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Hawaii

8 Fun Adventures To Have On Your Maui Family Vacation

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Our Maui family vacation remains one of our all time favorites because if was a great mix of fun and relaxation. Yes, I used the words “family vacation” and relaxation in one sentence and I meant every word.

When we visited Maui, our kids were young (toddler/pre-school age) and we were pleasantly surprised at just how much fun we all had exploring the island!

If you’re planning a Maui family vacation, below are 8 things we did with our kids that made for a fun and memorable trip we still talk about til’ this day!

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8 Fun Maui Adventures With Kids

1. The Penguins And Parrots At The Hyatt Maui

While vacationing in Maui, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency as it was recommended to us as one of the best places to stay in Maui for families; and we truly did love it! 

In addition to a beautiful pool and beach area, the Hyatt offers some great family dining as well as some adorable penguins, parrots and swans. The parrots and penguins are out every day and their feeding schedule is available at the front desk. My kids loved visiting during feeding time to learn more about the animals and their talents from staff members.

2. Watching The Island “Wake Up”

Traveling from the east coast to Maui definitely caused a little confusion with time, but also had it’s perks. We were up the first few days very, VERY early.

Like 4 am early. Turns out this is one of the most beautiful times to explore the island. We would get up and out early to splash in the quiet beaches and “watch the island wake up” at sunrise. It was gorgeous!

3. Authentic Hawaiian Luau

A Maui family vacation would not be complete without a luau experience. There are many to choose from in Maui. After researching, we chose the Feast At LeLe in Lahaina as it had the best reviews and was touted by many to be the most “authentic luau” on the island.

The Feast At LeLe kicked off by being greeted with a Lei and beverage (non-alcoholic beverages were available for the little ones).

There was a trio band playing live music and some hand crafted Hawaiian items for sale as everyone was seated. The kids loved the welcoming party atmosphere. The show and dancers were amazing, complete with a “fire swallower”– which was the most anticipated moment for Ry (7 years old).

The food is brought out in courses to allow you to experience a variety of Polynesian cuisine and we even got to celebrate our son’s birthday Hawaiian style!

While the food was good, this was the only down fall when traveling with picky eater. My son is a true foodie and loved trying everything, while my daughter on the other hand ate next to nothing. Other Luau’s may have more traditional food or a kids menu. If you have a picky eater in your group, this is just something to keep in mind.

4. Beachside Family Portraits

When traveling as a family, often one person is left out of the group photo as they the role of photographer (this is usually me)- or you ask a stranger, and well… it’s never easy to assess a strangers photography skills as they walk by- right? It’s a 50/50 shot.

I highly recommend hiring a family photographer in Maui and make it your annual family photo. The beaches and sunset backdrop make for gorgeous holiday cards too!

We chose the husband and wife team of Dimitri Photography on the recommendation of friend and fellow blogger, Sarah of The Ohana Mama.

Dimitri and Sandra chose the tucked away, DK Fleming Beach for our shoot. A “secret beach” of sorts that we may have never discovered, had it not been on their recommendation. Our pictures came out phenomenal, and was a beautiful way to remember our Maui vacation for years to come.

5. Surfing Lessons

Maui is the ultimate place to experience a little surfing and there are lessons available for beginners as well as experienced surfers.

James and Ryan took a private lesson for beginners with Tide of Rivers To The Sea.  They had a great time learning the basics and Tide was amazing with the kids- he even let Laina (3 yrs old) in on the fun. Rivers to the Sea is just one of many surfing schools on Maui, but we truly loved them and highly recommend! Run by brothers Tide and Kiva, they have taught some Hollywood celebs including: Zac Effron, James Gandolfeni and Amanda Bynes (before she went Cray-cray).

6. The Hawaii Tropical Plantation

The Tropical Plantation is open year round and offers a train ride through the plantation showing off the island’s agriculture and beauty including a gorgeous lake area and fresh coconut-tasting experience.

We visited during spring break/Easter vacation, while Maui was celebrating it’s annual AG Feast at their Tropical Plantation, which was fun! If you are visiting during that time of year as well, definitely look into this festive event.

7. The Lahaina Market Place

The Old Lahaina Market Place is a great place to check out some local handmade craftsmanship. From jewelry to soaps and wood carvings- this cute little village has it all. My kids loved going from shop to shop browsing all the local goods.

This market place is also the central point where many boat tours leave from. So you can make a day of it by booking a boat tour and then touring shops and grabbing a bite to eat!

8. The Road To Hana

This road-side experience was so amazing, I gave it it’s own in-depth post. In short? DO. IT.

Road To Hana With Kids r2H Maui

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 Looking for a romantic date night idea while visiting Maui? Check out our oceanside dining experience at the Marriott Wailea Beach.

Is Maui a good family vacation?

Maui offers families a great mix of fun, adventure and relaxation while on vacation. Kids love exploring Maui’s nature and learning about the Hawaiian Culture too.

Some family favorites include:
– Taking surf lessons
– Checking out the Lahaina Marketplace
– Visiting Aunt Sandy’s for a bite to eat along on the Road To Hana
– Finding rainbow trees

What is there to do in Maui with toddlers?

While known for its beauty and nature, there are still many things to do in Maui with toddlers. Some great activities to do with little ones are:
– Playing in the calm water and beaches early in the morning
– Checking out the Maui Ocean Center
– Attend The Feast Of Lele Luau- they’ll love being greeted with lei’s!
– Visit the penguins and swans in the Hyatt Hotel’s lobby

Maui: Surviving The Road To Hana With Kids {video}

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Well our Maui spring break vacation is officially over {insert sad face}. Actually, it’s been over for quite some time now, and I still daydream about it.

It’s bitter sweet because while it is always nice to be back in the comfort of your own home, we really wished we had 3 more days to explore that beautiful island.

We made the trip with the kids and whenever anyone hears that they they immediately fearfully ask… “How were the kids?”

So while I’ve already shared our experience with Maui Romance, and our 8 family fun Maui adventures, today I thought I would share with our story of “survival”.

Taking the kids was a decision that surprised a lot of people, and very honestly it was a decision that James and I had to carefully weigh.  Maui, in all of its beauty is amazing but it certainly is not Disney.

We wondered– Would there be enough on the island to keep the kids occupied? Would the kids be up for the long plane and car rides?

Ultimately we decided to take the trip, and also take along my teenage sister for extra hands (and date night babysitting).

Together we survived 24 hours of round trip flying, 4 hours of lay-overs, luggage/car seat juggling that would probably qualify us for an act in the circus and yes, even illness’ that landed us in the doctors office (details about that later)… but possibly our biggest survival was the famous Road To Hana.

We had heard a lot about the road before our trip, and James being a Jurassic Park fanatic (seriously, it manages to find its way on the TV in this house at least once a month.) was really looking forward to it. The road is a 50 mile scenic drive to an old Hawaiian town, Hana.

On the drive there are trails, and waterfalls, black beaches and caves which all sounded fun, but we had heard that the trip could take up to 8 hours to get there! So “to take the the drive or not to take the drive?” was a constant debate in this house leading up to the trip.

But if it’s one thing I learned from this trip, it is that when you are traveling with kids, it is best to let curiosity be your guide.

On day 5 of our trip, it was clear that we all (kids included) were taken in by the spirit of Maui and feeling a bit adventurous. We popped in our Road 2 Hana Tour Guide CD

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(***UPDATED 2016: The R2H guide is now also available in iBooks!) and decided to take the road as far as the kids could handle.

{Be sure to check out the video at the end of this post to laugh at my expense.}

 The R2H CD is a MUST- espeically if you are traveling with kids. What I liked is that they don’t just tell you what to stop and see- they also tell you about what you could see, but might not be worth the stop- which is invaluable advice when you have little ones in toe.

Here are some of the things that my kids loved along the road–

1. Exploring the forest in the WaiKaMoi Natural Trail-

There are steps leading up the trail but nothing too much that my 3 year old couldn’t handle. She energetically ran up the steps and looked around with my 7 year old- who as you can see below, felt like he was Tarzan.

2. Funny signs and random props in the Garden Of Eden

The Garden Of Eden is where the overlook is for Jurassic Park Rock, which as I mentioned earlier was a must-see for James. What the kids enjoyed most here was finding the random props and funny signs along the trails. It was almost like a treasure hunt of “look what I found”.

Bamboo makes excellent walking canes for hiking!

There are few things funnier to a 7 yr old than the word “butt”

3. Stopping at Aunt Sandy’s For Roadside Snacks.

The kids loved the ginormous shaved ice but WOW, did James and I love that chili dog! (a tip from the Road To Hana CD!)

4. Checking out real live LAVA!

My son was amazed that this beach was created entirely from a volcano. As cool as it is though, don’t think of taking a small lava rock home- they’re rumored to be bad luck if they leave the island.

5. The legendary caves of Waianapanapa

Though a little eerie (bordering on spooky) after you read the big sign with the story of the princess who hid out in the caves, this trail was fun for thrills.

6. Swimming in the waterfalls

The Road To Hana is actually much “rainer” & chillier than pictures would make it appear (Parent tip- bring a sweater!). Ryan was very eager to see swim in the waterfalls (with the hubby) but unfortunately weather did not permit. That being said, he still enjoyed looking at waterfalls up close! 🙂

All of these things made the trip a lot of fun for the kids and we actually made it to Hana in just under 4 hours.

But the real highlight of the trip (possibly of the vacation) –

7. Scaring Mom On The Way Back From Hana 

 I am an anxious mama by nature. I gasp at everything, I can’t help it. The road to Hana has 56 narrow one way bridges and 617 curves… cliffside. I don’t know why this didn’t bother me on the way to Hana, but the way back? I was a nervous wreck. The kids thought this was HILARIOUS.

Have you ever successfully took an adventurous trip with the kids?  Do you have tips to share?

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