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Maui Family Travel Itinerary on Where to Stay, Things to do and Where to Eat!
We recently returned from a Spring break trip to Hawaii that first included exploring the Big Island and then taking a short inter-island flight over to Maui to continue our Hawaiian vacation!
In this new series titled, "Just Got Back", we go over a quick trip itinerary report on where we stayed, what activities we did, where we ate and our top recommendations on things to consider adding to your own trip to Maui.
There is so much information available out there online and on social media on where you should go, stay, things to do and where to eat for every destination imaginable, but with this new series, "Just Got Back", I hope to provide a quick and easy way for you to take a glimpse into our travel style and of our trip we just got back from and show what we did as a traveling family of four.
For more on Maui from many of our other trips over the years, be sure to check out our ultimate travel guide here:
Maui, also known as the the Valley Isle, offers something for everyone. Maui is beloved for its world famous beaches, the sacred Iao Valley, views of migrating humpback whales during the winter months, farm-to-table cuisine and taking in spectacular sunrises and sunsets from all across the island, especially above the clouds at Haleakala.
Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands and has been voted "Best Island in the U.S." by Conde Nast Traveler readers for more than 20 years and once you visit, it's not surprising not to see why it holds that distinction.
Maui has something for everyone, from amazing resorts, adventure, waterfalls, and much more! On Maui, you'll find a variety of places to stay from luxury resorts, spacious condo rentals and everything in between.
Where to Stay
We have been to Maui many times over the years and for this trip, we decided to stay in Wailea at the Wailea Beach Resort. Situated between sunny Kihei and the beautiful beaches of Makena, Wailea is the perfect place to stay at on Maui if you're looking for high-end shopping, luxury resorts or just a relaxing day at one of the many beautiful beaches.
There are a variety of lodging options to choose from on Maui ranging from luxury hotels to timeshares/condominiums and everything in between, but most of the hotels in Wailea tend to skew more towards the luxury market with hotels here including Four Seasons Maui, Grand Wailea, Andaz Maui, and the Fairmont Kea Lani.
Personally, I love Kaanapali Beach and we have stayed on that side of the island many times over the years, so for this trip I decided to change it up a bit and stay in Wailea at the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort.
Since we have hotel status (Marriott Bonvoy Titanium), we were able to gain access to extra benefits/amenities that include room upgrades and breakfast. Also, since we had lots of Marriott Bonvoy points that could help cover the cost of our stay, it helped narrow down the choices for us and select the Wailea Beach Resort for this trip. I plan on writing more about this in an upcoming post and how we used a lot of Marriott hotel points to cover a majority of our trips for 2022 and the reasoning behind it.
Since the Wailea Beach Resort was busy during Spring break and is one of the most popular Marriott Bonvoy Redemption hotels in the United States as well, we weren't able to be upgraded to a room with an Ocean View, but were able to request a room near the Nalu Adventure Pool. And it turned out the room was on the ground level, which made it easy to walk right out to the pool and slides.
Things to Do
One of main reasons why I decided to stay at the Wailea Beach Resort is because of the great kids pool area (Nalu Adventure Pool), which kept the kids busy almost the entire trip. It was very hard to get them to want to do anything else, except go down slides, swim all day or lounge around poolside, but Maui is full of so many natural wonders offering adventure, waterfalls, and much more, so we couldn't spend all of our time at the pool or beach.
When we weren't relaxing poolside or at Wailea Beach, these are the places we explored and things we did on this. It is not an exhaustive list of things we've done on Maui, but we recommend you to consider adding some of these things to do to your itinerary when you visit Maui next.
- Haleakala National Park - Towering over the island of Maui and visible from just about any point, Haleakala Crater is a force of nature in every sense. At 10,023 feet above sea level, this dormant volcano is the stage for a breathtaking range of landscapes.
- Iao Valley State Park - Significant historical importance to Hawaii, famous for the 1,200 foot Iao Needle, the towering emerald peaks guard the lush valley floor of Iao Valley State Park.
- Maui Ocean Center - Discover and take in the beauty of one of the world's largest collections of live tropical corals in over 60 thriving exhibits featuring marine life found only in Hawaii including sea turtles, sharks, rays, and more.
- Te Au Moana Luau at the Marriott Wailea Beach - One of our favorites on Maui and a must experience when staying at the hotel, this spectacular luau experience features a Hawaiian feast, traditional dance and more.
Places to Eat & Drink
There are so many great places to eat in Maui that it’s best to pack your appetite and make meals a big part of your trip. Maui offers some of the best dining choices in all of Hawaii and many different options, ranging from trendy food trucks to amazing five star restaurants. When we were out exploring, these are some of the restaurants we dined at, when not eating at the Wailea Beach Resort.
- Maui Brewing Company - Visit Hawaii's largest craft brewery at their brewery and restaurant in Kihei. Large patio and great location to grab a bite to eat and drink.
- Lineage - Located in the Wailea Shops and features casual, modern fare that is sharable with great tasting Filipino & Hawaiian family recipes and special cocktails
- Tommy Bahamas Restaurant Wailea - A spacious lanai and warm island breezes make Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar a great choice for dinner or come during Happy Hour to save on their specials.
- Humble Market Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi - Located at the Wailea Beach Resort and is an upscale option for dinner, but we had breakfast here a few mornings and loved the Hawaiian French Toast
- Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman Wailea - Come early if you want to get seats for dinner, farm-to-table eatery & bar for Hawaiian fare in a nice casual space. There is also another location in Kaanapali.
It is hard not to mention these great restaurants we have been to in the past, but did not have time to visit on this trip:
- Mama's Fish House
- Japengo
- Paia Fish Market
- Morimoto Maui
- Down the Hatch
- Star Noodle
- Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop
- Ululani's Shave Ice
- Hali'imaile General Store
- The Lahaina Fish Co.
- Cafe O'Lei Kihei and at the Mill House
Connect with The Family Travel Guy
Let me know what you think of this new trip report series, "Just Got Back", and if you find it useful for planning and getting ideas for own trips.
