Shane and I just got back from 7 days in Maui and had an incredible time! We explored all over the island and discovered some incredible places, so of course we wanted to share all of the details with you. This itinerary is perfect for anyone who wants to have an active vacation with just the right amount of relaxation sprinkled in. We hope this post is helpful as you start planning your own Maui adventure. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions after reading!

When is the Best Time to Visit Maui?

Maui is an incredible place to visit any time of year! We chose to plan our Maui adventure for January as the perfect escape from Seattle’s dreary winter. We traveled from Seattle to Maui on January 11 and returned on the 18, and we had no complaints at all about the timing we chose. 

It didn’t rain at all while we were there, and we didn’t find the crowds to be bad either. The only negative this time of year is that the water can be a little rougher and a few places were closed, such as the pools at ‘O’heo Gulch. But you’ll see from our itinerary that we found plenty of other things to do, and didn’t actually spend too much time in the water anyway! 

Through my research, I also read that the shoulder seasons can be a great time to visit for cheaper prices and even less people. Those periods would be April through May and September through November.

Traveling from Seattle to Maui

Our trip from Seattle to Maui was really simple with a direct flight on Alaska Airlines. The duration was 6.5 hours on the way there and 5.5 hours on the way back (due to the jet stream). The airport in Maui is called Kahului Airport (OGG). It is located on the northern coast of the island within the “dip” between west and east Maui, often referred to as the Central Region.

COVID Protocols for Visiting Maui

At the time of our trip (January 2022), it was very simple to travel from Seattle to Maui because we have both been vaccinated. We created an account on the Hawaii Safe Travels website and uploaded all of our trip information and a photo of our vaccine card. 

About a week before our trip, we received an email with a QR code that showed we were all clear to go. They checked this QR code and our ID at our flight gate in Seattle and provided us with a wristband. Having this wristband meant that we didn’t need to do anything further upon arrival in Maui. Once we were out of the airport, we no longer needed the wristband. However, our vaccine cards were checked at almost every single bar or restaurant we visited, so be sure to put that at the top of your packing list! I put ours in a plastic bag to keep them clean and dry.  

These requirements will likely evolve with time, so please be sure to do your own research to ensure you are covered. We recommend checking with the State of Hawaii, Maui County, and your specific airline. I also re-checked the information several times in the weeks and days leading up to the trip just to make sure nothing had changed without me knowing!

Where to Stay for Your Maui Adventure

In order to see as much of the island as possible and minimize your driving time, we recommend staying in at least two different places; ideally three. This itinerary has you staying two nights in Kaanapali (West Maui), three nights in Makawao (Upcountry), and one night in Hana (East Maui). While we weren’t wild about our Kaanapali and Hana Airbnbs, we absolutely LOVED where we stayed in Makawao, so I’m giving that an extra shout-out here and again in more detail later.

A word of advice: The island is not that large, so you may be tempted to stay in one place and just drive to your various activities throughout your 7 days in Maui. We don’t recommend that! Many of the roads you’ll be traveling on are extremely narrow, rough, and curvy, so driving is more taxing than you would expect on a trip of similar length back home. Plus, you’ll be tired after each day of your Maui adventure, and the last thing you’ll want to do is drive several hours back to your accommodation.  

Before you really start planning, it’s helpful to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the geography of the island. This quick visual shows the different regions I’ll be referring to throughout this post.

Tips to Prepare for Your Maui Adventure

Now that we’ve laid out some of the basics, we have a few other tips to help you prepare for the best 7 days in Maui ever! 

Rental Car:

To get around for your 7 days in Maui, you’ll definitely need a rental car. They are somewhat limited on the island, so be sure to book early to secure a reasonable price and get the vehicle type you want. We booked in May for our January trip (8 months in advance). Wondering what type of vehicle to book? That brings us to the next point! 

Roads on Maui:

While the main roads and highways are perfectly fine and what you’d expect in any other destination, some of the most scenic routes will test even the most confident drivers. Because the roads are so narrow in many places, we were thankful to be in a small, two-door Jeep. Obviously bigger groups and families will need more space, and you’ll be perfectly fine, but just keep this in mind as you’re making your selection. This may not be the trip to upgrade to the bigger model just for the sake of it! 

Below is our take on the three most treacherous routes on Maui, in terms of the driving conditions. For reference, Shane is a very confident driver, and we travel on very rough, narrow roads to go hiking here in Washington all the time. So know that our threshold may be a bit higher than someone who’s only used to driving on the highway or in the city. 

• West Maui Loop: We would rate this as the most treacherous road we traveled on during our trip. The road itself is paved nearly the entire way and not very rough, but it is chock-full of totally blind curves and one-lane sections (often at the same time). There is one section in particular just as you’re approaching the Braddah Chic’s food stand (if doing the drive clockwise) that hugs a cliff and is extremely narrow with nowhere to pull off if you meet a car. This means that one of you would need to back up if you have an encounter (thankfully we didn’t!). Doing the drive clockwise (from west to east) is ideal so that you are on the inside, rather than the cliffside, as you go along. You would be fine in a regular car on this road because as I mentioned, it’s not very rough in terms of the terrain. 
• Back Road to Hana: This road is second on our list because it is long and rough in quite a few spots. There are some narrow sections and blind curves, but not nearly as many as the West Maui Loop. We also encountered fewer cars on the Back Road to Hana up until we got close to Haleakala National Park. Having the road mostly to ourselves made it a lot less treacherous. Because of the rough and extremely remote nature of this road, we would think twice before bringing a regular car on this route (although we definitely saw several doing it!). 
• Road to Hana: The “main” Road to Hana seemed pretty easy after driving these other two routes. But don’t be fooled – it’s definitely still full of twists and turns and a few narrow spots. This road is paved though, so a regular car would be perfectly fine.   

Cell Service:

Once you start venturing beyond the cities, cell service is spotty at best on Maui. Before leaving home, take a few minutes to download an offline Google Map of the entire island. It’s small enough that the data doesn’t take up too much space, and we were thankful to have it on many occasions. 

We also recommend packing a car charger for your phone to ensure you have enough battery to navigate and still take plenty of photos and videos! 

Prices:

We knew that Hawaii was expensive, but we were still pretty shocked just how expensive everything was. For reference, groceries were generally about twice what we pay in Seattle. Smoothies from roadside stands were $10, gas was $4.60 per gallon, and I don’t think we ate a meal under $17 per dish. We’re not saying it’s not worth it, but it’s just good to go in with the right mindset. We are also including our complete budget below to help you know in even greater detail what to expect! 

Trip Cost for 7 Days in Maui (for two people)

This was definitely one of our more expensive trips, and as mentioned above, things were expensive once we were on the island too. We tried to keep the cost in check, but didn’t overly stress about it, so there may be some ways to cut down a bit. That said, we saved some money on food by buying groceries here and there. We also like to share meals fairly often when eating out, which is a big way to save dollars and calories! Our Airbnb in Makawao also included breakfast on two of the days, which was really nice.

• Flights – $674.30 total (used Alaska Companion Pass – the full price for one ticket from Seattle to Maui was $527.01)
• Parking at Seattle airport – $104.40
• Rental Car – $699.28
• Accommodation (Lahaina) – $640.07 for two nights + $19.90 for parking
• Accommodation (Makawao) – $780.75 for three nights 
• Accommodation (Hana) – $230.94 for one night
• Whale Watching Tour – $168.25 + $20 tip
• Waiʻānapana State Park (Black sand beach reservation) – $20
• Food & Drinks (Out) – $828.89
• Groceries – $113.54
• Gas – $116.27
• Parking – $20 
• Miscellaneous (laundry, stickers, t-shirt, etc.) – $48

Total = $4,484.59

Packing Tips for 7 Days in Maui

This is not meant to be a comprehensive packing list, but rather some more specific items that you’ll be glad to have for your Maui adventure! 

• COVID vaccine card (they checked at almost all restaurants)
• Car charger for phone
• America the Beautiful National Parks Pass to get into Haleakala National Park (bring your annual pass if you already have one! Or you can pay $30 at the entrance for a three-day pass)
• Warm clothes for Haleakala summit (it’s much colder up there, especially at sunrise and sunset)
• Hiking boots (you could definitely get by with just tennis shoes, but we appreciated having our boots for the hikes mentioned in our itinerary below)
• Water shoes (great for stream crossings and swimming in waterfalls)
• Comfortable sandals (you will be walking a lot, and no one likes blisters)
• Sweat-wicking clothes (hot + humid + hiking = SO sweaty)
• Binoculars (not essential, but we really enjoyed having them for whale watching from shore)
• Reef-safe sunscreen (if you’re doing carry-on only, you can easily buy it upon arrival! Pro tip – use your HSA if you have one)
• Bug spray (we didn’t have any and ended up with a lot of giant, annoying bug bites)
• Learn from my misfortune – short, flowy dresses aren’t the best choice when you’re by the beach! 

How to Spend 7 Days in Maui: Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Travel + Explore Kaanapali and Lahaina Areas

• Arrive at Kahului Airport and pick up rental car
• Check into Airbnb/hotel in West Maui (~1 hour from airport)
• Free afternoon/evening to explore Kaanapali and Lahaina areas
• Stay in West Maui

This area of West Maui is quite busy and touristy with tons of places to check out for food and drinks. You’ll also find all of the nice resorts here. We opted to stay in an Airbnb at Aston Kaanapali Shores for our first two nights. We liked the location and the overall property and its amenities, but wouldn’t necessarily stay in our exact unit again just because it was pretty worn and dated. Both Kaanapali and Lahaina would be great areas to stay as your home base for exploring the West Maui area. After a quick Airbnb search with no set dates, there seem to be plenty of great options for a similar price as what we paid, so I would highly suggest booking early to get the best bang for your buck! 

For our first afternoon in Maui, we walked along the Kaanapali Beachwalk and popped into Leilani’s on the Beach for perhaps the most delicious pork tacos of our life. Then we enjoyed the scenic walk down to Cliff Dive Grill at the Sheraton. This was one of our favorite bars of the trip because it was a bit removed from the crowds and located essentially right on the beach. Our last stop of the day was Waikiki Brewing, which was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset from the bar! There are more great places to visit than there is time for, so we’ll include a list of some other options we didn’t make it to at the end of this post. 

If you like to spend time swimming or laying out on the beach, these first two days would be a great time to lounge on the beautiful beaches in West Maui. As you go through our itinerary, you’ll notice that we aren’t big beach bums, although we love looking at the ocean and taking in the beautiful views!

Day 2: Whale Watching + Beach + Explore Lahaina

• Morning whale watching tour leaving from Lahaina
• Relax on Baby Beach
• Check out the super cool Grotto Bar
• Happy hour (and more whale watching!) at Fleetwood’s on Front Street
• Stay in West Maui

We did our Maui whale watching tour with Trilogy Excursions and highly recommend it! We saw a ton of whales and enjoyed unlimited drinks and breakfast on board. The staff was very relaxed, welcoming, and knowledgeable. 10/10 stars!

After the whale watching tour, we relaxed on Baby Beach for a bit and then grabbed a drink at Grotto Bar, located at the Hyatt Regency. This is a really unique spot with a poolside bar located in a cave with two waterfall entrances to it! I’m sure the pool itself is meant to be only for guests, but we didn’t see any signs and there was hardly anyone in it, so we just went for it. If you act like you know what you’re doing, chances are no one will question you (but don’t hold us to that!). 

The other place we highly recommend is Fleetwood’s on Front Street. Make a happy hour reservation for yummy food (get the mac and cheese and truffle fries) and awesome views. We got lucky with a table closest to the water and could look out and see tons of whales. It was so cool!

Day 3: West Maui Loop

• Kapalua Coastal Trail for sunrise
• Breakfast at The Gazebo
• Honolua Bay Access Trail
• Nakalele Blowhole
• Ohai Loop Trail
• Braddah Chics food stand
• Iao Valley State Monument
• Evening in Makawao
• Stay in Upcountry

We started day three bright and early with a sunrise run (or make it a walk) on the Kapalua Coastal Trail. It was so beautiful and peaceful! We opted to park at The Gazebo restaurant and walk the 10’ish minutes along the road to the start of the trail. That way, our car was back at the restaurant for our post-run feast, and we knew we had a spot locked down before the crowds rolled in. 

The Gazebo gets packed, but it’s worth it! We were a little confused at first and waited in the super long line that didn’t seem to be moving at all. Pro tip: go to the BACK of the restaurant and place your order for takeout! It’s very subtle, but there is a little counter where you can place your order and then take it to sit over by the pool. It took maybe 15 minutes to get our food. So what should you order? We had the fried rice plate (which is huge!) and the macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. It was SO GOOD. We shared and alternated between the salty and the sweet flavors. Highly recommend!

The rest of the day was spent making our way along the West Maui Loop (see our take on this treacherous road earlier in this post if you missed it). The Honolua Bay Access Trail and Nakalele Blowhole are both pretty quick and worthwhile stops. Be careful to not get too close to the blowhole! It can be dangerous, but you can easily view it from a safe distance.

The Ohai Loop Trail was gorgeous with lush green views extending out to the ocean. The hike is easy, and the payoff is big!

The Braddah Chics food stand was a welcomed sight after the most treacherous part of the drive, and we enjoyed a delicious smoothie overlooking the absolutely stunning view. 

We were running low on energy and, more importantly, water, so we skipped over the Waihe’e Ridge hike and came back for that another day. Our final stop was Iao Valley State Monument which was definitely pretty, but there isn’t much to the experience there. You can see the needle from the parking lot or walk on a short path around the park. While we don’t regret the stop, I wouldn’t necessarily make a special point or go way out of your way to visit this. 

We stopped in the Kahului area for some gas and groceries on our way to our second Airbnb in Makawao. We knew we wanted some picnic snacks for sunset on Haleakala the next day, so this is the best chance to grab that! You should also make sure you have snacks to pack for your final days on the Road to Hana as food options are somehwhat limited and close early. 

For dinner, we went into the cute downtown area of Makawao and ate at Casanova, which has delicious pasta, homemade focaccia bread, and plenty of wine.

Our second accommodation of the trip was North Shore Lookout, which is less than 10 minutes from downtown Makawao. We cannot rave enough about this wonderful spot and the hosts! Upon arrival, we immediately felt relaxed. Everything is clean, well-designed, and so thoughtful. They had so many nice touches to make our stay comfortable, including an absolutely delicious breakfast complete with smoothies and a wide variety of coffee drinks. Book this place, and you’ll be so happy you did!

Day 4: Upcountry + Sunset on Haleakala Summit

• Grandma’s Coffee House
• Maui Wine
• The Terrace Restaurant at Kula Lodge
• Sliding Sands Trail in Haleakala National Park
• Sunset on the summit of Haleakala
• Stay in Upcountry

Day four started with a relaxing morning and delicious breakfast at our Airbnb. We made an 11:00 reservation for Maui Wine and stopped at Grandma’s Coffee House on the way. Note that Grandma’s can be pretty busy, so allow yourself enough time that you don’t feel too rushed. We had an amazingly delicious lemon bar and coffee, and they’re also known for their coffee cake. 

Maui Wine is a lovely winery in the countryside at the base of Haleakala volcano. Sipping their pineapple wine (they have other kinds too) in the sunshine was so relaxing. 

After the winery, we had our favorite dining experience of the trip: Garden Terrace Restaurant at Kula Lodge. The outdoor seating area is absolutely gorgeous, built into the hillside and surrounded by lush gardens and a beautiful view in the distance. You have your own little dining area and a series of streams and waterfalls runs between the different levels. It’s truly magical! And as if the setting wasn’t enough, they have incredible food too. You can order pizzas that are cooked just a few yards away in their huge wood-fired pizza oven, and we had a super delicious pulled pork sandwich. 

After lunch, we started the drive up the long and winding road to Haleakala volcano. It was so foggy and cloudy on the way up that we almost turned back, thinking for sure we wouldn’t be able to enjoy any views from the top. But thank goodness we didn’t, because the conditions continued to change as we drove, and we eventually made our way above the clouds. 

In the national park, we hiked about three miles roundtrip on the Sliding Sands trail, which was really unique. You can go quite a bit further on this trail if you have the time and energy, just remember that it’s all uphill on your way back! The clouds rolled in and out throughout the hike, but we got a decent look at the bright red sands and formations within the crater. Notice the woman in the photo below for scale!

After the hike, we drove the short distance further to the summit for sunset. It was super busy up there, so head up early to ensure you have a parking spot. Otherwise you would need to walk up from the lower lot. We brought a picnic and hung out up there until the setting sun put on the most spectacular show. It was gorgeous! Just make sure you pack plenty of layers, because it gets quite chilly up there.

If you prefer to visit the summit for sunrise, you’ll need to grab a permit as that is an extremely popular activity. We were happy with our choice to do sunset instead, although I’m sure both are equally mesmerizing.

Day 5: Waihe’e Ridge Hike + South Maui

• Waihe’e Ridge hike
• Relaxing afternoon
• Maluaka Beach for sunset (and even more whale watching)
• Maui Brewing Company

As previously mentioned, we skipped over the Waihe’e Ridge hike on day three, so went back to do it on day five. It’s about a 40 minute drive to the trailhead from Makawao, and the roads were very reasonable in this section. We got to the trailhead around 9:30 and the main parking lot was already entirely full. There is a lower parking lot, but it would have added something like .7 mile more distance each way. Right as we were pulling out from the full lot, we noticed some folks opening up a second lot right next to it. Turns out, there’s a boy scout troop who opens up this extra parking, and we were able to park there with a $10 donation.

We would rate the Waihe’e Ridge hike as moderate. You will climb quite a bit of elevation, but there are occasional areas where it flattens out to help you recover. Even though it was still morning when we started, it was already really hot, and we were pouring sweat by the end! The views are really pretty though, and it’s definitely worth the effort. 

After exerting ourselves on the trail, we decided to take it easy for the afternoon and grabbed some lunch and a margarita in Makawao at a place called Polli’s. Then we went back to the airbnb and relaxed and napped by the pool. 

For sunset, we headed south to Maluaka Beach. The sunset put on quite a show, but the real treat was whale watching from shore! We saw a mama and baby jumping repeatedly and playing, and it was so special to see. Moments like this are when the binoculars come in handy! We could see them with the bare eye, but it was really great to be able to get a closer look at the action. 

Our final stop of the day was Maui Brewing Company in Kihei, which is huge! It’s a really fun atmosphere, and you can grab food in their main dining area (which had a wait), or just pop into their tasting room.

Day 6: Back Road to Hana

• Back Road to Hana scenic drive
• Laulima Fruit Stand
• Haleakala National Park (Pipiwai Trail and Waimoki Falls + Kuloa Point Trail to ‘Ohe’o Gulch)
• Black sand beach at Waiʻānapanapa State Park
• Stay in Hana

We opted to do the Road to Hana in the opposite direction (counter-clockwise) of what’s most common, which meant starting on the Back Road to Hana. I described this route in more detail earlier in the post, but just know that the roads can be a bit rough and bumpy, and of course you’ll encounter some one-way sections and sharp curves! The plus side of the Back Road to Hana, though, is that you encounter less cars than on the main section of the Road to Hana. 

Most of the drive is quite scenic, but you don’t really encounter any stopping points until you get close to Haleakala National Park. We made a quick stop at the Laulima Fruit Stand for some delicious juice, and then drove on to the park, where we hiked the Pipiwai Trail and the Kuloa Point Trail to ‘Ohe’o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools). The bamboo forest on the Pipiwai Trail was really cool and much more expansive than we were expecting! Unfortunately the ‘Ohe’o Gulch pools were closed so we didn’t get to swim, but we did stick our feet in the stream at the end of the Pipiwai Trail to cool off. 

You may be wondering if this is the same Haleakala Park from the summit sunset? It is! But it’s a totally separate entrance, and there is no way to travel between the two different areas of the park. While there isn’t much to this part of the park aside from these trails, you will find a small visitor center with restrooms and a water bottle refill station. 

An unforeseen road closure between the park and Hana meant we had plenty of time to explore the trails while waiting for the road to reopen. But because of this, we lost some time and had to head straight from the park to the black sand beach at  Waiʻānapanapa State Park without any stops along the way. Note that you need a reservation to visit this beach, but it’s really beautiful and worth that extra little step!

We grabbed dinner from a food truck on our way to the beach and enjoyed it there. You’ll spot several clusters of food trucks on your way into Hana. Note that things do close pretty early in this town and your options are limited, so make sure you account for that and also pack plenty of snacks. 

We stayed the night at the Hana Inn, which was far from glamorous, but a comfortable place to rest for the night and break up the drive. We booked this really last minute (we were originally planning to do the Road to Hana all in one day), so there are likely some better options if you look further in advance. 

Day 7: Main Road to Hana + North Shore + Travel

• Hana Farms
• Hana Lava Tube
• Nahiku Marketplace
• Wailua Valley State Wayside
• Aunt Sandy’s Banana Bread
• Ke’anae Lookout
• Garden of Eden Botanical Garden
• Twin Falls 
• Ho’okipa Lookout and Beach
• Explore Paia
• Travel back to Seattle

For our final day in Maui, we made our way from Hana to Paia with lots of stops along the way. We decided to skip the lava tube because we’ve been in several before, but have heard that’s a cool experience if it’s something new to you!

This may be an unpopular opinion, but we felt that the famous Aunt Sandy’s Banana Bread near Ke’anae Lookout was a bit overrated. There was a super long line, and it’s just plain banana bread. We wished we would have bought the bread back at Nahiku Marketplace instead, where it looked even better with multiple unique options (like pineapple macadamia!) and no line at all. You live and you learn, right? It was still delicious though! 

We also ended up skipping the Garden of Eden Botanical Garden because their credit card reader was down for the day and we were short on cash by this point in the trip. We did spend quite a bit of time at Twin Falls, which is a fun area where you can do a short hike to three different waterfalls. You can swim in the falls, and even do some cliff diving if you’re brave like Shane!

In our final hours of the trip, we finally got to see some sea turtles at Ho’okipa Beach! It was fun to see people surfing in that area as well. 

Some advice for the Road to Hana: don’t worry too much about having every single stop planned out! Just enjoy the drive, and there’s plenty to see and do along the way. If you want a bit more guidance and background information as you go, this audio guide came highly recommended.

We had a late flight back to Seattle that night, so opted to kill a few hours in Paia. We got our first shaved ice of the trip at Ululani’s and it was even better than I ever expected! Highly recommend getting it with a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream — yummm. We spent an hour or two at Baldwin Beach and then had dinner at a place called Flatbread Company and closed the night with a drink at Milagros. Paia is a cute town that’s definitely worth visiting, and it was a nice relaxing cap to the trip.

Additional Recommendations:

West Maui:

• Honolulu Cookie Company
• Baya Bowls 
• Honu Seafood and Pasta 
• Prison Street Pizza 
• Duke’s Beach House
• Hula Grill
• Down the Hatch
• Monkey Pod
• Mala ocean tavern
• Sansei

South Maui:

• Kamaole Beaches
• Charley Young Beach
• Paako Cove aka Secret Beach
• Keawakapu Beach
• Makena State Park
• Jawz Taco Truck
• 808 DELI 
• Kihei Caffe
• Three’s Bar and Grill
• Pint and Cork
• Hoapali Trail / La Perouse hike
• Kings Highway hike

Upcountry Maui:

• Haliimaile General Store

So there you have it – all of our recommendations and tips for 7 days in Maui. We felt like we had the perfect amount of time to see everything we wanted to see, and had a good balance of being active while also relaxing. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions about planning your own Maui adventure!