Experiencing the Best of Maui in Three Days

Hey everyone! Last month I did a quick trip to Maui with my friend Lana, and I wanted to share my experience. First of all, Maui exceeded all my expectations. The island is beautiful, and I can’t believe I hadn’t gone sooner considering the short travel time from Oahu. I will definitely be back to Maui, as I was only there for a few days. However, if you are looking to get away for a long weekend, Maui is the perfect place. Without further ado, here is my three-day Maui itinerary.

Where to Stay

A trip to Maui, especially if you are island hopping, does not have to break your bank. There are a few hostels in Maui, but I highly recommend the one I stayed at, Aloha Surf Hostel. It’s located in Paia, walking distance from lots of shops, restaurants, a grocery store, and the beach. It honestly might have been the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in. The hostel was clean, the workers were super friendly, and there is a nice outdoor area where everyone can hang out. Additionally, this hostel does daily tours that are amazing and a great way to meet other people.

Day 1

The diving in Maui is top tier, and on my first day I went free diving at Ulua Beach. This is actually one of the tours included at the hostel. This was one of the best dive spots I’ve ever been to. There were so many cool little fishies, turtles, octopuses, eels, and I even saw a white tip reef shark. The beach itself is beautiful and a perfect place to relax after being in the water. 

After some snorkeling and diving, it was time for some food and drinks. So our next stop was Haui’s Life’s A Beach restaurant. This place had some great tacos, and the food was reasonably priced. After eating, we walked around some of the shops nearby and watched the sunset at the beach. 

Day 2

The next day I went and checked out the town area in Paia. My first stop was Story, which is a little cafe. The coffee here is great, and I definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area. After grabbing some caffeine, we checked out some of the shops in the town, which are a mix of boutiques, surf shops, and tourist shops. Lower Paia Park is also right in this area if you are looking to cool down at the beach after some shopping. 

A little later in the day, my favorite Maui local, Kevin, took me and some of the girls to the west side of the island. We were initially going to go to Black Rock Beach, which I’ve heard is a really cool spot, but unfortunately there was no parking. He took us to a different spot for some diving, and Lana even speared her first fish in Hawai’i! However, the best part of the day was cruising in the back of Kevin’s truck (until it started raining). 

Day 3

My last full day and favorite day was when we did the road to Hana. This was a fully packed day, but I had such a blast. We stopped at Aunty Sandy’s for some fresh banana bread that was absolutely incredible.

Then we made it to our first waterfall, Puaa Kaa Falls. The water was freezing, but it is definitely worth going in. There is also a spot where you can jump from the top of the waterfall.

Next, we stopped for some lunch at a spot with several food trucks. I got coffee and a musubi from Da Mean Bean, and it was super tasty. Then we were off to Hamoa Beach, which is a beautiful black sand beach. I had so much fun body surfing here and taking in the beautiful views.

After the beach we went to Wailua Falls which is another gorgeous waterfall that you can swim in.

Our last stop was the backside of Hana to watch the sunset next to some beautiful mountains. It was a lot of driving throughout the day, but the views are stunning, and there are so many different places you can stop.

Thank you so much for reading! Last month was filled with a lot of island hopping, so definitely look forward to more blog posts from me. In case you missed my last blog post, you can click here to read it.