Maui, Hawaii - The Road To Hana
Took a birthday trip to Maui and O‘ahu (Honolulu), Hawaii. I love adventures and this was nothing short of that. We did ‘The Road to Hana’ and circled just about the entire Island, each night we were in a different city and then we went to Honolulu to visit the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden. Maui and Honolulu are two completely different vibes. You can check out my daily breakdown, vlog, a map of what we did each day and what you need to do before getting on the plane to enjoy Hawaii during Covid.
We ended up being there during a flash flood warning, they hadn’t had rain that bad in over 25 years. It was so bad that we got stuck on ‘The Road to Hana’ because of a land slide. It didn’t rain all day long though, which was good, we got to experience both sunny and rainy Hawaii on one trip.
Of course we were socially distant from crowds and being cautious. All restaurants are just like LA, operating at a very limited capacity as well as other precautionary measures in place, in public places. Maui was definitely more Covid friendly as there were less people in general. Our flight there was so empty the airline was asking for passengers to check their carry-ons for weight balance. This also meant lots of empty rows to stretch out and sleep! 😊
Before you travel to Hawaii:
Register with the state of Hawaii here
Start uploading your information
Book a Covid test at one of the approved testing centers that are listed on the website above. Our tests were $170 each with Carbon Health, it was a shallow nose swab. Guaranteed results by 2pm next day.
Upload your negative results, so they can send you a QR code that you have to show at the airport in Hawaii.
Your test can not be older than 72 hours upon arrival or you’ll have to quarantine for 10 days. A person next to us at the checkpoint had a test that was 3 hours over the 72hr window and was told they had to quarantine.
No test is required if you travel between the Islands, you just need to show it on your initial arrival.
Day 1:
We landed at Kahului airport and picked up our rental Jeep.
Made our way towards our hotel, stopped to eat at Castaway Cafe
Checked into Royal Lahaina
Explored around, went to Cliff Dive Grill for drinks, this is where the Black Rock Beach is. Everyday around sunset a diver dives into the ocean from the Black Rock, but due to the weather, the dive had been canceled.
Had dinner at Fleetwods, this is Fleetwood Macs restaurant
Day 2:
Went for breakfast, intended to go to The Gazebo (famous breakfast spot), but the line was so long, we decided to go to Kitchen 5314 which was on the same property.
Drove to the Nakalele Blowhole (as seen in vlog). There is a Banana bread stand right by the blowhole, but Julia’s Famous Banana Bread was further up the road, so we didn’t get any. Then Julias was randomly closed ☹️.
Stopped at Maui Coffee Roasters. Everything we ordered was really good!
Started making our way to Hana stopping everywhere we could and then got stuck for 1.5 hours due to a land slide and a fallen tree that we had to help clear (as seen in vlog).
Got to Hana, checked into Hana Maui Resort, ate at Hanna Ranch, the only restaurant there and then there are food truck options, but they closed early.
Day 3:
Watched the sunrise from the Hotels pool area, amazing view.
Went to Black Sand Beach, you can make reservations here. You have to make a reservation now due to Covid.
Visited Seven Sacred Pools
Stopped at Ulupalakua Ranch Store & Grill to recover before the drive to the summit
Haleakalā Summit, it’s cold up there, dress accordingly. It was once an active volcano, that scientists believe will erupt again one day.
Drove back to Lahaina
Day 4:
Hung out, explored until flight to Honolulu. Tried to get Banana bread again and failed lol.
Experienced the worst turbulence EVER. It was storming and the plane was relatively small, we had maybe 8 minutes of smooth flight time for a 25-minute flight.
Greeted by spring breakers everywhere lol, hotel lobby (Alohilani Resort) was LOUD, way different experience than relaxed Maui.
Day 5:
Picked up rental car and went to Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
Ate at Wolfgangs Steak House
Walked around and shopped on Kalākaua Avenue, to me it’s Rodeo Drive on steroids.
Went to the beach, it was packed, so we left to hang at our hotel pool, it was also packed. However we managed to find two chairs in a corner and just enjoyed the last evening.
Day 6:
Headed home, back to LA
Side note: Don’t forget your sunglasses! We both did and everyday I would be like we’ll buy some today and it just never worked out lol; Maui is not a fashion show, you will get muddy, just enjoy it! Also shout out to my brother for helping me map this adventure out, as he did it in 2016.
