We decided just a couple of months ago to take a trip to the Hawaiian islands. It’s something my husband has wanted to do for the longest time, and we finally found a really great window that we thought would be the best time to go. So we did! Here are the best things we did during our 7 days in Maui, plus what we want to do next time we go.
First, there are two important notes about this trip: We traveled with our kids, so it had to be kid-friendly. And I’m pregnant, so it couldn’t be too adventurous.
7 days in Maui with Kids
Day 1: Check in
We started our trip in Oahu (for 2 nights), but we had heard that Maui was one of the best places for families so we chose that island as our main spot. The first day of the Maui itinerary was flying into Maui and picking up our rental car at the airport. Then we checked into our resort. I wrote a full review of that here! It was late afternoon, so we decided to check out the pool area and then get some dinner in the lounge.
Day 2: Pool day
The next morning we got an early start, since our kids were chomping at the bit to get down to the splash pad! We bought breakfast at the Makana Market on-site, then changed into swimsuits and spent time at the pool area, where we would log many many hours during this Maui vacation! We had lunch at the pool. Then we went up to the room for nap time/quiet time before getting ready and heading out to Monkeypod for dinner. That night after I got the kids to bed, my husband ran out to the grocery store to pick up a few items. The kids were still getting up early (5 hour time difference from Boston!), so we wanted to have breakfast items on hand in case they woke up before the market or restaurant opened.
Day 3: Beach day
Beach day. Breakfast in our room at sunrise (hello jet lag), then we spent the morning at the beach. The Wailea beaches are a great place to make sand castles (the sand is perfect for it!), and the Fairmont has a food truck just next to the beach. The surf was rough, though, so after spotting a few humpback whales during our shore line whale watching (but no sea turtles), we headed back to the pool area. For dinner we headed to Lahaina, where we ate with gorgeous ocean views from our table. It was a great place for the kids because we also saw many sailboats and even a huge cruise ship. Lahaina is a popular spot, so the parking lot was pretty full at dinnertime. We did find a spot though in the public lot.
Day 4: Road to Hana
Up and out early for the Road to Hana! I was very nervous to drive down this famous road but thought we should give it a try. We were supposed to go to Mama’s Fish House for lunch on this day (the only reservation I was able to get- you have to book MONTHS in advance) but decided to forego that for the scenic drive. Mama’s is on the north shore, so it was about 40 minutes from our resort. If it had been closer we would have tried to find another time to go since I heard rave reviews about it! For Road to Hana… Rather than read out of a travel guide, we downloaded the Shaka Guide app and turned that on for the drive. It’s an audio guided tour and worth downloading, as it told us the best stops but also gave us a ton of options for good places to pull over for scenic views. We learned some interesting things about Hawaiian culture and fun facts about the area while driving. Parts of Road to Hana are a narrow road where you have to take turns going over short bridges, as they’re only one lane. We saw beautiful beaches on the drive, whales, and some really cool plants too. Plus the black rock everywhere that is actually dried lava is amazing. If you visit Maui you need to do at least part of the Road to Hana!
We made a stop at the Twin Falls at mile marker 2, hiked up to the third waterfall (there are 3 so you can choose if you want to stop at the first or keep going), and swam in the water. Definitely a memory I’ll keep! We drove out to the Keananae Peninsula for banana bread at Aunty Sandy’s (worth it!). On the way back to the hotel we stopped for shave ice at Ululani’s, supposedly the best on the island. It was delicious!
Day 5: Pool day/Dad’s adventure day
A super relaxing day at the pool. Terence took off around noon for a drive up to Haleakala National Park for sunset. He did some hiking around there, watched the sunset at Haleakala Summit, and was back at the hotel around 9pm. He reported that it was very cool to see Haleakala Crater and the hiking was beautiful. We didn’t think the kids would want to sit in the car for the 2 hour drive up the mountain and then down again after the long day before, so I stayed back with the kids. We walked to the resort next door and had a lovely dinner at Four Seasons Maui’s Ferrano!
Day 6: Pool day
Another great pool day! If I had more energy, I maybe would have gone snorkeling to see the tropical fish. Or possibly a boat ride out to get closer to the whales! A local told me to get snorkel gear from Snorkel Bob’s because of their affordable pricing and best deals on snorkel gear. For dinner we tried Nick’s Fishmarket at the Fairmont (reviewed at this post!).
Day 7: Pool day + Last day
Our last day. We were up early, so had breakfast down by the pool with items from the market. Then the kids spent time in the pool before going to feed the Koi fish at 9am, and I made my way to the gift shop at the Makana Market to get some items for people back home. We unfortunately had to check out in order to start making our way back to Boston, but I loved that the Fairmont had a noon checkout which gave us extra time to take showers and eat some lunch before heading back to the airport!
Best Places to Eat in Maui
Our favorite spots to eat in Maui in no particular order:
Monkeypod Wailea: Try the bulgogi tacos, the strawberry cream pie, and the coconut cream pie.
Nick’s Fishmarket: Get the opakapaka fish if it’s available! And the bananas foster dessert.
Ululani’s Shave Ice: Any combination. SO good.
Aunty Sandy’s: Try the banana bread, and get one to take home because you’ll be craving it later.
Lahaina Fish Co: Gorgeous sunset views on the deck!
Island Fresh Cafe at Paia: We stopped here on our way to the Road to Hana. The pancakes were delicious!
Lounge at Fairmont: The burger was SO good.
In all, we loved the island of Maui. I think 7 days was a great idea, but we could have spent an extra one or two days there without a problem. My husband wanted to do a helicopter tour but ended up not going. And if we had more time, we would have probably done a day trip to the crescent-shaped island (and Molokini Crater) known for snorkeling because of its marine life.
For us, this 7 day itinerary was the best way to see a lot of the island. It was our first time there as a family, and definitely not our last!
