We had a whirlwind trip to Maui! Below is our review of everything we experienced on our trip!
Day 1
We departed from Tulsa early, and our flight from Dallas to Maui was pretty uneventful (minus the couple who brought on a stinky shrimp dinner). We enjoyed movies, and a light lunch that AA provided complimentary. 8 hours later, we landed in paradise!
We used Uber to head to our resort. It was about a 30–40-minute drive, and cost $70.
We checked into the Royal Lahaina on Ka'anapali Beach. The room is no frills, but it offered a mini-fridge, coffee pot, large bathroom, with amazing views! We unpacked and headed over to the on site luau to enjoy the show, and amazing dinner. The pork was so tasty!! The exhaustion was setting in quickly due to the 4 hour time difference, so we called it a night and turned in.
Day 2
The alarm went off at 2:15 am, and we were up! We are headed out to see the sunrise over Haleakala crater, and bike down. Our shuttle that took us to our excursion arrived at 2:45 am. We set off with Bike Maui, to head to their base camp at the bottom of Haleakala to be fitted for a bike for our ride down the mountain. Then we headed up to the summit! Lucikly for me it was dark, because heights terrify me. I know...poor excursion choice, right? We arrived at the 10,000 ft summit, just as the beautiful colors were emerging. Quick note, they tell you to pack warm clothes, and it is serious, also take any additional layers that are being offered. It was 30 degrees, with 50 mile per hour winds. The sunrise didn't disappoint! It was spectacular! We then headed down to 6500 ft to begin the most exhilarating and terrifying bike ride of my life. I am pretty sure I spent the first couple of miles convinced I was going to crash or fall off the side of the mountain. There is no pedaling involved, it is downhill for 23 miles, at a fairly fast clip around curves. We were on a guided tour, so a shuttle followed us to assist us with traffic control. We had a quick stop in the picturesque town of Paia to have a quick breakfast at a food truck. There is so much to say about the bike ride! We had an amazing guide, the smell of eucalyptus was abundant, the views (when I was able to look up) were breathtaking, and the adrenaline rush was incredible!
Please be advised, it is very important to be comfortable on a bike for this tour, especially riding downhill. And, unless you are a very experienced bike rider comfortable with traffic on a steep road, the guided tour is the way to go!
The rest of day 2 was spend lounging at the pool/beach. We took the beach walk (you may also take the free Ka'anapali Shuttle) over to Whalers' Village for dinner at MonkeyPod. Entrees were mostly in the $20-$25 range (steaks were higher), and drinks were $10-$15. Dinner was fantastic, we all enjoyed some version of fish! We then walked back and were asleep before 8:30 pm!
Day 3
We were up early in the morning again to head out to the Molokini Crater. We took an Uber to the Maalaea Harbor to meet our boat Four Winds for an 7 am departure. Cost was $60 to the harbor. Upon arrival, we checked into the boat and enjoyed a breakfast of muffins, coffee, and fruit. Then we set off out to the crater. Fun fact, Maalaea Harbor is the 2nd windiest harbor in the world. So pack your Dramamine! Since it was whale season, we were on the lookout. Our boat got super lucky, as we had a mom and baby get super close to our boat! Upon arrival at the crater, the crew got us set up for the water, we elected for the wetsuit shirts as it was pretty cold in the water! I only lasted about 10 minutes before I was too sick to keep swimming. Lindsay enjoyed much longer and saw tons of fish and an eel! Then we had a great pork sandwich and a few beers before heading back to the harbor.
Uber back to the resort was $60.
We enjoyed the pool and beach for the afternoon. Due to feeling seasick, we elected to stay at the resort and have a quick dinner. Then off to another early bedtime!
Day 4
We lounged around drinking coffee and grabbed a quick breakfast ($7 for a coffee and muffin or bagel). Then we headed off to do a running tour of the area. We ran the beach walk for 2 miles down to the public beach area and back. It was beautiful, and we saw tons of rainbows! We then packed up, checked our luggage, and headed down to Front Street in Lahaina for lunch and shopping. Our Uber was about $15 each way. We went to Paia Fish Market for lunch. This was recommended to us for its $5 tacos! Lunch was amazing, and fairly inexpensive. After some shopping, we headed back to the resort. We enjoyed 50 minutes massages at the resort spa! Then it was time to head back to the airport for our overnight flight home. Our 7-hour flight back to Dallas was uneventful. They served us a quick dinner, and then it was lights out! Be sure to pack earplugs, and a sleep mask.
It was a trip of a lifetime for us! We felt so lucky to have amazing weather for our excursions, see the whales, and be treated to gorgeous rainbows! Maui is a must see.