Ho’okipa is the Hawaiian word meaning “to entertain, make a visit hospitable or welcome.” Ho’okipa encourages us to keep a warm, friendly, and inviting spirit in our home. When people visit, we want them to stay and rest awhile, not feel as though they should leave immediately.
Food is essential in the value of ho’okipa, as food brings people together. Whenever you visit a local person’s home, they’ll let you in, maybe remind you to take off your shoes, then ask if you’ve eaten anything. It’s just the Hawaiian way.
Ho’o means – to do or be
Kipa means – to visit or call in, to entertain and treat hospitably
Therefore, ho’okipa literally means to visit others and to treat everyone with hospitality.
What does ho’okipa look like?
As I mentioned before, for many locals, hospitality is food. It’s making sure guests are well fed. I think, for almost all cultures, food is what brings people closer together. You can’t come to a local person’s house without being offered something to eat. Food is just the way.
Hospitality also looks like genuine care and love. Have you ever visited a person’s house and they seem so excited to have you, they immediately invite you to kick back and share all about your life? Even if you just saw them recently? I know many people who have this attitude and it always feels so nice to enter their homes.
They care. Ho’okipa. They welcome you, and they love you.
Hospitality looks like entertaining too. No, that doesn’t mean you have to put on a show or pop in a movie, it just means that you provide enjoyment, facilitate meaningful conversations, make memories and give full attention to your guest. All of ho’okipa goes back to aloha. Love.
You love your guests, withholding judgment.
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Ho’okipa is willing to share
Ho’okipa is the idea that you treat guests with honor, and as a part of the ‘ohana. The guest has traveled to visit, so we give them the honor for taking time for us.
One great example of ho’okipa in my life is been my dad’s hanai (adopted) parent. They lived a few houses down from my grandma’s house. Since we lived with grandma for a short season, we visited dad’s hanai family often.
Whenever we went, Aunty Loreen would greet us all with smiles and kisses. We took off our slippers and went inside to greet Uncle Harold with big hugs. He was always happy to see us.
They’d tell us to sit down, tell us to make ourselves comfortable, and then, of course, Aunty would ask what we’d like to eat. We were all pretty shy, so she just went and started making food.
In a matter of minutes, we’d be at the table eating laulau, rice, and poi. “No limit!” she’d say, piling more food on our plates.
I never forgot that.
Ho’okipa is just that: when you feel loved, welcomed, and cared for.
Ho’okipa Feels Calm
There are certain vibes you feel when you walk into someone’s home. Ho’okipa is the vibe of cleanliness, welcome, and calm.
This isn’t always possible, especially with our ever busy lives. But even with little ones running around or a busy schedule, there can still be a sense of calm.
How do you attain this? It’s all in the lifestyle. Hawaii encourages a lifestyle of cleanliness. People always take off their shoes before coming into the home, as shoes can track in the dirtiness from outside (and this is meant on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level).
The entertainment, music, artwork, and decorations in the home should invite good feelings. They feel clean and wholesome. Anything dark takes away from the good vibes.
Every person lives a different lifestyle, but there can still be that good spirit in the home even if we organize things differently.
There are so many ways to implement the value of ho’okipa in your life, and it might look a little different for each person. But the underlying flow is the same: just love. Show pure aloha by being willing to share… share what you have, and share in another person’s life.
That is the spirit of ho’okipa and I hope you can implement it into your life, bringing more aloha home!
With love,
Leialoha
Let’s Hear From You!
How do you live the value of ho’okipa? Let us know in the comments below!
The Hawaiian word pā’ina is a small party, potluck, or dinner. The Hawaiian word ho’olaulea is a large party or celebration. No blog about Hawaii would be complete without a discussion on food. Food plays a powerful role in every culture, as it brings people together, nourishes the body and spirit, and makes us all feel better in general. Especially in Hawaii, never underestimate the power of food to open hearts and spread aloha.
The Hawaiian luau portrays the value of pā’ina
The Hawaiian luau draws people to touristy night shows, full of music, dancing, and traditional luau food. The dancers, with their colorful costumes, hip-shaking action, fire knives, and bright smiles, light up the stage. The pounding of the drum fills the salty night air, and the smell of food makes any person’s stomach growl in anticipation.
The luau plate is a pageant of colors: green laulau with salty, hot pork in the center, pink poke, red lomi lomi salmon, tender kalua pig, white rice, mac salad, chicken long rice, white squares of haupia, and, of course, purple poi. Occasionally, depending on who hosts the luau, shoyu or katsu chicken, purple sweet potato, or teriyaki beef is added to the plate.This is a taste of the islands, a plate that probably can’t get more traditionally Hawaiian.
Food nourishes us
No matter if the visitor to Hawaii gets a taste of this ‘ono (delicious) food at a tourist luau, or a family member’s luau–baby’s first birthday, a wedding, graduation, and anniversary–good food and entertainment does something for the soul. When we eat well, we feel well.
Although luau is the most commonly used word in Hawaii for a feast, I grew up using the word pāʻina, which is a meal, dinner, or small party with food. Pāʻina is a time for us to gather and appreciate one another, all over a delicious, heart-warming meal. With pāʻina, we learn how to use food to serve and give, bring our loved ones together and bond, and celebrate life.
Using food as a tool to assemble, meet, and love one another, we create a space of aloha. Our hearts are never far from Hawaii when we learn to use food in the right way for ourselves and others.
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Have pāʻina for others
No matter the event, my high school classmates and teammates always talked about having pāʻina. They wanted to have a party, so we had pāʻina for big things and little things: when we finished a test, for someone’s birthday, when we had a special sports practice, on weekends after races and sports events, and the list could go on. I couldn’t always bring food because of my family’s circumstances, but I did enjoy the idea of celebration.
We should celebrate both little and big successes in life. How often do we get down on ourselves because we focus on the negatives? “We didn’t do this, we didn’t do that, and we failed at that…” In our culture, and with the rise of social media, each of us tends to focus only on our flaws and weaknesses, the negative stuff.
But what about the good things we do? All of us do great things every single day. While we don’t need to host a big party or have plenty of guests over, how can we celebrate the goodness of our lives and others? After a long day of work, I definitely savor a meal–I earned the meal.
When we had pāʻina in high school, everyone brought food to contribute, and we just enjoyed one another’s company. We were able to kick back and relax, including the teacher, for just a moment. It was a celebration of little and big victories.
Pā’ina celebrates little and big victories
But the concept of pāʻina can go even further than a little get together. For those with mental illness or debilitating struggles, a pāʻina can mean just celebrating the fact we got up and put ourselves together for the day. For those who work hard at their jobs to provide, the pāʻina can include spending meaningful time with loved ones.
There are so many reasons to have a pāʻina. We don’t have to do anything huge or special, like a ho’olaulea, which involves lots of people, food, and usually dance. But we can just do something small, yet rewarding. We should give ourselves and others credit for the big and small wins in life.
Know limits
I had an aunty who always said, “No limit!” when we visited her house. She brought out pan after pan of pani popo (rolls in coconut pudding), laualau, and made one fresh batch of rice after the next. When we slowed down, she still made other food, as if she expected a second wave of hunger to wash over us. I could never imagine her doing anything else in life except cooking… because she always had food in the house, and she always made sure we ate.
My siblings and I remember her words: “No limit!” She said it over and over again, placing more food in front of our loaded plates. I was only in my pre-teen years, but I had already developed a bad relationship with food. To me, anything I put into my body made me fat. While the food tasted good, all I could think was that this would be some extra pounds I wouldn’t be able to lose.
The truth about food
At some point in our lives, every one of us realizes we might have a bad relationship with food. Some of us have “no limits” when it comes to food: we eat when we’re bored, sad, tired, happy, and angry. We eat any kind of food–good and bad. Some of us have no limits on our mental relationship with food: we think (as I did) that any food entering our bodies does it no good. Some of us eat food uncontrollably, unable to stop.
With pāʻina, we know our limits. It’s true that when we attend parties, we usually find ourselves gouging on the food, eating more than we normally would. It’s just a fact that some of us are social eaters, eating more when we’re with people. And that’s ok–eating food together symbolizes becoming a part of one another’s lives, partaking of and sharing in each other’s goodness and love.
However, we should always know our limits. Do we have a tendency to only focus on the food? What about the people, the reason for gathering?
Even in our personal daily lives, do we know our limits with food? Pāʻina especially tastes delicious when we deserve it. Are we living our lives so the food tastes deserving? Hawaiian food isn’t always the healthiest food, and I’m aware of that. This is a reason I don’t eat Hawaiian food all the time! It tastes delicious, but it’s also just kind of heavy. Do we know our limits on “treats?”
When we create a better relationship with food, knowing our limits, we feel better about ourselves. Food becomes a tool that we use to nourish ourselves and others, sharing greater aloha through a physical means.
Pā’ina nourishes joy
When my little sister graduated from college, she and her husband moved right away. It was a busy time of life, so we didn’t get to do anything to celebrate. About a month or two later, I told her we were going to have a pā’ina to celebrate her receiving her degree.
It meant so much to her, but it also meant a lot to me. As I served her, I felt a nourishment of joy–not only from the food, but the company and celebration. I’m so grateful for the value of pā’ina. It taught me how to celebrate life and nourish the good in life. Too often we focus on the negative, but there is so much good being done, and so many positives!
So have a happy pā’ina—for all your little and big successes!
With aloha,
Leialoha
P.S. Want to learn more about the Hawaiian values? Check out my Free resources to bring aloha home!
Let’s hear it from you!
How do you celebrate pā’ina with your loved ones? Let us know in the comments below!
Are you thinking of traveling to Hawaii during Covid? Is it worth it? My short answer: no. The long answer: there are pros to going during Covid.
Allow me to explain…
My husband and I decided to go to Maui at the end of January 2021. With about 4 weeks to plan our trip, I looked into everything I needed to do before boarding. With covid affecting the world, I wondered if my husband and I could successfully make it to Hawaii. I heard of so many people who got tested and arrived in Hawaii, only to be turned around because they went to the wrong testing center, or didn’t have their paperwork, etc. Needless to say, I was anxious about traveling to Hawaii during the pandemic.
I hope this article helps you make a decision about traveling to Hawaii during covid. There are some really great pros, and some pretty pathetic cons. I’ll be as transparent as possible to help you figure out the answer to your question.
Please know that everything changes with the pandemic, so what I’m sharing here may not be relevant anymore at the time of you reading this. Please, please, PLEASE do your research if you plan on traveling to Hawaii during covid. Their requirements change all the time, so do your part. This article is purely to give you an idea of the situation, not to direct you on the requirements to travel to Hawaii during covid. Check out the official Hawaii covid page for accurate and up-to-date information.
Pre-Travel Hawaii Requirements for Covid
The pre-travel was probably the most stressful part because things change all the time. One day they say you need to do X, and the next day they say you need to do Y…
The day before our flights, I saw a NEW requirement to download the Aloha Safe Alert app BEFORE boarding. I felt SO relieved and stressed. If I hadn’t seen the newest requirement, would they have turned us around at the airport?
So here’s who you want to be following if you plan on going to Hawaii during Covid.
Ok, with that said, here’s what we had to do before the trip:
Create a Safe Travels account and upload all documents BEFORE the first flight
Get tested within 72 hours of departure. Please note you MUST get tested at one of their approved sites, not just at your local hospital. They will only let you through if you get tested from someone on their “Trusted Testing and Travel Partners” list.
Download and activate Aloha Safe alert app
Have ALL paperwork on hand. I printed so many papers because the website suggested I do so. Spoiler alert: they didn’t look at ANY of these papers because I had already uploaded it ALL online… better safe than sorry I guess.
You probably read that list and thought, “Not bad.” I thought so too. However, finding the trusted testing and travel partners was harder than I thought… We finally got tested at Walgreens, but drove to a super far location because the Walgreens in our county didn’t offer testing. While that sounds stressful, before the testing itself felt morestressful… because we avoided people as much as possible. We could not risk any chance of catching covid. Isolation played a toll on my mental health.
Pre-Trip Cons:
Using the Aloha Safe Alert app felt like huge anxiety. Knowing that at any time I could receive a notification saying, “You’ve been exposed,” just stressed me out so much. It felt unfair that I might have to quarantine because I’d been around a stranger for a few seconds.
Masks: Wearing a mask at the airport and airplane took a toll on both of us. Especially for my husband, who already has a difficult time breathing without the mask, wearing a mask for almost 10 hours wore him out. We couldn’t take any breaks from mask-wearing unless we went to the bathroom… no thanks. I felt sorry for flight attendants and airport security who had to constantly remind people to completely cover their nose and mouths with the masks. It just kind of felt like a big mess.
Pre-Trip Pros:
Airplanes worked at less than half capacity. My husband and I always sat together. I could honestly say about 11-20 people sat in each flight. I feel super bad for the airline companies but they worked hard to keep the planes clean and social distance people well. We definitely had a lot of space to stretch out.
During the Trip
When we landed in Maui, the whole process turned out easier than I thought. The workers at the airport already had our information (because I uploaded it all), so they checked a few things (including our temperature) and sent us through!
It was THE BEST FEELING to walk out of the airport and into the fresh Maui air—though we still wore our masks, as required. I thought the most helpful way to give you an idea of Hawaii during covid is a pros and cons list. These are all based on my opinion though, so take it or leave it, no offense. 🙂
Pros:
Overall Maui was waaaay less busy in Hawaii than ever before: For example, we drove the road to Hana, a scenic route typically overcrowded and full of traffic. We hit absolutely NO traffic whatsoever. When we arrived in Hana and stayed at the resort there, the local who worked there told us we came at a good time. She said usually it’s a stressful drive because of the traffic and lack of parking at scenic spots.
Less lines and crowds at restaurants: We hardly waited at any restaurants to take out or have a seat. To be honest, there was still a LOT of people, but definitely not as much people like I remember Hawaii.
Cons:
Masks: Governor Ige mandated masks in Hawaii and it just sucks to wear a mask, not breathe well, and not really enjoy things as much. Most people didn’t wear masks at the beach because we all sat social distanced, but at restaurants and grocery stores, managers and workers heavily enforced mask wearing. We went on a short hike on the road to Hana and didn’t wear our masks (because there weren’t other people around), and a local lady vending at the front yelled at us. It’s not fun to get yelled at, and it’s not like we were trying to be irresponsible or rude. There just wasn’t anyone around, and she was definitely more than six feet away. There’s just silly stuff like that, which make the situation unpleasant.
Less small businesses and restaurants open: Not sure if a bunch of restaurants went out of business or what, but many of the places I planned to eat at were closed. That bummed me out a lot, because the only food places that stayed open were mediocre food places, at best. It’s always disappointing to spend $30 or more on a meal for two people and it turns out to be crappy food.
Overall, is it worth it?
After I wrote this article and sat on this question for the last month, the short answer for me is no. I don’t regret our Hawaii trip during covid, because I needed a little break from the cold and felt tired of the whole covid situation. But I don’t think I want to go through the hassle of getting tested, experiencing anxiety over new and updated requirements, wearing a mask everywhere (including airports and airplanes), feeling bummed over closed good food places and restaurants, and dealing with snappy people over mask-wearing. I don’t feel like it’s worth it to me.
I would rather go to one of the southwest states to get some sun, saving money and stress. The only pro for me was that there was less people on the island. But it just felt like everyone was on edge, worried about wearing or not wearing a mask, wanting to enjoy, yet restricted… It felt difficult to talk to people or send a smile—everything felt so constricting.
While I may not travel to Hawaii during Covid again, I can still plan my next trip. Check out some of my free resources and articles on travel!
Before we got married, my husband and I decided we wanted to visit Hawaii every year. Especially when it gets cold on the mainland, I just want to be somewhere warm. But when it comes time to budget a Hawaii vacation, that can be hard for some! We discovered smart ways to save money and budget a Hawaii vacation.
In our most recent trip to Maui, we paid about $20 for round-trip flights for both of us. For the hotels, we paid about $175 for 5-7 nights. For food and activities, we have a stream of income that works for us while we’re on vacation so we don’t stress about the out-of-pocket costs!
So here are the best tips I’ve got on how to budget a Hawaii vacation. You don’t need to do anything crazy, you just need to be smart.
On that note: I am not a financial advisor. These are just some of the best ways we’ve been able to budget a Hawaii vacation. I encourage you to make wise financial choices and consult a financial professional if needed! 🙂
1. Save up
This is the obvious thing to do first. If you want to go on vacation, you need to set aside money for it. This is where we started out: work hard, stick to a strict budget, put x-amount into a savings account for a trip, and then go on vacay to Hawaii! But then we leveled up to getting smarter about where we put our money and how we paid for things. So don’t miss #4 and 5!
2. Clean out and sell stuff (and stop buying things you don’t need)
I’ve become a minimalist. I don’t like “stuff” lying around, so I’ve literally sold or donated anything that we didn’t need. This is an easy way to get some quick cash for a trip—it’s not a method that will last forever, because eventually you could sell everything in your house!
But it’s a great start. Sell on Facebook Indoor Yard sales, Craigslist, or a local community page (here in Utah that would be KSL).
Tip: If someone is trying to get rid of something for free, take a minute to consider if it’s worth anything. Could you resell an item that someone is getting rid of anyways? One example of this is that my in-laws got rid of an old ping-pong table. They just wanted it off their hands so we took and sold it on Facebook indoor yard sale.
Also consider if a free item is something worth cleaning or fixing up and selling, kind of like a fixer-upper but on a much smaller scale!
On that note, try not to accumulate things you don’t need. Not only is it a waste of your money, but you’ll have more “stuff” in your house!
3. Sell stuff you make
I’m not saying you need to start a full-on business or anything, but if you have a talent to make something, try selling the items you make. There are plenty of people in the community who sell services or products to make a little extra money on the side. Here are some ideas: crafts, photography, food, decoration, etc.
And, of course, if your little experiment works and you start selling a ton of stuff, convert it into a business!
4. Generate streams of passive income
This is HUGE. Passive income is anything that makes you money and requires minimal to no effort on your part. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? You don’t have to own a rental property or storage unit to make passive income. You can start by asking, “What do I have?”
If you have space in your garage, rent it out using Neighbor.
Own a car that you don’t use that often? Consider putting it on Turo.
If you have a place in your house to rent out, consider doing an airbnb.
Own tools, equipment, or recreational products? Try renting them out on Yudilize.
The main thing is to use what you already own!
We actually took the time to finish our basement and convert it into an Airbnb. Our airbnb has done really well for a small town in Utah. And it’s sooo nice to be on vacation while still making money from the airbnb! If you have an extra bedroom, unused basement, or separate apartment, consider listing it on airbnb.
We also own a couple of paddle boards, which we rent out during the summer. It’s a great way to use what we have and make money off them when we’re not using them! In fact, you can pay off what you’ve bought by renting it out. Always do your research beforehand to see if there’s a market demand for anything you plan to buy and rent out.
In all, you really don’t have to think TOO hard about creating streams of passive income: if you own something that would be of value to others, and you don’t use it all the time, why not try renting it out? There are opportunities to make passive income around us all the time!
5. Use credit cards – Our #1 way to basically travel for free!
I know credit cards are that dreaded thing for some people. But they don’t have to be, especially if you use them the right way. I used to be anti-credit card, as I followed Dave Ramsey and agreed that you don’t get rich with “brownie points.” However, my perspective shifted when we received a letter in the mail from Delta Airlines, saying that if I signed up for their credit card, I could receive 70,000 skymiles.
I was going to rip it up and throw it away, like I usually do when we receive credit card offers, but my husband had been doing research on how to travel using credit cards. So he convinced me to consider this offer.
After discussing it and researching how many miles it took to do a round-trip from Hawaii to Utah, we decided to sign up for the Delta credit card. The credit card had some kind of caveat like we had to spend x-amount of money in the first 4 months. But I used the credit card on things in our normal budget: food, gas, bills, etc, and it naturally added up to the amount required to get the sign-on bonus.
And just like that, we had more than enough miles to take a round trip for two people to Hawaii! It was the most incredible feeling to be able to spend only $20-ish in taxes and fees for our flights.
I continue to use my Delta card and it’s been so worth it. It does have a yearly fee, but that’s a small price to pay for the many experiences we get out of it.
What about getting free hotels in Hawaii?
We tried the Chase credit card with the sign-on bonus, and used those points to get some hotel stays free. I think Chase is a great option, but I like to stick with one credit card.
So we did some research and found out you can get package deals through Delta airlines, meaning:
flight + hotel
or flight + car
flight + hotel + car package
I like using only one credit card because it’s easier to maintain and watch. However, I know some people who use more than one credit card and it works for them.
Here are the GOLDEN RULES to using a credit card—get these rules down and you are all set!
Don’t spend money on the credit card that you don’t have!
Only sign up for a credit card when there is a sign-on bonus.
Do keep up on your payments—you earn rewards here and there for being loyal and on top of things.
The sooner you sign up, the sooner you can start accumulating points.
Do your research beforehand—how many points does it cost for one person to take a round-trip flight to Hawaii and back? Can you spend x-amount of money in the 3-4 months the credit card requires to get the sign-on bonus?
Do note any yearly fees for the credit card (so you see no surprises when the year rolls around and the yearly fee shows up on your account).
Don’t cancel the credit card before the year is up. Read all the terms and conditions because if you cancel before the year mark with some credit cards, they may have the right to take away your points! And if you already used your points, you might end up owing them more!
Do take advantage of the credit card features. Some credit cards, like the Delta credit card, offers free checked bags with every flight. Other credit cards have companion passes, meaning you only need to buy one flight and your companion can jump on for free with you!
Do refer other people to sign up for the credit card and get bonus points!
Sign up with my referral bonus!
With that said, get 90,000 bonus miles with my referral sign on! There’s no shame in inviting others to join, and 90,000 is a LOT of miles. It’s around 70,000 for my husband and I to fly to Hawaii just so you can get an idea. 🙂 Sign up below!
Because we used Delta Skymile points, our flights costs about $20 for the taxes and fees. After we bought the flights, Delta popped up with some good deals for car rentals. So we got our car rental for $180. Then we used our Chase Sapphire points to pay for the hotels. We didn’t have enough points so we paid a difference of about $100. It honestly felt pretty good to have used these points (that we earned on everyday purchases anyways!) and save a ton of money!
You can do it too!
And that’s it! I hope you learned something here of how you can budget a Hawaii vacation. It really doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. I truly believe ANYONE can go to Hawaii if they use their money wisely and take advantage of tools like credit cards, use what they have, and just be smart about financial decisions.
I hope these tips helped and this is the year you get to take that amazing trip to Hawaii!
Aloha always,
Lei
Let’s hear it from you!
What are some creative ways you budget a Hawaii vacation? Let us know in the comments below!
Planning a trip to Maui? This Maui Guide contains some of my favorite places on the island, and leaves a lot of open space for you to spend on the beach or enjoy your favorite island things!
Each Hawaiian island is unique, and Maui features gorgeous greenery, lovely beaches, and breathtaking views from just about anywhere on the island! This simple Maui Guide includes the following:
An interactive map, provided by WanderLog, to make your trip planning easier!
The best time to visit Maui
Where to stay on Maui
Maui Places to see and Food recommendations
Road to Hana details
How many days should you stay?
And unique things to do while on the island!
Save this map to make your planning easier!
Wanderlog is a trip planner app that makes your vacay/trip planning THAT much easier! Everything I’ve mentioned in this article is saved in the map below, so be sure to download the wanderlog app and add these fun things to your to-do list. Keep scrolling to get all the details/scoops on the locations below! 🙂
We went in January, which has pros and cons. When you go in the winter months (Dec-March) there’s a lot of wind, meaning big waves. The north and west side of the island saw a lot of wind, which made it uncomfortable and cold on the beaches. However, the south side was perfectly fine though. The biggest pro of going during the winter is that there are plenty of whales! We saw whales everyday we were there!
Side note: I’m writing this in February 2021, and the pandemic has made it so only people who do all the proper testing and requirements can visit Maui. When we went, there was significantly less people in general due to it being after the holidays and the global pandemic. It’s definitely nice to not have so many people there (especially on the road to Hana), but also be aware that mask-wearing and social distancing are mandated on the island.
Where to Stay on Maui
We stayed at Castle Maui Banyan in Kihei because we didn’t need anything fancy–just a nice place to shower and sleep at the end of the day! They have very reasonable prices, especially if you purchase your stay using points from a credit card. I’m sure you can find good deals using third party websites as well.
Benefits of staying in Kihei:
I honestly think Kihei is the best place to stay. It is pretty central on the island and, in my opinion, has the prettiest white sand beaches. It doesn’t get the wind that the west side gets, so you can really plan on having an amazing beach day. 🙂
We also chose to stay our last night in Hana, because we didn’t want to do the road to Hana in one day. I highly recommend doing Hana in two days, as it allows you time to enjoy the bamboo hike at the end! It also gives you time to chill and enjoy Hana instead of rushing back quickly. We stayed at the Hyatt Hana Maui Resort. I think our place in Kihei was nicer than this, but I honestly think this is probably the nicest place to stay in Hana. The other inns and places we drove by didn’t compare to this resort.
Maui Places to See & Food Recommendations
There’s SO much to see on Maui! I recommend getting a rental car so you can explore the island on your time. I’ve listed some of the iconic, enjoyable things to do on your trip! Remember that you don’t need to do this all in one trip. I recommend reading through the Maui guide and jotting down a few things you’d like to do. Or save this page to your bookmarks to review later!
West Maui
Gorgeous sunrise view from Lahaina Town
Catch a sunrise at Lahaina town. The old banyan tree is an iconic thing to see Lahaina, as well as walking down the streets. Lahaina is a cute, old town with plenty of local shops, artists, and restaurants. There are also beaches to relax at here—just make your way towards the ocean and there are plenty of sandy beaches.
Baya Bowl had my favorite acai bowl in Maui!
Eat a delicious acai bowl at Baya Bowls (this was probably the best-tasting, quality foods of all the foods in Maui).
We ate at Cheeseburgers in Paradise for lunch in Lahaina. It was pretty greasy but the fries were good.
Snorkel at Honolua or Mokulaie.
Stop by Punalau beach for a fresh coconut.
See the Nakalele Blowhole (if conditions are right–sometimes if the tide is too low, the water will rise high enough to shoot out of the blowhole).
Banana bread is a kind of a big deal in Maui, so my friend recommended Julia’s banana bread, which is usually around the Blowhole area.
And then STOP and turn around at this point. Going along the northwest coast from the Nakalele Blowhole area to Kahului breaks most of the rental contracts. This road is very dangerous, one way at most parts, and goes around steep ocean cliffs, with falling rocks on the other side. Pretty scary! We did this drive and I will say it’s beautiful and terrifying.
North Maui
Hike the Waihe’e ridge trail but please be warned. There are unattended cows along this path. One of the cows charged us and it was very scary! We were ok, but I’m not sure if I’d go again.
Iao Needle at Iao Valley State Park: Entrance fee $10
See the Iao Needle at the Iao Valley state park.
Check out the unique South Pacific and Asian architecture and plants at Kepaniwai Park.
Walk around Wailuku and enjoy the mural wall art along the buildings.
Eat dinner at Zippys in Kahului (Zippys is one of my favorite chain restaurants in Hawaii—it’s always consistently good!).
South Maui
Beaches, beaches, beaches! If you want a beach day, spend it here on the south side of Maui. It is so worth it!
We spent the day at Po’olenalena beach, but get there a tad early because public parking access to the beach is limited.
*Something really neat about this beach is to the south side of it is a great snorkeling spot! You’ll see a lot of tour boats and snorkelers around that area so it’s hard to miss it.
La Perouse Bay in the morning
La Perouse Bay is a popular spot to see. We came here with a paddle board but because of the windy weather, it really wasn’t that fun. I think it’s gorgeous though.
There are a lot of activities down here—it just depends on what you want to do! You can rent a paddle board and walk it to the beach, rent some bikes and ride the town, or just walk around and check out all the street restaurants and food trucks!
There weren’t very many food places down here I can confidently recommend.
Haleakala National Park
This is not the summit of Haleakala–this is below the summit but I think it’s more beautiful down here! 🙂
There are two parts of Haleakala National Park and they are not connected by any roads. One of them you can access from the central Maui, and the other part is only accessible outside of Hana.
The popular Maui thing to do is see the sunrise at Haleakala. You have to reserve your place ahead of time. When I went onto the websites there was absolutely no spots available, so we planned to see the sunset.
It’s SO much better! And I don’t even think the summit is the best spot. As we drove up, we were in awe at how gorgeous the clouds looked below the trees! By the time we got to the summit, it was cloudy and so foggy that we couldn’t see anything. (See picture below).
So my advice is do Haleakala at sunset and enjoy being above the clouds but don’t feel obligated to go to the summit. There are plenty of places to pull off and enjoy the sunset above the clouds!
Road to Hana
I think the road to Hana is definitely worth a try at least once. I don’t think I want to do it again—mostly just because it’s long and I don’t enjoy being in the car that long, even with all the stops. Here are some of my favorite stops though (my road to Hana guide will be up soon!).
(MM stands for mile marker)
MM 2 – Twin falls
MM 16.5 – Seeing the beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees at the Ke’anae arboretum (skip the Garden of Eden because the Ke’anae arboretum is free and has plenty of plants to admire).
MM 22.5 – Pua’a ka’a state park has easy access waterfalls, as well as a bathroom.
MM 23 – Short lava tube hike. Super neat and most people just drive past!
HANA – Finally getting to Hana is such a relief. I recommend staying the night so you don’t have to rush the Pipiwai trail. Maybe we were tired, but the Pipiwai trail took a minute for us to finish. We stayed in the Hana Resort.
Some things to do in Hana are to eat at the food trucks or the Hana Ranch Restaurant. The red sand beach is right here in Hana, an easy trail and pretty sight (it took us less than 10 minutes to hike to the red sand beach–we didn’t swim there. Just checked it out).
Bamboo Forest, Maui
MM 42 – Ohe’o Gulch and Pipiwai Trail are SO worth it. The bamboo forest and Waikamo falls were totally worth it.
Make sure you STOP here and turn around. Going past the national park may violate your rental contract.
How many days should I spend on Maui?
I recommend 4-5 days, which gives you plenty of time for adventurous hikes and relaxing beach days.
Be on the lookout for whales (especially during the winter months!)
Enjoy Maui!
I hope you enjoyed this Maui guide! So many people visit Maui again and again because of the delightful beaches and warm tropical sun. There’s so much to enjoy, I hope you have an amazing time! Don’t forget to save the Maui guide to help you plan your trip later!
Love,
Lei
Your turn!
What is your favorite thing to do in Maui? Let us know in the comments below!
E komo mai! 🌺 I am the author of Aloha State of Mind, a self help book that teaches you how to create paradise wherever you are. My blog, Naturally Aloha, focuses on all things Hawaii: culture, values, food, lifestyle, and more. I hope my writing inspires you to carry aloha with you everywhere! Learn more…
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