We celebrated our honeymoon in Maui back in 2018 and we couldn’t recommend a better place to visit after your wedding day. Please know that our recommendations below are for anyone though – not just the honeymooners! If it’s your first time planning a trip to Hawaii like it was ours, get ready for the most beautiful scenery! The ocean is such a magical color and just watching the waves is a treat in itself.
Where to stay on Maui
For our trip, we spent the first half of our trip at Andaz Maui in Wailea, and the second half of the trip at the Sheraton Maui in the Ka’anapali area of Maui.
Andaz Maui was perfect and we can’t say enough amazing things about our stay there. We cannot wait to visit again! The Sheraton was nice, but a bit more catered to families and pretty busy with kids. Definitely a good place to stay if you’re looking for an active resort for kiddos.
Below is our list of restaurant, shops, and activities that we did, separated by the area of the island.
Wailea
Honestly, we spent our time on this part of the island just relaxing and enjoying the resort! Our stay at Andaz included beach chairs, snorkeling equipment, and outrigger canoe tours. We took advantage of all of these! Andaz even had GoPros available to use when snorkeling. We got some awesome underwater photos of honu (sea turtles, my favorite)!
Even if you aren’t staying at Andaz, it’s worth heading to this area of the island for the ocean and snorkeling! There is also a nice outdoor shopping mall near the public beach.
Restaurants in Wailea
Morimoto Maui – a restaurant of Iron Chef America star, Chef Morimoto, located at the Andaz resort. We had the most delicious seafood dish here. Unfortunately, that specific dish does not appear to be on the menu any longer, but we are sure you will find something delicious!
Ka’ana Kitchen – the breakfast buffet was soooo good! There was so much incredible food at this buffet (from waffles, to dumplings, to salmon lox bagels to fresh pressed juice), it was the best brunches we have ever had. We can’t wait to get back here.
Ka’anapali
Just as it was in Wailea, the ocean is great here too! Our biggest recommendation is to go grab a drink and relax … or even better, go get a gelato! Once you are done relaxing, take a stroll through Whalers Village and do some shopping! Pick up a new pair of Maui Jim’s (the perfect Hawaii souvenir) or maybe a new swimsuit for more days on the beach?!
Restaurants in Ka’anapali
Monkeypod Kitchen – fun, lively restaurant. Good drinks and fun atmosphere! There is another location in Wailea as well.
Island Vintage Coffee – great coffee to start the day (or for an afternoon pick-me-up). Joey got a water bottle here and loves it (random note, but a memory for us, haha).
Downtown Lahaina is a ten-minute drive from the Sheraton at Ka’anapali and a 45-minute drive from Andaz. It’s a great place to walk around, shop, eat, and people watch!
In addition…go surfing here! We rented boards in Lahaina and gave it a try! Bri was good (clearly Joey wrote this piece and is being nice), Joey has some learning to do (he wasn’t that bad). If surfing isn’t your thing, at least stop and watch the locals shred some waves!
Restaurants in Lahaina
Down the Hatch – alcoholic shaved ice!!! Do we need to say more? No, but also try the shrimp Po’Boy, lobster and crab grilled cheese, and lava lava shrimp tacos! They were delicious and we would definitely go back for more.
Kimo’s – we ate here our last night after a recommendation from our friends. We wish we had experienced it sooner! Save room for the hula pie! It is huge!!!
Aloha Mixed Plate – this restaurant is now closed, but we definitely recommend finding another restaurant that serves poi. It’s a traditional Polynesian staple food that you should try while you’re on the island!
Additional Must-Dos while in Maui
Road to Hana – would definitely recommend making this Maui drive. Download the GyPSy Guide app for a narrated tour while you drive. The app even recommends sites to stop, based on how much time you have for the drive. The app is a must!
A little heads up when doing the Road to Hana, the curves are tight and you really do focus quite a bit while driving! We traded off driving and definitely recommend you get a convertible, even just for that day, for an open-air experience. Lastly, be sure to stop for banana bread at one of the roadside stands, and pick-up a fresh pineapple while you are at it!
Ho’okipa Beach – located in Paia, we stopped here after our road to Hana drive (it’s right at the beginning/end of the drive). There were so many sea turtles here! It was so cool to see and one of our favorite stops!
Huli Huli Chicken Stand – roadside stop for delicious chicken! Such a cool spot and so unique.
Maui Tropical Planation – we took a guided tram ride through the fields here. It was cool to see all of the fruit trees! The restaurant here is supposed to be very good, but we did not stay for dinner.
Makawao – we visited this town in Upcountry Maui originally to visit the Keani Jewelry shop. We would definitely recommend taking a drive and strolling this charming town one day if you can.
Surfing – We went surfing in Lahaina and would definitely recommend paying for a session. It’s an experience you won’t forget.
Attend a Lūʻau! Not much more we can say here. We are sure it’s already on your list!
Aloha!
That’s our quick snapshot of what we recommend for a trip to Maui. Have an amazing trip and PLEASE feel free to email us or message us on social to tell us how your trip to Maui was! We love hearing how our itinerary helped you or even hear future ideas you’d recommend to us!
Love,
Bri & Joey
