Hawaii honeymooners guide: Maui honeymoons

After a bit of a break in our Hawaii honeymoon series, we pick back up with a look at what makes Maui a great place for romantics to visit.

What’s unique or special about Maui for honeymoons?

Maui is the island that many say is no ka oi – the Hawaiian phrase meaning the best. In fact, there’s a Maui magazine with that very title. Many travel publications often rate Maui as the best US island vacation destination.

When people are having a difficult time choosing which island to visit, I normally recommend Maui as it has something for everyone. It’s not too busy or too slow. You can be as active or as relaxed as you like. As Goldilocks would say, “It’s just right.”

Maui offers it’s own unique beauty to explore. The island is lined with many beautiful beaches. A lush rainforest dotted with waterfalls fills the east side. Standing at over 10,000 feet above sea level, the summit of Haleakala offers an amazing view of a romantic, star-filled sky followed by an unforgettable sunrise over a crater.

Of course, we can’t forget the royal blue ocean surrounding Maui. The underwater world offers a whole new layer of beauty with many great snorkeling spots.

If your romantic trip to Maui happens to occur between January and March (and usually through April) , you’ll have the opportunity to see the magnificent humpback whales as they visit the island to breed and give birth – a romantic trip of their own. Though the whales visit all the Hawaiian islands, the majority gather between Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

Tours and activities well suited for honeymooners and romantics

Maui offers many adventures to explore and enjoy this beautiful island. To make planning easy, check out our popular list of the top 5 things to see and do on Maui. That list provides enough activities to plan into a one-week Maui honeymoon while still giving you time to relax. Here are some Maui activity highlights for those celebrating romance:

• Excellent snorkeling – Snorkeling side by side is a romantic way to check out the colorful tropical fish. A catamaran cruise to Molokini crater takes you to one of Hawaii’s most famous snorkeling spots, but there are other great spots that are accessible directly from the shore.
• Sunset sails are always romantic.
• Go to a luau to try local food and a colorful Polynesian dancing show. Maui has some great luaus. You can compare Maui luaus here.
• Tour the road to Hana where you’ll see beautiful rainforest and coastal scenery. Plus, you’ll have a chance to swim at a waterfall or at a red and/or black sand beaches.
• Stargaze and watch for shooting stars before watching a magical sunrise at Haleakala crater. You and your sweetie will surely want to snuggle up to keep warm at more than 10,000 feet above sea level.
• Get a couples massage at one of Maui’s many nationally ranked spas. (We think Kapalua Spa is one of Maui’s best kept secrets and very romantic.)

See our Maui vacation itinerary with details of how enjoy all of Maui’s major attractions.

Where to stay on your Maui honeymoon?

The major resort areas are in West Maui and South Maui, though there is one top-rated resort in Hana in East Maui. The following map shows how each of those areas are defined.

The popular Maui beach resorts are in West and South Maui. There, you’ll find mostly four and five-star hotels, with a few three-star hotels and a number of vacation condominium/villa resorts.

Three resort areas that we think make a great base for a Maui honeymoon are Kapalua and Kaanapali in West Maui and Wailea in South Maui. In each of those resorts areas, you’ll find a good selection of restaurants and shops that are within walking  (or shuttle) distance – which makes for lovely evening strolls on tiki torch lined paths.

Travaasa Hana on East Maui offers one of Hawaii’s very few all-inclusive-ish options. Read our Travaasa Hana review for more details about this resort. Hana is what many say is like Hawaii used to be. It’s a small, friendly town. Instead of stop lights and busy roads, you’ll find quiet roads nestled in a tropical rainforest.

For a more budget-friendly Maui honeymoon, consider staying in a condo. You can find several nice condo resorts in West Maui and around Kihei on South Maui.

Since we’ve traveled to Maui and the surrounding islands many times, we can suggest some more creative ways of splitting your stay/time as follows:

• Stay in one of the West or South Maui resort areas the majority of your honeymoon with a night or two or longer in Hana, which will give you more time to explore the sights along the road to Hana. See our article on how to enjoy two separate vacations on the same island.
• The Maui airport OGG has become a secondary hub for Hawaii plus Lanai and Molokai are only a ferry ride away. So, it’s fairly easy to hop over to another Hawaiian island for a day of fun exploration.

If you do split your stay, we highly recommend that you stay in the least fancy hotel first. It’s much more pleasant to upgrade through your stay rather than downgrade.

Another consideration to factor into your choice of where to stay is finding a hotel that has an adults-only pool for serenity. Here’s our article listing all the Hawaii hotels with adults-only pools.

Maui romantic dining

In each of Maui’s major resort areas, you’ll find romantic ocean front or ocean view restaurants. The West and South Maui ocean front and ocean view restaurants offer fantastic sunset views. See our Maui restaurant recommendations for more dining advice.

One extremely memorable dinner that we highly recommend you plan is a sunset picnic on an Maui beach. You may find that you have the beach to yourself for a very romantic sunset picnic.

How much money will a Maui honeymoon cost?

Use our Hawaii vacation budget calculator to help you estimate how much you’ll need to budget. As costs increase every year, we adjust our budget calculator every year.

Are there any cautions for someone considering a Maui honeymoon?

We don’t hesitate to recommend Maui as a honeymoon destination, however, we should mention that Maui’s average hotel cost is the highest compared to the other Hawaiian islands. The luxury hotels of Wailea are particular expensive. In Wailea, you can expect an average hotel rate at or above $1,000 per night.

Additional resources to help you plan your Maui honeymoon or romantic trip

Check out our Maui vacation guide for more specific Maui trip planning details. Our customizable, one-week Maui itinerary makes honeymoon planning easy. Also review our popular first-time guide to Hawaii vacation planning.