Maui-What and Where (A little Guide for Traveling to Maui)

We are home in LA now,
and this is the last Maui post
(I am sure you all are devastated).

Someone in the comments asked for more information on Maui.

And since I have been enough,

and feel pretty confident,

here is my little travelers guide to Maui.

Where we stayed:

  The Fairmont Kea Lani 

My brother found an amazing deal on one of their suites so grabbed it.

We all shared a suite

(we are not heavy rollers, people)

Myself, Stephen and Shane shared a room,
there were two queen beds in it.

And my mom slept in the other room on a pull out couch.

The bathroom was massive,

rooms were huge,

two big flat screens,

it was more than enough space and the only time we were in the room was to sleep and shower.

It's a great way to save a little cash to do some other fun things like jet ski, eat at the breakfast buffet etc.

Also I highly recommend, and I doubt anyone who knows here will argue with me,

 the Grand Wailea .

Probably the best hotel on the strip because of their awesome pool.

We have stayed here many times as well,

and it is amazing.

Both of these hotels do not come cheap,

but you can always find deals,

especially in the off season.

You can also check hotels on the Kaanapali side of the island,

which we have stayed in as well.

Out of the two sides,

I think we prefer the Wailea end.

Where we ate:

Mamma's fish house

This is the.best.place.ever

Authentic, fresh, amazing quality Hawaiin food.

But don't go in wanting to eat somewhere cheap,

this place comes with a hefty price tag so I recommend it as a one day splurge for those traveling on a budget.

The menu is changed daily according to what is caught fresh that morning.

It is a must experience type of place.

In Lahaina (shane is a creep)

Kimos
It's a family ritual to eat here.
It was my dads fav while we were growing up
(he has like two t-shirts from this place)
and now a friend of Shane's works there.
It is right on the water with amazing views.
It is located in Lahaina town,
where you can do some shopping,
book some activities for cheaper than you would through a hotel,
and eat at some great places,
or...
if you are feeling crazy,
get your hair braided in cornrows and get a henna tattoo.

Nick's Fishmarket at the Fairmont
This restaurant is located at our hotel,
and really really good.

Ko
This is a fine dining restaurant at the Fairmont.
It is really well known
and offers the only cuisine inspired by Maui's sugarcane plantation era.

Monkey Pod
In Wailea,
this is a much more relaxed and fun restaurant.
Yummy fresh fish tacos.

Cheeseburgers in Paradise
Also in Wailea,
a good place to have an affordable meal,
and especially great if you like good burgers,
or just eating a giant plate of chili cheese fries for dinner...
not that I did that or anything...

*We also ate a lot just at our hotel, because it's convenient. Mango smoothies? yes please.
We had brunch every morning at the hotel...because Shane and I live for breakfast buffets.

What we did:
I recommend going into Lahaina Town (link above) to book some fun excursions like zip lining etc,
or of course your hotel will send you in the right, more expensive, direction.

Jet Skiing:
We have been to the same company twice now for jet skiing.
They are awesome.
I rode on the back of Stephen's,
and screamed out of fear in his ear the entire time.
They will take pictures of you for $30.00
worth it.

Snorkeling:
Before you do anything else, rent snorkeling gear.
We usually rent from Boss Frogs because it's like 5 bucks for a week,
but because it's on the other side of the island (Kaanapali)
we rented from Maui Dive Shop in Wailea.

black rock

Black Rock:
Awesome beach and spot for snorkeling.
We snorkel here every time we come to Maui.

hana

Road to Hana
We have done this drive one too many times (and once is definitely enough).
But if it is your first time to Maui, I HIGHLY recommend doing this journey.
It is a great way to see the island,
get out of the resort for a day,
and really get the full scope of what this island has to offer.
It is a full day trip (about 7 hour drive total if you go the whole way)
but you stop along the way and jump off of waterfall's cliffs,
hike through bamboo and rain forests,
eat at the original spot where banana bread was first made,
see black and red sand beaches, etc etc.
Get the CD (from your hotel) and it will guide you the whole way.
Sounds cheesy,
but it is definitely not.


Kayaking:
This is the second time we have kayaked.
You can rent them from your hotel beach for like an hour.
It's a fun way to break up the whole baking in the sun thing.

Luau:
Such a fun family activity,
or even a romantic one for the couples
(especially the newleywed couple who was wasted and danced on stage our last time there..they had fun I think)
It always takes place at sunset on a location that overlooks the water.
Big dinner buffet,
open bar,
fun entertainment.
I recommend experiencing at least one.
Your hotel will usually provide a free shuttle service to a luau if it is held at a different hotel.

Whale Watching:
We have done this in the past,
and it is super fun for like the first hour,
and then you're kind over it.

There is obviously also surfing, sunset cruises, boogie boarding (we rented two of these along with the snorkel equipment) etc.
I am more of a lay on the beach and poolside while I sip my mai tai or lava flow kinda gal,
but to each their own.

Hope this information helps you plan your future trip to hawaii!

Mahalo.