Wailea, Maui, Hawaii - A tropical paradise we will always go back to

I have been traveling to Hawaii my entire life and it will always be one of my favorite places in the states. There is nothing better than having a drink along the shoreline, watching the sea turtles, eating fresh fish and watching the sun set behind the water glowing orange and red. Its an experience I can have a million times and itll never get old.

For our most recent trip, we stayed in Wailea, which is on the southwestern shore of Maui — the dry, sunny side, consistently beautiful, the kind of place where the weather almost never disappoints. If you're debating between Wailea and Ka'anapali or Lahaina, Wailea is my answer every single time. It's more polished, more resort-focused, and the beaches are extraordinary. Here is everything we did, everything I recommend and one very honest hot take.

WHERE WE STAYED

The Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea

I will start by saying that the Fairmont Kea Lani is one of the most beautiful hotels in Wailea. It's an all-suite property, which means you have actual space — a separate bedroom, a living area, a lanai where you can sit with your morning coffee and look out at the Pacific ocean.

The pool situation is exceptional. Multiple pools, beautifully landscaped, and they take their towel and chair game seriously which I appreciate more than I probably should. The beach in front of the property is Wailea Beach, one of the best on the island — calm enough to swim in, beautiful enough to just sit and stare at.

What genuinely surprised me: the resort's sushi restaurant. I know that sounds like a strange thing to lead with when describing a hotel, but hear me out. We ate there on our first night and then talked about it for the rest of the trip. The fish is extraordinary — this is Hawaii, so the sourcing is what you'd hope for — and we sat at a table where we could see our neighboring hotel's Thursday night fireworks reflecting over the water while we ate. It was one of those perfect, unplanned evenings.

GETTING AROUND

Rent a Car.

I know some people prefer to rely on rideshare and hotel shuttles in Hawaii and I understand the logic — one less thing to coordinate, no parking headaches. I respectfully disagree for Wailea specifically. Rent the car.

Here's why: Some of the best moments of this trip were the ones where we decided on a whim to drive to a different beach, to take an unplanned detour, to pull over because something looked interesting. You cannot do that in an Uber. You also cannot comfortably take yourself to Mama's Fish House on the north shore, or drive out to Ho'okipa, or decide at the last minute to try to catch the Hana Highway at 5am.

Pickup at Kahului Airport is easy, the roads in Wailea are manageable, and parking at the resort and at most beaches is straightforward.

GOLF

Wailea Golf Club

We played the Gold Course at Wailea Golf Club and this course is worth playing purely for the visual experience. The majority of the holes have an incredible ocean view, not just the one star hole courses with advertise with online. The course is well maintained, the pace of play is good, and the staff is warm in the way that everyone in Hawaii seems to be warm.. The clubhouse is excellent for a post-round meal. We ate there after our round and it was the kind of simple, well-executed food that hits exactly right after four hours in the Hawaiian sun.

There are three courses at Wailea Golf Club — the Gold, Emerald, and Blue. The Gold is considered the most challenging and scenic. Book in advance; tee times fill quickly especially in peak season.

ON THE WATER

Snorkeling with Sea Turtles — and the Worst and Best Two Hours of My Life

We booked a snorkeling boat tour on Expedia out of Ma'alaea Harbor and within 30 minutes of being in the water I was face to face with a Hawaiian green sea turtle, my favorite animal. Sea turtles, tropical fish, beautiful views - you cannot go to Hawaii without immersing yourself with the sea creatures.

I will not sugarcoat this for you: I was seasick in a way that I hope to never repeat. The channel between Maui and Molokini — which is where most snorkeling tours go — can get genuinely choppy, and on the day we went, it was. I spent a portion of that boat ride in a state of quiet suffering that I will describe only as character-building. If you are even slightly prone to motion sickness, take Dramamine the morning of.

The turtles, though. Worth every minute of it. I would do it again tomorrow. I will suffer for turtles lol.

Beautiful Bars

BirdCage Bar at the Waldorf Astoria

The BirdCage bar at the Waldorf Astoria Maui is one of those places where the setting does half the work. It's an open-air bar perched above the resort with views directly over the ocean toward the West Maui Mountains with adorable, colorful birds living around the edge. It was adorable watching them all settle into bed after the sun set.

The cocktails are well made and appropriately tropical without being kitschy. Get there 30-40 minutes before sunset with a reservation.

Humuhumu­nukunuku­apua'a

The humuhumunukunukuapua'a is Hawaii's state fish. It's also the name of the restaurant/bar at the Grand Wailea, and it is exactly what it sounds like: a thatched-roof, open-air bar built over a series of saltwater lagoons and the bar is filled with actual tropical fish. Native Hawaiian fish swimming inches from where you're sitting with your mai tai - the perfect bar for us (we LOVE tropical fish).

We went in the early evening right when they opened so we could get a walk in spot and spent longer there than we planned, which is the correct outcome. The fish are beautiful — you'll see species you just snorkeled past that morning and now you can actually stop and look at them. The drinks are strong, the vibe is completely unhurried, and the setting is genuinely beautiful

Bonus: it's at the Grand Wailea, which is worth a walk-through on its own. The resort's art collection and grounds are extraordinary.

BEACH DAY

Makena State Park — Big Beach

If you spend your entire Wailea trip on Wailea Beach, you are not wrong — it is a beautiful beach. But if you have a car, drive ten minutes south to Makena State Park, also known as Big Beach.

Makena is less manicured, less resort-polished, more raw Hawaii. The beach is enormous — one of the longest on Maui — with beautiful black lava rock at both ends and waves that are noticeably more powerful than what you'll find in the calmer Wailea coves. If you are traveling with children (and to each their own, no judgement here), make sure you look at the map for where the nude beach starts. However, its completely hidden on the other side of the rocks!

A TRADITION WORTH STEALING

Pizza Night on the Beach

We have a tradition for every beach destination we visit: at some point during the trip, we get pizza, take it to the beach, and watch the sunset. This is one of my favorite things we do I look forward to and has given us beautiful memories from every trip.

For pizza, Monkeypod Kitchen, Black Rock Pizza, or Manoli's are all local favorites. Get it to go, drive to the beach access closest to your hotel, and let the island do the rest. This is not a complicated evening. It is a perfect one.

THE DRIVE WORTH MAKING

Mama's Fish House + Ho'okipa Lookout

Mama's Fish House is on the north shore of Maui, about 45 minutes from Wailea on a good traffic day, and it is widely considered one of the best restaurants in Hawaii. Its a Maui classic with extremly fresh fish, simply prepared that really highlights the quality of the fish. The menu changes daily based on what the boats brought in that morning, and they tell you on the menu exactly which fisherman caught which fish and where. Make a reservation well in advance. This is not a walk-in situation.

On the way to or from Mama's, stop at Ho'okipa Beach Park lookout. Ho'okipa is one of the world's most famous windsurfing and kitesurfing beaches, and the overlook gives you a view of the action from above and you can observe tons of sea turtles hauled out on the beach below resting in the sun.

HEAR ME OUT

The Maui Ocean Center Aquarium

Fun fact about Vic and I... we love aquariums and tropical fish. We spent a solid 30 minutes on our first date talking about aquariums lol. SO when we saw there was an aquarium in Maui, we immediately bought tickets. The Maui Ocean Center in Ma'alaea is specifically dedicated to Hawaiian marine life, and what it gave us was something snorkeling couldn't: the ability to stop and actually look. When you're snorkeling, you're moving, managing your equipment, trying to stay with the group. At the aquarium, you can stand in front of a fish tank for ten minutes. You can learn what every fish you saw on the reef actually is. You can stand inside the underwater tunnel and watch reef sharks and rays and a remarkable assortment of Hawaiian fish swim directly over your head. Its a small aquarium so it's a perfect one hour long activity!

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Haleakalā Volcano Summit — Get Your Tickets Before You Land

Haleakalā is a dormant shield volcano that takes up most of eastern Maui, and the summit sits at just over 10,000 feet elevation. The sunrise from the summit is one of those bucket-list experiences that people who have done it describe in reverent tones — above the clouds, the light coming up over the crater, the temperature dropping to near-freezing even in summer. It is, by all accounts, extraordinary.

We did not make it. I want to be transparent about this so you don't make the same mistake we did.

To drive to the summit — specifically for sunrise — you need a vehicle reservation through the National Park Service reservation system at recreation.gov. These reservations open 60 days in advance and they are not easy to get. By the time we looked, everything was gone. We drove up during the day thinking we might get lucky with a walk-in spot and were turned away at the gate.

The lesson: the moment your Maui trip is booked, go directly to recreation.gov and get your Haleakalā sunrise reservation.

HOT TAKE — ROAD TO HANA

The Road to Hana: An Honest Assessment

I am going to say something that some Hawaii enthusiasts will disagree with, and I'm saying it anyway because I believe in giving you useful information rather than just affirming the things everyone already says.

The Road to Hana is not worth it unless you have a full extra day, you are willing to start before sunrise, and you have genuinely unlimited patience for traffic.

Here is what the Road to Hana is: a 64-mile, two-lane highway with 620 curves and 59 bridges that runs along Maui's northeastern coastline through dense rainforest. It is, in places, genuinely beautiful. There are waterfalls. There are black sand beaches. There are lookouts where the cliffs drop into the Pacific and the color of the water is a blue that doesn't look real. I'm not dismissing any of that.

Here is what only a handful of people on Reddit will tell you: in peak season, the road is a slow, stop-and-start experience that can take 4-5 hours one way to reach Hana town — which is itself a fairly small, remote community at the end of the road. Many of the most popular stops (Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach, for example) require advance reservations. The road is narrow enough that passing is stressful and the stop and start is not great for those who are car sick prone. And then you have to drive back, or continue all the way around the island, which is another several hours.

My honest recommendation: if Maui is a trip of a week or more and you have a genuinely flexible day, do it. Start no later than 5:30am to beat the worst of the traffic, make your reservations in advance, pack food and water, and accept that it will be a slow day. If you're on a shorter trip — four or five days — I would spend that time on the water, at the golf course, watching the sunset from BirdCage, or driving up to Mama's Fish House instead. You will not regret it. This is a hot take. I stand by it.

One Last Thing

A few practical notes:

• Bring reef friendly sunscreen with you, it will be 3 times the price on the island.

• Book everything in advance the second reservations open. As a Type A girlie, this is just how I function. But for all my Type B ladies, set a reminder because I promise you will regret it.

• Remember everything will be expensive. It is what it is. Just prepare in advance and know what to expect!