Isn’t it so crazy how quickly a vacation can go by! I cannot believe our trip is over! We looked forward to it for over a year, and let me tell you, it was just as great as we thought it would be. Maui is gorgeous. That’s all there is to it. We traveled there with Matt’s whole family [12 of us total] to celebrate his parent’s 50th anniversary. I could go on and on about every little detail, but instead, I thought for this post I would make it more of tips for any future travelers 🙂

 

1. Go to the local markets. There are fun new things to look at, or eat!

2. Drive up to Haleakala for either the sunset or the sunrise. It’s a long, windy road up [so take meds if you get car sick], but the view from the top is so worth it. Another tip–layers! It’s so unbelievably cold!

3. The Banyan tree in downtown Lahaina is pretty awesome. All the smaller trees have come from the big central tree! The rest of Lahaina is very touristy :/

4. Mama’s Fish House. So yum. Expensive, but yum. Everything is freshly caught that day [they even have the fisherman’s name that caught the seafood]. Every dessert is divine–yes between four of us at a table, we had most of them. [Sorry, no food photos–just a photo of the both of us outside the restaurant].

5. Alright, the Road to Hana. Another long windy road. It was pretty spectacular to see the waterfalls and the tropical scenery. I’m glad we saw it, I’m not sure I would do it again. Plan for an all day affair–10-12 hours depending on how many stops you make. There are no restaurants, so be sure to bring a cooler full of goodies.

6. Stop at the black sand beach! One of my favorite parts 🙂

7. If you do drive the Road to Hana, stop at the local farm stands. They have homemade banana bread, ice cream, and Coconut Glen will even cut open a fresh coconut right in front of you.

8. Be sure to stop and enjoy the crazy scenery and peculiar nature. Even tree roots are different.

9. Drive around the top of the west side of Maui. The car rental places will tell you that it’s “sketchy” [it kind of is, you’re driving on a one way road in the mountains with no guard rails, but hey, it’s an adventure :)]. It’s really jungle-like. There’s a blow-hole to see, fruit stands to stop at [get the strawberry guava jam at Julia’s stand] and art galleries to see.

10. Iao Valley. It looks like another world.  Photos do not do it justice.