West Maui: Lahaina and Beyond

Napili Bay

We could have easily spent our entire honeymoon lounging on Napili Bay but we were way too excited for that. There was so much to do and we wanted to get out and explore.

On the first night we went to a luau at the Feast at Lele where we learned about Hawaiian culture, watched an incredible performance and took in a stunning sunset.

Feast at Lele

Being vegetarians, I was worried that we might get shafted in the food department but they had a meatless option for every course.

Then the next morning we woke up bright and early to go ziplining at Kapulua Ziplines, located only a few miles from Napili Kai.

Kapalua Zipline

We reserved a trip that included all seven lines but because of high winds that day, they shortened it to just the lower four.

I was a little disappointed (I really wanted to go fast on the high lines!) but the lower lines turned out to be a lot of fun.

Kapalua-Zipline-_thumb.jpg

Plus the view wasn’t too bad either…

Kapalua Zipline

Kapalua Zipline

Later that evening we had dinner at Honu Seafood and Pizza on Front Street in Lahaina.  The menu here was really creative and they had several vegetarian options, including a quinoa veggie burger made with fresh fennel and pizza with truffle oil and lavender.

Honu

I made reservations at sunset and the view was amazing. I could never tire of Maui’s beautiful sunsets!

Honu Sunset

Our last morning on the west coast was spent exploring what’s north of Napili Bay, such as Kapalua Bay, which was also just a few steps from our hotel.

Kapalua

We had breakfast at Pineapple Grill with a macadamia nut Belgian waffle for her and a veggie scramble for him.

Pineapple Grill

At this point our plan was to continue north on the highway towards central Maui. This part of the highway has a bad reputation but the travel book I bought prior to the trip, Maui Revealed, said that was out-of-date and that you could currently make it through without a problem. In addition, there were a few cool sites to see along the way so why not, right?

The first thing we stopped to see was Dragon’s Teeth which is a rock formation right off the Kapalua Coastal Trail. The rock here is from one of the last lava flows on Maui and over time the recurring winds and salt spray have given it an upward shape that resembles teeth.

Dragons Teeth

As we continued driving north, there were a few overlooks to stop and enjoy views of the coast.

West Maui

West Maui

Another site we stopped at was Nakalele Blow Hole. It was blowing strong but we decided not to hike down due to the strong winds.

Blow Hole

The next site was one that I was really excited to see: the Olivine Pools.

Olivine Pools

We both wore our swimsuits in hopes to take a dip but again, the cloudy/windy weather mixed with the rough tide made it seem like a bad idea. I’m not sure if the weather is always so windy in April but we figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

One of the last things we saw was Kahakuloa Head, a stunning 636-foot high peak.

West Maui

At this point, the hills started to become really lush and green which looked gorgeous against the deep blue color of the sea.

West Maui

Our last stop was at Julia’s banana bread stand which the author of Maui Revealed claimed had the best banana bread on the entire island.

West Maui

My opinion? It’s pretty good but I wouldn’t say it was the best we had while we were there. After purchasing a loaf, we discovered that the road after this point was closed due to construction. We had to back track the entire way which cost us a few hours but at least there was good banana bread to hold us over! I may or may not have eaten it in a fury before getting a chance to take a picture.

Then we were on our to way to the east coast to stay in heavenly Hana…