Maui is one of the most popular destinations in Hawaii. That shouldn’t really come as a surprise, when you consider that it’s one of the archipelago’s prettiest islands. The flight from Honolulu takes only 20 minutes, which made me very happy, so getting there is a breeze.

And when you arrive, getting about is equally easy going. The place to rent cars is simple to find from the airport. This time we chose a Jeep, hopped in and started our 30-minute drive from the airport in Wailea to our hotel. We stayed at the Marriott, which has more of a resort style. Our room was very large with a kitchen, living room and balcony, and breakfast was included. We didn’t get the chance to take a dip, but there’s also a lovely pool.

Where to eat in Maui

On our first day in Maui we decided to take it easy, relax and enjoy the Hawaiian way of life. We visited Paia, which is the city where the famous road to Hana begins. It’s a super cute, small, hippy-style place. Everyone is extremely friendly and relaxed. We had a coffee is a fabulous place called Paia Bay Coffee. You’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a tropical rainforest, with tables dotted around the leafy trees.

Fuelled by coffee, we wandered between the cute boutiques before going for pizza at Flatbread Company. This was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten, so it’s a foodie must in Maui.  The pizza was organic and baked in a wood-fired pizza oven. You can choose from the menu or build your own perfect pizza. We also tried their salad, which was fantastic. After that, we hit the road to the east coast for a quick drive, but it wasn’t as exciting as we’d hoped.

The road to Hana

On following day we woke up early to drive to Hana. It’s a famous road with 600 turns and 54 bridges. At just 45 miles in length, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a short journey, but you’d be wrong. The numerous beautiful attractions that line the route mean you’ll want eight to ten hours to drive it. We weren’t able to stop everywhere and see everything, but we were extremely lucky with weather. Apparently it rains on the road to Hana a lot but it didn’t rain for us at all!

Our first stop en route was at the Twin Falls Waterfalls. As the name suggests, there are two waterfalls reachable in a five to ten minute hike. It was very beautiful! Along the way we also saw tropical forests, more waterfalls and stunning view points. We also got to try pineapples, famous banana bread, mango bread and a great organic chicken burrito from one of the food trucks.

The Wailua Falls and Seven Sacred Pools

The road to Hana doesn’t actually end in Hana, but a little bit after it. It is so worth it to drive that bit further! You will see the most wonderful waterfall, Wailua Falls, and later the Seven Sacred Pools, where there is a 25$ per car fee for visitors. We only saw the pools, but there are three-mile hikes there, too. The Seven Sacred Pools weren’t the only paid attraction. They also charge 15$ per person at the Gardens of Eden, which is understandable, but we decided to skip it.

By the end of the road to Hana, you can turn around and drive the same way you came. This is a suggested and safe option, but you can also drive around to the south, which is apparently very pretty but dangerous. From what I’ve heard, it’s so risky that you need to get permission from your rental company to drive there! We made it back the safer way in time to catch a stunning sunset on the way home. Find out why the road to Hana made it onto my seven best road trips in the world here.

Visiting Haleakala National Park

On our last day we planned to get up early and see the sunrise at Haleakala National Park. Here lies a volcano that is 10,000 feet high, with a summit that clears cloud level. But after checking the weather and seeing rain and clouds forecast, we decided to go there at noon because we also had a flight back to Oahu in the evening and another long flight the next day. Even during the day it was an amazing experience. You just climb higher and higher and at some point you need to drive through the clouds, which is a totally different experience to seeing them from the plane.

To get into Haleakala National Park you need to pay 25$, and if you decide to go there for sunrise, make sure you register online first. It’s also worth remembering that you’re going so high that the temperature will drop a lot. It was very cold at the top, so as much as the views were wonderful, we didn’t stay too long.

We didn’t have too much time to explore Maui completely but I am happy with what we saw in three days. This island is definitely different to Oahu. It’s less populated, wilder and greener too. I am glad we went there in the off season because the weather was still amazing but the limited parking made me wonder how people manage at peak times.

Planning a trip to Maui? Here are 5 of my favorite hotels.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Planning your dream vacation to Hawaii? Find out where to go for wildlife, culture, hiking, cities, surfing and more in this guide.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which mean that if you choose to book through it I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support to keep this site up and running!

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

30 COMMENTS

  3. We’ve been to Maui for a family vacation and loved it! We did the Seven Sacred Pools and Road to Hana. Those two are so worth it. Actually, I believe the Seven Sacred Pools was one of the Road to Hana’s stop.

  4. I lived in Hawaii for six years and honeymooned on Maui. There’s so much to do from the hiking horseback riding, waterfalls, ocean sports or just spotting rainbows. Thanks for bringing me back to some great memories!

  10. I’d love to go to Maui. I’ve never been to Hawaii before. Your pictures are great! I really want to go there and plan on going next year. I loved reading this post 🙂

  11. I’d love to get to Hawaii one day let alone Maui! All the places you described are wonderful, and you photos capture the place perfectly!

  14. This looks like a fantastic three days! I was super little the last time I went to Hawaii, and I’d love to go to Maui and explore the island on my own 🙂

  16. I already wanted to go to Hawaii… Now I want to go there in January! It looks and sounds just like paradise! (I had the opportunity to go to Tahiti, its French sister, but missed it. I’ll always regret I think!)

  17. I’d love to get over there one day – your photos are stunning, and you make it sound very inviting! The food trucks sound awesome! Do you think a car is required to do the island or is there much public transport? My partner and I can’t drive yet :S

  21. Oh, Hawaii is slowly gaining popularity on my bucket list! I must admit, I have never heard about Maui, but I’m delighted I came across your post, so well described. I am a bread person, I would love to taste those famous banana & mango bread as you recommend. A car parking for $25, gosh I can imagine how acute shortage is for parking there! For me, the highlight of your trip is Haleakala National Park, the views at the top are just breathtaking!!

  24. I hope I can visit Maui one day… Hawaii is’s my dream destination since watching “Fantasy Island” as a kid and it got revoked with my obsession of “Lost” 😀 One day…. coming from Europe it’s just veeery far away and quite pricy 🙁

  25. Wow-I spent six months in Maui 18 years ago when I was 19 years old and though I went to Hana and camped for a few days and did the Seven pools and all the waterfallls I don’t remember having to pay for each attraction. Maybe it’s changed over the years (and this is pretty normal with touristed places!) or maybe our freind who was a local and chose the camping sites knew something like with our camping fee everything was included. in any case it’s a stunning place to visit. My time there, and also at sunrise at the Haleakala volcano are still some very good memories of my time in Hawaii!

  30. Hawaii has been on our bucket list for so long! The landscape is so green and lush, we would definitely want to reach the national park for sunrise so thanks for the tip of registering online.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here