Hawaii Travel Guide
Aloha, dolls! As you probably saw on insta, I was just recently in Hawaii for an anniversary vacation with my boyfriend. Let me just say, I am feeling relaxed, sun-kissed, and spoiled – WHAT A TRIP!
I consider myself pretty well traveled, so I’ve picked up some tips and tricks over the years. The ability to pack lightly, sadly, is not one.
Anyways, I thought I would put together a little Hawaii Travel Guide for any of you who could use it.
Trip Breakdown
- We did 3 nights in Maui and 2 nights in Honolulu, opting for flights that got us in early and leaving late (we took the red-eye), both American Airlines. Short and sweet!
- We took Hawaiian Air for a flight between Maui and Honolulu. There are flights between islands pretty much every hour and they’re only about $40 a ticket.
Travel tip #1) Micro-manage the seat situation. Hawaii is a pretty long flight. Both ways, we booked exit-row seats (more legroom!), but continually watched to see if we could end up scoring a whole row. If the flight is full, we’d rather have the legroom, but if last minute, we see there are still a decent amount of seats available, we switch to taking an aisle and a window, hoping no one will sit in-between us. Lucky for us, we scored a whole row to ourselves both ways!
Maui
The Most Beautiful Island (IMO)
Where We Stayed
The Westin Resort and Spa in Ka’anapali.
With so many resorts to choose from it can be overwhelming. The Westin is owned by Marriott, so if you have any status, it’s a big plus. We booked the most basic room and ended up being upgraded for free since we are Platinum Elite members. Also, if you’re Platinum or higher, you get free breakfast (which was a great buffet).
Travel tip #2) Always look for freebees! If you have hotel status, you can often get free breakfast and/or upgrades. Booking through Amex Travel or some other travel sites, might also score you breakfast vouchers. This is a huge money saver – one less meal to pay for.
The Westin is currently undergoing some construction, but it didn’t get in the way. Plus, a lot of the renovations are already done, so the property is looking extra pretty.
Other things:
The hotel is definitely busy. A lot of families, but with an adult pool and all the little spots along the beach, it wasn’t really a bother.
Fitness center isn’t huge, but gets the job done.
Staff was friendly.
Location is great (literally right next to Whaler’s Village)
Since it was our anniversary, there was champagne and some treats waiting for us in our room. So sweet <3
About Ka’anapali
Maui is made up of a few different resort areas. On past trips, I always stayed in Wailea. If your budget allows, I would definitely recommend The Four Seasons Wailea and The Grand Wailea – they really can’t be beat.
Ka’anapali includes hotels like The Westin, The Sheraton, The Hyatt Regency, etc. It’s also where Whaler’s Village is (great for food and shopping) as well as Black Rock, where you can snorkel right off the beach!
One of my favorite parts of Ka’ananapli is its close proximity to Lahaina -- the cutest little town. You can walk a couple of miles along the beach or a quick 10-minute drive.
Maui Recs
Food/Drinks:
Lelani’s on the Beach – get the fish tacos. Trust me.
Mama’s Fish House – my favorite restaurant in the world. Splurge worthy.
MonkeyPod – best mai-tai.
Morimoto – sushi.
Cheeseburger in Paradise – the name says it all
Bad Ass Coffee – get the coconut vanilla iced latte.
Ululani’s Shaved Ice – no trip is complete without it
Activities:
Whale Watching -- whether you take a boat out or watch from the shore, going to Maui during whale season is incredible.
Snorkeling – we didn’t do a snorkel trip this time, but I’ve done them in the past and they’re a blast. Personally, I love doing a trip over to Molokai for the best fishies.
Make Friends – I swear, everyone who moves to Maui has some fun, free-spirit story about buying a one-way ticket.
Road to Hana – rent a Jeep and drive the Road to Hana. Whether you do the entire thing, or just a few stops, it’s worth it.
Twin Falls – water falls that you can swim in. My bf did some cliff diving here, too.
Jaws Beach – here is where you really need a four-wheeler. Jaws Beach is known for it’s INSANE waves. The best surfers in the world come here to test their luck. The waves get up to 50ft (sometimes even 90ft!). WARNING – this is an intense off-roading drive. Be careful.
Paia – cute little hippy beach town. So many good lunch spots and little shops.
Iao Valley – beautiful hike in the mountains.
Travel Tip #3) Explore the other resort areas you’re not staying at. We would grab a cocktail and watch the sunset from a different property every night. It’s crazy how different the vibes are between Ka’anapali and Wailea.
Honolulu
Big City Vibes
Maui and Honolulu (the capital of Hawaii on the island of Oahu) could not be more different. Maui is so laid back and stunning, while Honolulu is busy and bustling. It really depends what you’re looking for, but I think the contrast is nice.
Where We Stayed
The Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach
OMG. THE BLOCKCHAIN BARBIE’S DREAM. Nicknamed, “The Pink Palace”, the Royal Hawaiian is located right on the famous Waikiki Beach (anyone remember when Britney Spears did a concert here in 2000?). It’s literally so fabulous. It’s the oldest hotel on Waikiki, so it was filled with history and glamour. Plus, did I mention the whole thing is pink?
This is another Marriott property, so even though we booked the most basic room, we got upgrade! We stayed in the historic tower – 10/10. In addition to free breakfast (which was literally amazing, they even have pink pancakes), we also got access to the executive lounge, which had snacks and free beer, wine, mimosas, and more. Balling on a budget.
The hotel had a small pool, but as a guest you also have access to the neighboring resort’s pool, which would probably be better for families. Our pool was quiet and posh.
The Royal Hawaiian has a private part of Waikiki Beach, which was a HUGE draw. Waikiki is a public beach and it is very crowded. Having our own chairs and umbrellas amongst the madness was key.
Also, the shopping. Not only the hotel’s stores, but the location is right by the huge Honolulu shopping centers, which are the best to walk around – lots of great restaurants too.
Other things:
Staff was great. More champagne in the room!
There are complimentary photo sessions. My boyfriend and I booked one to get some nice pictures of us.
The Royal Hawaiian Luau is a blast. No matter where you are, you should definitely try to do a Luau. This one was amazing. Great entertainment, tasty food, drink tickets, gorgeous sunset, and it was pink.
The Mai Tai bar at the hotel pours them STRONG. Just the way I like it.
Unbeatable location.
Restaurants:
Vintage Island Coffee – macadamia latte. Yes, please.
Doraku – sushi.
Herringbone – Oyster happy hour. 2 Buck Shucks!
Authentic Luau Feast
Activities:
Explore the International Market Place and Royal Hawaiian Center.
Pearl Harbor
Waikiki Beach
Luau
Visit the North Shore
Hope this helps! As always, send me a DM or e-mail if you have more questions :) Maholo for reading!
