Trip Recap
Trip Dates: 4/28/26 - 5/5/26
Lodging - OUTRIGGER Ka’anapali Beach Resort. We really enjoyed the stay here. We booked a Signature Partial Ocean View room, but it exceeded expectations—we could see the ocean clearly through the garden trees from our balcony.
Daily Breakdown
Day 1: Arrival
• Landed in the afternoon, grabbed the rental beach gear from Maui Vacation Equipment which have lockers near the airport.
• Food: Tin Roof for the first meal. The Mochiko Chicken plate with kimchi and mac salad is a massive amount of food and lives up to the reputation.
• Spent the evening watching the sunset on the beach right by the resort.
Day 2: Wailea & The Emerald Course
• Beach: Spent the morning at Wailea Beach. Parking was surprisingly easy to find if you show up in the morning.
• Golf: Played the Emerald Course. Incredibly scenic with ocean views on almost every hole.
• Food: Dinner at Lineage. Shared the Korean fried chicken—very messy but worth it.
Day 3: Black Rock & North Shore Eats
• Activity: Morning run along the coast followed by beach time near Black Rock. Snorkeled with a large sea turtle right off the shore…this turned out to be a common occurrence.
• Food: Lunch was Spam musubi from ABC (classic). Early dinner at Leoda’s. The sandwiches were good, and we finished with a slice of coconut cream pie. We weren’t blown away by Leoda’s but it got the job done.
Day 4: The Kapalua Experience
• Golf: Played the Plantation Course. The facility is top-tier with a great champions locker room and a very secluded, peaceful driving range. The course is challenging with the wind and elevation changes, but the views are iconic.
• Food: Grabbed a cinnamon roll and banana bread from Pau Bakery (much shorter wait than Papi’s Ohana and would think it’s just as good). Lunch at the Plantation House overlooking the 18th green. Dinner at Star Noodle. Didn’t think Star Noodle was anything to write home about.
Day 5
• Activity: Snorkeled the reefs on the other side of Black Rock (Keka’a Landing Pier). Saw lots of turtles and an asortment of fish. Enjoyed this beach a lot because it’s way less crowded than Black Rock.
• Food: Picked up Foodland Poke for a beach lunch.
• Dinner: Honu Oceanside. This was a highlight meal—the grilled mahi over risotto and the coconut banana cream pie for dessert were outstanding.
Day 6: Honolua & Kapalua Bays
• Snorkeling: Hit Honolua Bay early to secure parking. It’s a rocky entry, but the marine life is dense. Afterward, moved to Kapalua Bay, which has an easier entry and similar fish diversity. If I had to go back, I would just do Kapalua Bay.
• Food: Acai bowls at Baya Bowls and dinner at Ulu Kitchen. Grabbed a Hula Pie from Hula Grill to eat back at the room.
Day 7: Surfing Lahaina
• Activity: Rented a board from HI surf Club at Lahaina Harbor and paddled out to Breakwall. It's a long paddle out, but a fun spot once you're out there.
• Food: Dinner at Mala Ocean Tavern for sunset. The ube bread is a great starter, and the pesto shrimp pasta was excellent. The wait staff was awesome.
Day 8: Departure
• Activity: Final morning at the beach and a walk to the end of the Kaanapali beach path.
• Final Eats: Tried a mango sticky rice smoothie at the Honolua Store (highly recommend) and watched the windsurfers at Ho’okipa Beach Park before heading to the airport.
• Final Stop: One last takeout order from Tin Roof for the flight home.