How I Spend My Perfect Day on Maui

I have lived in Kihei for over 10 years. Maui life can be incredibly fulfilling and laid back. However, it can also be overwhelmingly busy even in the slowest months. Rarely do I ever get an entire day to do absolutely anything I want from start to finish. If and when I do, this is how I would want to spend a perfect Maui day.

Even though I have the day off, I’m getting up at 6am. I will have an uplifting cup of coffee while I get my walking shoes on then hit the pavement… at least until I hit the sand. Since I live in south Kihei, I have miles of beach within a half mile from my home. I like to take different routes for my morning walks, but they always end up down by the ocean walking from the beginning of Charley Young Beach to the end of Keawakapu Beach or vice versa. I love this walk more than anything. There are rarely people actually walking on the beach, most are on the sidewalks. This is something I have never understood. Why would anyone fly thousands of miles to walk on a sidewalk, sucking fumes, when they can be walking along some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Maui? Whale season makes this morning walk extra special during the winter months with all the humpback whales breaching and tail slapping as close as a few hundred yards offshore.

Sometimes I stop for breakfast on my walk. S&Q’s Coffee Shack is my favorite spot for a quick bagel or fresh fruit smoothie. However, there are days where I’ll go to the Cinnamon Roll place for the most incredible cinnamon roll I’ve ever had by a large margin. There are also days when I meet friends or family down at the 5 Palms Restaurant for some beachside dining with views of Molokini and Koho’olawe… their cherry wood smoked bacon is delicious.

After breakfast, I would load up my Hummer H3 and head to Ho’okipa Beach for some sun and snorkeling. This is also a beach where the sea turtles actually hang out on the beach. I’ve counted as many as 42 turtles there on the beach at one time. Of course, I don’t go near them and give them their space, but it is amazing to lay on a beach and see that many giant sea turtles just sitting in the sun, slowly dragging themselves in and out of the water.

Once I’ve had enough sun I would go back to Paia town for lunch at either Café Des Amis for some crepes, flatbread pizza, Café Mambo for a pulled pork sandwich, or the Paia Fish Market for an Opaka’paka Obama Fish Burger. I’d also likely have either a Maui Brewing Company Bikini Blonde Lager or another coffee from Anthony’s.

I’ll have to work off all those calories at Twin Falls. This is one of my favorite places to go for an easy hike with my daughter. There are 3 beautiful waterfalls and a jungle to hike through if you stay along the narrow river trail. If you’re kama’aina and talk to the workers, they’ll allow you to hike some “off limits” trails with additional waterfalls.  Every time I go to Twin Falls I notice something beautiful I didn’t see the time before like the black bamboo that edges the lawn area to the right of the trail after you first enter the property. Most people walk right by this field but the purple and red flowers with the black bamboo make for some great photos. I may or may not swim under some of the falls. I usually like to just go for the hike and scenery. I would make sure I grabbed a homemade crushed pineapple popsicle from the fruit stand on the way out.

I would end my perfect Maui day at the public grass field behind the Kihei Surfside condos playing Bocci ball while watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean!