I still have soooo much to post from our Maui trip but slowly getting through it all! I’m trying to group places that are near each other together so hopefully that will help you if you’re planning an itinerary. Kapalua Coastal Trail is another awesome hike and it’s very well marked and easy enough for the kids too with incredible views. This is one of our favorite spots in Maui and was fairly close to where we were staying (I will have a post all about our Airbnb that you all went crazy over on Instagram and the rental car situation soon) so we did this hike quite a few times, almost every night, and then we would head to Kapalua Bay Beach, Napili Beach, or D.T. Flemming Beach and grab groceries for dinner on the way back to our place. We aren’t big into fancy dinners and eating out for every meal so we love staying at Airbnbs so we can make our own meals a lot. Nicolas mostly just wanted these little boba tea drinks and 65 cent ramen for every meal. haha. And most nights we just made sandwiches and we would get dessert from Foodland (they seriously have THE best desserts and subs…I have a slight Foodland obsession) or SafeWay which also has really good desserts but it’s a much larger more crowded store where all the tourists go so I prefer Foodland but SafeWay definitely has more of a selection of everything. Honestly, we have a lot of Hawaii memories just from picking out groceries and getting fun, different things that they don’t have here in Florida like lilikoi everything and different fruits and drinks. I will always remember Nicolas eating ramen from this trip and all of the lilikoi desserts I got. Taking your kids to a new grocery store with different stuff they’ve never seen before is just so exciting for some reason and I think I’m just as excited as they are. Haha. We made breakfast at our Airbnb too (I was up at 3-3:30 every morning with thee 6 hour time difference so nothing was open at that hour anyway. hehe). Plus it saves a lot of time in the mornings if you don’t have to stop somewhere to eat.
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Ok enough about our Foodland adventures and back to the hike and beaches. Parking for Kapalua Coastal Trail, Kapalua Bay Beach, and Napili Bay Beach is all the same and fairly limited although we never had a problem getting a spot. There is a very small lot you can park in but that’s always full so you will most likely have to park on the side of the road which is where we always parked and it’s just a short walk to either Kapalua Bay or Napali Bay Beach and Kapalua Coastal Trail is right next to Kapalua Bay Beach so you can’t miss it. We preferred Kapalua Beach over Napili because it just seemed less crowded and the snorkeling was also good at Kapalua Bay too so you can hang at the beach, snorkel, an go for a little hike all in the same spot. You can also veer off the hike a little down a side trail to an epic cliff jumping spot. I don’t have any photos of the spot because we didn’t bring our phones or cameras since we were in the water and didn’t want to risk having anything stolen but look for the sign that says “no dogs” and go down that little trail and the cliff jumping spot is at the end. There are usually a few people there jumping off so you can watch or join in on the fun. If you take that turn it is a dead end at the cliff jumping spot so you will have to go back the way you came to get back on the main trail but it’s not very far. Maybe a 5 minute detour. We also loved going out and exploring on the rocks (you might not be able to do this depending on the tide and the time of year). This trail really has some incredible views. We could even see turtles swimming around in the water from above on one of the cliffs because the water is so clear. If you’re looking for amazing ocean views and beautiful beaches this is a good hike to do because it’s relatively short and easy and you don’t even have to do the whole hike to get to some of the best spots.
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There are a few mostly deserted beaches you can stop at along the trail too. Most of the time we were the only ones there but a few times we walked by and they were taking wedding photos and setting up for a wedding so it must be a popular spot for that. There are a few beautiful hotels in that area like the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua and the Montage Kapalua Bay. D.T. Flemming Beach is another nice beach close by right next to the Ritz-Carlton. There is a very small parking lot there but we somehow managed to get a spot later in the evening just before sunset. Great beach for bodyboarding and it’s not crowded but it can be very windy there and the sand actually hurts blowing into you so make sure to go on a day that it’s not windy there. If you go and it’s too windy head to Kapalua Bay or Napili Bay and it should be less windy there.
Snaps From Kapalua Bay Beach
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Snaps From Napili Bay Beach
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bracelet here
To get there, just type in Kapalua Bay or any of the above beach names into your GPS and look for the string of cars parked along side the road (that’s where you want to park unless you are going to D.T. Flemming Beach in which case you will want to keep following your GPS to that lot which is not well marked but it’s the last lot past the Ritz-Carlton at a dead end). I hope you love this hike and beaches as much as we do! Thanks for reading!
