Maui, the land of healing, was visited by Jess and Adam this past March. In Wisconsin, the temperatures are cold and the skies are gray–which makes it the perfect time to visit Maui where it's sunny and the temps are in the 70s during that time of year. Jess and Adam went beach hopping, drove along the Road to Hana, and ate poke bowls every night (Jess’ FAVE). Planning, or dreaming, on a trip to Maui? Take this as your sign to get all the best advice on stays, beaches, and experiences, along with snapshots of Jess’ new Hello Adorn favorites, of course.
Jess is known for wearing the same earrings, necklace, and ring stack for months on end. When she finds the pieces she can’t live without, her loyalty runs TRUE. However, Jess uses vacations as an excuse to design jewelry, get new jewelry content, or just introduce fresh pieces into her wardrobe. She clearly couldn’t help but snap some pics when seeing these lush native plants! Right now Jess is truly loving the Revolve Ring, the Poppy Gemstone Ring, and the Moss Gemma Trio Necklace.
Bottoms: Organic Pima Wide Leg Pant by Lunya
Suit: Agua Bendita Erma Bikini Top by Free People
Sunnies: GUCCI: Wide - High Bridge Fit by Sunglass Hut (can be found on sale through other shops)
Hat: Palma Fedora by Lack of Color
Shoes: She’s in Hawaii. Of course she doesn't have shoes on, silly.
While self-described as a “chill” trip, these two still accomplished quite a bit. Jess and Adam attended a 10 night stay at the Andaz Maui Resort where there’s an expansive view of the Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the Wailea Beach Path meanders so close it’s basically within the resort grounds! Nightly walks please? Aside from enjoying the resort, Jess and Adam made sure to take ample time to get away and experience what else Maui has to offer. One of their favorite activities is what Jess calls “beach hopping”. Almost every day, they visited a new beach and found a place to rent chairs, an umbrella, and a cooler. If beach hopping is on your itinerary, then renting these items are the way to go. However, Jess had to add a little color into their beach set up with this golden, oversized beach towel that reminded her of Goldie (Hello Adorn’s new baby–a 1970s Volkswagen that is now being used for Endless Bracelet pop ups).
Beaches J + A attended were:
- Big Beach/Little Beach (Little Beach is a nude beach )
- Slaughterhouse Beach
- Ho’okipa Beach (Sea Turtle Sighting!)
- Po’Olenalena Beach
- Chang’s Beach
Shopping Areas:
- The Shops at Wailea
- Downtown Lahaina
- Whalers Village in Kaanapali
Food/Restaurants:
- Tsunami Fries (spicy waffle fry nachos) - sweet soy, furikake seasoning, grated pecorino, spicy aioli, scallions. These were how Jess discovered furikake and is now truly obsessed.
- Poke Bowls EVERY day– a favorite food for Jess
- Morimoto Maui
- Monkeypod Kitchen
- Coconut Glen's ice cream truck (pictured with Adam below)
With all this beach hopping you’d think that Jess and Adam found plenty to do–however they decided to see a “little” more and drove the legendary Road to Hana. This is an extremely winding road that has beaches, waterfalls, and other incredible views all with the final destination being the beautiful town of Hana. Driving the Road to Hana typically takes 10-12 hours, has 600 turns, and 400 bridges. Talk about an incredible day trip!
One of their first stops on the Road to Hana was at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific, Jess and Adam had this accessible view right from the road! However, BE WARNED. Not all stops are equal along the Road to Hana. Jess and Adam had to engage in some bushwhacking in order to take in the fullness of some stops.
They didn’t say it WASN’T worth it, though. A hike, some bushwhacking, and a surprising but quick encounter with a couple of skinny dippers led to this incredible waterfall and swimming hole. With *most* of the place to themselves, J + A were able to capture this stunning picture and really show the essence of what magical places are hidden in the backroads of Maui. You can’t tell me this ISN’T where mermaids are born.
Other stops included cliff jumping, more waterfalls, a rope swing, and a black sand beach. They were always hopping out of the car to see (or swim) somewhere new. Plan on doing the Road to Hana yourself? Their number one piece of advice is to wear a swimming suit the whole day if you plan on getting in the water! Their second piece of advice is to hire a driver. While renting a car is also an option, hiring a driver gives you an opportunity to connect with a local, as well as not worry about navigation–just enjoy the views. Their driver was extremely comfortable with the winding road and would drive quickly between stops. At one point the driver was eating soup, which made Jess a little more nervous than usual, but would still recommend the experience overall.
J + A also visited an incredible rocky beach on the northshore of Maui called Ho’okipa Beach (pictured above)! PSYCH. Those rocks are not rocks–take a closer look. They’re sea turtles basking in the sun! Jess loved this part of the drive and was mesmerized by the sheer volume of these incredible animals crowding the beach. OH to be one of those turtles right now.
Eventually, The Road To Hana ended–you guessed it–in Hana, a small city of less than 1,000 residents. They attended the local market and enjoyed the beauty that Hana is known for. At the tail end of the day Jess and Adam got to drive by Willie Nelson’s house in Pā'ia (Jess has so much love for Willie–who doesn’t?).
Once Jess and Adam arrived back in Eau Claire, they had a glow that wasn’t just from all the sun. They were relaxed, at peace, and excited to share their adventures. If you’re looking to visit Maui in the future, then you can also look forward to that feeling of returning refreshed, whole, and healed. Maui proved to us that it is the land of healing, just by the evidence on Jess and Adam.
A hui hou kākou!
(until we all meet again!)
