family vacation

Maui Family Travel: Day 7’s “Sunny” Wailea and a Luau Farewell

We spent our two final days playing in the pool and beach at the luxurious Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. Located on the sun-kissed south shore of Maui, this unapologetically upscale resort community is famous for their crescent-shaped beaches and for having the most sunshine on Maui with less than 10 inches of annual rainfall. Of course, it rained much of the time we were there. Wailea Coastal Walk. On our final morning, I went on a sunrise run on this popular boardwalk past five white sand beaches, eight world-class resorts and three islands (Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokini, the tiny, partially sunken volcanic crater between Maui and Kahoolawe). This 1.5-mile trail was well-maintained and the scenery stunned.  Hawaiian Canoe Experience. While the boys snorkeled in Polo Beach’s cle...

Maui Family Travel: Days 5 & 6 The Road to Hana and Maui’s best secret

Day 5—The Road to Hana Me: “My goal on the road to Hana is to hike to a waterfall and eat a lot of fruit from the fruit stands.” Jamie (driver): “My goal is to not throw up or kill anyone.” Driving the 52-mile serpentine road along Maui’s rugged northeastern coastline to Hana was a divisive issue. Some told us “it’s pretty but after you’ve seen one waterfall you’ve seen them all” while others touted Hana as the last of Hawaii’s unspoiled frontiers. Our conclusion: if you love the remote and don’t mind hairpin turns and one-lane bridges, you will love Hwy. 36’s stunning seascapes, taro patches waterfalls, botanical gardens and verdant rainforests.  With our guidebook Maui Revealed in hand, we had our route mapped out and planned to hike to a few lesser-known waterfalls. We quickly real...