We spent Christmas in Maui right before our son was born.
A week in Maui was a blissful and relaxing time, even with kids.
Where we stayed:
We flew from Oahu to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines. They often post deals for inter-island hops.
Get an affordable rental car on Maui.
We stayed at Noelani Condominium Resort, near Lahaina.
It was oceanfront and had grills.
From our balcony, we could see whales frolicking in the channel and turtles near the shore!
What we did:
We love the beach! Launiupoko Beach Park is our favorite!
It’s a mostly enclosed little beach with a shallow, still lagoon that’s perfect for kids to play! The rock barrier breaks the waves and we could watch the surfers!
There was a large grassy park with grills and great facilities for families to spend the day!
We did the Atlantis Submarine. Don’t bother. A waste of time and money.
They have combo tickets for 1 adult and 1 child for $115 and additional kids are $38. You can buy photos and videos. We went down 127 ft. We didn’t see anything worthwhile.
We all loved the landscape of Haleakalā National Park.
It features the dormant Haleakalā Volcano, which last erupted sometime between 1480 and 1600 AD. There are two distinct sections: the summit area and the coastal Kipahulu area.
Visitor Center Hours: All restrooms are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, except when the park is closed during severe weather events.
Park Headquarters Visitor Center (7000 ft.) – 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Haleakalā Visitor Center (9740 ft.) – Sunrise to 3:00 p.m.
Kīpahulu Visitor Center (coastal) – 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
Liz got her Junior Ranger badge.
This is a great educational program for all kids, but as homeschoolers, we love it!
We loved seeing the Hawaiian goose, the nēnē !
We went to the Maui Ocean Center.
It’s the best aquarium we’ve ever been to!
Turtle feeding time was the best!
The girls loved looking at all the colorful and fun-shaped fish!
Santa with a ray! He flashed us shakas!
Open
July & August: open until 6pm
Buy tickets online!
Day Passes:
Adults $25.95
Children (3-12) $18.95
Save a few dollars with the Fin-tastic Family Pass for 2 adults and 2 kids: $84.20 (can also add on additional kids).
We loved the huge 150-year-old banyan tree in Lahaina.
There are great arts and crafts fairs in this park!
Be sure to check out Lahaina Glass Blowing. We love glass and the art of blowing, but the kids were so very young. This would be a great souvenir!
We bought a lovely Christmas ornament and some fun original paintings.
What we ate:
As soon as we left the airport, we stopped at Krispy Kreme donuts!
Our favorite Chinese restaurant: China Boat. Fresh ingredients, and never any MSG.
We visited the Maui Brewing Company. Mostly because we could. Theirs is my least favorite Hawaiian beer. But I was pregnant, so it didn’t matter.
We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on Christmas Eve at the beach!
We grilled steak for Christmas dinner at our condo. They have lovely professional outdoor kitchens!
What we’d love to go back to Maui and do:
Drive the Road to Hana and get the T-shirt! It was a just such a long drive with very little kids.
We’d love to go snorkeling when the kids are older with Things to Do on Maui or Molokini Snorkeling Tours
I know my husband would love Maui Scuba but I’m rather nervous.
We loved visiting the island of Maui and hope to return someday!
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