Kate asked for the recipe for the spicy orange chicken…
Hawaii: My Favorite Finds in Maui
Now that our 20-day vacation in Maui is over, let’s recap the best beaches, food and other activities of the trip for future reference!
Beaches
- Nipili Bay – My favorite beach of the trip! A small gem with deep water for swimming and virtually no waves, ideal for the baby to splash around. Plus, a nice restaurant right on the beach and easy parking.
- Po’olenalena Beach – A very pretty beach in Wailea with trees for shade and a huge population of turtles for snorkeling.
- Makena Landing – Makena in general seemed really pretty and quiet, this bay was perfect for kayaking and full of lots of snorkeling.
- Baby beach in Lahaina – Shallow, warm and coral reef filled waters that were baby heaven, Lots of shady trees to sit under. With a bonus nearby Japanese temple to explore.
- Kam 1 – This was the beach closest to our house and the one we went to most often. Convenient, nice for swimming and only very rarely occupied by sea urchins.
- Polo Beach – Only at this Wailea beach for a short while before a rainstorm. A bit packed from the hotel behind it.
Food
- Lots of fresh tropical fruit including cherimoya and taro
- Hawaiian rice bowls with swordfish and poke on our first night
- Making our own sushi and tataki
- 808 Deli sandwiches and butterscotch pudding
- Lunch at the Sea House Restaurant in Napili
- Making mango scones and papaya parfaits
- One of the best pizzas I’ve ever had at the Kula Bistro
- Kalua pork and chicken katsu plate lunches at Da Kitchen
- The best shave ice in Kihei at S&Q’s Shave Ice Shack
- Chocolate and banana cream pies from Leoda’s
- I can’t think of a bad thing that we ate on the trip! It was all delicious.
Off the Beach Activities
- Driving the Southeast side of Maui
- The free hula show in Lahaina
- Driving the Road to Hana, with its temples and waterfalls
- Dressing up in fun tropical outfits
- Kayaking Makena Bay
- Maui’s Friday Night Town Parties with cheesy local bands and great food
- Exploring Kula‘s Portugese history and the upcountry lavender farm
- Badminton on the beach at sunset
- Hiking the Waihe’e Ridge Trail
- Kepaniwai Heritage Park
- Snorkeling Boat Trip. You can snorkel easily from most beaches, but you need a boat to get to Molokini. Not great for people with unsteady sea legs
- Ioa State Park – Pretty but maybe not worth the $5 parking fee for such a short hike
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