I’m SO excited to finally share about my honeymoon in Maui! If you’re looking for a place to relax, beautiful ocean views, warm weather year round, fresh poke + amazing food in general and no traffic, Maui is the place to go!
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
My husband, Jovin and I got married last June 2020! So.. that makes it almost 10 months as a married couple 🙂 We originally planned to have our wedding in March 2020, but with the pandemic, we had to postpone our wedding. Thankfully, when things opened up in June we had a small intimate wedding with our immediate family in the backyard. Everything worked out & was truly a blessing in disguise! Here’s our wedding day story if you wanted to read on that 🙂
We FINALLY got to go on our Honeymoon in Maui! We originally planned to go here so we kept a similar itinerary.
WEATHER + PACKING
I was here from April 17-24, 2020. The weather was amazing and treated us well! Usually there would be light rain occasionally but luckily, it only rained once for just a few minutes! I recommend to pack a light waterproof jacket in case it rains. I didn’t pack any jeans – only shorts, tops, dresses, skirts and 2 light pullover hoodies for those chillier nights. For shoes, I only packed 1 pair of casual slippers to wear with my dresses, beach slippers and white shoes for the airport!
I would recommend packing the following:
- Hawaii Reef-Safe Sunblock
- Mosquito Spray
- Underwater phone case or GoPro (if you plan to go snorkeling)
- Cooler Bag (for snacks or food you have on the trip)
- Waterproof bag for those beach trips
- Portable charger
- Clothing: Casual shorts, casual tops/tanks, 1-2 light sweaters/jackets, waterproof sandals, 1 set of more formal wear (dress/dress shirt) for Luau or a fancy dinner, swim wear
- Additionals: straw hat, swim coverups
COVID TESTING
Currently, everyone entering Hawaii is required to take a COVID test 72 hours before departure time. My flight was on Saturday so my test was on Wednesday (3 days before). You can schedule it 3 days beforehand so make sure you are on top of it as appointments fill up QUICKLY. I did mine at Walgreens! It was free & took ONE day to get results back even though they said it would take 2-4 days. Take in mind that many more people are traveling to Hawaii now so it may take longer.
STEP 1: Look through this approved list of travel partners to book a COVID test within 72 hours of departure time. If the testing site is not on this list, it will NOT be approved, even if negative.
STEP 2: Make an account on the Hawaii Safe Travels site. Add in your flight information and answer a questionnaire. You will upload your negative test results when you get them back via email from your testing site. You NEED to make this account to get your QR code.
STEP 3: Wait for Hawaii to approve your test result to say “COVID NEGATIVE”. While waiting, it will say “Verification in process”. When it’s verified, you will get an email with a QR code. I recommend to screenshot the code & even the PDF with your test results as the reception in Hawaii isn’t too great. You will need to show it upon arrival, when getting your rental car and checking into your hotel/valet parking.
As for COVID restrictions, you will ALWAYS need to wear a mask in public places unless you are sitting down at the beach, in the pool/tanning or eating at a restaurant.
DEPARTURE + ARRIVAL
Departure from LAX to OGG (Kahului Airport)
We missed our 9:50am flight… so we got placed on the next flight which was at 4:45pm. It was actually nice because it forced us to rest and look through our plans instead of rushing into our honeymoon trip!
We got to Maui around 7pm so the rental car place we originally booked was closed. We did a walk in and found a car 1/4 of the price we originally were going to pay! I’d recommend to book a car to be safe and when you arrive, ask for other options to see what you would like. You don’t pay until you get there anyways!
Here’s us in our very windy convertible lol!
KAHULUI
This is where the airport is! There’s two food spots I tried that I HIGHLY recommend to stop by upon arrival or before you leave!
- Tin Roof Maui – delicious mochocki chicken & poke (seasonal). I know they have Ahi tuna and salmon poke depending on availability. The pork belly and garlic shrimp weren’t too great to me!
- Maui’s Speciality Chocolates – AMAZING fresh mochi made daily. The chocolate truffle and Azuki red bean flavors are a must try.
WAILEA
We stayed at The Andaz Maui in Wailea! I MISS IT SO MUCH!!
We were deciding between the three hotels; Andaz, Fairmont and Four Seasons. After doing research for about 2 days.. we decided on Andaz. The hotel is one of the newer ones in Wailea, so it has a more modern feel to it, which I loved! There are also less kids compared to the Fairmont. The price of Four Seasons was also really high, and I wasn’t as drawn to it compared to the Andaz! The Andaz has 4 infinity pools, delicious food, is right by the beach, comped classes, spacious gym with peloton bikes and just beautiful ocean views!
Here are some of my food/activity recs in Wailea!
- Akamai Coffee – The honeybee coconut milk latte is so unique. It’s not on their menu so it’s a special drink 🙂
- Ka’ana Kitchen – this is a breakfast buffet at the Andaz! They had mochi waffles, vegan coconut mochi pancakes, breakfast salmon sandwiches, fresh papaya, mango and more fruits, all breads and bagels, smoked salmon, eggs, sausages, lattes, coffees, etc. Some food rotates from week to week but there is something you are bound to love! They also have dinner but that’s a la carte!
- The Andaz Luau – Our hotels’ luau! Totally worth the experience! It’s beautiful by the beach & you even get to watch the sunrise! Unlimited bar & pre-plated traditional + local food!
- Lehua Lounge – This is the lounge bar at the Andaz hotel. They have live music on some nights. It’s nice to just chill, have a drink and relax after a long day!
Such a fun luau!
The menu for the Luau! We got a bit of EVERYTHING on this menu! They are all dairy-free except the desserts so I got different ones!
Sunset views!
KIHEI
We spent a lot of time in Kihei because there’s more food here!
Food Spots in Kihei:
- Kihei Caffe – They open at 6am but lines start early! It goes by pretty quickly though since food comes out within 10-15 minutes & there’s plenty of seating outdoors. I got the florentine eggs benedict (the eggs were overdone lol). I recommend the mac nut french toast, FRESH papaya (if you like that), POG (pineapple, orange, guava) drink and kalua pork fried rice!
- Nalu’s South Shore Grill – seasonal ahi tuna eggs benedict was amazing! I mean.. where else can you find something like that? The macadamia nut french toast was so good filled with a pineapple lilikoi marmalade.
- Java Cafe Maui – lots of pastries to pick from, coffee and lattes, many breakfast options like sandwiches and toast, smoothies, juices and more
- Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice – a MUST TRY place in Maui. They have SO many flavors! If you can have dairy, I recommend to try the macadamia nut ice cream under the shaved ice. I couldn’t try it but many people that has tried it is obsessed ! Jovin was so obsessed we got it three times during our trip!
- Maui’s Farmers Market – opened 8-4pm daily! It’s right next to Ululani’s so I stopped by here every time we got shaved ice! They have many fresh fruit, dried fruit, hot sauces and acai. I got a super sweet papaya here! They can cut it up for you if you ask.
- Kinaole Food Truck – Delicious calamari shrimp, ahi tuna and garlic shrimp! I loved everything and I highly recommend grabbing this place to go after the beach! It’s a cute food truck! 🙂 The owner is the mom of my talent manager – she is THE sweetest! <3
- Coconut’s Fish Cafe – AMAZING fish tacos with coconut milk coleslaw so it’s dairy-free! I had this for dinner the night I arrived and also the night before going home.
- Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade – two stores down from Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Kihei! They’re known for their lemonades and acai! I tried their two most popular flavors – lavender blackberry and strawberry pineapple! SO GOOD. I also got their Acai bowl and I love it more than the Maui’s farmers market one. This one was a lot thicker. A local sitting nearby said he was an acai bowl connoisseur and that this spot is a TOP FAVE in addition to choice health bar (didn’t get to try).
- South Maui Fish Company – When I went, sadly they didn’t have poke, just fish tacos since the fridge went out. The fish tacos here has a different twist to it. They add a sweet sauce on top, almost like a light teriyaki sauce! Still so fresh and delicious! It’s a food truck located in a middle of a little plaza. They open at 11 and close at 230 or whenever the food sells out. It’s a popular spot so they sell out quickly!
- Paia Fish Market – There are several locations but I went to the southside one! They also have one in Paia in Lahaina. The fish tacos are eh, but the mahi mahi was SO good. I got it cajun style with the coleslaw!
- Eskimo Candy – Fresh ahi tuna poke. There’s 4 kinds but you can pick 1-2 instead. Served on a bed of rice with some mayo and seaweed salad!
LAHAINA
- Leoda’s Pies – Just a short walk from the Olawalu fruit stand! This was the main reason I wanted to go to Lahaina! The chocolate mac nut and pineapple mac nut pies were both amazing! I liked the pineapple one better because of the unique flavor. The chocolate mac nut one was like a regular chocolate pie with just subtle mac nut crunch.
- Olawalu Fruit Stand and Market – definitely overpriced but I think it’s worth it if you want that fresh coconut water from a coconut experience 🙂 They have banana bread, fresh and dried fruit, coocnut syrups, nuts, honey, jams and more snacks and foods you can grab!
- Maui Pineapple Store – a cute store tucked in Lahaina with lots of cute pineapple themed stationary, accessories, gifts, etc. I got earrings there!
ROAD TO HANA
We went to Road to Hana on two separate days! It’s recommended to start driving by 7-8am to beat the traffic. We left our hotel around 6:30am. The road in the beginning is fine but once you get closer to mile 10ish, the roads get a lot more windy. They call them hairpin turns! There’s many one way bridges too so you need to drive strategically between tight spaces. We got a convertible because it was easier to drive on the small curvy roads. There are many times you can’t see what’s ahead of you so it’s recommend to slow down and honk to let the oncoming cars know you’re around the corner! Drive slow and enjoy the views 🙂
On the first day, we started at 630am, arrived at mile marker 0 around 730. Our last stop ended at 330! Here are our stops.
- Twin Falls – 1.8 mile hike – took about 1.5 hours.
- Waikmoi Forest Ridge Trail – bamboo trees, some stairs, beautiful greenery and some red trees. Only a 30 minute loop! Only a few parking spots – we almost left but waited 5 minutes and got a spot, woo!
- Halfway to Hana – their famous banana bread is TOO good. We got two loaves and wish we made it back in time to get more! They also have kalua pork sandwiches, fresh pineapple, candy and other random stacks. Many people also recommend the Keanae banana bread (Aunty Sandys) but I never got to try it.
- Coconut Glens – VEGAN ice cream. They usually have 6-8 flavors and you can pick up to two! I got the coconut and coffee toffee. Coconut was okay but coffee toffee left me craving more! It’s a cute little truck. There’s seating to relax and chill a bit on your drive too. Perf way to cool down!
- Kaihalulu beach – Red Sand Beach. Best stop of the day! It’s a short hike to the beach on the other side. It’s a small beach but definitely worth it to me. The water is so clear and blue!
On our way back home, we went to Mama’s Fish House in Paia! They only do reservations and may be couple months booked out. It’s pricier and fancier, but if you’re planning a trip way in advance I highly recommend trying this spot for the experience. The beach there is beautiful and the fish there was better than any other fish I tried on this trip. Jovin couldn’t stop raving about it!
On the second day of Road to Hana, we only went to Pipiwai trail which took all day. There is a $30 entrance fee per car. It was a 4 hour hike and with all the driving, we didn’t want to tire ourselves out. We didn’t have an interest for any more waterfalls since we already went to Twin Falls and Waimoku Falls! The Oheo pools are also here if you wanted to stop by after the hike (0.5 mile) 🙂
One thing I wish we got to do on Road to Hana was Waianapanapa (Black sand beach). They require reservations because of COVID so they were booked out our entire week! You need to buy two tickets – one for car entry and ALSO one ticket per person. A car entry ticket does not allow you to get in.
BEACHES
Mokapu Beach – by the Andaz hotel if you are staying there. A relaxing beach with available chairs and umbrella service
Makena Beach – A top recommended beach! It’s more quiet and not packed! Definitely my favorite one (other than Red sand beach on Road to Hana)
Maluaka Beach – Small lot just a small walk. Apparently this is a turtle beach but you can’t see it from the sand. Still a great spread out beach to relax at if you are in the area. Very close to Makena beach!
Red Sand Beach – Do this as a quick beach stop during Road to Hana! Such beautiful views and gorgeous waters.
Places/things I would skip
Honestly, there isn’t much I would skip! I would recommend to just pick 1 or 2 waterfalls on Road to Hana. We only went to two and it was enough for us! I made sure we went to at least one waterfall, one forest hike and one beach! After that, I had enough of Road to Hana and wanted to move on to the next thing on the island!
Places I wish I visited
Choice Health Bar, Baya Bowls, Island Vintage Coffee, 808 Grindz Cafe, Geste Shrimp Truck, Star Noodle (in Lahaina) Aunty Sandys Banana Bread (Road to Hana), Waihe’e Ridge Trail (hike), Lahaina Pali Trail Eastern Half (hike), Kapalua Beach and Waianapanapa Staee Park (Road To Hana).
We were thinking of snorkeling, scuba diving or ziplining but we didn’t want to pack all our days with so many activities. Part of the experience in Hawaii is literally just RELAXING. Especially since it was our honeymoon, we wanted more time just sitting, talking and relaxing by the beach so we did just that! Oh, we also got two couples massages which was amazing. So relaxing!
I miss Maui so much already! God’s creation is just so amazing! Till next time <3 We will be back!