Visiting Maui With Kids
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Are you heading to Hawaii with kids and wondering which island to choose? Maui is the perfect island to visit with toddlers and kids and perfect for your first trip to Hawaii with kids. If it’s your first trip to the islands, be sure to read these tips for visiting Hawaii for the first time.
Where to stay on Maui with kids
Our friends have a time share at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, so we stayed with them. The hotel has several awesome pools and a splash park/ship area for kids, making it a popular choice for families. Milana’s favorite was the water slide, which she did over and over again every day!
Video of Milana using the big slide at the hotel:
Things to do on Maui with kids
We had a rental car (highly recommended) so we explored quite a bit. Neither of us was interested in the road to Hana, however I really wanted to see the bamboo forest on the other side of the island, so we went to find it one day. Definitely a must see, but so easy to miss. If you’re driving on the road to Hana, you will see an opening on the right hand side between mile marker 6 and 7. Walk into that opening, and you will find bamboo paradise!
Another place we visited was the Leilani Farm Sanctuary. This woman rescues animals and they live on her farm, which is amazing. However, she doesn’t seem to like or tolerate small humans so if you have young kids, be aware of that! Milana loved seeing all the animals but the fun ended when she got head butted by a goat haha
When in Hawaii, you have to do a luau. We chose the Old Lahaina Luau, which was very family friendly. There were many kid activities prior to the show, which was great for families with young kids.
There are so many hiking trails on the island. We stumbled upon one in Honolua, which was the perfect thing for kids. Not too long and lots of opportunities to splash in the water. Milana is all about mud and dirt and the outdoors, so this was the perfect thing for her!
Where to eat on Maui with kids
Food. Let’s be honest, we travel for food and seek out the best spots wherever we go! Mama’s Fish House was our favorite, with really good food and amazing views from their property.
My husband loves whole fish, and theirs didn’t disappoint.
Their kid meals were great as well, not your typical fried chicken or mac and cheese. Milana is a huge lobster fan, so she got the lobster kid meal which she really liked.
Just down the street from the hotel was our favorite shaved ice place, Maui’s Beach House. We tried a few others, and none compared to this one. We went back 3 days in a row!
A fun place for breakfast with the kids is Slappy Cakes. You pick your batter and make pancakes at the table, Milana loved the concept but poor dad had to pay for breakfast and cook it himself!
Maui is a very quiet, slow-paced island. If you’re looking for relaxation and a family-friendly atmosphere, this is definitely the place for you!
15 Comments
ourfamilytraveladventures
Maui is one of our favorite family travel destinations. We like the Westin Kaanapali too!
wanderingwagarschristina
I have not visited Maui and it is very high on our family bucket list. Thanks for all the suggestions here. I am very shocked about the underwhelming quality of the food. Our kids love lobster too so when we go we will definitely check out Mama’s Fish House.
TravelingMel
Looks like a great trip. And Milana seemed to have a blast. I lived on Lanai for awhile, so Maui was where we went for busyness and shopping. 😉
Christine
Yes it’s a great place for a family with kids! I use to go as a kid with my family but haven’t been back as an adult. I’m long over due and need to visit soon!
Marta - Learningescapes
I’d love to go to Hawaii, it’s a big bucket list place for me – only about a 20 hours hours flight from here 😉 Interesting to read about less than great experiences: I guess it happens in places with a lot of tourism, I must remember your advice when we finally go
Milana's Travels
Yea, definitely not the way we normally travel! Honestly for that cost, you can go to an amazing location (Thailand comes to mind!).
Karla at GlobalETA
Have never been to Hawaii but of course have always wanted to visit! Looks like Milana had fun as usual! Thanks for sharing your experiences – the quiet and relaxing atmosphere sounds right up my alley.
Joe
Looks like a lovely place with beautiful scenery. The fish looks delicious too! Definitely a place worth checking out 🙂
Sanne - Spend Life Traveling
It looks like you had a great trip! Hawaii is still on my bucket list, I hope to be able to go there next year…
Vyjay Rao
First of all congratulations on completing 49 states. Hawaii is really like a paradise on earth and Maui is no exception. I can see that Milana had a great time, especially with the animals. Lovely family getaway indeed.
lrstreet
Maui looks so lovely. I really hope to visit some day. Your post gave me some serious wanderlust!
Kevin Wagar
We’ve visited Oahu and the Big Island, but Maui is next on our list. We hadn’t checked out a Luau yet, so thanks for the tip on one to avoid. The food trucks in Oahu are worth visiting if you love great, roadside food.
Brianna
Sounds like a fun trip! I like your perspective on Maui, because most of the time you read about it as a romantic honeymoon destination. This was a great new way to learn about Maui. The bamboo forest looks like the most fun 🙂
Julie Cao
Shaved ice is my favorite staple in Hawaii. I dont know you can make your own pancakes at a restaurant. Missed Road to Hana during my last trip and that is one of the reason I need to go back there. And by the way, I highly recommend Alaska. It is one of the most beautiful state in the USA in terms of natural wonder.
Lisa (Klipdrifters)
Wow, sounds like you all had quite an adventure! Lol sorry that the little one got headbutted by a goat, at least she is ok. Would love to try a few different flavors of the ice cream!