We were ecstatic to have been able to return to one of our favorite places in the world this year! We’d love to explore other Hawaiian islands in the future, but because we are traveling with Sophie and I am in my second trimester we figured we should stick with what’s familiar to us this time. This trip acted as a pseudo “babymoon” since we didn’t get to take one during our first pregnancy (due to strict travel restrictions during the height of COVID) as well as a “last hurrah” for us to build memories as a family of three before Baby #2 arrives!
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~ disclaimer ~
As you are well aware, Maui suffered a great catastrophe in 2023 — a tragic series of fires ripped through many portions of the island and completely obliterated the cherished historic town of Lahaina. We were hoping to visit Maui in 2023, but held off to allow the island to heal and recover from the devastation without the presence of tourists.
I know that there are a lot of conflicting opinions on how to help Maui as they recover from this catastrophic situation, with many locals advising not to come visit (as tourists drain much needed resources), which I fully understand and respect. On the other hand, I have also heard from many Maui residents to please travel to the island as many of their jobs in hospitality rely on visitors.
We hoped that by waiting until 2024 to visit Maui that we gave the locals time to grieve, regroup, organize, and to begin the rebuild process without tourists being disruptive or taking up valuable resources, but we also want to show our support for the community both by making donations to foundations that work directly to support locals, in addition to boosting their economy with a visit.
Additionally, if you have the ability, you can partake in regenerative tourism which you can learn about here. This ABC News feature was very eye opening and I hope you’ll take the time to watch it. 🩷
WHERE WE STAYED
When we visited Maui in 2022 we stayed at the Wailea Beach Resort and while we were there we found that it to be such a great place to stay that felt both luxurious and kid-friendly so we decided that we would return for this trip. Because we were bringing Sophie as a toddler and wanted a relaxing visit, we thought that staying somewhere familiar would be our best bet (and we were right) — it was great!
Some of the reasons why we chose this location: on-site restaurants in case we didn’t feel like going anywhere, an on-site Starbucks (which I know feels like a sin when on Maui because you can get excellent coffee, but with a toddler sometimes you need familiarity and ease), and the kiddo-friendly pools are a highlight since we planned to spend the majority of our time in or around the pool on this visit.
The ‘Ohi Pool was our go-to because it was close to some bathrooms, close to the Kapa Grill (easy poolside food and drinks!), and it was a bit more of a relaxed vibe compared to the Nalu Adventure Pool. The Nalu Pool area has a bunch of slides and waterfalls and other playthings that are SO. MUCH. FUN, but it can be a little overwhelming for tiny ones so while I highly recommend taking advantage of that super fun adventure pool, it’s so nice to have the more chill environment of the ‘Ohi Pool to spend time at too.
The Te Au Moana luau put on at the resort is just wonderful. The food is good, but the show is truly spectacular and having the ocean backdrop just makes it an unforgettable experience. You don’t have to stay at the resort to attend this luau, but in the interest of having easy access to your room after the luau is over (or even if your little one needs to go back to the room for any reason) staying at the resort can’t be beat.
Additionally, the Wailea area is absolutely lovely. There are lots of shopping & dining options and there are some nice sandy beaches (as opposed to ones that are too rocky) on that part of the island.
ACTIVITIES
We kept our activity itinerary to a minimum on this trip as we wanted a relaxing experience (mostly taking it easy at the hotel pool and on their private beach), but we were still interested in doing a couple of special Hawai’i-specific activities with Sophie while in paradise!
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FAMILY PHOTOS
If you know me, you know that I love to have family photos taken when we travel (I cherish them so much!) and since we have already established a relationship with Jess at @mauifamilyphoto I knew for sure that we wanted to schedule another session with her on this trip! That was literally the first thing that I booked as soon as we had flights, hotel and car rental nailed down. I wanted to secure a morning session earlier on in our trip (when we’re a bit “fresher”, in case of awkward sunburns, etc.) so I knew that I needed to make the arrangements ASAP!
We had an incredible time with Jess — she has such a gift for capturing sweet moments and she helps you feel so at ease in front of the camera. I’ll definitely share a post with more information and some of the images from our session soon, but in the interim you should definitely check out her instagram or her website portfolio if you’re planning to travel to Maui soon and would like to have gorgeous photos taken to capture your family on the trip!
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WHALE WATCHING
Part of the reason why we decided to visit Maui in February is because it’s humpback season so we thought it would be great to take Sophie whale watching! We loved our experience with Ultimate Whale Watch & Snorkel on our first trip to Maui, but because their vessels are so small (which makes them easy to maneuver and you can potentially get closer to whales if they choose to approach you!) they don’t take tiny passengers (anyone under 4 years old, I believe).
I found another highly rated whale watching service that has slightly larger vessels so they accept passengers of all ages. We thought this was a great option if you have children in your party, but we still highly recommend the Ultimate Whale Watch tour for anyone over the age of 4. 😂 This activity was something that we wanted to have nice weather for so we waited until a bit closer to our visit to book this excursion, which worked out beautifully.
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AQUARIUM
And of course, the Maui Ocean Center! This aquarium design is open to the outdoors between exhibit buildings so while it’s not fully enclosed it’s still a great option for little ones on a rainy or overcast day. Sophie missed out on our last trip to Maui since she fell asleep almost immediately upon our arrival and snoozed through the whole visit. 😂 There are so many amazing things to see and experience (plus, Dole Whip is an available treat option)!
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BEACHES
Admittedly, we spent most of our beach time near our hotel (Ulua Beach & Wailea Beach by the Wailea Beach Resort) as a matter of convenience, but we were also told that there are a few more beaches nearby that are great for little kids so we thought we’d check them out also!
The recommended beaches for kiddos are:
Palauea Beach
Po’olenalena Beach
Baby Beach
Lastly, if for some reason your kiddo gets tired of the pool or beach (HOW? 🤣), you can use the Playground Buddy locator app to find playgrounds near your hotel or dining destinations. Sometimes littles just need to run around and get their wiggles out!
WHERE WE ATE
Our only criteria was that the restaurant had to be kid-friendly (and nearly all restaurants are so it wasn’t that restrictive of a rule 🤭). We just wanted to be sure that high chairs were available — bonus points for Keiki (child) menus!
Admittedly, Sophie isn’t the most adventurous eater, so we never expect her to eat what’s on the menu. We always order something for her hoping that she will be brave and try it, but it’s super low pressure because we know it’s already an overstimulating experience being in a restaurant so trying a “new” food (even just a different preparation of a food that she already loves) isn’t likely to happen. That said, if your kiddos are better eaters (🫠), it’s fun for them to have more child-friendly menus and portion sizes (so that you don’t have to share your dinner 😉).
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It’s become a tradition for us to enjoy at least one meal at the famed Mama’s Fish House; it’s an institution on Maui and people often book their entire trips around eating at this restaurant! You can now book up to a year in advance so I highly recommend making arrangements as soon as possible. That said, you can occasionally get lucky and find a reservation on the day-of if you check their website as soon as they open (FYI: the smaller the group, the higher the likelihood that you’ll be able to find a table!). We always have our best meals on Maui there, and maybe arguably some of our favorite meals ever. Highly recommend enjoying a meal at this historic location because the scenery, food, drinks and service are all absolutely delightful (we were fortunate enough to dine here twice on this trip and our servers, Devin & Jessica E., were both phenomenal).
We also had to pop by MonkeyPod for Mai Tais which are our favorite that we’ve had on Maui (and we’ve tried them at every restaurant we’ve visited! They’ve all been great, but this one is hands-down our favorite). Of course, mine was non-alcoholic on this trip and while it wasn’t exactly the same without the booze, it was still absolutely delicious.
This was the only photo I took at Merriman’s because the sun had already set and I was pretty preoccupied with Sophie, but it was a delightful meal and a gorgeous location. I bet it would have been even more stunning at sunset so if that’s happening around your reservation time, try to snag a table with a view of the water!
Leilani’s On the Beach — we really enjoyed our meals and beverages here, and bonus points for being super casual and a very kid-friendly location. The brand’s famous Hula Pie dessert lived up to hype, but WOW it’s a huge portion… best shared with multiple people (or just be sure to bring your appetite)!
KAPA Grill is hardly the most gourmet option on the island, but if you’re staying at the Wailea Beach Resort they have a pretty solid menu that’s great for eating poolside or after getting out of the pool and you want to dry off a bit before heading back to your room. I especially adored their açaí bowl! That said, I wouldn’t suggest making a special trip to eat at this location if you aren’t already staying on property.
Maui Brewing has an excellent open air dining area and even a fun outdoor space for kids to run around and for playing corn hole (warning that if the sun is high, the outdoor space has no cover so it’s HOT; that space is best enjoyed later in the afternoon. If you like (or someone in your traveling party enjoys) beer, Maui Brewing has a pretty good selection of beers and their food menu is tasty too!
Waikiki Brewing was located within walking distance of our hotel so it would have been a super convenient place to eat at, but we only picked up a takeaway lunch because we wanted to enjoy our hotel room patio while Sophie took her afternoon nap, but they had a great menu! My husband couldn’t resist getting the Hawaiian classic Loco Moco dish and I ordered a pork belly BLAT (which was sooo yummy, but I didn’t get a photo because I dove right in! haha).
*note: the beer pictured is from the hotel bar; the brewery did not let us carry out an open beer cup 😅
Ululani’s Shave Ice was definitely a highlight — the hype is real; we visited twice! We first went to the Keihi location and that was awesome if you are planning to take your shave ice across the (very busy) street to enjoy on the beach, but that shop was CRAZY busy. We waited 30+ minutes to place our order which was hard to manage with an antsy toddler… but it was super tasty and worth the wait!
We each grabbed another bowl of shave ice apiece in Kahului on our final day because that location is much closer to the airport and it was a lot less busy. It’s not an “ideal” location, but if you’re short on time I highly recommend it — the taste was the same at both places. 😉
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OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS:
Havens
(the Smash Burgers come highly recommended!)
I hope you feel inspired to visit Maui, but please be respectful — read: don’t try to visit Lahaina. There are so many other places to explore on the island and many other activities that don’t take place in that region. The businesses that were based out of the Lahaina Harbor and managed to rescue their vessels have relocated to Maalaea Harbor so while the shops and restaurants on Front Street may no longer be available, the activities and excursions that used to exist there may still be open for business.
I’m hardly an expert on visiting this island because we haven’t had the opportunity to visit Maui nearly as often as we’d like (this was our third time), but I have another travel diary post here about our first trip to Maui as well as an additional post here about our experience on the neighboring island of Lana’i (spoiler alert: they were both fantastic!).
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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