Island-Hopping Hawaii: 10 Days on Maui & the Big Island

• Arrive in Maui and pick up a rental car.

• Drive to hotel in Ka’anapali and get settled in.

• Head down to the beach and take a walk to relax, then head to Captain Jacks for dinner.

• Wake up early and head to the Maalaea Marina to catch a boat for a snorkel trip with lunch and drinks to Molokini Crater and Turtle Town.

• Head back to the hotel to freshen up.

• Drive to Whalers Village for shopping. (Note: parking sucks here, so prepare to circle the garage a few times or get an Uber. If you do park, get your parking ticket validated when you spend money in a store or restaurant.)

• Grab a boba tea from TeaZenTea and get a bite to eat at one of the restaurants.

• Sleep in today and relax!

• Head to the beach or the pool and take the day to just relax!

• Get a massage at the local hotel spa.

• Have lunch at a food truck or hotel restaurant.

• Do some snorkeling (most hotels rent snorkel gear for cheap).

• Grab dinner at one of the food trucks in the area (I highly recommend a truck with Hawaiian food and try some Loco Moco).

• Get up and grab some pie from Leoda’s Kitchen on the way to the Maui Ocean Center.

• Enjoy time exploring the Maui Ocean Center. Make sure to catch the Humpback Whale Sphere movie. It’s a 3D experience that makes you think you can reach out and touch one of the whales!

• Grab lunch at Dina’s Sandwich Shop—a hole-in-the-wall bar with great sandwiches, ocean views, and great ambiance.

• Head to Maui Gold for a tour of the pineapple farm where you get to eat delicious pineapples and see beautiful pineapple blooms!

• Or take a glass blowing class at Makai Glas Maui, where you can create blown glass art and they will ship it home for you!

• Head back and grab dinner at the Cliff Dive Grill.

• Get packed and check out of the hotel. Depending on when your flight heads out, you can grab breakfast at the Castaway Café or Captain Jacks.

• Head to the airport and return your rental car. Catch your flight to the Big Island!

Welcome to Kona

• Arrive in Kona and pick up a rental car. Drive to the hotel and get settled in.

• Grab an early dinner at Kona Brewing Co.

• Head to the marina to set out on your night snorkel tour with manta rays and experience the graceful mantas swimming within inches of your face! Tip: If you at all get motion sickness, prep before the boat leaves with Dramamine, a sick sickness bracelet, or invest in a relief band (the best). The ocean can be a bit rough some nights. You have to lay flat on the water holding onto a surfboard or some other flat board while viewing the mantas. My suggestion is don’t fight the waves, just relax and go with the flow—this will help keep you from getting seasick.

• Grab breakfast at Island Lava Java.

• Arrive at Nalu Tattoo or Lady Luck Tattoo for a tattoo appointment. All of the artists from these two shops are incredibly talented. Make sure to make an appointment and get your design set up with the artist at least three months before your trip.

• Grab lunch at Arise Kona Bakery and Café for some delicious food to refuel you after or in the middle of a tattoo session.

• If you have time after your tattoo session, do some shopping around Kona or head back to the hotel to rest.

• Go to Lava Lava Beach Club for dinner (make reservations) to have dinner on the beach at sunset.

• Drive to Hilo.

• Walk through the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden and see lush tropical plants. If you’re a plant lover, you could spend hours in the garden. This is a great spot for a photo shoot. Don’t let the rain stop you either—take a rain shell and enjoy the beauty of the Garden in the rain.

• Have lunch at Tetsumen for some Ramen and then head next door to Cupcakes, BOOM! for macaroons to take with.

• Explore downtown Hilo.

• Hike to Akaka Falls and then head back to the hotel.

​Spend the day at Volcano National Park.

Check the park's live Youtube channel before you go to see if an eruption is happening. You can drive and hike in the park yourself, but I do recommend a tour for a better experience.

This is a full-day experience. Don’t try to fit anything else in!

• Relax by the pool or on the beach near the hotel.

• Grab lunch at A-Bay’s Island Grill.

• Shop it up at the Kings Shops at Waikoloa.

• Grab dinner at Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar.

• Pack up and head to breakfast at Kalikala Cuisine.

• Head to the airport to drop off your rental car, and catch your flight home.

• Proceed to have withdrawals from the islands for the next week!