2.     Haleakala crater – Haleakala is actually about 675 feet taller that Mount Everest when you calculate it’s height from the ocean floor.  About ¾ of this incredible place is found below the ocean.  This place will take your breath away…especially on the drive up!  A lot of tours go super early in the morning to see the sunrise, but we love to wait, check out the weather, and head up the mountain for sunset.  It’s less crowded, and you don’t have to wake up at 3:30am.  A word of warning:  take pants and a jacket.  The wind is freezing cold at the top, but the views more than make up for.

Make sure you give yourself more than enough time to get to the top.  It costs a few dollars to get into the state park (about $5), and I’d give myself at least 2 hours to make the drive if you’re driving from Lahaina.  If you arrive a little early it’s much better than getting there late.  Sunsets aren’t much fun after they’ve already happened!  The view from the top is a worshipful experience when you think about Heaven.  It reminds me of so many of my friends and family that are sitting at the feet of Jesus today…never ceases to inspire me with the beauty of that sunset!

3.     Myths of Maui Luau – The Old Lahaina Luau is suppose to be really good as well, but the Myths of Maui has yet to disappoint us so we have stuck with it.  If you’ve been to Hawaii before a luau may not be at the top of your list, but if this is your first time….duh, you’re going to a luau.  For discounts – https://www.hawaiidiscount.com/maui/luaus.htm

This is a great place to look for things to do, and often has decent discounts that you can’t get on your own.

1.     Royal Lahaina (www.royallahaina.com)– This is where Amy and I stayed on our first few trips to Maui.  We really loved the small hotel feel.  There is no ‘resort’ pool, but there are a few pools on site.  They have beachfront access, and it is near the Sheraton, which has pretty decent snorkeling right out front (search ‘black rock snorkel Sheraton’).  The Royal Lahaina is a hotel resort so you don’t get the kitchen and condo feel, but it’s a great place to stay.  They don’t have the large resort style pools so there aren’t as many little kids running around, if you’re on a couples trip.

2.     Honua Kai Resort (www.honuakai.com) – We stayed at Honua Kai this past Summer and really enjoyed our time.  This resort is full of condos that are very updated, and have full kitchens and washer/dryer units.  The biggest downside to Honua Kai is there is not good beach access.  They make up for this with the beautiful resort pools, and an onsite restaurant…..um….they serve hula pie!  There are wonderful beaches to snorkel at and visit all over the island so don’t let this scare you away.  We booked straight through their website, but you can also find deals on vrbo.com.

Honua Kai is not the cheapest place on the island, but we travel with friends so we are able to split a two bedroom down the middle to save some money.  With two bedrooms you get three beds (including the living room area) so there is plenty of space for a group of 4-6 people.

3.     Kapalua Bay – You can find Kapalua Bay Villas on vrbo.com.  We have also booked through (beachcondoshawaii.com).  Make sure you double check the location as they have some villas on the golf course.  There are plenty of villas along the coastline.  They have a beach access that you have to walk down to, but it’s on the resort.  The beach is very quiet and doesn’t have a lot of traffic so that is really nice.  You do have to walk down stairs that are built into the cliffs, but they are safe.  They also have numerous pools on site.  We really enjoyed our time at Kapalua.  It’s about 15 minutes past Lahaina and is more of a community than a resort.  It’s located on a PGA golf course and you’ll find a lot of people running, walking, and enjoying the trails.