Maui 2022

This was my 3rd trip to Maui, the 2nd with kiddos in tow. There is something magical in the air here and the diversity of activities from water play, to hiking, to wildlife viewing is unparalleled. Here's a synopsis of our recent trip. Hope it's helpful!

West Maui Overview:

We once again stayed at the wonderful Honua Kai on Ka'anapali Beach (see here for 2019 Maui trip). I am very particular about which units have the best lanais and the best views and I got what I think is the 2nd best 2 bedroom in the place (the BEST is the one we had last time, but was booked for our dates). I very much enjoyed all of our adventures, but ultimately, this trip was intended to be a babymoon for our two kids (Zooey, 8 and Oliver, 4) as we eagerly await the arrival of their baby brother or sister, so I highly valued our quiet lanai time. Every morning Ollie and I waited for the sunrise and every night we all gathered to watch the sunset. The simple things are the best (though admittedly not super simple to rent such an amazing VRBO with perfect unobstructed ocean views!)

While I've only stayed in Ka'anapali so can't speak to other regions as a home base, I would definitely recommend this spot. For a first time Maui traveler, I'd recommend Honua Kai as a home base but would then spend 2 nights in Hana so you could be leisurely in your exploration of that area. The part of the island I have sadly no knowledge of is the "alternate route to Hana" along the very southern tip of the island. This will be a focus for us on our next visit for sure!

Turns out this year the snorkeling was particularly good in the Ka'anapali area so we ended up walking from our condo down to the neighboring Kahekili Beach Park. I don't have much to compare to- snorkeling has actually been a fear of mine that I was super proud to overcome this trip as a 44 year old 6 mo pregnant person:)

Hiking, West Maui:

With a focus on relaxation and family together time, our hikes were a bit shorter than is typical for our crew. Each of these was just 30 minutes to 1.5 hour roundtrip, but there is so much to explore you could cover more distance or just dive into the sights along the route. There are longer hikes to be found on Maui and one day we will tackle them- as a family of 5! (Yikes!)

Kapalua Coast Trail

Kapalua Coast Trail: We took the Kapalua Coast Trail to Hawea Point where there were gorgeous tide pools that required a fun scramble to get down to. According to our guidebook the most high yield section of the hike (very relevant for hiking with young kids in the hot sun!) starts near Office and Lower Honoapi'ilani Road. There is a parking lot just south (turn left) of this intersection. I agree that the views are instantly stunning! Enjoy!

Enchanted Forest

Enchanted Forest, Honolua Bay: I highly recommend the enchanted forest walk to Honolulu Bay. There are multiple entry points to the bay but the best is the farthest away (a larger beside the road dirt "parking lot" resulting in a a 0.25 mile walk to the bay) as it takes you through this absolutely incredibly lush forest. The foliage is truly magical. We ended up going twice- once to explore and once for family photos. The bay itself is also a stunner. It is supposed to be great for snorkeling but beware its all a rock beach so entry in the water is kinda tricky for beginners. 

Honolua Bay

Nakalele Blowhole: As you make your way north around West Maui you come across the Nakalele Blowhole which is a GREAT hike and sight. At high tide the blow hole blows up to 70 feet and sounds like a jet engine. There is minimal to no signage so make sure to look up where you are headed. There is no defined trail- just a very fun scramble to get down near the blowhole. For the less active you can see the blowhole from the cliff above, but I definitely recommended getting down there! You can turn this into a longer hike by starting farther away and taking the Acid War Zone trail. We didn't do this but would be happy to do so in the future.

Nakalele Blowhole

On the Water:

We got so, so lucky with our paddle trip with Maui Kayak Adventure. I was already a fan of this company because they handled it well when we ultimately had to cancel three years ago due to the Polar Vortex (snow on Maui, near constant rain and wind for a week!! Ahh!). Maybe we had karma on our side this time, because there were humpbacks everywhere!! We barely paddled! We headed out from Makena Landing (South Maui, roughly an hour from Ka'anapali) with our fantastic guide, Matt, and BAM whales EVERYWHERE. 360 degrees of whales. One whale surfaced so close to Zooey and I that we both jumped back. I heard it and felt it (blowhole spittle!) before I saw it, that's how close it was. Truly amazing and will never be forgotten.

We got whale spit on us!! Amazing!

We ended up going on a traditional boat whale watching trip as well with Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures. This was also great and we were treated to a competition pod and a baby, mama sequential breach at close range. No complaints about the whale activity. There were naturalists on board who shared great info about the whales and their behavior. It was a good experience but I must admit that paddling your own kayak at eye level with the whales is infinitely better than being on a larger boat, inactive, ABOVE the water. Go the kayak (or paddle board) route as your primary way to look for these amazing creatures in a more natural way if you can!

Beach at Honua Kai

Road to Hana:

Hana is a destination town on the Eastern side of Maui. The goal isn't to get to Hana; the joy is in the journey - a windy road with many breathtaking hikes and explores along the way. Because there is so much to see and do, I highly recommend staying a couple of nights in Hana so you can do a full few days of exploring.

Ke'anae Peninsula 

I was a bit burned out/overwhelmed/lacking free time when I planned this trip so I did not take my own advice and we did not stay in Hana. Thus we did a day trip, same as before. This time, our trip was abbreviated because we didn't realize that Wai'anapanapa State Park required reservations.  For more info on the Road to Hana, and recommended stops, see this post.

Waikomoi Nature Trail

This trip we just made 2 stops- the Waikamoi Nature Trail and the Ke'anae Peninsula. We've hiked the Waikamoi Nature Trail every time we've been on the road to Hana. It's never been on a must stop list but every time I'm so glad we stopped. There are incredible bamboo forests, other amazing trees and nearby rainbow eucalyptus trees (these are along the road so keep your eyes out). Somehow we always seem to have a kid bathroom emergency on this trail which has resulted in some very funny stories. In fact Zooey chose the trail to take this time remembering what happened on the alternate trail last time ("I wasn't expecting this"). Somehow yet another crazy kid bathroom story resulted. And we met some folks from our hometown not the walk down, can you believe it? The Ke'anae Peninsula is absolutely gorgeous and a must stop IMO for the views and a short explore. 

Ke'anae Peninsula

This trip we decided to skip the upcountry and Haleakala. There is more to do and see in those regions for sure- check out my past post on those topics 

Next time: I've said this a few times but we are absolutely positivity going to stay in Hana!!! Along the road to Hana, I think the walk down to Honomanu Bay and the drive down the Nahiku Road would be great- we did both 15 years ago but not since. I'd also like to explore the "back route" to Hana around the southern tip of the island. A nice stop on the west side would be the DT Fleming Beach park as - unlike most of Maui's beaches- the bottom is sand therefore would be a good place to really get fully in the water and play.