Maui
For a Southern Californian, it had been a while since I experienced Hawaii properly, so this was an exciting trip for me. Plus, I got to be with my little brother, which is always a joy. We went to Maui for a week, and came back fatter and tanner-a successful Hawaii trip if you ask me. Here's what we did on the sunny isle back in August.
Where to stay when you want to stay in a hotel but you also don’t: Ho’olei
High class villas that feel intimate and private yet provide full access to one of the premier family resorts in the country? Yeah, worked for us. You get the best of every world when you stay at the villas at Ho’olei. The villas themselves are immaculate and fully felt like I was in a home away from home. The complex had a great pool area, jacuzzi and gym for when you want to avoid the small crowd at the Grand Wailea (sarcasm at the end there). But when you do want the benefits of the resort (beach, pools, slides, bars, restaurants, etc.), it is a quick 10 minute walk (or 2 minute shuttle if you’re really embracing the vacation lifestyle).
Where to go when you want to drive for a few hours, then hike a classic trail: Road to Hana
One of, if not the most beautiful road in the world is around the north eastern coast of Maui. Along this drive, you'll come across dozens of waterfalls, beautiful vistas, black sand beaches, underground cave systems, fruit stands, villages and if you're lucky, maybe a rainbow or two.
But the best part of the drive came when we reached the Pipiwai Trail. The hike takes around three hours to complete, so allocate enough time on your trip to the Road to Hana because this one of the better hikes in the country. The trail leads you past ancient trees, through bamboo forests, and ends at one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth skipping some other places on the Road to Hana to maximize your time on this hike.
If you don’t want to do what we did (essentially just drove down the road for 3 hours then hiked for another 3 then drove again another 2 back to the villa), you can stop at places such as Twin Falls (which we also did and is pretty nice), the lava tube, Red Beach (highly recommend, but be careful), Hamoa Beach, Waianapanapa Beach (I enjoyed typing that), and Wailea Falls.
What to do when the jetlag keeps waking you up before dawn: Bike down Haleakala
This is honestly one of the more memorable activities I've done in my lifetime. We woke up at 3 AM, hopped on a bus and went across to the northern end of the island to meet up with our guide. He fitted us with warm jackets, gave us some forms to fill out along with a banana and coffee, and briefed us on the activity. We then drove up the mountain in pitch black darkness, as the sun remained below the horizon, slowly creeping its way up as we ascended higher and higher. Once we reached the 6,000 feet mark (not the top because of timing and altitude sickness issues), we parked the van and watched the horizon transform from black to dark purple to dark blue to orange to yellow to blue. It was one of the most beautiful images, with the clouds floating by and the island coming to life. Once the sun is up, we hopped on the bikes provided (which absolutely sucked but hey, I'm alive) and zipped down the curvey road at 25 mph, all the way back down through the different climate zones of the volcano to base. We returned around 8:30 and were back by the pool by 10:00 after breakfast at home. If the lack of sleep worries you, just know that there's a nice nap by the pool waiting for you when you get back, so suck it up and don't miss out on this tour.
Where to impress a group of tourists by diving fifty feet down the country's steepest reef wall: Molokini
Molokini is home to some of the most incredible underwater marine life Hawaii has to offer. The crescent shaped volcanic crater is teeming with fishes and beautiful coral on the interior, but its the exterior that really takes your breath away. It’s a straight drop off into the blue abyss, and actually freaked me about a bit as I jumped into the water. I mean, 200 feet of reef dropping into nothing is not something you see every day. Regardless, we had a great time impressing our life-jacket-holding tour by diving down 50 feet or so and checking out the coral formations and fish a few stories underwater.
Not much else honestly, and that's mostly because we really just enjoyed chilling mostly while we were here. That's the essence of Hawaii. Post up with a frozen passionfruit mojito, watch a football game by the pool bar, slide down a couple slides, float around the lazy river, chill with turtles off the beach, and eat shaved ice. But, with that said, don't forget to do at least some exploring.