One of the amazing things about Maui is how every part of the island seems like a whole new world. Every landscape seems to be represented there. From the most beautiful sandy beaches, to lush bamboo forests, to rocky shores, Maui has it all. We spent the last 6 days of our Hawaiian vacation in Kapalua. Kapalua has more rocky shorelines, rougher seas, and some of the best golf courses!
We left Wailea and drove up the coast to Kapalua. On our way, we stopped at a favorite restaurant from a previous trip- Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop. They have yummy sandwhiches and the best pie! The Chocolate Mac Nut Pie is sooo good! There was a bit of a line to get in- much more so than when we came a few years ago so be prepared to wait a bit if it’s during a prime time.
For our time in Kapalua, we stayed in a 2 bedroom condo in the Kapalua Ridge Villas. We have only stayed in Kapalua one or two nights in previous trips and always used points to stay at the Ritz. We booked this trip only a few weeks prior to leaving and did not research this lodging as much as the rest of the trip. While our condo had plenty of space, was decorated nicely and updated, we did not love the location and were SO hot as there was no air conditioning. This might be fine certain times of year, but it was in the high 80’s all day and night and we were all miserable the first night. We went and bought 4 fans as the condo didn’t have any and that helped some, but ultimately we wouldn’t go back to this condo. All that to say, double check your listing if you book a condo in Kapalua to make sure it has air conditioning! (Ours had said that but in our hurry to book, we missed this detail and we’re quite disappointed as it was not inexpensive lodging…)
We love Maui and had a great time but before I go further, I’d say we wouldn’t chose to stay this long in Kapalua in the future. It’s farther from many of the things we like doing while on the island (Road to Hana, Pai, sunrise at Haleakala, etc) plus the beaches in this area, while so beautiful, are not as good for swimming. The 6 days we were there, we were never able to swim in the ocean as it was a red flag everyday and we didn’t feel comfortable having our kids swim in the rougher seas. We could have driven to another part of the island, but since we’d had almost 2 weeks of great beach days, we were ok finding other things to do.
There are some great things about this area though and definitely would stay for a few days on a future trip. There is some beautiful hiking trails along the rocks/beach that we loved! Also, this area has some of the best restaurants! We splurged for a family dinner at Cane and Canoe and it was the best meal of our trip by far!! So good! And the best sunset view! (Side note, this resort looked amazing and if price isn’t an issue, would definitely stay here!) Merriman’s Maui is another restaurant in this area that is supposed to be really good. There is a Ululani’s Shave Ice about 10-15 minutes away at the Hilton and which we frequented! Definitely recommend Ululani’s during your stay in Maui! Make sure to add a “snow cap”! Some other things we (my husband) loves about this area, is the golf! My husband and son golfed at The Plantation Course and said every hole had the most amazing view.
A few more notes about Maui. If you’ve never done the road to Hana, I think it’s a must! You need to plan in advance to get tickets for the Black Sand Beach (we weren’t able to get tickets late enough in the day this trip so we didn’t go). The drive was a little stressful for me as a passenger a few times as it is a very curvy and at times, narrow road. You need a whole day to really see everything and I’d suggest doing it towards the beginning of your trip when it’s easy to wake up early with jet lag to get an early start. When we did it in 2017, our favorites were the black sand beach and the hike through the bamboo forest that led to a 150 foot waterfall! I’ve heard the Red Sand Beach is neat but haven’t seen that.
Another must do at least once, is watching the sunrise at Haleakala. We’ve done this several times and it wows us every time. Pictures can’t capture the beauty. You need to reserve tickets ahead of time for this as well on https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/253731. Tickets are released 60 days in advance at 7am HST and then a few more are released 2 days in advance at the same time. After trying for a few days, we were able to get tickets while we were in Maui. (Tip- I tried for the first few days and was using the app. The tickets were always gone by the time I refreshed at 7am. My husband used the website and had no trouble reserving tickets right at 7am.) You need to arrive at least an hour before sunrise if you want a chance at a parking spot at the top of the crater. This is another good thing to do at the beginning of the trip if possible as it involves a 3am (ish) wake up time to start driving. We love to stop at Kula Lodge for breakfast on the way down from Haleakala. The decor is a bit outdated but it has amazing views and the food is great! I’d recommend the Mac Nut pancakes!
A few other things we love in Maui…snorkeling (there’s lots of tours you can do- I’ve always gone with my parents who know the best spots), watching wind surfers in Pai, and if you can get reservations, Mama’s Fish House. We’ve only eaten there once over our 5 times of being in Maui so it’s not a must in my opinion, but the beach right there in front of the restaurant might be the most picturesque thing I’ve ever seen.
Check out my other post about our first few days in Maui here https://www.schwandering.commaui/. Let me know if you have questions or if you have suggestions for our next trip! We can’t wait to go back within the next few years!