Our second time in Maui felt like deja-vu of our first one (but with more relaxing and less adventure this time). We found ourselves going back to the same places, why? They’re just that good! I think that says a lot, when you return to a place and go back to where you recommended the first time. Watch our vlog to see more and read on below for the best places to stay, eat, adventure off to and see (local secrets).

STAY

We came back to the Fairmont Kea Lani located in Wailea which feels like a second home to us. We’ve stayed at Fairmont properties all over the world, and their service and hospitality is so consistent and impeccable. Wailea has some of the most beautiful luxury resorts, and Neal and I can say we’ve been to a few to visit for luaus or lunch, and nobody can beat the Fairmont. It’s not pretentious, everyone is so helpful and truly embodies the “Aloha” spirit. The Aloha spirit is passing on the blessing, it’s welcoming, loving and peaceful. A perfect place for a honeymoon, family vacation, anniversary or just relaxation! Some of the highlights we love at this hotel…

  • Location is everything, this property is stunning and on the most beautiful beach!
  • Focus on wellness (great healthy food options) and Neal’s personal fave: a gym facility/personal trainers on hand. Morning yoga near the beach and a beautiful trail to walk on along Wailea.

  • Pool Cabanas come with coolers filled with ice and drinks to enjoy and stay cool all day. They also come around with snacks like fresh pineapple and mochi ice cream while you’re lounging! This is definitely the best part about it for me *haha*
  • The food is delicious: Chia seed pudding at the Mahana Market for breakfast, we also had our fair share of hawaiian pizza there on nights we wanted to grab something to go, Ko Restaurant for an incredible dinner experience and the breakfast buffet is also just incredible with all sorts of local and traditional cuisine. So many great options!
  • Did I mention the slide at the pool? So fun, you’ll feel like a kid again.

We were attending a workshop for our business while we were on Maui, this is us waiting for a shuttle (complimentary of Fairmont) above, that takes you anywhere you need to go in Wailea. So helpful while we attended those days of our workshop close by! We also rented a car for further trips (highly recommend doing that on Maui), especially for excursions.

Breakfast on our patio, that view was the best thing to wake up to for 10 days!

Chia seed pudding from Makana Market at The Fairmont was my fave for a quick bite in the AM!

Dinner at Ko Restaurant at The Fairmont Kea Lani (shoutout to Roland who worked there, he was so sweet and wanted us to have the best pics from dinner).

EAT

Ko Restaurant: Loved the lobster tempura here! Right on the Fairmont Kea Lani resort.

Aloha Wow Wow Lemonade: Best place for specialty lemonades, smoothies and acai bowls!

Coconuts Fish Tacos: Delicious, delicious, delicious! Prepare to be full!

Flatbread Pizza Co.: Order the Mopsy’s Kalua Pork (just trust me). The mango bbq sauce is beyond.

Sarento’s On The Beach: Loved this spot for a breezy, ocean view and incredible caprese omelettes, toast with guava spread (too good).

Mama’s Fish House: The famous restaurant that will take forever to get a reservation, but it was delicious! We just did a walk-in for lunch.

Ululani’s Shave Ice: Shave ice is a Maui staple! So refreshing!

Olowalu Juice Stand: This spot is in Lahaina and the coolest juice truck you’ll ever see!

Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop: Next to Olowalu Juice Stand, a delicious spot for lunch and a pie for dessert!

Maui Pies: Who knew Maui loved pies? These were awesome!!

ADVENTURE

Last time we were on Maui we did a lot more adventurous stuff like the Road to Hana, hikes and helicopter rides.

Road to Hana Tips:

  • Leave first thing in the morning so you can drive back early (when the sun is still out), we did the full loop all the way around and it was stunning but because the sun was setting it was a bit scary driving back with no lights and we almost hit a cow. True story! A random black cow walked right in front of our car (near the end of Hana it looks like Ireland).
  • Pack Snacks, drinks etc. You’ll find places along the way, but just in case, always bring something!
  • Pack shoes you’re okay with getting a little dirty (we bought cheap runners from Target)
  • Twin Falls was the only hike we stopped for (it’s one of the easier ones) and then we kept it moving because it’s a long road.
  • If you get car sick (there are a lot of winding roads for hours) this might not be the adventure for you!

Venus Pools:

On the way to Hana we stopped at this local secret spot called Venus Pools. We had to hop a random fence to get to it (true story again) but once we got there it was this epic cliff diving spot. We shared some drone footage of that in our vlog. I was too chicken to do it, so we just watched people instead and it was just as entertaining!

Helicopter Tour:

We saw West Maui & Molokai with Air Maui and it was an incredible view of the waterfalls. We highly recommend booking with them! Also featured this in our vlog.

SEE

Hawaii is bursting with nature! The lush green everywhere, beautiful gardens, waterfalls and animals. It’s truly heaven on earth.

Whale Watching: We did a tour with the Maui Ocean Centre (but got no luck seeing any whales), we saw a small tail but no breach! November to March is the best time to see whales!

Turtle Beach: If you go to Ho’okipa beach around 4pm you can get the best seat in the house to see the huge sea turtles come out of the ocean and take a nap! They look like these big rocks! It was the coolest thing to see, and you’ll also enjoy the surfers!

Hikes: If you’re into trails and hikes, this one would be good and you can check out Maui’s Heart Shaped Rock to snap a photo!

Shops: The shops at Wailea are incredible, especially if you love to shop luxury (usually priced 25% less than the main land) and they only have 4% tax!

Hope you found this guide helpful and if you end up booking a trip to Maui and have any questions you can always comment below or email me! I love helping others plan! xoxo