

Our NUMBER ONE MUST DO: Get back to our place by 4pm each day to relax and sit and rest and just enjoy . It's not a hard rule (obviously there are some things and events this doesn't work for) but the whole reason we go to Maui is to relax. Don't let "must do things" get in the way of just being in the islands and enjoying it for what it is.

Regarding riding down Mt. Haleakala, yes do it, it is a blast. But it can be cold and wet so be ready for that. Also I advise to not do the sunrise ride. To do it you need to basically leave your area around 2:30-3am to get to the ride place to catch a 6 am sunrise. And its really cold at that time. We did the 9am ride that also included visiting the crater but while the crater was pretty awesome, it didn't contribute to the ride (and I didn't find any ride companies that actually start at the crater anyway). Yes visit the crater at least once but maybe as part of a day exploring the island and driving there yourself.

Snorkeling is awesome in Maui. Go ahead and rent a decent set of mask and fins for the whole time. You may only do it a few times (depending on your schedule) but it is fun and beautiful, easy and relaxing.

The road to Hana is really beautiful and fun, and it is the perfect example of "the journey not the destination is important"! Remember that. We chose to spend the night in Hana so we took 4 hours to drive the road, pulling over any time a car appeared in our rear view mirror. We just cruised with the top down and enjoyed it. There are many tourist spots and just small diversions to go see and most are worth it when time isn't an issue. I recommend Kahanu Garden just before you get to Hana. I nice place to walk around and do a bit of exploring.

Hana itself.... well I didn't find it all that exciting. It is fine and lovely and all that but really it is not set up for tourists. Locals live there and it is a small town with not many restaurants etc. There is one nice hotel/resort and it is nice to walk around but we did not find it any better than other places around Maui.

We actually circumnavigated the whole island even though the rental car company basically says not too (but the last time I noticed that restriction had disappeared). It was fun and worth doing once but it takes time to do it right. Which means slowly and which the locals hate you for and will stare you down as they almost drive you off the road. It is what it is, you are invading their home and looking around and not at the road and saying "ohh how nice!!" and they just want to get home or get their shopping done and you keep getting in their way.

So enjoy yourself, I am positive that no matter what you will have fun!

Tugg

All of the above are great suggestions.

Just on the north side of Lahaina is Baby Beach. I highly recommend grabbing a 6 pack or two of Maui Bikini Blonde and hanging out there for a few hours in the afternoon. You can watch the sunset from there. Enjoy a nice beer sitting in the thigh deep water. It is perfect because the reef goes out 100 yards and the waves break way out there.

If you are a diver, the Maui Dive shops offer great day trips on a boat, or you can do beach dives. If just snorkeling, it's cheaper, but still fun to go off a boat. If you're staying from the shore, Honolua Bay is great for that.

If you do drive to Hana, keep going and hang out on Hamoa Beach. It's a little gem. I also recommend that you keep driving around the island, even if your rental car contract says not too. Just be careful of the cows. If you are driving back at night around the long way, make sure to stop occasionally and enjoy the stars - there is no light pollution!

Makena Beach is also really nice, and I suggest hanging out in Wailea, too! You can't go wrong by walking on the path between the various hotels. The Marriott there is beautiful, and when the lounge chairs aren't occupied or reserved, the staff usually lets you stay on them (without the cushions) but still enjoyable. Find an empty hammock and you're set.

I also recommend Palauea Beach. It's a lot more private and not very touristy.

Eats:
Kihei Cafe - great great GREAT breakfast!
818 Deli has great sandwiches.
Maui Brewing Company Brewpub

Have fun! I'll be there for 5 days in mid June staying in Kihei.

https://blog.alaskaair.com/destinations/5-best-maui/

Agreed on the advice to take the Hana road all the way around; I don't even begin to understand why it was ever counseled against.

Tugger wrote:

I'll chime in having been to Maui several times and it is our favorite. Mush is already said be those above. And the area you are going to be in is my favorite part of the island.

Our NUMBER ONE MUST DO: Get back to our place by 4pm each day to relax and sit and rest and just enjoy . It's not a hard rule (obviously there are some things and events this doesn't work for) but the whole reason we go to Maui is to relax. Don't let "must do things" get in the way of just being in the islands and enjoying it for what it is.

Regarding riding down Mt. Haleakala, yes do it, it is a blast. But it can be cold and wet so be ready for that. Also I advise to not do the sunrise ride. To do it you need to basically leave your area around 2:30-3am to get to the ride place to catch a 6 am sunrise. And its really cold at that time. We did the 9am ride that also included visiting the crater but while the crater was pretty awesome, it didn't contribute to the ride (and I didn't find any ride companies that actually start at the crater anyway). Yes visit the crater at least once but maybe as part of a day exploring the island and driving there yourself.

Snorkeling is awesome in Maui. Go ahead and rent a decent set of mask and fins for the whole time. You may only do it a few times (depending on your schedule) but it is fun and beautiful, easy and relaxing.

The road to Hana is really beautiful and fun, and it is the perfect example of "the journey not the destination is important"! Remember that. We chose to spend the night in Hana so we took 4 hours to drive the road, pulling over any time a car appeared in our rear view mirror. We just cruised with the top down and enjoyed it. There are many tourist spots and just small diversions to go see and most are worth it when time isn't an issue. I recommend Kahanu Garden just before you get to Hana. I nice place to walk around and do a bit of exploring.

Hana itself.... well I didn't find it all that exciting. It is fine and lovely and all that but really it is not set up for tourists. Locals live there and it is a small town with not many restaurants etc. There is one nice hotel/resort and it is nice to walk around but we did not find it any better than other places around Maui.

We actually circumnavigated the whole island even though the rental car company basically says not too (but the last time I noticed that restriction had disappeared). It was fun and worth doing once but it takes time to do it right. Which means slowly and which the locals hate you for and will stare you down as they almost drive you off the road. It is what it is, you are invading their home and looking around and not at the road and saying "ohh how nice!!" and they just want to get home or get their shopping done and you keep getting in their way.

So enjoy yourself, I am positive that no matter what you will have fun!

Tugg

Thanks. I am planning on snorkeling. The place we are renting has equipment, so no need to rent. I already have my GoPro camera ready for it too (and I have my other camera gear ready too). A couple of years ago I met my brother, sister-in-law and newphew on O'ahu and we had a great time there, drove over the entire island basically and really loved it. So looking forward to Maui.

We used to have a condo in Kihei, Maui - a few suggestions:

Mama's Fish House
Kimo's
Cheeseburger in Paradise
Snorkeling off the Sheraton
Hana ( if you have time)
Longhi's
Whaler's Village
Ruth's Chris

Two more thumbs up from me to complement suggestions from Tugger and EA CO AS. Do remember to get back by 4-5 each day wherever you are to watch the sunset and relax. We stayed at a VRBO south of Kihei and that state beach at Kama'ole is really spectacular and chill. You can bring a cooler with wine/beer and just watch the day disappear each evening. Our mistake was discovering that on the second to last day and we were left scratching our heads why it hadn't been a daily ritual.

11725Flyer wrote:

We used to have a condo in Kihei, Maui - a few suggestions:

Mama's Fish House
Kimo's
Cheeseburger in Paradise
Snorkeling off the Sheraton
Hana ( if you have time)
Longhi's
Whaler's Village
Ruth's Chris

And the chicken parmigiana at Moose McGillycuddy's in Kihei is unbelievably good, with great views of the beach from the upstairs of the restaurant. Not sure if they still offer it, as their online menu appears to have been updated, but dang it was good stuff - my wife and I came back multiple times during our last stay just for that dish!

Thanks for the ideas, so far so good. Highlight so far was going to Haleakala and seeing the sunrise and then the 27 mile bike ride down. So surreal. The number of stars, constellations and planets we saw was unlike anything I've ever seen. Then watching the sunrise in that cold and crisp environment, speechless.

Tomorrow we are going snorkeling and before we leave, we have reservations (lunch, everything else was booked) at Mamas Fish House.

But so far, maybe the highlight is seeing family again. My little three year old nephew who really hasn't seen me much as he was born around when I moved to Australia, is warming up to me. Me and him have had some great playtime together.

Little Beach. Read about it before you go.

Restaurant recommendation: Star Noodle. Good vibe, great food. It's near Lahaina, but in an industrial park, so a bit off the beaten path. It's near the Barnes & Noble.

On my last full day on the island, before my family left, we had a great lunch at Mamas Fish House. I flew back to Sydney the next day, and stayed Friday night at a hotel near the airport, Maui Beach Hotel, which I'll not stay at again. Only other redeeming value other than how close to the airport it was, was how close a Taco Bell was to it. I walked there for my first taste of Taco Bell in nearly three years. As deliciously bad as I remembered. But having that on the same day as Mamas Fish House, was that bad?