I booked my flight and found housing 2-weeks before solo traveling to the magical island of Maui. Easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My 2-weeks in HawaiiāFebruary 9th-23rd, 2023āwas a time in my life where I’ve never felt more fearless and alive adventuring the world.
š Trip Dates: February 9-23, 2023
Traveling to Maui
Day 1: Thursday, February 9th
āļø Raleigh, NC š Maui, Hawaii
6:00AM: En route to the airport for my 8:00AM flight. Leveraging my TSA pre-check for the first time, which I was totally stoked for. This was and is the longest flight I have ever been on.
12 hours. The flight was a red eye over the Pacific Ocean. Sleeping on a flight is hard in general. Now imagine trying to go to bed while flying over a body of water pitch black at night, a little uneasy right? Definitely. Did I make peace with reality for whatever the outcome of the flight would be? Sure did, and finally got those zzz’s.
4:15PM: Arrived to OGG, Kahului airport. The 8-hour time difference and jet lag was kicking in. Yet, I was in awe of the island’s beauty from the aerial view moments before landing. To seal the deal, my Lyft driver picked me up with the tunes of ABBA on. Aloha Hawaii!
Day 2: Friday, February 10th
Sunrise Yoga
š Aston Maui KÄŹ»anapali Villas ā KÄŹ»anapali, Maui
I started off the morning with a sunrise yoga class led by Yoga Instructor Cassandra. The flow was amazing, and it was even better practicing warrior pose gazing into the ocean. I will forever and always love yoga because of how it makes my mind, body, and soul feel.
Brekkie at Choice Health Bar
š Choice Health Bar ā LÄhainÄ, Maui
After morning yoga, I was craving an aƧaĆ bowl and after some researching, I discovered Choice Health Bar and loved it!! The cafĆ© had so many healthy, nourishing options to choose from to accommodate dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, etc.
Order Recommendation: Order the Dessert Sunrise AƧaĆ Bowl with chocolate plant protein and GF housemade paleonola. It was so good!
Oldest Living Tree on Maui, LÄhainÄ Banyan Tree
š LÄhainÄ Banyan Court ā LÄhainÄ, Maui
The LÄhainÄ Banyan Tree is over 150-years old and is in the heart of the Banyan Court Park than spans to the courthouse square. The Banyan tree holds so much history. The Lahaina Restoration Foundation notes that the tree was a request from “Queen KeÅpÅ«olani in 1873 to honor the first Protestant mission in LÄhainÄ.”
It is heartbreaking that the Banyan tree was burned from the Maui wildfires. But, it serves as an illustration of living hope for the Hawaiians because it is still standing, “breathing, and absorbing water.”
LÄhainÄ Front Street
š Front Street ā LÄhainÄ, Maui
Front Street is LÄhainÄ’s main street for shopping, food, history, and fun. The view of the island LÄna’i is breathing taking as well!
Lunch at Cool Cats Cafe
š Cool Cats Cafe, Hawaii Gelato, Breakwall Market Beach ā LÄhainÄ, Maui
Ventured to Cool Cats Cafe for local Ahi Fish tacos for lunch! The vibes of the restaurant were awesome, definitely sit outside and see the view of Front Street. After lunch, I got gelato from Hawaii Gelato and it was incredible. I then strolled to Breakwall Market Beach to catch the sunset of LÄna’i.
Order Recommendation: Order the Dairy-Free Coconut and Dairy-Free Chocolate Gelato from Hawaii Gelato and Ahi Fish Tacos (df, gf) from Cool Cats Cafe. Both were so yum. I loved the ahi fish tacos!
Cacao Processing on The Farm
š “Uncle Ed’s Farm”
This experience was definitely a highlight of my first week! WOW. I was invited to visit “Uncle Ed’s” cacao farm and see his fruitābanana, orange, lemon, coconut, noniātrees. In Hawaii, everyone is family. As a form of respect, elder males are referred to as “Uncle” and elder females are “Auntie.” I tried fresh cacao which was absolutely insane. As well as cherry moa and loquats, which were amazing. We also got fresh coconuts from the tree to bring back home!
Day 3: Saturday, February 11th
Kula Farmers Market
š Kula Farmers Market ā Upcountry Kula, Maui
The Kula Farmers Market was an absolute dreamāso much so, I went twice during my trip. The local produce was incredible! I got Ice Cream Bananas and Sapodilla. I also got Hawaiian Iced Coffee from Maui Mountain Medley!
Airport Beach
š Airport Beach ā Kula, Maui
Airport Beach was a hidden gem! I went back to this beach several times. The water was stunning and the beach was barely populated. The parking was also easily accessible.
Day 4: Sunday, February 12th
Home Brekkie Pre-Adventures
š Wailuku, Maui
My daily adventures didn’t commence until I had my morning iced matcha and brekkie situation. This matcha definitely needed to be paired with almond milk though. This specific morning, I made oatmeal topped with an ice cream banana from the farmers market!
Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm
š Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm ā Upcountry Kula, Maui
The Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm was beyond breathtaking. The aroma of lavender, warm taste of lavender coffee, and scenic views of Maui made this an unforgettable experience. The Lavender Farm was opened in 2001. The lavender year-round is the French and Spanish variations. I did a self-guided tour which was only $3āa steal!!!
Order Recommendation: Order the lavender coffee. Its infused with fresh lavender oil while the beans are roasted. It was incredibleāand I’m an iced coffee gal.
Baldwin Beach
š Baldwin Beach ā Paia, Maui
Baldwin Beach was a favorite of mine wow. It was my first time seeing sea turtles in Hawaii!! I made sure to respect their boundaries and zoomed in for this picture. According to the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources, it is recommended to stay at least 10 feet away from sea turtles to maintain their peace.
Heaven on Earth = Mana Foods
š Mana Foods ā Paia, Maui
I truly discovered Heaven On Earth. Welcome to Mana Foods. This local wellness grocery store was the best food place I discovered on Maui. I went back sooooo many times during my trip. It was the land of organic, oh my. The Hana Gold Maui Grown Chocolate was out of this world. And the fresh macadamia nuts too!
Toohey’s Butcher
š Toohey’s Butcher ā Paia, Maui
Toohey’s Butcher was such a cool find! I got fresh grass-fed and grass-finished beef. This was actually my first time cooking meat in around 8 years. It was a fun experience for me to branch out of my comfort zone and try something new while in Hawaii! I met the owner of Toohey’s, he was super cool and knowledgeable.
As I am writing this blog, wildfires have impacted Maui severely. LÄhainÄ, which was the capital of Mauiāhome to the island’s rich history and landmarksāhas been destroyed from the disaster that occurred on August 9th, 2023.
Recalling my time on Maui, makes me cherish life even more because these moments are something that I’ll never been able to experience again. I am blessed that I was able to visit downtown LÄhainÄ, see the Banyan tree before it was burned, take the ferry to LÄna’i, and walk on Front Street, to name a few of my favorite moments.
Update: As of August 18th, 2023, Upcountry Kula has been impacted by Kula wildfires. LÄhainÄ and Upcountry Kula are areas on the island where I spent a lot of my time, so my heart is truly breaking for the lives and the history lost on Maui. Mahalo Maui.
carpe diem,
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