Arriv guide · Maui
Maui with the kids
Maui, Hawaii · 3-day family vacation · 12 places
By ArrivLast checked
Napili Bay has turtles in the shallows. The Hana road and the shave ice fill the rest. Kids run out of road around three in the afternoon — no amount of planning moves that hour. So this 3-day Maui plan front-loads the big stops, which leaves an easy win in reserve for the back half of every day. Land early enough to find dinner before anyone melts down, because a bad first night sets the tone for the whole trip. The big days always go better on the second morning anyway. This guide maps 12 hand-picked places across beaches, road to hana, and ocean & adventure in Maui, Hawaii, grouped the way you would use them once you are on the ground. The map below is the useful part, because it shows how far apart the stops sit, which a plain list of names always hides. Duplicate the trip in Arriv to set dates, swap stops, and plan with your group.
Stays on this map
Hotels and rentals near these pins.
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How to use this Maui guide
- Follow the day-by-day order as a starting spine, because it already accounts for what sits near what. 3 days is the intended pace, and once you duplicate the trip you can stretch it or compress it to fit the flights.
- Day 1 assumes you are checked in and moving, so the first big block starts on a morning that is already yours. Land the night before if the schedule allows it.
- 12 stops carry a note about reservations, timing, or where to eat after the main event. Read those first, because they are the ones that change what you end up booking.
- The lists are themed on purpose, which is why they hold together as sets: Beaches, Road to Hana, Ocean & adventure, and more. Use them when you have finished the scheduled stops and still have an evening to fill.
- Pin the map so you have it on your phone at the airport. Duplicate into Arriv when you are ready to lock dates, add hotels, and share the plan with everyone coming to Maui.
3-day Maui itinerary
Tap a stop to see it on the map. Adjust freely once it’s your trip.
Day 1Arrive + west Maui beaches + shave ice
Kaanapali Beach
4.7
Kaanapali Beach, Hawaii, USA
Tip — Ease in — build a sandcastle
Napili Bay
4.8
Napili Bay, Hawaii 96761, USA
Tip — Turtle spotting in the shallows
Kihei, HI
Tip — Shave ice reward
Leoda's Kitchen & Pie Shop
4.7
820 Olowalu Village Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761, USA
Tip — Pie-shop dinner, no fuss
Day 2Road to Hana waterfalls + black sand
Twin Falls
4.3
6280 Hana Hwy, Haiku, HI 96708, USA
Tip — First waterfall, legs stretched
Wailua Falls, Hana, HI
Tip — Roadside falls — quick photo
Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach
4.6
Black Sand Beach, Hana, HI 96713, USA
Tip — Black sand and sea caves
Day 3Haleakala sunrise + snorkel + Wailea
Haleakala Sunrise
4.9
Kula, HI 96790, USA
Tip — Sunrise summit — bundle up, reserve ahead
Molokini Snorkel Tour
4.7
Molokini Shoal Marine Life Conservation District, Maui County, HI, USA
Tip — Snorkel the crater after
Maui Ocean Center
4.5
192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA
Tip — Aquarium for tired little feet
Wailea Beach
4.9
Wailea Beach, Wailea-Makena, HI 96753, USA
Tip — Last calm swim
Mama's Fish House
4.8
799 Poho Pl, Paia, HI 96779, USA
Tip — The big celebration dinner
Where to go in Maui
12 places across 4 themed lists — use these when you want options beyond the day plan.
Beaches
Kaanapali Beach, Hawaii, USA
Long, calm, and easy for kids, and the reef at Black Rock's north end is where you go once somebody wants to snorkel.
Wailea Beach, Wailea-Makena, HI 96753, USA
Soft sand and gentle water, and the paved coastal path is there for strollers once the sand stops being fun.
Napili Bay, Hawaii 96761, USA
A protected crescent where green sea turtles glide right up into the shallows, which is the closest most kids will get to one.
Road to Hana
6280 Hana Hwy, Haiku, HI 96708, USA
The first easy stop on the Hana Highway, which matters because the walk down to the swimmable pools is short.
Wailua Falls, Hana, HI
An 80-foot fall right by the road, which means the kids can see the whole thing without walking a step.
Black Sand Beach, Hana, HI 96713, USA
Jet-black sand, sea caves, and blowholes, though none of it happens unless you reserve parking online in advance.
Ocean & adventure
Molokini Shoal Marine Life Conservation District, Maui County, HI, USA
A boat trip out to a sunken crater full of fish, and you want the morning tour, because that is when the water is calmest.
Kula, HI 96790, USA
Sunrise above the clouds at 10,000 ft, which needs a reservation booked at 7am HST 60 days out. Pack warm layers, because it is cold up there before the sun clears the rim.
192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793, USA
A walk-through aquarium tunnel, which is the stop to hold in reserve for a rainy day or an afternoon when nobody will nap.
Eat & treats
Kihei, HI
The best shave ice on the island, which you order with snow cap and a scoop of ice cream underneath.
799 Poho Pl, Paia, HI 96779, USA
The special-night dinner, set in a palm cove, and you need to reserve weeks ahead because it books out.
820 Olowalu Village Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761, USA
Sandwiches and the famous mini pies, which is why it works as a road-trip stop on the way through.
Make this Maui trip yours
Use this guide to duplicate the itinerary into your trips. Set dates, swap stops, invite your crew — then continue planning on the web or take it on the go in the Arriv app.