If you've ever been to Hawaii you know how amazing the food scene is. If you haven't, you may have a hard time resisting the urge to Google flights by the end of this post. This was our third time visiting Maui and each time we visit we always like to try a variety of new places and also seek out the food and drinks we've been dreaming about ever since we left. Click here to read my other Maui posts.

The best part about being on an island is a majority of the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced. I have to admit I am not cut out to be a food blogger -- mainly because by the time the food comes I'm so excited to eat it that I forget to document it. But I did my best to capture some of our favorites from our trip. Let's dig in! 

When doing any research while planning a trip to Maui, it's guaranteed that the Road to Hana will be top on the list of must-sees. The 64.4 mile stretch of highway consists of 620 curves and 59 bridges and leads you through lush rainforest terrain, waterfalls, and deep valleys. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience and, as cliche as it sounds, is more about the journey than the destination. In my opinion, the drive itself isn't worth it (and honestly quite stressful) unless you plan to make frequent stops and get out of the car to enjoy the beauty along the way. 

No matter how you decide to conquer the Road to Hana, or what route you take, you'll need to dedicate a full day to this activity and plan on an early wake up call. The itinerary I outline below took around 11 hours and we left Lahaina around 6:15 a.m. 

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Looking for more? Click here to access all of my Hawaii blog posts.

Since we traveled to Kauai in the winter, the first few days of our trip called for rain basically all day on the north and east side. Luckily, our plans were based primarily on the south shore also known as the sunny side. In addition to the sites below, this side of the island is also home to the popular towns of Poipu and historic Koloa. Unfortunately we didn't have time to explore these areas but many people choose Poipu as their home base for it's sunny beaches, resorts, restaurants and shopping.

​If you've been to other Hawaiian islands, you'll quickly notice that Kauai embraces the aloha spirit to the fullest and has a much more laid back vibe than almost any other place we've traveled before. Instead of large touristy resort areas you'll discover a mix of eclectic small towns each offering their own charm. First up on our south shore adventure was exploring one of these cute towns I'd read so many good things about. So, after eating breakfast at Kountry Kitchen in Kapa'a, we hit the road in search of Hanapepe Town. Hanapepe is a sleepy little town but one that shouldn't be missed. Visitors seem to instantly be transported back in time (or maybe inside a Disney movie as the town served as the inspiration for Lilo and Stitch). Don't miss the chance to cross the Hanalei River on the famous swinging bridge and wander around the cute shops and galleries. If you happen to be in the area on a Friday evening the town also hosts a weekly art night from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Ahhh Lahaina - where to begin? Honestly, I think both my husband and I would agree hands down that the historic town of Lahaina is one of our favorite places on the entire island. It's also the reason we chose to stay at Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on both our trips. Now, don't get confused. Technically, Lahaina covers a large portion of west Maui including the popular resort areas of Ka'anapali all the way up to Kapalua. But, for the purposes of this post I'll be talking about the actual "town" area of Lahaina which lines Front Street. 

Lahaina is one of the most historic towns on the island and dates back thousands of years. The town served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 and is also known for its location on the port once popular for whaling. Today, there is something for everyone to discover and the streets are lined with art galleries, shops, restaurants, and historic sites. Similar to the Road to Hana, Lahaina town is more of an experience and visitors often don't go with one particular destination in mind but rather to stroll the boardwalk and see where the day takes them. Be warned this is one of the busiest areas on the island and parking can be a real pain. There is some street parking and a few smaller lots but they do fill up quick. That's one of the main reasons we love staying in Lahaina because we get to experience it multiple nights in a row just by simply strolling down a few blocks from our hotel. 

There is so much to do and see in this tiny town and I highly recommend spending a least a few hours (if not longer) here. I've put together a few of my favorite things to do, see, and eat while you're there. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

​Whenever I travel, especially to Hawaii, I always like to book at least one guided tour/excursion. While it's easy to explore much of the islands on your own, guided tours often offer access to areas of the island not open to or easily accessed by the public and the guides always have SO much knowledge about the history and culture that you wouldn't find elsewhere. After much research, the one activity that kept coming up on the "must do" lists for Kauai was mountain tubing - and now I understand why. 

Kauai Backcountry Adventures offers the only tubing adventure on the island with exclusive access to the historic irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation. This ditch and tunnel system was hand-dug in the 1870's and once irrigated hundreds of acres of sugar crops. The tunnels had been unused since sugar was taken out of production in 2000 until Kauai Backcountry Adventures began offering tours in 2003. On the trip you'll tube through the lush interior of the island and traverse through five different tunnels. The total time you spend in the water is around an hour. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

When most people think about Maui, their mind immediately goes to pristine beaches and the infamous Road to Hana lined with lush landscape and cascading waterfalls. Don't worry Maui without a doubt offers all these things (and more) but there's a whole other side to the island that many people don't get to explore. Upcountry Maui is located in the central mountainous side of the island and offers miles of rolling hills through farmland with really only one major road to get around. This is also where the must-see Haleakala Crater lies which draws thousands of tourists to its summit each year to view sunrise and sunset above the clouds. We didn't have a chance to experience upcountry on our first trip to the island so it was a must see this time around. I've included each of our stops for the day below but feel free to pick and choose what interests you most. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

If there's one site you shouldn't miss when visiting Kauai, it's Waimea Canyon. Also called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this monstrous landmark offers gorgeous deep red and bright green views and is a great way to spend the afternoon. Located on the west side of the island, it took us about 45 minutes to get to the start of Highway 550 from Kapa'a where the journey begins. 

​Be sure to gas up before you start driving as it's only one windy road up to the top without any gas stations. We also packed some snacks and ate lunch at the halfway point of our hike. The weather can vary greatly and most guides will tell you to try and get there early as it can get quite cloudy which really hinders the views. We didn't get to the start of the drive until about 9:30 a.m. and had a clear view for the majority of the day. But don't fear, in true Hawaii fashion at one point the whole canyon was covered in fog on the way back from our hike only to clear out in 20 minutes. 

Having been to three of the four major Hawaiian islands, I can see why Kauai is called the garden isle. The entire island is so lush and green which is mainly a result of all the rain the island gets. In fact, Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth. But like any of the islands, the weather can vary dramatically depending on which side you're on. This was a major factor for us when deciding which area to call our home base for the week. Since we were going in the winter which is during the rainy season we decided to avoid the north shore and opted for the east side which positioned us well to access all sides of the island in decent time.

We ended up staying at Kauai Shores which we booked through Costco (another travel hack to save $$!). The resort had recently been updated and offered a lot of amenities for guests including bike rentals, a pool and hot tub, and direct access to the beach. The hotel is also home to Lava Lava Beach Club which is the only toes-in-the-sand dining experience on the island. My only real complaint was the parking. The spaces were very tight and it was a hassle to find a spot when we would arrive back later at night. They do offer free valet with the resort fee so keep that in mind.

Below I've included a breakdown of how we spent each day of our trip. I will be writing more detailed guides about our time in each area of the island but I hope this post helps you plan out your days and must see sites! 

Is "instagramable" even a word?! Maybe not but I vote it should be! I'll be the first to admit I'm sometimes as basic as it gets when it comes to traveling. When I'm deciding where my next destination should be I almost always do some good old fashioned Instagram stalking. I spend a lot of time researching locations and hashtags on Instagram because I love looking at other people's adventures (it's one of the main reasons I decided to become a travel blogger in the first place).

I'm not ashamed to admit I've sipped Frose at Bry's Estate in Traverse City or made a trip to Grand Rapids to seek out the most adorable coffee camper just because I saw it on "the gram." So in the spirit of all things colorful wall murals and Insta-worthy sunsets I've rounded up my favorite spots to snap a pic while visiting Maui.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

One of the main reasons I decided to start this blog is because I LOVE creating travel itineraries for my trips. And when I'm planning my vacations I find myself spending hours on Pinterest reading about how other people were spending their time in the places I was going and what things I simply had to see. But honestly, I found a lot of general guides highlighting cool places and very few that broke down how travelers spent their time each day.

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a minute-by-minute list of where you need to be (it's still a vacation after all) but more of a list of the things I want to make sure we see and when it makes sense to see them which is mainly determined by location. If you've never been to Hawaii, all of the islands are pretty much divided into sections (north, south, east, and west) and it can take an hour or more to get to the other side. So instead of wasting a bunch of time driving, I typically plan our days based on which section we will be in and go from there. This strategy has helped us to see and experience SO much of the islands (other than just the beautiful beaches) in a relatively short amount of time. This was also our second time visiting Maui and we wanted to experience some different things than our last trip. Read more about that here.

I plan to write more detailed posts on each of our days and break down my complete reviews of our excursions and activities but I hope this will give you an idea of what activities you may want to add to your trip and how to plan your time on the islands.