Paʻia, Maui. Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Photograph by Tor Johnson.
Finest identified for saying “e komo mai” to honeymooners and households, Maui may also be that uncommon spot to reclaim solo journey whenever you don’t have a big different. Buck the tendencies. Be a insurgent. Experience Maui’s magnificence and native allure—all by yourself. Whether or not you’re therapeutic from a breakup, launching your “Eat, Pray, Love” period on the Valley Isle, or simply wish to have some trip autonomy, Maui could be the last word spot to reclaim your independence. Extroverts will rejoice within the some ways to fulfill folks on-the-fly, whereas introverts can lock into the myriad actions Maui has to supply.
Day One: Solar & Sustenance
Morning:
However first… espresso. Go to Island Vibes Café at Napili Villages for an Aloha Latté that options coconut and mac nut flavors to perk you up in your first day. Again up your order with a breakfast burrito or an açai bowl to supercharge you for the day forward. When you’re feeling adventurous, lease a paddleboard from Napili Bay Kayaks and SUPs proper contained in the café.
Afternoon:
Seize a towel and a few SPF (may we recommend a reef-safe spray so that you don’t have to fret about another person getting your again?). Solar your self on the shores of Napili Bay and laze in entrance of Napili Kai, swimming and snorkeling to your coronary heart’s content material. Feeling peckish? Seize a snack and a bevy from the Sea Home restaurant, simply steps away out of your seaside towel with among the most iconic views on the westside.
Night:
Occasion of 1? Extra like occasion of enjoyable. Let’s get this solo journey going with a solo dinner on the bar at Monkeypod Kitchen Kā’anapali (a disclaimer, I might even see you racing across the ground in my uniform). With stay music and pleasant workers, there’ll all the time be a dialog ready to occur. Be sure to order the Monkeypod Mai Tai ($18), topped with their signature Honey-Lilikoi foam. Then deal with your self to the seared ahi with a Maui onion-soy French dressing ($49) and their well-known strawberry pie ($14)
Monkeypod Kitchen Kāʻanapali strawberry cream pie. Courtesy of Monkeypod Kitchen.
Day Two: Rejuvenation & Revelry
Morning:
you introduced a spandex match for some motive. Middle your self with a category at Type Pilates ($38), the newest health studio arrange in Kā’anapali’s Fairway Retailers. With a smooth look and top-of-line gear, these reformer-based courses provide small class sizes that lends a little bit further consideration throughout your exercise.
Afternoon:
Take the Kā’anapali Trolley (you deserve it; you probably did work out in any case) or go for a leisurely stroll all the way down to Kahekili or “Airport” Seaside for a noon dip at a spot that locals love. This north Kā’anapali mainstay was nicknamed for the previous airport that was constructed solely 30 toes from its shoreline again in 1965.
Shake off the sand, then traipse as much as Lāhainā Midday, the Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows’ newest trendy Hawaiʻi eatery. Snack on some Smoked ʻAhi Dip ($25) or indulge within the Paniolo Beef Smashburger ($28).
Night:
After a late afternoon nap, seize that cocktail costume or that Reyn Spooner button-up you’ve been dying to rock and head to Lāhainā Therapeutic Middle for his or her weekly salsa courses. Shake it like Shakira, then use your svelte look to attain a seat on the bar at Honu Oceanside, a newfound Lāhainā staple that adopted lots of the gifted culinary and hospitality workers from the beloved Lahaina Grill that was misplaced within the Maui wildfires. Sip on a Bee’s Knees ($18), get the Dore Type day by day catch ($60), and rely what number of honu (inexperienced sea turtles) you see arising for air beneath the sundown.
Don’t wish to head again to the room simply but? Seize a journey share service and head north to Honokōwai for a nightcap at Pineapple Robotic – an area dive that boasts stiff drinks and nightly karaoke with performances that show the bar’s efficiency.
Courtesy of Lahaina Midday. Photograph by Bixel Artistic.
Day Three: Wanderlust
Morning:
Set your alarm a little bit earlier in the present day for a 4.5-hour snorkel cruise on the Quicksilver’s double-decker catamaran that leaves out of the Māʻalaea harbor. Examine in at 8:30 a.m., board the boat, and slap in your snorkel gear. When you’re within the water, you’ll come throughout a number of totally different species and perhaps even see a pod of dolphins on the best way out. Keep in mind to carry these necessities: a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, sun shades, a sound picture ID (in case you’d wish to buy alcoholic drinks after snorkeling) and money for tipping.
Afternoon:
Take a drive via central Maui as much as the north shore within the historic city of Pa’ia. With plantation-era storefronts, galleries, and eating places, this can be a charming hamlet with hippie sensibilities. Top off on the dietary supplements you forgot at residence and a few pure bites at Mana Meals, Maui’s consummate well being meals retailer.
Take a drive up Baldwin Avenue to Makawao for some retail remedy and a stick donut – a legendary pull-apart glazed donut on a skewer from Komoda’s Bakery. Come early, they promote out quick. Cease by Tribe Maui for a set of retro styled seaside and streetwear for each women and men, with retailers on each Makawao Ave. and Baldwin Ave.
Night:
Swing by the close by neighborhood of Pukalani for Maui’s foodie haven, Marlow. This café and pizerria-plus stuns with its execution and flavors. Have a glass of Italian Frappato whilst you revel within the braised octopus and Neapolitan-style pizza. If it’s a weekend, make a pit cease in your means again to the opposite aspect and cease down in Pa’ia to catch a DJ set at Belle Surf Café & Lounge.
Courtesy of Marlow.
Day 4: Journey & Historical past
Morning:
Giddyup. It’s time to saddle up for a horseback journey via lush valleys onward to the Maui shoreline with Circle M Ranch. Meet up on the corral in Wailuku at 8:45 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. departure, the place you’ll be guided by paniolo (cowboys) via gorgeous vistas all in your sturdy steed.
Afternoon:
Head to the Maui Plantation Middle in Waikapu for a quaint, lakeside lunch at The Mill Home run by Café O Lei. Attempt the Calamansi Honey Bitter ($15) to whet your urge for food, then order the Café O Lei Crab Membership ($21) for post-ride satisfaction. Stroll it off and stroll the grounds to buy native crafts or take a 40-minute tour by tram ($25) to discover the agricultural historical past of Maui.
Take a brief 10-minute drive to the center of historic Wailuku city for some quirky buying. Hit up Market Road and Wailuku Espresso Co. to seize a third-wave espresso, or matcha, then stroll just a few shops all the way down to peruse the huge stock of Request Music, which has been serving the discerning listener since 1990 with the perfect vinyl, CD and cassette collections on island.
Night:
Take your buying haul to impress your pals again residence and cease by Esters Honest Prospect on Major Road for a tropical tipple made by their extremely expert bar workers. Feeling iconic? Attempt the Mai Tai with their home rum mix ($14). Feeling contrarian? Attempt the smoky but candy Til Daybreak with mezcal, coconut, orgeat, and lime ($15). There’s additionally bar snacks, like ceviche with native marlin ($16) and guacamole ($12) to tide you over.
If it occurs to be the primary Friday of the month, you’re in luck. Wailuku’s month-to-month First Fridays occasion buzzes with vitality from the local people and retailers and galleries provide an open home. Whereas strolling the primary drag, seize a pic underneath the marquee of the historic ‘Iao Theatre. Higher but, see a play there. Suppose musicals like “Rocky Horror Image Present” and “Grease” or one-off performances like their experimental “One Evening Solely” run of authentic, native materials.
Esters Honest Prospect. Photograph by Sarah Burchard
Day 5: Leisure
Morning:
In the present day, we relaxation. And by relaxation, we imply store and dine til you drop on prime of a therapeutic massage desk for some end-of-vacation indulgence. Give your self a break out of your action-packed solo journey schedule and easily chill out. Head to Whaler’s Village in Kā’anapali for all kinds of buying from native manufacturers, corresponding to ALOHA Assortment, luxurious manufacturers like Louis Vuitton and sweetness behemoths like Sephora.
Afternoon:
After some retail remedy, sway your solution to Hula Grill’s Barefoot Bar, the place you may kick off your slippers and wiggle your toes within the sand as you hearken to native musicians play Hawaiʻi classics. After lunch, take the Kā’anapali boardwalk north to the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa and test in in your appointment on the Spa at Black Rock, the place massages vary from $85 to $295 with the choice of indoor remedy rooms or an outside lanai and oceanfront cabana.
Night:
In your Valley Isle farewell, make your solution to Merriman’s in Kapalua for a cheerful hour—and sundown—that’s not to be missed. Working from 4:00p.m. to five:00p.m. on the Level Lounge and the primary bar, get discounted epicurean delights from the thoughts of renown Hawaiʻi Regional Delicacies chef Peter Merriman. Attempt the Kalua Pork & Candy Onion Quesadilla ($15) paired with the No Ka Oi cocktail that includes Ocean Vodka, Lilikoʻi, and Thai Basil ($14). When you’re feeling fortunate, keep for a full dinner. You by no means know who may choose up your tab…
Napili Bay. Courtesy of Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. Phot by Mathieu Duchier.
