We are about three months from my due date, so we wanted to take one last trip, just the three of us. We decided on a Maui babymoon. We are usually itinerary-packed travelers, but this time, we wanted to take it easy and enjoy a calming and relaxing trip. We picked this island since we wanted to experience slower island life, enjoy local ono grinds, and walk along some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I’m sharing everything we did and ate during our Maui babymoon trip!
Things To Do in Maui
Maui Ocean Center: About 30 minutes from our hotel, we made the trek here and saw some pretty cool marine life, like huge sting rays, sharks, and of course, sea turtles. Most of the aquarium is indoors, featuring a 75,000-gallon glass tunnel with sharks. However, there are outdoor exhibits with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. At the end, there’s a fun little playground for kids, and the on-site restaurants and cafes serve Dole Whip for a cool treat. The aquarium was a little pricey at $44 per adult, but Olivia had fun, so it was worth it for us!
Beach: You can’t go wrong with the legendary beaches in Maui. They are very calming and beautiful with the softest sand. We aren’t usually beach people, but Olivia loved playing there, so we spent almost every evening on the beach with her! We brought along this cute silicone beach toy set, and it was perfect for playing with sand. We watched the sunset and swam with the fishies. We were lucky that Kaanapali Beach was right in front of our resort, so we didn’t need to explore others. If you’re looking for other beaches, Baby Beach is kid-friendly, and Makena Beach is a prevalent one.
Whaler’s Village: Grab your stroller and head to Whaler’s Village for shopping, a fun play structure and splash pad for kids, a food court, or dine at one of the popular oceanfront restaurants like Monkeypod. Our resort offers a quick shuttle here and it’s a great place to walk around. The main reason we came here was for Island Vintage Coffee, our favorite spot for acai bowls in Hawaii. Olivia also loved climbing the play structure and was probably the youngest one there – such a little thriller!
Lahaina Town: Journey to Lahaina and explore Front Street, local shops, tasty restaurants, and a dozen art galleries. It’s right along the water, so the views are breathtaking. Start from the banyan tree to explore this historic village. Don’t forget to stop by the famous Ululani’s for amazing shave ice!
Our wish list of things to do in Maui with a toddler:
Where To Eat in Maui
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice: Is the most popular place to get shaved ice on the island, and I can see why! They make their syrups, and they somehow make their shave ice so creamy and delicious. We waited in line for about 20 minutes at the Lahaina location and got the sunset combo with sweet cream and mochi on top and vanilla ice cream on the bottom. Soooo yummy and a must-try! There are multiple other locations on the island, so don’t miss out!
Tin Roof: This restaurant is owned by season 10 Top Chef competitor Sheldon Simeon. It’s take-out only and about a mile away from the Maui airport. I placed an order online right as we left the airport, and the food was fresh and ready when we got there (AND we got to avoid the long line). We only got two dishes since we snacked a lot on the airplane. The Mochiko Chicken is one of their most popular dishes and a must-order – it’s crispy and very flavorful. We got the chow fun too, but I thought it was missing some spice, which they were out of that day.
Star Noodle: Everyone recommended this place to me, and I tried getting reservations all week and even set up alerts. Unfortunately, I never got a reservation (they filled up instantly when I got an alert), so we tried a walk-in at 3:30 pm and luckily got to sit down around 5 pm. Honestly, it was a little overhyped. We enjoyed the bao buns, garlic noodles, and nuoc cham chicken wings. The pad thai and star udon noodles were okay. The view was spectacular during sunset, though. It’s located next door to the Old Lahaina Luau, which was something we did on our last trip and a must-do!
Island Vintage Coffee: This is one of our favorite places on Oahu, so we had to stop here in Maui too. As I mentioned above, it’s in Whaler’s Village, which has shopping and a play structure for kids. Of course, we always order the classic acai bowl and the Kona coffee – they always satisfy my cravings and make me want more!
808 Grindz Cafe: We got the mac-nut pancakes, fried rice, and eggs benedict to-go for breakfast and ate everything on our balcony. The pancakes were my favorite!
The Fish Market: This place has over 3000 Yelp reviews, and I should’ve read the reviews better. First, we got regular fish tacos and thought it was a little dry. But now, rereading the reviews, we should’ve ordered the Baja fish or shrimp tacos. Maui has tons of great take-out restaurants, and this is an excellent option to order food and take it back to your hotel or eat on the beach!
Kihei Cafe: This was one of my favorite places we tried for breakfast! The crab eggs benedict was so tasty, and my husband got the short rib loco moco. We also got blueberry french toast but should’ve gotten their popular mac nut one. If you have kiddos, they have whale or turtle-shaped pancakes with chocolate chips too!
Leoda’s: I’m not a big pie person (other than pumpkin pie), but I wanted to stop by to try their famous pies and satisfy our sweet cravings. Wow, their banana cream pie was out of this world! The chocolate macadamia was delicious too. For lunch, my husband got the chicken pot pie, and I got a sandwich that was fresh and just what I needed after eating a lot of heavy meals. A few steps down is also a fruit and juice stand that’s worth checking out.
Where We Stayed During Our Maui Babymoon Trip
We stayed at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas and really enjoyed it! We were offered a timeshare deal of only $999 for a studio for six days and five nights. We upgraded to the $1499 package, which gave us an oceanfront view of one bedroom villa. This price included a $75 resort credit (which we used on food) and a rental car with Avis. It was an incredible deal! The catch? We had to attend a timeshare tour/presentation with a salesperson for about 1.5-2 hours at the hotel. However, the presentation was conversational and not too pressured, so it was worth it.
Our one-bedroom was spacious and had everything we needed. We always have some must-haves for travel accommodations: a washer/dryer and a full kitchen. We have a toddler, so we can always expect a few loads of laundry wherever we go. Also, being in the water all day, we needed a kitchen and fridge for food and snacks for our little one. They also accommodated our request for a high chair and crib.
The resort was large, well maintained, and had multiple pool areas. The pirate ship was a big hit with Olivia. The water is only 1.5 feet deep with slides. We got her this arm float to bring to Maui with us, and it made her a lot more confident in swimming on her own. She didn’t even want our help!
Being at a Westin, we also had access to the newer Westin Nanea next door. It was a quick 10-minute walk along the boardwalk. They have a splash pad there and a more significant slide. We loved having access to this beautiful property as well!
Before this Maui babymoon trip, Jeff and I went to Maui several years ago for a wedding. We had three short days here, but our schedule was jam-packed. We did Road to Hana and drove up to see the sunrise at Haleakala – all beautiful and memorable activities! I’m glad we got these out of the way already because I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing these two activities with Olivia, who just turned two and sometimes gets car sick.
Overall, Maui is the place to be if you love gorgeous beaches, double rainbows, and a relaxing type of vacation. Even though we are not the relaxing vacation type, I’m so glad we had this Maui babymoon trip together before baby number two arrives. If you love Maui, comment below with any other Maui recommendations you have!
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Swim Arm Float | Silicone Beach Toy Set | Gingham Dress | Boho Maxi Dress | Maternity Swimsuit | Floral Toddler Dress | Rainbow Toddler Dress | Blue Midi Dress | Sam Edelman Sandals | Straw Hat
Aloha! Maui is the best for babymoons and it sounds like you had an amazing time! We love Ululani and Leoda. As a local mama from here, I’d like to note, though, that Makena Beach is not a good choice for families. It’s a beautiful wide sandy beach, but the waves are so, so strong, almost always. Serious injuries (aka spinal cord and neck injuries) happen all the time at this beach because people don’t realize how strong the waves are and how shallow they break. Just wanted to add, so your readers are in the know. 🙂 A hui hou!