maui, hawaii honeymoon 7-day itinerary.

Our 7-day honeymoon itinerary to Maui, Hawaii featuring the Road to Hana, Sunrise Photoshoot, Sunset Dinner Cruise, Organic Farm Tour plus travel tips and tricks | Meghan Kennedy 5/6/24

The trip of a lifetime to Maui, Hawaii with my high school sweetheart turned hubby. 

We are so grateful for every blessing God has granted us throughout our wedding season - visiting Maui, Hawaii for our honeymoon felt like a dream!

We flew out of Newark (EWR) on my 31st birthday with a quick layover in Chicago (ORD) before a 9-hour flight to Maui (OGG). Ry watched Lord of the Rings and I watched the new Disney movie Wish before drifting off to sleep on our longest leg of the trek.

After hours of flying over the Pacific Ocean the arrival to Maui was breathtaking. Mountains, volcanic rock, jaded shorelines, and palm trees swaying down below - an immediate weight lifted from our shoulders as we stepped into paradise.

We didn’t know what to expect when visiting Hawaii. I was hoping it would remind me of my time living in Asia or aboard the cruise ship... and it really did! 

We are so grateful to our family friend Becky who made our trip to Kahana Falls possible.

Becky graciously gifted us the opportunity to use her timeshare in Maui which is the whole reason we ended up there for our honeymoon. Maui was her and her late husband, Jim’s special place. We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to explore the island the way they loved to together! 

Our 7-day Maui, Hawaii itinerary from Newark, NJ

DAY 1

We stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton - Newark Airport the night before our 6:00 am flight out of Newark to Chicago which allowed us to park our car at the hotel for a reasonable price and included a free airport shuttle! We had a quick layover in Chicago before our 9-hour flight from ORD to OGG - Maui, Hawaii.

Another couple in line asked if we could take their picture at the airport - they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in Maui. When I shared we were newlyweds they insisted we take the same photo! On our flight, the stewardess graciously gifted us champagne to toast our honeymoon adventure!

We arrived in Maui just after lunchtime and our first stop was Royal Kona Coffee - of course.

A quick car pickup at @budget and a pitstop at Walmart - we traveled from the airport in the middle of the island to our resort, Kahana Falls on the West Coast of the island. 

We spent our first night walking across the street to Pohaku Park beach where we spotted sea turtles and seals immediately. We sipped on Mai Tai's at The Beach House Bar & Grill and cheered to my 31st birthday and the start of our honeymoon.

DAY 2

A chill day left wide open so we could explore the area where we were staying!

We always love buffer days on our trips to allow for organic exploration and no-pressure moments to relax. We went to Maui with only 1 official dinner reservation booked. Grabbing recommendations from locals, we loved making dinner decisions on the fly based on where our day took us on the beautiful island. We walked 2 miles until we found the most amazing local farmers market and Bad Ass Coffee Maui. Our first taste of Hawaiian pineapple, avocado, coconut, and more came from the divine acai bowls, smoothies, and juices at Farmers Market Maui.

We were honored to take two bar seats in front of the chef at Miso Phat Sushi Westside. We ordered miso soup, edamame, fresh catch sashimi, a TNT Roll (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives), and homemade ice cream (lilikoi, green tea, and vanilla).

We will dream of this meal forever - the fish was so incredibly fresh. They catch their fish daily on the "The Shiso Phat" boat.

Fun fact: When we sat down for dinner Ryan was pumped to see UFC 300 playing on the TV in the corner. All the chefs behind the bar were chopping it up with Ry as we watched the end of the card together.

DAY 3

One of the best days of our entire lives.

We started the day with sunrise photos by @livealiveco at Ho'okipa Surf Beach followed by "to-die-for" lattes and farm-to-table breakfast at @paiabaycoffeeandbar.

We spent the rest of the day driving the famous Road to Hana - using the GuideAlong app to narrate and GPS our entire journey.

If you were to take the drive straight from Kahului to Hana it would take you about 3 hours. We opted to take our time so we could hit every waterfall, hike, and sight! The Road to Hana includes 46 one-lane bridges and very narrow roads. Ryan did a fabulous job whipping our Nissan around those tight and twisty turns!

The guide app maps out all the best stops along the way, and tells you where to park, what to expect for trails and hikes, as well as historical and geographical facts.

10/10 highly recommend using GuideAlong if you're planning to take this trek ($20 download). Not only does the app make the drive fun, but it also takes the pressure off of using GPS (most of the drive there is no service anyway).

One of our favorite stops was the Garden of Eden Arboretum - where we spent several hours pretending we were in Honey I Shrunk the Kids - hugging giant 100-year-old mango trees, rainbow eucalyptus, and banana trees.

We will dream of the vegan ice cream and banana bread from Coconut Glen's as well as the fish and chips from Island Chef - must-stops for my foodie friends!

We stayed the night in Hana (also highly recommend) so we could utilize the entire daylight puttering our way up and around the island.

We saw Hamoa Beach, Ho'okipa Beach, The Garden of Eden Arboretum, Ke'anae Peninsula, Koki Beach Alau Island, Ohe'o Gulch (7 Sacred Pools), Pipiwai Bamboo Trail, Twin Falls, Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach, 3 Bears Falls, and Wailua Falls.

We ended day 3 jumping under the 80 ft. Wailua Waterfall - a refreshingly cool plunge!

We wined and dined at the Hana Ranch after an adventurous day and spent the next morning watching the sunrise from our @airbnb on Hana Farms. We were so grateful to support several organic farms while visiting Maui!

DAY 4 We were the first ones out on the Pipiwai Trail Monday morning for a 4-mile loop (which we parkoured down - literally).

Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park is the unofficial “destination” for the road to Hana complete with two stunning waterfalls (Makahiku Falls and Waimoku Falls), a gigantic banyan tree, and a bamboo forest that literally brought me to tears.

We quickly visited the Seven Sacred Pools (Ohe’o) before jetting off to Wai’ānapanapa State Park.

"Wai’ānapanapa" which means glistening waters, hosts the famous Black Sand Beach, Pailoa. We spent the afternoon hiking around the volcanic rock, finding a mini cave to shelter from the rain while we watched the black sand tumble in with the rising tide.

Wai’ānapanapa Park requires a reservation and must be booked more than 24 hours in advance. Keep this in mind when planning your drive ($22 for parking + entry for 2 to Wai’ānapanapa and $15 to park at Haleakala National Park).

Lunch was at the Juice Box and Ae's Thai Kitchen - both part of a stellar food truck park in Hana.

We ended the day back in Pa'ia for a little shopping - finding a vintage 1960s Georgie Keyloun embroidered duster at Paia Consign + Thrift and a Hawaiian bathing suit top at Love Up Consignment Boutique.

After our drive back to Lahaina we went to Kitchen 5315 for dinner - a beautiful spot for cocktails and dinner located in the Napili Shores Resort with a killer Pineapple Upside Down Cake that is not listed on the menu!

Day 5 Eager for a taste of fresh Hawaiian produce we spent one morning of our honeymoon on O'o Farm Maui for a delightful coffee and tea tasting complete with a 45-minute farm tour and a 3-course brunch.

We were so grateful for the opportunity to support several local farms while visiting Maui. If you know us well you know how important supporting local and sustainable business is to us. Read our full feature article on O'o Farms here.

It was a delightful treat to talk to our guide and fellow farmer, Kenady. We loved learning about their bountiful never-ending harvest season, what they're growing on their 8 acres, and how they're supporting their regenerative farm and community post Lahaina fires. I even took a peek into their greenhouses to see a bit more of their growing operations. I also scoped out a hydroponic farm next door that exclusively produces lettuce for Costco.

The chef graciously walked us through all the intentional ingredients included in the 3-course brunch. Crafted exclusively with fresh farm and local ingredients our brunch included loquat, rainbow chard, venison, free-range eggs, edible flowers, sourdough, jams and so much more.

Can't forget about all the farm-to-table coffee which was continuously poured into our cups. Coffee is grown right on the farm - which we picked and tasted on our tour in addition to loquat and blackberries.

The brunch included over 42 locally grown or sourced ingredients!

If you're flying to Maui - visiting O'o Farm is a must-do experience. It was a unique and delicious way to directly support local agriculture and regenerative farming!

A quick stop in Grandma's Coffee House around the corner to sip lattes and read the local newspaper and then it was off to cocktails hillside at Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery.

Dinner was at Joey's Kitchen Napili for a taste of Asian fusion paired with top-shelf cocktails and decadent chocolate cake so moist I had to ask the chef about the recipe. She shared she steams the chocolate cake - fascinating!

Day 6

Ryan gifted me a Maui Revival massage at Maui Massage and Wellness for my birthday and took me shopping at Jasmine's Boutique.

Dinner was aboard the Trilogy II out of Ma’alaea Harbor for their Captain's Sunset Dinner Cruise. Complete with 3 courses, an open bar and to top it all off - whales! A Mom and baby humpback whale swam right up to our catamaran- and even breached for us!

It was so magical - I cried. Ironically neither of us had our cameras out when it happened.

Day 7

Beach and relaxation day with coffee at Hawaiian Village Coffee, lunch at Miss Arepa, and dinner at the bar at Sergio's Cantina.

Day 8

Travel day back home + time to pick up our pup! We had a flight from Maui to San Francisco with an hour or so layover before our red eye back to Newark. We were able to catch the free shuttle back to our car and drove right to SJ to pick up our dog, Asher. Truly the trip of a lifetime.

Cheers, Meghan

photography + videography: @lucid.ladybug | all rights reserved.

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