Travel diaries " Maui"

    Maui is a stunning place with the perfect weather. This place takes your breath away with crystal clear water, amazing beaches, and luscious greenery. It is a touristy place. However, you can still enjoy nature to the fullest. Our trip to Maui was impromptu. We went there in February 2023, which is off-season and was a little cheaper to travel compared to summer. The flight's price was ok, but lodging was expensive for our budget. Still, we managed to go there. It took us almost 8 hours of nonstop flight from Denver to Maui. We took a fun tram to get to the car rental place from the airport and went to our accommodation. This place was charming. We stayed in a typical touristy place, Kaanapali beach resort. It is like a condominium and is rented out to people. It had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and a small balcony. We felt this place was a home away from home. 

    The first stop for us was Costco, and we renewed our Costco membership after four years to shop in Maui because, from all the YouTube videos on Maui, it was evident that it might be the only good shopping place for groceries. I loved the local papaya and banana, which I had never seen in other Costco in the USA. The next stop was a food truck. Hawaii has this culture of food trucks. You can find fantastic food here. We almost went to different food truck venues every day while we stayed there. We went to various places in a week. Some of the highlights of our trip were 

Waiimoku falls via the Pipiwai trail. 

This is one of the best trails we have hiked so far. It is one of the most famous and busiest trails in Maui. The path was muddy, and I had serious doubts about finishing this when we started to walk. But the risk was worth it. You had to walk uphill, and you can hear the soothing sound of the river that runs on the side of the trail while you hike this trail. On the way, we saw the most enormous banyan tree I have ever seen. You get to walk in the whistling bamboo forest near the top of the trail. It was the most surreal and magical experience. After more than an hour of uphill hiking, you see the beautiful Waiimoku Falls.

Seven sacred pools trail

After we hiked the Pipiwai trail, we went to this trail. These seven ponds are mesmerizing things. The trail ends with a spectacular view of the ocean. We just sat down to enjoy the ocean view and ate some snacks. The view is one of the best views I have seen so far.

Road to Hana

The road to Hana is our most beautiful drive so far. It is a long winding highway to get to Hana. The roads are treacherous and narrow. 

So relax and take your time to enjoy the view and the trip. There are numerous waterfalls, it was raining almost most of the trip, but it was heavenly. We stopped to see rainbow eucalyptus trees and a short hike on our way to Hana. There were numerous mudslides on our way to Hana, but luckily, we reached the heavenly place Hana without interruptions. 

Halekala national park

We went to see the sunset at this place, and the most fantastic thing about this place is that it is literally above the clouds. You feel the spirituality of this place as soon as you reach there. 

                                   

Whale watch from Lahaina

Lahaina is a small town that has a great vibe. We walked around the town and enjoyed some ice cream. The whale-watching trip was fun and relaxing. The dark blue water somehow calms your mind. We got to see some whales. The mountain view from the boat was spectacular too.

Paia 

Another small town with charm. We Walked around the place and did some window shopping. This place had many small businesses and many artistic things to see. To our surprise, we found a stupa in the middle of the city. 

Twin falls

This was an enjoyable, easy, and short hike. This place got bustling. Luckily, we went early morning so we could find parking easily. We ate some locally grown pineapple and coconut at the end of the trip, which was delicious. 

Maui helicopter tour

This tour was one of the most memorable moments of my life. I did not have expectations, but this was a lifetime memory. We flew for around 2 hours. We saw an aerial view of Maui. It was terrific. No words to describe the tour. The unique part was when we flew over Hana; it was heaven on earth. The road tour to Hana was different compared to the aerial view of Hana. The uncountable waterfalls, mango trees-carpeted forest, and ocean view were something I had never imagined. We even saw a double rainbow. Our pilot was charming and had lived in Maui for 30 years. He took to one of the gorges and into the waterfall. So the tour is not for the faint-hearted person. I close my eyes in a few places. They even did the cliff landing by the ocean side. The funny side of the tour was that there was always dramatic music playing on our headset. It added an extra layer of lively experience to the tour. 

 Ho'okipa beach park

Turtle-watching was fun. If you go to Ho'okipa beach park, you get to see a lot of turtles, and therapeutic. Watching all these creatures coming from crustal clear water in the ocean to the beach is impressive. There were hundreds of turtles to watch, and it was therapeutic to watch them. You can watch a lot of surfers chasing from this beach.

                                            

Piaia fish market

We reached there at lunchtime. This place was busy, but the food was worth the wait. We had mahi mahi, and the salmon was fresh and excellent. 

Hui hui restaurant at Kanapali beach 

This place is incredible. Great combination of fantastic food and live Hawaiian dance. This beach is one of the best places to see the sunset in Maui. We had half chicken and steamed lobster dumplings which tasted incredible. The cocktails were equally good. I loved Road to Hana cocktail they serve. 

                                                     

    The most exciting thing about it is the wild chickens roaming everywhere. They are beautiful with their vibrant colors. Maui captivates you with its beauty and weather. From the world-class beaches, local cuisine and culture, winding narrow roads, hiking trails, sea creatures, waterfalls, rivers, and volcanic craters will make an imprint in your mind for a lifetime. My only regret is that we wanted to stay at this place longer and did not get to eat in the famous Mama's fish house. The place gets booked months in advance.