A winter-phobe’s dream come true, Maui sports sea-level summer all year and sunny beaches both west and south. Even humpback whales take a Maui vacation December through April, playing offshore throughout the season. Bring a jacket for the top of chilly Haleakala.
Paradise is most peaceful – and most affordable – in early summer and fall. Or, time your Maui travel for a special event such as January’s golf-star-studded Tournament of Champions or April’s Hawaiian-culture Celebration of the Arts. June heats up with the renowned Maui Film Festival and Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. Halloween in Lahaina is an experience to remember.
Rarely visited and better for meditating than swimming, this hidden foliage-lined beach has dark volcanic sand, a cinder-cone hill and a far-from-the-world feel.
A local-artist owned and operated co-op in seaside Paia, the Guild is the right place to score handcrafted ceramics, prints, jewelry, textiles and other treasures.
Reachable only by boat tour, this less-visited and remote coastal area hides deliciously creepy sea caves and secret snorkeling coves.
Explore an oceanfront native-plant paradise surrounding a massive ancient Hawaiian temple mound. One of Maui’s secret gems, just off the highway in Hana.
A “regular Joe” façade keeps this Island-style Kaanapali Beach poolside café from the swarms. A list of more than 500 wines makes it your immediate destination.
In case you never make it to Mars, the interior of this 10,000-foot volcano crater may do. Inside, an otherworldly landscape of cinder cones and strange plants unfolds.
Explore a serene Jurassic Park tropical setting just outside of Wailuku, also the scene of an epic battle in 1790 for control of Maui.
Maui’s most famous beach is both family friendly and babe-alicious. Find golden sand, gentle waves, exotic neighbor-island vistas and plenty of whales in winter.
Visit Maui’s most colorful and honky-tonk town. Once a whaling seaport, now chockfull of historic tidbits, tchotchke shops, art galleries and cafés.
One of Maui’s best loved sunning beaches, Makena Beach (also known as Big Beach) offers an endless white-sand paradise unfettered by development.
Take snorkeling or scuba diving to psychedelic levels with a boat trip to Molokini, a semi-submerged volcanic crater marine sanctuary just off the coast.
A moderately easy 4-mile roundtrip trail through tropical rainforest, including groves of bamboo, and ending at the spectacular Waimoku Falls.
Bust out the Dramamine and brave the curves on Maui’s legendary coastal drive to Hana, with dramatic ocean views, lush tropical landscapes and trickling waterfalls.
Old-Hawaii cowboy meets New-Age yoga guru in the rustic and spring-fresh pasturelands of Upcountry. The wee town of Makawao is café and art-gallery perfect.
Thrill your friends with stories of up-close encounters with 45-foot humpback whales. Pacific Whale Foundation offers some of the best small-boat tours.
Reviewed on Aug 6, 2023
Reviewed on Jul 7, 2023
Reviewed on Apr 11, 2023
Reviewed on Mar 31, 2023