MAUI Hawaii Travel Guide 2025 | More tips than that other video for THE BEST Maui Vacation

MAUI Hawaii Travel Guide 2025 | More tips than that other video for THE BEST Maui Vacation

welcome to Maui man we love it here it is so wonderful and I know you will too because you are watching our Maui guide 2025 and this is mostly an Erica video so you get to see your gorgeous face I’m bias I’m Jordan and I’m Erica and this is the Hawaii vacation guide [Music] so in this video we are going to be sharing where to stay how to get here what to eat what to pack what to do all of the good stuff you will definitely want to grab a pen and paper and take some notes and you’re also going to want to visit our website the Hawaii vacation guide.com because we have cheat sheets we have a free Maui guide we have a bunch of info for you and free resources we have itineraries that you can check out so watch this video then head to our website I mean I got admit this will be the only Maui Guy video you need to watch in 2025 so I’m so glad found us all right let’s go let’s go as you’re a couple months into 2025 let’s look at some forcast especially for the summer and for the holidays on Maui so for rental car prices we expect them to stay between about 30 to $50 a day is all based on supply and demand right so right now coming to Maui tourism is down about 20 23% compared to before the fires so it is kind of a slow here so rental car prices are Dynamic so you should expect those somewhat what lower rates on those right during the summer months and during the holidays those should go up a lot so book early airplane tickets so far in 2025 we are seeing them starting to increase because of fuel Southwest is running less flights out here the Alaska Hawaii em merger and just because it feels like everything’s going up in price right now hotels hotels are pretty nutty even though that demand is down for visiting Maui hotels have continue to stay high prices the good news is they have increased a lot since 2023 hotel prices are roughly high or roughly where they’re at they’re always high up here on Maui but you should expect them to be a lot higher in 2025 we put the hotel graphs up right now so you can pause the video and look at that right there so overall so far the demand to come back to Mau after the fires has increased visit your account is still about 20% down hence we appreciate when people come out here and visit local and support Maui all right let’s do Jordan’s favorite topic geography so Maui is 735 square miles it is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago so it was formed by two shield volcanoes you have hakala and you have the West Maui mountains and in between there is a valley and that’s why they call it the valley aisle so like the other Islands Maui has a windward side and a leward side so on the windward side you have more rain you have more wind you have stronger ocean currents and some choppier conditions usually on the leeward side this is where you’ll find a lot of resorts this is where it’s sunny for the most part the oceans will be a bit calmer uh the Pacific Ocean can be very Fierce though so you want to check those conditions but it’s sunnier it gets a whole lot less rain and that’s why the resorts are located here on the leeward side but we’ll get more into where to stay soon so this is an example of the leward side we’re in wo right now we’re looking out at West Maui over there you can see it’s very dry it’s very sunny over here if you’re looking for that Lush landscape that would be on the windward side so it’s where the road to Hana is that’s why it’s such a popular road to take because you go through the Lush landscape and the waterfalls and it’s just expect some rain it’s wetter over there and if you are looking for those waterfalls because you probably are we do have an article linked down below for the best Maui waterfalls so you’ll definitely want to check that out if you are heading to the windward side and a little did you know fact so Maui Nee is what geologist named the prehistoric Hawaiian island and it was made up of seven shield volcanoes and was 5,600 square miles so Maui Nei broke up and is now comprised of four Islands so you have the island of Maui you have layi you have kave and you have molay and molini crater which is right over [Music] there all right so when to go really truly there is no wrong time to visit Maui it is really a beautiful temperate climate year round it’s it’s in the tropics it’s generally lovely that said things do change did you know there are only two seasons here in Hawaii so there is summer which runs May through October and then there is winter which runs November through April we personally love the shoulder season months specifically we love September and October and we love may that’s because it’s less crowded things accommodations can be a little bit cheaper and it’s just easier to book some of the tours that you might want to do compared to the high season that said there really is no wrong time to visit so the most crowded and expensive times to visit Maui are that Christmas New Year’s time frame and also over the summer then runner up would be spring break spring break can get pretty expensive out here too that said if those are the only times you can visit just visit then and the best time to visit for whale watching whale watching runs December through April but you’re going to get like the most whales usually around January February time frame so if you are coming hoping visit for whale season I would book in like that first quarter of the Year hurricane season runs June through the end of November with the most concentrated number of hurricanes in August although it is rare for a hurricane to make landfall you can get rainy and windy days if a hurricane or tropical Cyclone is coming near and if the weather looks bad where I’m standing right now I am standing at eio Valley it’s a spectacular place it’s a very sacred Valley and it is the second wetest place in Hawaii which is why it looks so Lush and verdant did you know that if you are coming swimming don’t worry about a wet suit for the most part the surface of the water is between 73 and 80° so it’s at its peak around September and it’s at its coldest around February and March but I don’t know I feel like that’s pretty toasty it’s pretty lovely anytime of year and if you are coming to Maui make your planning so much easier and have an amazing time with our wayfinder itinerary this itinerary takes you on perfect quickly planned out Excursion days around the island so you can see the best sites eat at the best restaurants and honestly have a wonderful time you download it you have all the best information and God it’s just so easy we’ve done it for you head to the Hawaii vacation guide.com itineraries to check it out let’s talk getting here and getting around so when you land you will land at Kahului airport that’s Ogg and that is located in Central Maui so you’ll most likely be staying on the leeward side either in West Maui or South Maui and it’s about a 45-minute drive to West Maui and about a 30-minute drive to South Maui there is a second airport capala airport that’s located in West Maui but it’s not as frequently used and it is only used for inter island flights now let’s talk about getting around do you need a rental car on Maui yeah you probably do if you want to go out and see things so public transportation here on Maui it is not great and taking taxis and Ubers you can do it but it does get expensive now if you don’t want to drive that’s fine you can take taxis and Ubers and maybe grab a guided tour that picks you up at your Resort like on the road to Hana or up hakala now booking a rental car so there are a couple places you can do this you can do this with the National Carriers like Enterprise Herz Thrifty Dollar those ones and we like to use discount Hawaii car rental click the link in the description below for that because when we book with the National Carriers we try and get as cheap as possible you know we like a good rate so we like them because there’s no prepayment required and you can cancel and change no penalty they’re just easy and when you arrive at kahalui and you want to just pick up your rental car with a national carrier it’s just a quick tram ride it’s like 2 or 3 minutes to the rental car station and then off you go another option that we also love is supporting local rental car companies this Jeep this beauty right here is from kii rental car it’s a lovely family-owned and operated business they pick you up from the airport in one of their shuttles with a great guide and drive you to their location so you can pick up your car and go we also have some other local rental car places listed again click the link in the description below and yes we have a Jeep this trip do you need a Jeep you do not but it’s a lot of fun and you might be wondering what the status is with lah lah is still in the process of restoration still in the process of being built so most of lahina is still off limits there are some restaurants that are open and the old lah luau which is excellent you should go that is open but the rest of it is closed the rest of West Maui is open and welcoming [Music] visitors all right let’s talk about where to stay on Maui but first some numbers Hawaii is expensive when it comes to lodging and accommodations but Maui Maui really takes the cake with prices so let me give you some examples so the average daily rate in June of 2024 it was $562 per night here on Maui that’s compared to $296 on Oahu $423 on the big island and $458 on kwaii so Maui is significantly more expensive and just a warning that doesn’t include extra fees and those fees can be really Hefty those are parking and Resort fees so depending on the hotel that you’re staying at these can add a lot they can sometimes add up to or even over $100 per night to your already expensive Resort but I don’t want to be totally negative here I will say the resorts are very nice I think the resorts are nicest overall on Maui and which you get that high price because of that and for the resort fee some of them do come with some really cool activities they have cultural activities like games lay making ukulele lessons hola lessons Outrigger Canoe rides so if you are at a resort that has expensive Resort fees check to see what’s included and then make use of that so you get your money’s worth okay let’s talk about places to stay so as I mentioned Maui’s leeward side it’s the drier side it has the more swimming friendly beaches so that’s where the resorts and tend to be and where most people tend to stay so on the leward side we’ll start up in West Maui up in West Maui you have cut on a poly so this is a resort area that was developed in the 1970s and it is home to some big you know nice fourstar resorts you have the Weston there the Sheran there the hayatt and you do have some vacation rentals as well you also have the kopol beach hotel which is now an outrigger and that’s probably our favorite semi value suggestion in the kopali area so kopali can be Lively it can be crowded it can be fun the beach kopali beach is awesome black rock is a great place for snorkeling but if you want to kind of skip those crowds skip the bigger Resorts you can just head up north there you have NEP NP is beautiful it’s one of my favorite beaches on the island it has smaller more like vintage feeling Resorts that come at a better price and it just feels like a little bit more laid back up there and then if you keep heading north you have calua this is my favorite Beach on the island it is beautiful beautiful it’s a stunning Bay and there you have very luxury you have the rits and you have the Montage up there so it gets fancy the west side is lovely so the other area on the leward side is South Maui so we are standing here South Maui we are in WEA so WEA is home to the big luxury five-star Resort so this is the most expensive place to stay on the island you’ll find the fanciest places here we are in front of the grand WEA you also have the Four Seasons right next door you have the Fairmont down the road the Le Beach Resort the andas these are big hotels overlooking the beautiful South Maui beaches there are also a number of vacation rentals here we have some of our favorites on our website and then also head just a little bit north you have kii Kei is great if you are looking for Better Price accommodations especially if you are hoping for a vacation rental kii is walkable still has some lovely beaches but it has smaller little Resorts and then mostly vacation rental complexes you have a lot to choose from again we have some great recommendations on our website our website has a lot of stuff and then of course there are other places to stay there are some places in Hana that we have on our website also on the NorthShore and in UPC country but most people don’t choose to stay over there or if they do it’s only for one night so we’re focusing this video here all right now has some incredible things to do so let’s talk about some of them and if you need more inspiration make sure you check out our 22 things to do on Maui man it was hard to narrow that list down and I think you’ll have a hard time choosing what to do so let’s get into this in no particular order I’m not trying to play favorites with activities here but let’s go into it so you can go up hakala Maui’s dormant volcano so you can head up for Sunrise if you want you can either do a tour or go by yourself if you’re going by yourself make sure you get reservations in advance more information about that on our website you can also go up for Sunset which is also beautiful or you can go up any time of the day do some hiking see some silver sword just explore you can visit one of Maui’s many farms so Maui has so many farm tours and honestly everyone we’ve done has been so good so we’ve done oo Farms farm table meals you can go check out the goats at Surfing Goat Dairy you can go to a macnut farm see how Mac nuts are grown do you know how magnets are grown you will find out so there are plenty of awesome farm tours again weird we have an article linked down below that lists all of the farm tours that we think are worth your time I will say Maui has the best luow of any of the Hawaiian islands and they have a lot to choose from so check out a luow if you are so inclined you don’t have to do a luau when you come to Maui there are plenty of other awesome things to do if you do want to do one check out a link in the description below because we’ve reviewed some of our favorites here we’ve done a lot of luow luow are really fun our kids love them and we have a good time too now I’m going to be honest here with this one Maui is not the best island for hiking but it still has some nice hikes so if you’re staying on the west side and want to do something easy just take a stroll in the calua coastal Trail has beautiful views if you’re down here in WEA and you want to do a slightly more vigorous hike you can do the Kings Highway it’s flat it goes across the lava field but it is hot and if you are over on the windward side you do a hike like the ppy trail speaking of the windward side that is also a great thing to do so head out on the road to Hana so you can either Drive the road to Hana yourself or you can head out on a tour again we have so much road to Hana information on our website but this is where you’ll find the beautiful waterfalls the Lush landscape black sand beaches this black sand beach does need a reservation so make sure you make that in advance and of course there’s info on our website you can find some great hiking trails you can find fresh fruit stands it’s really one of those special special places so check out our website for more information on driving the road to Hana or going on a tour and things you should look for and when you’re on Maui another great thing to do is to get out on the water so the beaches are great here but so is snorkeling so head out on a boat you get to see the island from a different perspective you get to see some of the great marine life that is here on Maui some of our favorite snorkling trips we have a lot you can check them out in our activity section but some some of our favorites that I’ll just mention right here is the sunrise tour with konani that takes you out to mikini Crater before anyone else then you have Redline rafting I like this cuz it’s like a nice quick efficient tour out to molokini and their longer tour takes you to the backside which is a lot of fun if you’re staying in kopali you have SE Maui which departs right from the beach just for easy convenience and takes you on a nice West Maui snorkeling tour and then if you want to head out to lay we have an article with all the best lay snorkel trip so check out that article for all of our favorite L snorkel trips that’s a really really fun day out and if you’re coming to Maui how could you not want to come to some of Maui’s beautiful beaches Maui has some spectacular beaches we are on kakapo Beach right now down in WEA kii border there are some excellent beaches down here some other ones we love down here is WEA Beach we love ulua Beach we love maluaka Beach down here over on the West Side Kapalua napili Airport beach kahak beach there are so many good ones I know I’ve just listed off a lot we have them in our itinerary and we also have them down below in an article linked H there are such great ones it’s hard to go wrong with the beaches here on Maui that said a quick PSA because I want you to be safe the Pacific Ocean you can see it’s pretty Fierce conditions can change make sure you check lifeguard conditions before going out don’t turn your back on the ocean always go out with a buddy and if in doubt you know just don’t go out all right so when you are on Maui you’re obviously going to want to have some great meals we like to say make every meal count and there’s no shortage of good food on Maui so you can go luxury Gourmet you can hit up food trucks there are so many great places let me just give you a few things a few places you might want to eat a few things you might want to try the first is Mama’s Fish House so it’s hard to get a reservation here so please plan and Advance if this is something you want to check out but it is a Divine Seafood meal honestly it’s very very expensive but I don’t know we’ve really enjoyed it and have found it to be worth it for us and I will say it was surprisingly kid-friendly I didn’t feel like it was overhyped at all if you’re not interested in fine dining there are plenty of casual restaurants but I do want to make one call out to food trucks the food trucks on Maui are surprisingly good we’re here you can see this is a ulu U Cafe delicious we have some wonderful meal meal here but we have a whole list of food trucks that you’ll want to check out on our website click the link in the description below for that if you enjoy seafood at all you’ll definitely want to grab some Pokey while you’re here so head to South Maui fish company that was delicious we also grab our Pokey from FoodLand a lot yes it’s been frozen I can’t really tell the difference I’ll be honest and I think it’s pretty good A last food recommendation is you’re definitely going to want to grab some shave ice so cool off in the afternoon ululani is a good recommendation we got got lots of great stuff for you so make sure you check out our website for all of our awesome recommendations for food okay you can keep your packing very simple coming Maui you really don’t need a lot of stuff we usually go carry on only because I mean you’re going to be in Beach wear pretty much 95% of the time while you’re here but there are a few things that you will want spring so in the winter you might want a light jacket or something if you’re going up to halaka You’ll definitely want a light jacket cuz it can get a little chilly up there if you’re doing Sunrise good luck to you it’s 45 to 50° but it’s worth it it’s beautiful but bring a little something extra to keep you warm if you’re headed to a luau or a nice dinner you should at least one bring a fun outfit bring a pretty dress bring a nice Aloha shirt just something fun to wear also Sun protective clothing this is especially great to minimize your use of mineral based sunscreen also to help protect protect you from turning into a lobster if you’re going out on any snorkel trips these are really helpful to have and pack that mineral based sunscreen or better yet pick it up while you are here mineral based sunscreen is the only sunscreen that you are allowed to use on Maui it’s the only sunscreen you’ll find sold here so make it easy on yourself and buy it when you get here okay thanks so much for watching I hope this helped you plan your trip to Maui we just want to help make it really easy for you to enjoy your vacation another way to make it really easy to enjoy your vacation is to check out our website the Hawaii vacation guide.com we have so many resources for you so many articles our best tours and activities database love that thing and our free cheat sheets make sure you check out our cheat sheets all right enjoy your trip let’s go [Music]

Here are your FREE Hawaiian Island Cheat Sheets. Download them, and you’re off:

Hawaii Vacation Guide Cheat Sheets

MAUI ITINERARY 8 DAYS: LEARN MORE HERE
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/best-hawaii-itineraries/

MAUI TRAVEL GUIDE 2025: CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:05 Travel Forecast
02:22 Geography
04:20 When to Visit
06:49 How to Get to Maui
08:53 Lahaina
09:18 Where to Stay
13:25 Things to Do
18:00 Where to Eat
19:38 Packing List

Thanks for watching! We earn a small commission at no cost to you when you book using our links on our website or below. We have partnered with many, but not all, of the tours we recommend. Links are direct booking links and/or the best price available. Mahalo for your support!

BEST MAUI WATERFALLS: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/maui-waterfalls/

DISCOUNT MAUI CAR RENTALS:

Rental Car Recommendations

KIHEI RENT A CAR ON MAUI: https://kiheirentacar.com

BEST KIHEI VACATION RENTALS: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/best-vacation-rentals-kihei/

WHERE TO STAY ON MAUI REVIEWS:
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/stay/

HALEAKALA SUNRISE OR SUNSET?

Haleakala Sunrise or Sunset: When Should You Go?

BEST MAUI FARM TOURS:

The 18 BEST Maui Farm Tours You Don’t Want to Miss

BEST LUAUS ON MAUI:

Unbiased Review: The 7 Best Luaus on Maui in 2025 (by Location and Price)

ROAD TO HANA COMPLETE GUIDE: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/road-to-hana-guide/

OUR MAUI TOUR REVIEWS: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/activities/

MOLOKINI CRATER SNORKEL TOUR: SUNRISE SNORKEL
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/activities/sunrise-snorkel-with-kai-kanani-makena/

LANAI SNORKEL TOURS: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/lanai-snorkel-tours/

BEST MAUI BEACHES: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/best-maui-beaches/

BEST TOURS ON MAUI + OUR REVIEWS:
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/activities/

MAUI DISCOUNT CODES FOR THE BEST TOURS: 10% OFF

Hawaii Vacation Guide Coupon Codes: The Full List

HAWAII BEACH SAFETY:

Home

DISCOUNT HAWAII CAR RENTALS: LOCAL AND NATIONAL CARRIERS ARE HERE

Rental Car Recommendations

Click Subscribe for more of our adventures and tips on traveling to Hawaii (plus subscribing helps us out!).

#hawaii #maui #mauibeaches

Credits:
Editing was done by the fantastic Iliya Lipkovich. You can find him on Instagram @ilya_lipkovich
——————————————————
Disclaimer. Your use of the information provided in our Content, Itineraries, Site and Services is for your informational purposes only and is subject to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Your use of information described in, your participation in activities presented in, and/or your engagement of any Travel Service Providers presented in our Content, Itineraries, Site and/or Services may carry the risk of illness, bodily injury, disability, death, or property damage. You voluntarily and freely assume all risks and dangers that may occur pursuant to your access, use, purchase or participation in any information, activity, good or service described in our Content, Itineraries, Site and Services or provided by any Travel Service Providers.
Terms of Service: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/terms-conditions/
Privacy Policy: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/privacy-policy/
——————————————————
Sign up for our Hawaii travel advice newsletter here: https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/newsletter/
——————————————————
OUR CAMERA GEAR (keep it simple for your vacation!):
Underwater camera: GoPro HERO 10 https://amzn.to/3RduxsT
Don’t lose your GoPro, invest in a floaty
Floaty stick: https://amzn.to/3zIoggm
Floaty cover: https://amzn.to/3j7uTD5
Vlogging camera (but use your phone for a family holiday): https://amzn.to/3h1QxpF
DJI Mavic Mini 2 with 4k camera (only fly in Hawaii if you know the FAA regulations): https://amzn.to/3iL3aWW
—————————————————
POPULAR VIDEOS
10 Hawaii Travel Mistakes – https://youtu.be/qEVQ9r7azQ8?si=7r8YMAlkfc6aBxcY
7 Unique Things to Pack for Hawaii – https://youtu.be/pKeilfHh1vM?si=UQTy3AamM7ceJePO
22 Things to Do Around Oahu (Honolulu) – https://youtu.be/sdT0YHRcQcY?si=-VyvXTHZSpjx_LvJ