Guides
Living documents, not posts. Each one carries the date it was last touched, so nothing here can quietly go stale while still reading as current.
Eight days on the west side
The trip I planned for friends, day by day, with the reasons attached. Written for Napili, and the shape holds anywhere on the island.
What should I actually do with a week on Maui?
By Madi · Updated 2026-08-22Haleakala
Skip the sunrise. The sunset is just as good, you do not have to wake up at two in the morning, and here is how to spend the half day getting up there.
Is the Haleakala sunrise worth it?
By Madi · Updated 2026-08-22What Maui actually costs
It is, mostly because of one repeated decision. Where to shop on the way from the airport, which meals to cook, and which happy hours are worth planning around.
Is Maui as expensive as everyone says?
By Madi · Updated 2026-08-22
On the bench
Dated commitments, not a wish list
The road to Hana
I think it is a scam. It spends a whole day in a car on an island that is beautiful everywhere, and there is a better drive. Who should ignore me is in here too.
Should I drive the road to Hana, or skip it?
Coming Fall 2026Where to stay
Every town, who it actually suits, and what you give up by picking it. The single decision that shapes the whole trip.
Which part of Maui should I stay in?
Coming Fall 2026A first trip vs a fifth
The list everyone writes is a first trip. This is what to do instead once you have already done the famous things.
What should I do in Maui if I have already been before?
Coming Winter 2026Beaches
Sorted by what you want from them, not by ranking. Where the parking actually is, and which ones are only good before ten.
Which beach on Maui is right for what I want?
Coming Winter 2026Snorkeling
From shore, not from a boat. What we have seen, when, and how conditions have changed over twenty five years.
Where can I snorkel on Maui from the shore?
Coming Spring 2027