Hele: Move, Go (Maui Travel Guide)

I can’t believe today is the last of my Maui Travel Series (click here in case ya missed anything). I had no intention of sharing as many posts as I did but after really thinking about how inspired I was after leaving Maui, I just couldn’t help myself.

In true spirit of this travel series, I obviously had to share one last word with you guys. Hele. Meaning move or go, this word clearly holds some extra meaning for me – I’ve shared a few times about my love for traveling and going on new adventures. My new motto: when in doubt, just GO. Plan a last minute vacation, get out of the house and try a new restaurant, go on a mini road trip. I think everyone should should be a little more intentional about challenging themselves to live in the moment and just move. It doesn’t have to be a big, expensive trip. But just do something to make new memories, big or small. This trip, as big as it ended up becoming, was an opportunity to experience a new place with one of my closest friends. It felt good to just go and be present and go on new adventures every day.

Hele: Move, Go

To wrap things up, I thought it would be fun to share a Vlog + Maui Travel Guide featuring some of my favorite memories and highlights from the trip. If you’re not planning a visit to Maui in the near future, I hope this offers a little extra travel inspiration for your next getaway. And if you are, bookmark for later or feel free to comment below/shoot me an email if you have any questions at all! We were on the island for 7 nights/8 days and fit a lot in, but there was still so much more we would have loved to experience – I may or may not be planning another trip for early 2019!

Today’s post has a lot of info but I hope you enjoy browsing through it all as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Keep scrolling for the travel vlog, a photo diary + guide to Maui and, to wrap things up, I’m sharing a few of my favorite shoppable looks from the trip. Scroll on and enjoy!

My Maui Travel Guide

Locations

Fair warning: Maui is pretty spread out. I highly recommend renting a car or splitting up your time in some of the different parts of the Island. We stayed in Wailea for the entire trip but bounced around for day trips. We had a car for a few days (to save money) but I wish we would have split up our stay and got a hotel on the west side of the island for a few nights!

Wailea: the more commercial, bougie area; great for honeymooners and nicer restaurants (and some chains)

Kihei: the cool town; less than 10 minutes from Wailea and great for cooler restaurants and bars

Paia: the surfer town; great for a real local experience

Lahaina: the combo, great for families and activities

Stay

(Wailea) Four Seasons: the serenity pool (adults only) and the private beach were obvious highlights for me. The property is stunning and the shaved ice and paloma cocktails were the best treats in between pool time.
(Wailea) Fairmont: this was my favorite hotel of the two. They offer a ton of activities included in your resort fee like mixology classes, canoe experiences and more!

Eat

(Wailea) Matteo’s OSTERIA: best. raviloi. ever. A great Italian spot with an epic wine list.
(Wailea) Monkeypod: go for happy hour between 3-5 or 9-11. Get the pie and pizza. So good!
(Wailea) The Pint and Cork: a more casual sports bar experience with the best mac n cheese I’ve ever had.
(Wailea) Manolis: if you’re craving pizza and great beer, go here for a casual lunch or dinner. And the view is stunning.
(Wailea) KO: this was my favorite meal of the trip and was just a few steps from our room at the Fairmont. Delish polynesian and Japanese inspired cuisine with the best cocktails.
(Wailea) Nick’s Fish Market: this was another hot spot at the Fairmont. I had the best Mai Tai during happy hour and am still having dreams about it.
(Wailea) Luana: we popped here for happy hour before heading to the airport. The Mai tai had a fun twist and the pupus (appetizers) were all delish.
(Kihei) Maui Brewing Company: Megan and I loved creating our own beer flights (get the Bikini Blonde!) and the food in the dining room was so good.
(Kihei) Fred’s Mexican Cafe: we celebrated national margarita day with queso and ‘ritas at Fred’s. Get the Hang 10 Margarairta and Fried Chicken tacos.
(Kihei) Threes Bar & Grill: this was a more casual dining situation offering an interesting combo of american and asian inspired foods.
(Kihei) Kihei Cafe: best breakfast of the trip BY FAR. Get the pancakes and iced coffee. The bacon was also out of this world. (make sure you have cash on hand)
(Paia) Mama’s Fish House: be prepared to spend a little money but a trip to Mama’s should be on everyone’s list. We stopped for a late afternoon snacks and cocktails and it did not disappoint. The private beach and ocean views made this experience that much better.
(Paia) Paia Bowls: an acai bowl in Maui is a must and a trip to this gorgeous little to-go spot was such a great break from walking around Paia all afternoon.
(Paia) Paia Coffee Bar: if you’re looking for a tropical oasis with the best ice coffee, you need to swing by here while in Paia.
(Lahaina): Lahaina Pizza Co: I had the best deep dish pizza here!
(Lahaina) Benyan Treats: right next to the harbor, they have everything from shaved ice to ice cream and milk shakes.

Play

Sail Maui: Jessica and I had the best day with Sail Maui, snorkeling at Molokini, spotting dolphins and whales and meetings lots of new friends!
Twin Falls: be prepared for a mini hike but the most beautiful waterfall. They also have a fresh fruit stand right at the entrance so you can get a snack before heading down to the falls.
Shops at Wailea: if you’re looking for a break from the pool or beach, the Shops at Wailea make for a great afternoon excursion. Lots of great shops, boutiques and restaurants at all price points.
Makena Beach: Big Beach is a great public beach right outside of Wailea. If you’re looking for a fun experience, head over to Little Beach which is a nude beach (eek!). On Sunday’s they apparently have drum circles with fire dancers and it turns into a party.
Lahaina Harbor: walk around Lahaina harbor with a shaved ice and hand. There are so many cute little shops and places to eat and it doesn’t hurt to have a great view of the water.
Black Rock Beach: this is a greta beach for snorkeling and cliff jumping right in Lahaina.
Cliff House: this was one of my favorite moments from the trip: cliff jumping! If you’re afraid of heights or don’t want to jump off a huge cliff, Cliff House is perfect. It isn’t too aggressive and wasn’t crowded at all.
Nakelele Blowhole: Highly recommend making a trip to see the heart shaped rock (we weren’t dressed for the walk) but did get to see the blowhole in action!

Ready for some photo overload…

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My Favorite Looks from Maui

These were just a few of my favorite looks. If you have LIKEtoKNOW.it (you all should, ladies!), you can view my profile (@laurenelyce) on the new app and click on the Maui photos to shop each look.

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