MAUI
Maui couldn't have been MORE perfect of a place to go and celebrate our anniversary. With only a few days on the island we managed to tick all the boxes, spontaneous, adventurous, luxurious, relaxing and so much fun!
This year marks 4 years for Max and I. Still blows my mind really that Im married with a child haha. But with plans to spend our anniversary hiking the Napali Coast in Kauai fell through, we changed our tickets and decided to explore what we could of Maui since we hadn't been there before. We bought a $30 tent and a sleeping bag at walmart, packed a backpack each and were so stoked to go on a little adventure of our own, just the two of us! It worked out well that my mum was here visiting so she watched our son for the few days.
I had done a little research before arriving on what to do etc, but decided to just wing it and figure it out along the way! So we had no set plans, no idea of where exactly we were gonna stay or pitch our tent, but that excited us! We had rented the coolest Jeep from a local guy so if anything we were good to just sleep in the truck.
So heres what we got up to...
DAY ONE we checked out Paia town which was a groovy hip town with cute boutique shops and places to eat. Then pretty much spent the day driving to Hana, or so they call it THE ROAD TO HANA but instead we took the back way. Which we were so glad because there was hardly any cars (since most people r driving the regular way and always stopping off here and there), the road isn't too windy to start with until you are closer to Hana, and there are some incredible views of the coastline. It felt so nice to just drive somewhere new, out in the country. We passed by lush greens with views of the ocean blues, and then past through many lava fields which was kinda fascinating in its own way.
We made a bunch of stop offs and took random off roads, which is always fun, coz thats usually when you find the hidden gems. Theres not many food places in Hana, and arriving close to sunset, nothing other than the local convenient store was open. It pretty much sells everything and every random thing u can think of haha but it worked out and we ate Cup-o-Noodles in the Truck- hows that for a romantic anniversary dinner right? haha . We found a nice spot to set up camp close to the beach and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shore.
DAY TWO we woke to the warmth of the morning sun and the ocean mist. Spent the day exploring what we could of Hana, chasing waterfalls and adventure.. still we didn't even get to see it all! What a beautiful little sanctuary of a place it is. I loved that it was so far away from the hustle and bustle of towns and what not. There wasn't much phone coverage at all, and it felt like old school Hawaii, very raw, natural, authentic and I guess kinda freeing!
We found our way to some magical local spots which were just stunning and beautiful! We swam and hiked, and I actually cried at one point just overwhelmed by the beauty! It was so fun to be able to spend time together just the two of us, being spontaneous and doing things with no plan, no where to be, no time limits, no interruptions and no worries. It kinda felt like the dating days haha you know before bills and babies and adult responsibilities ha.
We journeyed back the other way, with a bridge at every turn, waterfalls on waterfalls, rainbows on rainbows and banana bread and fruit stands galore. We were going to sleep up at Haleakala in our truck and do the whole sunrise thing, but instead stopped to surf as the sun was setting at HO'OKIPA BEACH PARK where some super nice locals let us borrow their surfboards. There were also so many huge turtles on the beach there too!!
Super last minute we headed to the other side of the island, Lahaina, to THE WESTIN MAUI for a couple nights which was an incredible place to stay! Especially for the active & wellness junkie like myself! They have done an amazing job at making wellness a key part of their cool vibe there, so i loved it obviously! There is a running trail, a gym with workout classes (even some available on your TV in the room), beachfront yoga classes, amazing & healthy eats, freshly squeezed juices, a day spa to pamper, fun active things to play like surfing, stand up paddle boarding, water slides and all that good stuff!! One of my fav things though was that you could rent workout gear, shoes n all for only $5 for your whole stay!! Ive never seen anything like that before. We were stoked we got the chance to experience all things wellness here and cross my fingers we can make it back again one day!
We scored the funnest waves right out front of the Hotel! For the most part it was only us out there.. we surfed our brains out before getting our first ever beachside couples massage!! ahhhh the best!
LAHAINA town is a cool place with a cool vibe, definitely more on the touristy side, but has a really good variety of places to eat... and definitely fun to go and get ice cream there! We spent our final day exploring over that side of the island, snorkeling, rock jumping, laying out & relaxing, and just lapping up our time together. Its always good to let the inner child come out and have some fun, and also rekindle the magic and embrace the moments together.
Maui really was magical! A good in between of Oahu and Kauai. Mellow, yet up beat if you want it to be. We just had a blast and safe to say an amazing place for our anniversary! Will for sure head back to find more of the magic one day. xx
