7-Breakfasts in Maui

7-Breakfasts on Maui - January 2006 (pictures at the bottom of the page)

In January we spent eight outstanding days on Maui. This was the most romantic, and perfect trip we've ever taken. It could not have possibly been more perfect.

I know everyone must be concerned about what we had for breakfast so I thought I'd carefully document it here, as well as a few other tidbits, and some of the 5000+ pictures I took. Our friend's wife Lisa recommended a bunch of great places to eat while we were over there and we had a great time, so I thought we'd share the wealth and provide some recommendations below.

Day 1: No breakfast today, we landed in the afternoon, headed over to Wailea, checked in at the hotel, walked on the beach and had a great dinner at Sorento's just down the road from the hotel. I highly recommend Sorrento's, it's moderately expensive, but the service is stunning, the people are great, the food is outstanding, and it's right on the beach.

Day 2: After a great walk on the beach we went to Longhi's for breakfast. We went to Longhi's quite a few times last time we were there but this time it was brutal. A huge development had been built in front of the restaurant so there was no view and the service and food was so very, very bad that the entertainment value was actually worth it. That night we went to SeaWatch and it was excellent! It's located on the hill above Wailea and looks across a beautiful golf course at the ocean. It's moderately expensive, but the food is outstanding and the service is good.

Day 3: Our old favorite "Charley's" was a must for our second breakfast. It's this great place on the other side of the island in Paia and is apparently the place where Willy Nelson hangs out when he's in town. No Willy this time, but their coconut syrup goes great on the pancakes and Paia is a great little hippie town and fun to hang out in. Paia is also the home of Lotus Moon where I buy pendants for the necklaces I make so we went over there for some serious shopping. 68 Pendants later we headed down the road to take photos at a great wind-surfing and surfing beach (Hookipa Beach) a few miles down the coast. After that it was off to Lahaina for some wandering around and drinks at Kimos.

Day 4: SeaWatch was so great we tried them for breakfast and were not disappointed. The view was beautiful in the morning and they had a cat named "Tiger" who wasn't the cuddly type, but was willing to put up with you long enough to eat bacon out of your hand. Then it was off to McKenna beach or "Big Beach" for some laying in the sun for Christi and Snorkeling for me. Makena is one of the most beautiful beaches in Maui, totally un-developed, huge, and separated by a small climb from a very laid back clothing optional beach called "little Makena" or "Little Beach". After enough lounging in the sun we headed out past Lahaina and Kaanapali to Kalaepiha Point where you can stand on the cliffs and get some great shots of surfers on some decent sized waves. After that it was back to Lahaina for dinner at Kimo's (yummy, great view, laid back).

Day 5: We headed into Kihei to try out Lisa's recommendation of the Kihei Cafe for breakfast. It's a great "hole in the wall" with excellent pastries. That night we went to Capische, a restaurant up on the hill above Wailea that we'd been to before. It is very romantic, and has excellent food, but is stunningly expensive and I wouldn't rate it any higher than SeaWatch and Sorrento's. I did, however get some outstanding shots of the sunset from our table. Then we lucked out! When we got back to the hotel they were doing their Luau and we walked by just as they were starting their fire dance and I got some decent pictures.

Day 6: Huge mistake on breakfast this morning. We walked down the path from our hotel to the Four Seasons and had breakfast there. No view, way, way, way snooty, and $27 each for the buffet. I like good food and good service, but this was just stupid when you can go to SeaWatch for excellent food, great service, a visit with Tiger, and a wonderful view. I snorkeled some more while Christi laid on the beach and then we headed back to Kalaepiha point so I could shoot more surfing shots. That night it was Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina which reminded us why we'd been eating at nicer restaurants : )

Day 7: We liked SeaWatch so much we went back there for breakfast again (and Tiger got some crabcake benedict), then we headed to Little Beach for some sun, and yes I did do a little naked snorkeling (remember, always keep the fish food far forward!). I did wait to put on my flippers and mask until I was already in the water for fear that Christi would mock me mercilessly (I know I would have). That night it was another excellent dinner at SeaWatch.

Day 8: Our last day. It was sad to say goodbye to Maui, but our flight didn't go out until 10:30 PM so we had all day to enjoy it. We went into Kihei and got some pastries to go from Kihei Cafe, a latte from Starbucks, and then it was back to the beach in front of the hotel where we sat on lounge chairs and watched a pod of whales about a hundred yards off the shore. One was a baby and we saw his little hump and little tail pop out of the water. There were lots of whales this trip and you could see them surfacing or blowing waterspouts pretty much any time if you were willing to scan the ocean for 15-20 minutes. After breakfast it was off to Little Beach for some more sun and snorkeling and then we headed back for a late check out. We spent the afternoon in Paia, then photographing surfers, and then a big dinner at Mama's Fish House. Mama's is the quintessential Hawaiian experience, great food, good service, and a wonderful view, but it's a bit touristy, ultra expensive, and once you've done it, you really don't need to do it again.

Some other restaurant recommendations. We weren't able to get to all the great restaurants that Lisa recommended but I want to document them here for next time. Haile Maile General Store in upcountry Maui, Joe's Bar and Grill, Stella Blue's, Sensei (we did go there last time we were in Maui and they had good sushi), The Wine Tastings, Cafe O'lei.

Thinking about going to Maui? I put together a page with some information and maps that might help

Photos