Maui Hawaii Trip

 

Maui is the second largest island in the state of Hawaii and it also happens to be the second most popular Hawaiian destination for tourists. The weather on the East side and the West side of the island are quite different. East side is generally dry with lots of amazing snorkeling spots. The West side, however, has a lot of rain. The famous Haleakala National Park is located in Maui as well and the sun rise at the summit has always been the must go to place for visitors.

We did a 5 day Maui vacation during Thanksgiving. We flew from Portland to Kahului by taking Hawaiian Airline. Since COVID restriction was still in effect, we had to upload our vaccination card online first, then go to the gate at the airport to receive a wrist band indicating that we have been cleared to go. The whole process was quick and easy.

We arrived at Kahului Airport by 11AM. When we got off the plane, we could feel the humidity in the air and it was hotter than what we thought. We had to take this little tram from the terminal to the car rental center that is 5 minutes away. This time we rented car from AVIS. When we got to the rental counter, the lady asked us if we wanted a convertible at no extra cost, we thought about it and said we didn't want it because we plan to go to Haleakala in early morning. Then she gave us a Dodge Challenger. This was one big car for us to drive!

Since it was about noon, we first went for lunch. We looked around and decided to try out Kitoko Maui. It served bento like food and we liked it a lot. Afterwards, we went to Wailea Beach resort and checked in. When we were checking in, the server served us glasses of guava juice. It was quite refreshing. Also, the resort was quite large. It took us 5 minutes to walk to our room.

After taking a short rest, we headed to the shopping center across the street. There was this strong sweet smell coming from this ice cream shop, thus we grabbed ice cream from Lappert's Hawaii. It had some really special handmade ice cream flavor.

On the second day, it was the Thanksgiving Day. This was the day for us to go to Molokini for snorkeling. It was an amazing experience not just for snorkeling but also saw flying fish and whales. Afterwards, we just headed back to Wailea and enjoyed the beach.

On the third day, we woke up extremely early to go to Haleakala National Park. It was a long wait in the cold wind, but the sun rise was definitely worth it. When we got back down the mountain, we headed towards Hana. On the way to Hana, we stopped by Coconut Glen's for a quick ice cream snack. Then went to Huli Huli Chicken for lunch. The drove to Hana was painful due to windy road and some part of the road was in terrible condition.

On the fourth day, we went snorkeling at Kapalua Bay. We even saw a turtle! After snorkeling, we drove to Lahaina. It was a busy town with lots of people and interesting shops. It also had one of the largest Bayan Tree! We then went to Ululani's for the best Hawaiian shave ice. We loved it. On the way back, we stopped by Leoda's Kitchen for the famous pie. Afterwards, we went to Ono Teppanyaki & Seafood for a late lunch.

On the fifth day, we enjoyed an early morning walk by the beach and head back to the airport. Although it was a short stay, we enjoyed every moment on Maui. Maui was not as developed as Oahu, but we still enjoyed it very much. We will definitely visit again when we have the chance.