Our 10 Musts for Every Trip to Maui

No one will argue that there are numerous reasons to visit Maui, making it rather difficult to see everything in just a single 2 week trip. Is that just an excuse people like us use to go back every year? Maybe. In any case, on the drive back to the airport in Kahului on last trip to Maui, my wife and I got to talking about what some of our favorite and must have things to do when we come to Maui each year. Here's what we came up with, stopping at 10 for now.

1. Stop and smell the plumeria.
Sure, we know there are more colorful ways of saying it (wink), but could their not be a better "Aloha, welcome back" when you return to Maui than receiving fresh, fragrant lei? We stay at the Sheraton Maui Resort, and when we pull up to the top of the driveway and check-in, being greeted with that string of flowers and having them hang from your neck signals the beginning of it all.

Then, when you're a few days from returning home, and you're heading out to dinner, you spot a couple walking with the bellhop and wearing their fresh leis, you start getting jealous that their trip is just starting.

2. Black Rock Cliff Dive Ceremony
For a ceremony that the Sheraton has been doing nightly for some 40+ years, you'd think seeing the cliff dive about a dozen times would be enough after awhile. Not for us. After checking in on that first night, we make our way down to the Lagoon Bar, grab a drink to forget about the long flight, and enjoy the show.

Even as our trip continues, we make our way down the beach and watch the ceremony from the sand. We hear people talking about seeing it for the first time and it fills you up. You think about how many times you've watched it, and how many times you've come to the island, and it sends a shiver through you followed by a joyful glee.

3. Making a grocery run
Okay, so from something as Hawaiian as flower leis to buying bread, milk and OJ seems a little odd. After all, you go to the grocery store at least once a week back home, so what's the big deal?

For us, being in Maui often feels like home (and maybe someday it will be). Grabbing a shopping cart, walking through the isles, and stocking up on food and snacks for the next week or so feels a little different on vacation. It's just another reminder that you're trip is just starting and you've got many wonderful days ahead of you.

4. Cheeseburger in Paradise
Whoever came up with the concept of serving ono cheeseburgers in a beautiful place like Maui didn't have to spend a lot of time picking a name for his restaurant. Cheeseburger (for short) is our constant choice for our dinner on our first day on the island. After a morning on the beach or by the pool and an afternoon walking down Front Street, a cheeseburger, frozen drink, live music and a view of the sunset out from Lahaina Harbor truly makes for a happy meal.

5. Whalers Village
Every now and then you'll read something saying that Whalers Village isn't that great of a shopping destination because of shops like Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton are stores that are too high-end and don't really have much to do with Hawaii. We look passed remarks like that and enjoy a walk to Whalers almost every day. Whether we're collecting another receipt at the ABC Store or grabbing Macadamia Nut ice cream at Ha'agan Dazs, we sometimes swing on by in the afternoon just for no reason at all other than enjoying the atmosphere and the beauty of the walking along the beach.

6. Nightly strolls on Ka'anapali Beach
Speaking of walking along the beach, perhaps nothing is more fitting than ending your evening with a magic, romantic stroll back to your hotel on the sands of Ka'anapali Beach under the starry sky at night. While there's nothing wrong with using the walkway along the chain of resorts in Ka'anapli after the sun goes down, it's just too hard to resist the calling of the waves splashing the shores, taunting you to kick off your shoes and get your feet a little wet.

The torches and lights along the hotels also make for a nice backdrop from the beach rather than walking directly underneath them on the walkway. That is, of course, if you even notice them when you're not lost in each others eyes.

7. Watching the sunset
Wow, number seven already. It's not disputed that the sun will set every night and rise again every morning, wherever you are in the world (except for you folks way, way up north or reading this blog in Antarctica six months out of the year). It's also quite well known that's it's very hard to find a place on Maui that doesn't have a great view of the sunset some 6pm or so.

Truly, part of the magic behind watching the sunset in Maui is not just that the scenery and gorgeous hues of orange, red and purple are breathtaking. Nor is it just the idea that you can plan so many activities around watching the sunset like a cocktail cruise, dinner at Leilani's or just sitting on the beach. Indeed, part of the significance of it all is that, no matter what you're doing, where you're doing it, who you are or who you're with, for those few minutes you can stop and drop everything just to witness it.

Not many people can say that about their everyday lives back home.

8. Treat yourself to a Spa
Spas and pampering may not be a favorite with everyone, but having someone remove all the stress and wear and tear from the daily grind at the beginning of your trip sets the stage for the entire vacation. While I haven't considered enjoying a massage myself, my wife was hooked after just one appointment and swears by them from now on. After all, you do deserve it, otherwise you wouldn't be in Maui.

9. Dinner Under the Stars
We love many things about the Sheraton in Maui. One of the bigger items on our itinerary while at the Sheraton is their Dinner Under the Stars offering. It's just you and yours, a personal waiter, your choice of location and full multi-course meal, and it feels like the island is all yours. Throw in the magnificent, star-filled sky above you, and time just stands still.

We're not sure if this particular option is offered to those not staying at the Sheraton, but we're certain that many of the resorts in Ka'anapali have similar setups. We had our first dinner under the stars for our wedding anniversary, and it is something we'll always treasure. After that, it's one of the first things we plan every time once our trip is booked.

10. Gazing at the Stars Over Maui
I just had to end with perhaps my most personal favorite. There is so much about Maui that makes it so special and so different from wherever you call home that keeps you coming back. For me, it's the escape and the serenity of losing myself in the heavens above me while my eyes overflow with the countless stars and wonders of a clear, moonless, Maui night sky.

Being raised in a larger suburban area close to a city like Chicago, your best bet at seeing the stars in their full glory is a trip to a museum (not to take anything away from the Adler Planetarium). In Hawaii, maybe barring parts of Waikiki, there is simply no comparison anywhere that I've been fortunate enough to experience for myself.

The combination of being way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, laying down on Ka'anapali Beach with the torches light at Black Rock, a cool breeze off the water and listening to the waves crashing into the shore just a few feet away. I can't think of anything else to add that would make it more amazing.

But before grab a star chart at your local bookstore and throw it in your suitcase, there is a little something you should know before you go. First, the beauty, wonder, and the sheer number of stars in the sky is definitely engaging and overwhelming on its own without wanting to know and identify every celestial body in the sky. Seeing all the stars above on such a grand scale takes you back to the first time you spotted the stars in the sky as a kid. It is so innocent and so peaceful, anyone of any age, any background, any set of beliefs can take away the same emotions and significance with something that is by no means matched with anything man made.

Secondly, getting back to the star chart, anything you buy on the mainland is likely not going to help you with star gazing in Hawaii. As Samuel E. Rhoads explains in his book, The Sky Tonight, the majority of amateur and commercially available star guides and charts are typically based on a viewing location of 40° north latitude. Seeing that Hawaii is much further south at 21° north latitude, your view of the sky above will look very different than your book in hand. With being so far south, you get the added bonus of seeing so many of the Southern Constellations that you would not normally be able to see on the mainland.

If you're so inspired by these views, like I am, that you want to take these stars home with you, you try to find a way. For me, it was taking my Canon Digital SLR and my travel tripod out with me to the beach and setting up for a few hours of night sky photography. While I'll spare much of the details for another time, you can take a look here at what I left Maui with and what I can't wait to return to. Bear in mind, that since these photos are on Flickr, their size and compression have been reduced to be browser and bandwidth friendly. Other than resizing, these are all unedited photos I have taken with just my trusty SLR, tripod and a lot of trial and error. Taking a look at the original, full size photos at about 3MB each, the level of detail is phenomenal.

Sure, there's more
Don't kid yourself by thinking that Cindy and I were able to stop at, and agree on, 10 items for this list. We probably could have added another 10 items easy, but left it to 10 here online. You may notice that there are also many other Maui highlights that aren't mentioned, such as the Road to Hana, helicopter tours around the islands, and sunrises atop Haleakala.

Keep in mind that we focused this list on every Maui trip. As much as we'd like to cruise the island in a helicopter on every vacation, it's not something that fights into our budget or itineraries to do on every trip. The same goes with the Road to Hana. We absolutely loved it, and will definitely do it again at some point. Its just not on our schedule every trip. Also. there are many great water and adventure based activities to do on Maui, especially things like snorkeling and scuba diving that you could easily do each trip.

The truth there is that, we personally, aren't that big on water sports and working up that type of a sweat hiking and biking while on vacation. Since this is our list, we didn't add it, but we're confident it's on the lists of many others out there.

Tell us what you think
On the topic of other people's lists, we want to hear what you think. Give us your comments and experience with the items on our list, as well as sharing a list of items on your own. If you're anything like us, you just love to talk story about Maui, and that's what this blog is all about.


Mahalo and aloha for now,

Kris