Maui

You’re definitely going to want to rent a car for the easiest access to all parts of the island. I reserved a Jeep from Thrifty Car Rental in advance and I love how simple, easy, and straightforward pick up was from the airport.

Accommodations -

Hawaii is known to be expensive and the hotel prices were definitely a reflection of that so I opted for a super cute 1 bedroom airbnb that was a 2 minute drive from the towns center. I landed in Hawaii at night time (which I hate landing anywhere once the sun sets but it was the only option that made sense price wise) and the outside of the airbnb apartment building looked a little run down. I was a little nervous but was so happy to see that the actual unit looked completely renovated and modern. I had a dedicated parking spot right in front of the unit and the overall location was PERFECT. 20 minute drive from the airport, I could walk to the beach and grocery stores, surfing schools, and restaurants were all near by

Eatery -

• Mamas Fish House - A popular upscale seafood restaurant. You’ll definitely want to make reservations ahead of time. Come dressed to impress in elevated casual because you’ll for sure want to take photos as the restaurant is located on a secluded part of the island right next to the ocean. The views and overall atmosphere is stunning. I HAVE to give a shout out to our waitress who was super nice, accommodating, and knowledgable of the menu. She took allergies seriously and made the overall experience super comfortable. Started with a round of drinks; ‘celebration punch.’ Not my favorite drink, fell a little flat as far as flavor goes but it wasn't bad! I drank all of it lol. The restaurant offers complimentary bread/butter and a side of soup… DELICIOUS. Ordered crab cakes as an appetizer, VERY ENJOYABLE. Then had the lobster tail and kanpachi fish stuffed w crab & lobster… EXQUISITE. Highly recommend Mamas FIsh House to anyone visiting Maui.

• Kihei Caffe Maui Coast Hotel restaurant - Now let’s not get this place confused with Kihei Caffe, the stand alone restaurant (like I did). I WISH I went to the stand alone restaurant and not the one attached to the hotel (I had no idea). The one attached to the hotel was NOT GOOD and I should have known because even the service felt rushed and unprofessional. I went here for breakfast and everything I ordered tasted like it’d been sitting out in hidden buffet trays for hours. The quality of the food was poor. I sent back my eggs for being cold. Just an overall poor experience, I was so mad lol

• South Maui Gardens - I love this place! An outdoors area home to 13 diverse food trucks.

  • Sweet Hula - YUM so refreshing! Offering amazing acai bowls and yummy smoothies. Went here almost every day. Perfect refresher.

  • Gyros Gelatos Greek Food Truck - YUM. I ordered a lamb artisan gyro and made it the papu’s way (grass fed lamb, pickled cucumber, feta, and fries) - super flavorful.

  • Burger Boys - I can’t attest to their burgers as I only went here for a side of onion rings but I will say that the onion rings weren’t my favorite. Way too crunchy for my liking.

Activities -

• Haleakala National Park Sunrise - The most surreal experience!! 100% recommend! This is an activity that you have to reserve ahead of time and tickets sell out in 2.5 seconds so it’s important to be prepared. https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/sunrise.htm - It was about a 2 hour drive from Kihei. I hit the road around 3am for the 5:41am sunrise. The drive up is just as incredible as the drive back down. Make sure to poke your head out to get a glance at the most insane view of stars on your way up and the most breathtaking views of clouds on your way down. Dress warm, bring a blanket, and pack snacks! I realized that i’ve never seen a proper sunrise until this moment. phenomenal.

• Road to Hana - This is an all day activity. I made the mistake of wanting to take this ride on the same day as the national park sunrise and boy was that a mistake. Although I didn’t make it to Hana, the drive was amazing. It’s a beautiful but long drive to Hana from Kihei and there are multiple stops along the way that you’re going to want to experience. Make sure your gas tank is full at the very start of your drive and leave a little room in your stomach to enjoy purchased treats along the way. Most activities and shops close around 4-5pm so be sure to take that into consideration when starting your drive.

  • Ho’Okipa Beach - My first stop before starting the official road to Hana. Beautiful. beach with so many surfers out catching waves and huge sea turtles chilling on the shore.

  • Twin Falls - My first and only real official stop on the road to Hana. LOL. $10 parking fee, food truck upon entry, and waterfalls that guests can swim in.

Kauai

Such a gorgeous GORGEOUS island with incredible views. It was about an hour flight from Maui to Kauai. Rented yet another car, this time a convertible from Turo. Got picked up from a Turo shuttle at the airport, found our car in the lot, got a quick lunch, then made the stunning drive to the most beautiful hotel i’ve even experienced.

Accommodations -

One thing about accommodations in Kauai… you’re gonna spend MONEY on a nice place to stay OK! Accept it and save up for it. Comfort first. Everything else second.

• The 1 Hotel - Easily thee most serene, comfortable, detail oriented, 5-star hotel that i’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Wow THIS HOTEL IS A MUST! I don’t know about any other view, but the ocean view is spectacular. Obviously the higher up, the better. Super luxurious, very sustainable, LGBT friendly, private beach with water activities available, CLEAN, divine atmosphere, attentive staff… I can truly go on and on. I had a beautiful stay. Never wanted to leave

• Banyan Harbor - Thank God we only booked one night here. Reasonable price, large 2 story, 2 bed room townhome, close to the airport, clean upon entry but I saw a bug. I won’t say what kind.. but yeah. Not a very comfortable stay ESPECIALLY coming from the 1 Hotel.

Eatery -

• Robs Good Times Grill - So many options on the menu. OMG I was tired and overwhelmed lol but settled on the chopped steak plate. It was good! I’d recommend this place. Also, super close to the airport.

• 1 Kitchen - Attached to the 1 Hotel. The food was amazing. I highly recommend ordering breakfast a la carte as opposed to opting for the unlimited breakfast buffet. Lemon ricotta pancakes, Portuguese sausages, sweet potatoes, ricotta and blueberry on sourdough toast!!!!!!!! OMG I miss it so much! Pool side lunch was delicious. Extensive menu. Very flavorful burgers and fresh ceviche. I made the mistake of not reserving a dinner table (not necessary for breakfast and/or dinner) so unfortunately, I have no idea what dinner is giving but the ambiance is gorgeous. if you want to experience dinner, make sure to reserve a spot ahead of time. Absolutely amazed and pleasantly surprised with my food experience here,

• Duke’s - I was so tired so I ordered my food to go. When I went to go pick it up, I quickly regretted that decision. Duke’s is a vibeeee. I should have just ate in. And on top of that the grilled fish tacos I ate once I got home were so good - I just KNOW they would have been even better fresh out of the kitchen.

I wish I had more time here!! Downtown Honolulu kinda gives Miami South Beach vibes, but beyond downtown, there’s so much to explore. Traffic was insane due to a parade happening nearby but if you drive out of the city, you get the spectacular Hawaiian views of greenery, ocean, and mountains.

Accommodations -

• Prince Waikiki - Gorgeous high rise hotel placed in a central part of downtown Honolulu. The beach is right next door along with restaurants, shops, and so much more to do.

Eatery -

• Joe’s Grill Express - Great introduction to true authentic Hawaiian food. The infamous loco moco brought me in, but the great pricing, friendly service, and extensive menu kept me there! Perfectly located near the airpot with plenty of parking. A popular local spot with a small dining area. 100% recommend.

• Royal Lobster - YUM! Such a perfectly crafter lobster roll on a brioche bun.

• Holy Grail Donuts - Made to order donuts with unique flavors that change monthly. Scrumptiously the perfect desert to satisfy sweet cravings.

• Yohei Sushi - Stumbled into this upscale Japanese restaurant at the very last minute before heading to the airport. I just couldn’t leave Hawaii without having some sort of sushi. I walked in and luckily got a seat at the bar. The space was small and PACKED. Y’all, I WISH this was more of a planned dinner because everything looked DELICIOUS. I had the best fatty tuna sushi roll I’ve ever had in my life!

Activities -

• Byodo-In Temple - Peaceful temple that sits above a beautiful cemetery. $5 entry fee for adults with free parking available. You’re able to go inside the temple, you can ring the temple bell for good luck, and you can purchase food to feed the koi fish. A great way to familiarize yourself with the history of the first Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.

• Indigo Ocean’s Swimming with Dolphins - AMAZING! Started our day bright and early by getting picked up from the complimentary shuttle. We drove about an hour or so out towards the coast of Makua, hopped on a boat and started out journey in search of sea animals. We quickly saw a pod of Spinner Dolphins surrounding the boat as we continued our way offshore. AMAZING! Once we got deeper into the ocean (3000ft +), we gathered our snorkel gear and prepared ourselves to swim near more dolphins and rare pilot whales. OMG seeing them and being in the water with them was surreal. A mix of nervousness and excitement. I would do this excursion over and over again. We ended up having kalua pork bento for lunch (offered by the crew) as we made our way back towards shallow waters. The boat docked and we were able to jump in the water with or without the life jacket, snorkel some more, take photos, chill- some people even saw green sea turtles… AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING experience.

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