1. Maui is nicknamed “The Valley Isle” because you have the West Maui Mountain Range, post-pineapple/sugar cane flat lands, and Mountaintops rising again up to the East in the form of a dormant shield volcano Haleakala. Maui is the second-largest Hawaiian island by itself, but Maui County extends to the islands of Moloka’i, Lana’i, and Kaho’olawe.

2. Maui is a balance. Maui has scenic views with long country drives that provide gorgeous cliffside views. However, it is also ‘unofficially’ nicknamed “the honeymoon Isle” due to the many high-end resorts, glamorous shopping and access to isolated beaches, ideal for newlyweds. Maui is a perfect balance of country and city – Far enough to be isolated from society, close enough to the civilized world to buy high-end merchandise.

3. The Road To Hana is a must! On top of Maui’s country views, the coastline drive that wraps around the East side of Maui makes “surreal” an understatement. It was beyond beautiful and reminded me of the East Coast drive on Oahu toward Hawaii Kai up through the windward side.

3. Rent a car. There’s no way to explore most of the things listed on our site without a vehicle. If you’re planning to visit Maui, be prepared to rent a car. Public transportation is very limited and to pay an Uber/Lyft/Taxi on the daily is much more of a hassle, not to mention, bad finical decision over driving your own vehicle around the island.

4. Maui is bigger than expected. As mentioned before, Maui is the second largest island in Hawaiian Island Chain, be prepared for long travel times. For example, driving from former whaler town of Lahaina to Kahului is a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic. To drive around the West side of Maui entirely can take about an hour and a half to two hours to complete based on your stops.

5. Maui grows coffee. The State of Hawaii is the only state in the United States to farm coffee and ship worldwide. There are many farms on Maui you can take tours or just visit for yourself.

6: You can fly into Maui (OGG) directly. You can fly directly into Maui without having to stop over on Oahu although, depending on price, this may be the better route to travel. Be sure to search “Direct flights to Maui” when booking your fare. As for the best times to visit Maui, it depends on what you’re after; For the surfer: winter, for the family snorkel adventure: summer. At the date of writing, OGG is in the process of becoming an International Airport.

If you would like more info visit our article here about the islands.

7. Maui is the best island for whale watching. Okay, this may be a bit bias, but with open channels spanning between Maui and her surrounding islands, it is a perfect place to sit on the cliff side and watch hundreds of water spouts mist-out the air during Winter – beginning in November to May with the peak of the season being from January to March. Boating and helicopter tours are in high demand during this season.

8. Hawaii overall has beautiful diving spots. However, Maui has Monokini, Honolua Bay, and many other crystal clear water beaches, perfect for the advanced scuba diver or amateur “stay at the surface” snorkeler.

I love Kauai for it’s raw, untainted, natural beauty. I love Oahu for its accessibility to go from beach, to best buy to buy a flat screen TV, to home all in two hours or less. I love Maui for its perfect balance of country and city. In fact, I can see the Wanderlustyle family even changing home bases for Maui in the future. Until then, we hope this provided the most value to help you plan your trip to Maui. It’s worth the visit. Thanks for reading!

WHERE TO STAY IN MAUI

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort
Camp Olowalu- Glamping
Airbnb in Maui

There are Airbnb’s available throughout Singapore. If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, it’s an online marketplace for arranging or offering lodging, primarily homestays, or tourism experiences. Get $40 off your first booking at any Airbnb in Maui!

For more places to stay in Maui, Booking.com offers hotels, apartments, and hostels. You get free cancellation on most rooms and the best price guarantee!

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