We’ve become those people. Those people that travel back to Maui time after time and I’m not even sorry about it. Maui is such a gorgeous place, and obviously holds a special place in our hearts because we got married there. Not even two years after we were there last, we returned! This time to celebrate my 30th birthday.
This post is going to cover the hotels we stayed at, best mode of transportation for getting around, and everything we did and saw.
Related MAUI 2021 posts: Photo Diary // Maui Food Guide // Maui 2021 travel budget // tips for traveling to Hawaii with COVID restrictions
[coming soon]: the most epic 1 week Maui travel itinerary
MAUI 2019 posts: Travel guide // food guide // Road to Hana guide // Vlogs // Maui Wedding posts
WHERE WE STAYED IN MAUI
HYATT REGENCY MAUI RESORT + SPA
For the first five nights we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. Yep, creatures of habit we booked this hotel again because 1. we loved this hotel so much the first time around – the location and resort itself is perfect and absolutely gorgeous! 2. because we are World of Hyatt members (racking up nights and points) and they have fantastic service 3. because scored a crazy good deal because of their discount code for healthcare workers (more on that in our Maui 2021 budget post!).
ANDAZ MAUI
For the final two nights of our trip, we stayed at only my favorite hotel ever: The Andaz Maui. You bet I did a happy dance as we pulled up to the front to check in! The Andaz hotels are part of the Hyatt family, so for the same reasons above, we booked the Andaz for this trip too! We were both greeted with a glass of lavender lemonade upon check in, and leis (that you put on yourself because of COVID social distancing restrictions). This is such a dreamy hotel right on the ocean with the best views. Also, as part of the resort fee there are so many cool tours, classes, and excursions that are included free of any additional charge (here’s a more extensive list). As if I needed another reason to stay at the Andaz!
STAY: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa // Andaz Maui
HOW WE GOT AROUND
There is so much to do and explore on Maui – rent a car and explore this gorgeous island! There isn’t much by way of good public transportation to get around the island either, so renting a car is the ideal way to get around. We reserved a regular 4-door sedan for this trip, but after learning we were on Maui for my birthday, the Hertz customer service agent upgraded us to a SS Camero – I think it was more of a present for Travis than for me 😉
WHAT WE DID ON MAUI
Going in, we knew we didn’t want to pack our trip with too many excursions and knew we wanted to spend a big chunk of our time just relaxing. And with COVID restrictions, we weren’t sure how much we were going to be able to do anyways. But we did get around to checking a few things off of our Maui bucket list that we didn’t get around to doing last time.
Check out our last blog post for more things to do on Maui!
Lahaina Front Street
A quick 10 minute drive from Kaanapali (where the Hyatt is!) lands you on Front street in downtown Lahaina. There are a ton of cute shops and places to eat along this street; and it’s right on the water so you have great views where ever you go! We always make our way down to Front street for a couple meals, or just to grab dessert and walk around. Make sure you stop in Honolulu Cookie Company for some of the best shortbread cookies – makes the best gift to bring back to family and friends on the mainland!
Visit Front Street in Downtown Lahaina
Banyan Tree
While you’re enjoying Front street, take a few minutes to stop and see the Banyan tree; you can’t miss it, I promise. This tree is over 150 years old, has over 40 trunks coming up from the ground, and takes up more than a block in downtown Lahaina. It’s a pretty cool sight to see.
Visit the Banyan tree (and learn more about it here)
Whaler’s Village
A short walk North along the beach boardwalk from the Hyatt and you’re at Whaler’s Village. There are more brand name stores here (think of a regular mall) vs the cute mom and pop shops that are on Front street. There are some great sit down restaurants, as well as some good grab and go food options too. One thing I look forward to most on our Maui trips are our morning walks along the beach to Whaler’s Village in the morning to grab coffee and a quick bite to eat.
Explored Maui’s West side
We had planned to do Road to Hana again on this trip and make different stops this time around. But! There was some pretty crazy storms the days leading up to our arrival that had washed out parts of the road. So, at the last minute, we decided against Road to Hana. On our Maui Shaka Guide app that we used for Road to Hana there were other self-driving tours, so we decided to download the West Maui loop tour and explore that part of the island. To note we started the self-guided tour from our hotel and headed North – the officially starts more South at Maui Ocean Center.
We didn’t complete the loop. We did about 3/4 of it and had to turn around because part of the road was blocked with a car hanging over a cliff on a one car-lane road! No one was hurt-thankfully, but it would’ve been about a 3 hour wait for a tow truck to come get it unstuck, so we turned around and headed back the same way we came. What we did stop and see was absolutely gorgeous. We stopped at: Dragon’s Tooth Trail, DT Fleming Beach, Honolua Bay View point (and then short hike to the beach), and the Nakalele Blow Hole.
Download Shaka Guide App for self-driving tours of Maui
Massages
For my birthday, Travis surprised me with massages for us. But! We didn’t get them at a resort because they are all so overpriced. Instead, we drove into Lahaina town and got them at Serenity Spa; and it was probably one of the best massages I’ve had! Last time we were on Maui, and as part of my bachelorette party, my girls got us massages too! And at that time the mousses came to our hotel room for our massages. If you’re looking to get pampered while in Maui, and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, explore options other than what’s offered at your resorts.
Haleakalā
This was on our list last time, that we didn’t get around to doing, so made it a point to visit the Haleakala summit this time around. I realllllly wanted to try to catch the sunrise from the top of Haleakala, but it is so difficult to secure tickets! We were on our computers, ready, waiting at the exact time the tickets are released and couldn’t snag any. But we got there shortly after sunrise and it was still breath taking. Hard to believe you are on an island all the way up there! If time permits in your schedule, hike around for a bit and enjoy the views!
Visit Haleakala // Attempt to visit Haleakala at sunrise
Road to Hana
Google “Things to do in Maui” and I guarantee you that traveling the Road to Hana is on every single one of those lists. And while we didn’t get around to doing it again this time (pictures shown above are from our previous visit to Maui), because bad weather washed out parts of the road, we did do it last time we were in Maui. If you don’t get around to reading my whole thing before you do this route – do one thing and download the SHAKA GUIDE APP!
Check out our Road to Hana guide, and Road to Hana Vlog for some epic views!
Relaxing
While there is so much to do and see in Maui, you are on vacation in paradise after all. So unwind and relax by the pool for a day or two, and enjoy some of those gorgeous Maui sunsets from the beach.
So there you have it – where we stayed, how we got around and what we did while in Maui this time around!
I’m already mentally preparing our next trip back to Maui because there is still so much more we didn’t get to do: Paddle boarding, watching the sunrise from Haleakala (I will secure those tickets one day), snorkeling tour in Molokini, and visiting the Lavender farms.
Related MAUI 2021 posts: Photo Diary // Maui Food Guide // tips for traveling to Hawaii with COVID restrictions
[coming this week]: Maui 2021 travel budget + the most epic 1 week Maui travel itinerary + Hawaii packing guide
MAUI 2019 posts: Travel guide // food guide // Road to Hana guide // Vlogs // Maui Wedding posts
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