Vacationing in Maui — The Next Trip List

When it comes to dream trips, Hawaii has been at the top of my list pretty much since Grade 4 when I did a research project (aka plagerized portions of the World Book Encyclopedia).

It wasn’t until this February that I finally checked Hawaii of the travel to do list, and let me tell you it didn’t disappoint, and believe it or not was actually the perfect family trip even with a 9+ hour day of travelling and a 5 hour time change. Our 1.5 year old kept us very busy on the plane, but luckily tired herself out enough that she got right into the new time zone.

We had an amazing week checking out beaches, taking mini road trips, and of course lounging poolside at our VRBO during baby nap time. Here’s a few Maui favourites.

Kaanapali

his was our homemade for the trip, and this little resorts village truly had it all. Our VRBO was a five minute walk from the beach and Whaler’s Village which has lots of cute shops and great restaurants (like Monkey Pod, where rumour has it the Mai Tais are delicious). All beaches in Hawaii can be accessed by the public, so you can enjoy prime beach spots right on front of hotels like the Westin and the Marriott, and even rent beach furniture if your rental doesn’t happen to have any.

The Road to Hana

If you love waterfalls, black sand beaches, swimming and just generally stunning scenery this day trip is an absolute must - if if you have extra time make it an overnight trip to Hana to make sure you have lots of time to take on the winding roads and single lane bridges. Some of the most beautiful spots are actually just past Hana, including the Seven Sacred Pools and and the Pipiwai Trail which leads to the 400 foot tall Waimoku Falls (after winding through a bamboo forest of course). Other stops along the way with wow-factor include The Garden of Eden and the black sand beach.

Lahaina

Sunsets, seafood and shopping sum up this oceanfront town in west Maui, but most importantly it’s where one of the best luaus around is, the Old Lahaina Luau. This was probably my favourite Hawaiian experience ... real floral leis, Mai Tais when your arrive, yummy food and great entertainment and quite kid friendly (it wraps up by 8 pm!) They have high chairs if you choose to sit at a table, or you can sit at one of the traditional tables which is a fun experience for kids.