We are coming up on our two year anniversary (so crazy how time flies) and we thought, why not share how we spent our amazing 1 week honeymoon in Maui! Flights to Hawaii dropped this week with Southwest now offering flights there, which is great news for us! We were actually able to snag flights to Kona for under $300 each for this June, so we are SO excited to be returning to this magical state.
Flights/Transportation:
We found an AMAZING flight special this past week to Kona using our premium membership to Dollar Flight Club. This membership ($40/year) gives you access to several flight deals e-mailed right to your inbox every day with crazy flight specials specifically from your home city. We just got tickets to Kona direct from Dallas for $287 each for this June (over $800 in savings!). If you are an avid traveler and want help finding great deals, I highly recommend the membership.
That being said, I recommend trying to get an early flight to get a head start. We arrived by 3-4 PM, giving us ample time to pick up our rental car (more on that below), drive to our hotel, check in, and get a few hours of beach time before dinner.
Maui has very little transportation and Uber/Lyft is extremely limited, so I highly recommend renting a car. It’s also a great way to get to see the island. We went with a mid-size SUV and felt it drove great, including along the winding Road to Hana.
Hotel:
We researched many hotels before the trip and everything we read kept pointing us towards the Four Seasons in Wailea. It’s definitely pricey, but it was such a memorable experience for our honeymoon, one that we will truly cherish forever.
There were several things we appreciated about our stay. Firstly, I highly recommend booking directly through their website, as they offer the best deals. Start looking for your dates early and track them for a bit, as they do fluctuate often. We had booked our stay and I rechecked a few weeks later and saw the price had dropped. I called and they immediately changed us to the lower rate. Secondly, they don’t charge a daily resort fee. Most of the other resorts in Maui charge a daily rate of $30-40 per person, which over 7 days adds up! And lastly, the most amazing customer service! The staff at the Four Seasons are impeccably trained. They called us by name on many occasions, the concierge went above a beyond helping us book dinner reservations and a luau show, they were helpful in finding us lounge chairs by the pool, etc. This attentive service truly made the trip all the more special.
Plus, can you really beat this view??
Four Seasons Maui 
Four Seasons Maui
What to Do:
Road to Hana
This winding road has all kinds of stops along the way including waterfalls, rainforests with rainbow eucalyptus trees, black sand beaches, and some amazing banana bread at Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread stand! I highly recommend the Shaka Maui driving guide, we download the app and had an easy time finding all the stops. We did not drive back the reverse side – we heard it was slightly dangerous and not recommended in a rental car, so we went back the way we came and stopped at a few of the places we had missed on our way up. Highly recommend you take the full day to really enjoy this drive.
Waimoku Falls 
Pipiwai Trail 
Three Bears Falls 
Rainbow Eucalyptus 
Black Sand Beach 
Road to Hana 
Waikamoi Falls 
Pipiwai Trail
Sunrise at Haleakala
I recommend you plan to see the sunrise from this beautiful crater on your second day in Maui, as you’ll likely wake up early from the time difference anyways. We had a 3:30 AM wake up call from our concierge and they had the car ready with coffees and blankets (you NEED to bundle up, it will be cold up there). We left by 4 AM and made it up the crater by 5:45 AM for the 6:30 AM sunrise, so we had plenty of time to find a good spot and get comfortable. I have to say, it was truly one of the most awe-inspiring moments of my life. What an amazing view.
Day trip to Lanai:
We only had 1 week in Maui, but wanted to try to see one of the other islands during our stay. We opted for a day trip to Lanai through Trilogy excursions. It was $220 per person, including a delicious breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls, coffee, and fruit, and a delicious afternoon BBQ. We saw tons of whales and dolphins along the way, and decided to try out SNUBA (a cross between scuba diving and snorkeling) in Lanai. We saw all kinds of gorgeous fish and had an amazing time touring the island as well.
Trilogy Lanai Tour 
Whale Watching 
Beach in Lanai 
Snuba in Lanai
Attend a Luau at Old Lahaina Luau:
You can’t leave Maui without attending an authentic Luau! We had such an amazing night at the Old Lahaina Luau! The food was so delicious, especially the show stopper Kalua pork! The drinks were wonderful and the dancers, of course, were so talented. Highly recommend this show.
Old Lahaina Luau 
Old Lahaina Luau 
Old Lahaina Luau
Relax on the beach:
All the beaches in Hawaii are public, so even if your hotel is beachfront, you share with all the locals! No worries, because they are so kind and they genuinely care for the land, leaving no trash anywhere! That being said, no matter where you are staying, you have access to some of the most amazing beaches in the world. We spent a lot of time on Wailea beach, as that’s where we were staying, and really enjoyed it. We did some snorkeling (equipment was free from the hotel) and went out on a traditional Outrigger canoe (with guides – also provided by the hotel for free, just needed to book in advance).
Outrigger Canoe 
Maui Beaches
What to Eat:
Mama’s Fish House: Everyone will talk about how amazing this place is when you tell them you’re going to Maui. It seems every celebrity that has ever visited Maui has dined here. To be fair, we see why. The restaurant is on our a gorgeous beachfront cove, with great sunset views. The drinks are heavenly and the fish – some of the best we’ve ever had. It’s a pricey meal, but well worth it. Make reservations well in advance.
Spago: We dined here our first night in Maui, as it was conveniently located in the Four Seasons hotel. We loved the ahi tuna cones for appetizer and our fish was delicious. They were kind enough to send out a dessert on the house for our honeymoon.
Spago Maui 
Spago Maui
Chef’s Table at The Mill House: Truly a unique foodie experience! We absolutely loved the opportunity to dine al fresco and watch our chef’s prepare our meal in front of us. All of the ingredients are locally sourced and wonderfully prepared. It was such a fun evening and we enjoyed meeting with other foodies vacationing in Maui.
The Mill House 
The Mill House Cocktails 
Chef’s Table 
Duo Steak and Seafood: We went on their raw bar night (Tuesday nights I believe) and loved it! All you can eat shrimp, crab, fresh poke! So delicious. Another great meal at a Four Seasons restaurant.
Star Noodle: A great cheaper option with all kinds of Asian fusion options. We tried their Ahi Avo (ahi tuna with lemon pressed olive oil) that was probably the best poke we had on the whole trip. Also loved the Vietnamese crepe and Singapore Noodles!
Singapore Noodles 
Ahi Avo
Ululani’s Shaved Ice: Not all shaved ice is created equal – that is their tag line and we can’t agree more. We absolutely loved their shaved ice – it was the perfect treat after exploring the island all day. They have several locations on the island.
We hope these tips help you plan a trip as spectacular as ours on this very special island. Aloha!
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