Hawaii is the dream vacation spot for families. Maui is one of our favorite islands, from watching the whales and snorkeling with turtles to learning the culture, stargazing or soaking in the sun poolside, it makes it a great destination for families for Spring Break.
Magical Places to Stay
The most important part of the trip is figuring out where to stay. When we travel to Maui, Ka’anapali is one of our favorite spots. It is considered one of the best beaches on Maui and even in America. With a three-mile stretch of beach, it features 11 accommodations, 30 culinary options, and shopping. Whether you are traveling with your family, a group of friends or as a couple, we love that this area has lots of great options. There are family-friendly resorts with kid-centric programming and pools with waterslides to quieter retreats with lush gardens and waterfalls.
Make Magical Memories Together
Whether you are looking for adventure or just a spot to relax, we share our Top Ten Things to do in Maui with Family.
- Enjoy the Beach
You have made it across the ocean, it is time to enjoy the famous beaches of Maui. Set up your beach towel and spend the afternoon relaxing on the sand. The beach is the perfect place to unwind while the kids build sandcastles. Ka’anapali Beach is the best place to kick up your feet and watch the waves, your kids playing and people cliff jumping. Feeling adventurous? Try cliff jumping. Black Rock is at the north end of Ka’anapali Beach and is a great place to cliff-jump. The rocky outcrop that many jump off of was formed from lava flows on that side of the island.
Your beach essentials should include mineral sunscreen, beach towels, and photo-ready outfits. Sunset is the perfect opportunity to take your next family photo. Packing an extra outfit helps create your favorite photo that you’ll look back at for years. Don’t forget to respect the land and environment and not take any of the sand and seashells home, it’s bad luck!
2. Whale Watch
10,000 humpback whales migrate from Alaska and the North Pacific putting on a magical show on the shores of Hawaii. This can be seen from the sand, your hotel room, or a boat tour. In Ka’anapali locals call it “whale soup” witnessing whales playing and spurting along 3-miles of stunning beach! Being on board a spacious catamarans is the best way to experience these gentle giants and the surrounding beautiful West Maui scenery. We had an incredible experience aboard Teralani Sailing Adventures as they make it an exciting learning experience with a marine naturalist on board each trip. Additionally, we could actually listen to the whale songs live on their underwater hydrophone.You could join the Hyatt Regency Maui Wildlife Team at the hotel to learn about koholā, or humpback whales in the Spring. From whale behavior – tail slapping, spouting, spy hopping, or even breaching. We were fortunate enough to see all of this whale activity on our trip!
3. Snorkel Adventure
When it comes to experiencing the beauty of Maui’s waters in true style, we turned to Teralani Charters. Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, or an unforgettable wildlife encounter, their exclusive offerings ensure you’ll make cherished memories. We had such a great experience last Spring on the Whale Watching catamaran that we decided to tackle the Premier Snorkel Sail!
This excursion is a 5-hour tour and we weren’t sure how it would go as for half the kids this would be their first time snorkeling, but let’s just say it exceeded all expectations. We were taken to one of the best snorkeling spots on Maui’s west coast and upon entrance to the bay we were greeted by literally hundreds of dolphins! At least 2-dozen played, jumped and escorted the boat. Once we jumped into the water, we saw sea turtles, schools of fish, colorful coral and even an eel! We had a chef-inspired BBQ lunch on-board and relaxed on the spacious catamaran drifting in and out of sleep in the sun on the scenic sail back. It’s no wonder why Teralani is Maui’s most popular snorkeling adventure.
4. Out of the World Stargazing
Wayfinding uses the stars as an ancient Polynesian skill of navigating the ocean without modern tools. Now Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa invites guests to take a Tour of the Stars with their very own rooftop astronomy program! Home to Hawaii’s only recreational telescope with a 16-inch reflector, the “Great White” HD telescope, sits nine stories up on a remote site of the hotel. With crystal-clear skies and located just 20 degrees north of the equator, Maui is the perfect place for astronomy.
Exceptional views of 80 of the 88 constellations can be seen which is why CNN Travel named it the Top Stargazing Spot in the World. The tour is led by Edward J. Mahoney, the Director of Astronomy at the hotel and a NASA Solar System Ambassador who uses a computer to select an agenda, locate and identify 1,000 objects in the sky including stars, planets, galaxies and nebulae. You’ll learn to interpret with the unaided eye, then with giant astronomy binoculars, and on to the “Great White”. It’s a cosmic experience for the entire family.
5. Cultural Activities
One thing we love to do whenever we take a vacation is to learn more about the culture of that place. It can be an activity or visiting a historical landmark. When you are in Maui, many of the hotels in the Kaanapali Beach area offer FREE or inexpensive ways to immerse yourself in Hawaiian cultural experiences. These traditions unique to the Polynesian Islands cannot be found anywhere else. Some of the unique activities are fire knife demonstrations, lei making workshops, coconut weaving classes and more! Our families not only enjoyed these activities but we loved hearing the rich meaning behind each of these traditions. And when we took a fire knife dancing class we had a whole new appreciation when we saw experts twirling fire at the Luau.
6. Enchanted Mermaid Waters
The ocean is a mystical realm where mermaids, sea spirits, and hidden treasures await. Ever dreamt of being a mermaid? The Mindful Mermaid and Hyatt Regency Maui make this magical dream a reality! Our girls were all about this experience and had the most FIN-tastic time learning ocean facts, dressing up and of course slipping on the most beautiful tails! Sara, The Mindful Mermaid, comes to the pool at the Hyatt Regency Maui and offers a few different experiences based on your age, level and focus of the session. The girls were beside themselves as they picked out mermaid tails to match their swimsuits, jewelry, crowns and other accessories.
They did a photoshoot before entering the water and got a quick education about Maui ocean life. Once they got into the pool, they learned how to swim like a mermaid, specific strokes and tricks and played mermaid and pirate games — for any boys that are interested or join their sisters. Photos and videos were captured of the girls so we can forever remember this special experience. This class is about 75-minutes and also includes a keepsake gift at the end.
7. Trip to Turtle Town
One of our family’s favorite ways to experience Maui is to get out on the ocean. Some of the better snorkeling spots on the island are hard to access by swimming out. We wanted to check out Olowalu’s famous turtle point, which is known for being a turtle cleaning station. This area does not disappoint if you want to view turtles! If you are going to go snorkeling or kayaking in this area, we highly recommend Maui Adventure Tours Kayak Co. The area is surrounded by a reef and it helps to have someone who can navigate where to go and currents. The owner, Roger has a background in Marine Sciences, is a PADI Pro DiveMaster, and has over 21 years of experience guiding kayak tours.
Roger and his team also hold American Red Cross LifeGuard and Hawaii Marine Naturalist certifications, and they possess many years of experience delivering memorable tours while emphasizing marine conservation and education. This tour is something just about any age can do as the kayaking portion isn’t too challenging. For those who want to stay in the boat, it is harder to view the turtles unless they come up for air. But for those who enjoy snorkeling, the area is full of turtles! Our kids enjoyed watching them swim past them. For those that don’t feel comfortable snorkeling, a tip we learned is to just wear goggles and go under as long as you would like or if you are wearing a life vest, you can float with your head under and then come up for air as needed.
8. Drums of Pacific Luau
Whether it’s your first time in Hawaii, or you go every trip, book a Luau for the family. Drums of the Pacific Lu`au is the island’s longest-running show and has entertained more than 2 million visitors since the opening of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in 1980. Be greeted with lei and a cocktail while settling into the sounds of the conch, beating drums, and Hawaiian chants. Journey through the Polynesian islands, with a traditional imu ceremony and exotic flavors of Hawaii, complete with traditional Kalua Pork, an open bar, and dessert. As we dined we were entertained with authentic dances and music of Hawaii, Tahiti, the Tuamotus, Rarotonga, New Zealand, Tonga, and a thrilling three-man Samoan fire knife finale!
9. Walk the Kaanapali Boardwalk
Kā’anapali is one of our favorite spots. With a three-mile stretch of beach that was just awarded the #1 beach in the United States and #10 beaches in the world! We love walking and exploring along the Kaanapali boardwalk/pathway that stretches from Hyatt Regency Maui to the Sheraton at Black Rock. It’s a little more than half a mile and Whaler’s Village is along the way where you can shop, dine or play too. In the summer, we found the ocean water to be pretty warm and had fun trying to catch waves, swim and we saw plenty of snorkelers. In just about thigh-high water we saw sea turtles without all the gear and just our plain eyes. Plus building sandcastles and hunting for shells were checked off our list too!
10. Learn to Surf
Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. People travel far and wide to surf the waves of the islands. If this is your first time surfing, don’t be nervous! There are a ton of surf schools waiting to get you surfing in just one lesson. Maui’s water is warm and consistent making it easy to learn how to surf.
Must haves for a stress-free spring break
- Tubby Todd Reef Safe Sunscreen
- Waterproof Tote Bag
- ALOHA Collection Reversible Tote
- AquaVault 100% Waterproof Floating Smart Phone Case
- YETI Rambler 26 oz Bottle with Color Matching Straw Cap
- YETI Rambler 46 oz Bottle
- Kenny Flowers Women’s Resort Dress
- Kenny Flowers Boy’s Hawaiian Shirt
- Kenny Flowers Girls Resort Dress
- Kenny Flowers Men’s Swim Trunks
We were hosted by Kaanapali Beach Resort, Hyatt Regency, Teralani Sailing Adventures, Maui Adventure Kayak Tours for our trip. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own. The above products are Amazon affiliate links.
