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Exploring Lahaina and a Beautiful Sunset! Hawaii, Day 2

I went to Hawaii! Hawaii is actually paradise and this trip was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. This is the second day of my week-long adventure, so be sure to read about my first few days in Hawaii and check back in soon for the upcoming posts of my adventure!

My official first day in Maui, Hawaii, is actually my second day on the island because the first day was traveling and I arrived quite late in the evening the previous day. Unfortunately, I got quite a late start to the day because the day before I went to Hawaii, I caught a cold. Flying all day made it much worse, so when I woke up the next morning, I took the day to sleep in and recuperate a bit. After all, isn’t traveling to Hawaii all about relaxation and recuperation? I had planned on getting an early start to the day and go snorkeling, but making sure that I was happy and healthy took priority.

My hotel in Maui was the Worldmark in Kihei (pronounced like key-hi), with many thanks to my grandparents as a graduation present. Kihei is a beach town located in mid-southeast Maui. It’s quite small, with a few restaurants and a Safeway, and it’s main attraction is the beautiful beach.

I spent most of my first official day at Lahaina (pronounced la-hi-nah), a touristy little beach town on Maui about an hour from Kihei.

There are several options for parking at Lahaina. There’s parking at the local mall, but it’s quite expensive (I think that it’s $2 for like 30 min.!). There’s street parking throughout the town, but there’s also free public parking on the corner of Prison and Front St.’s, if there are open spots.

In Hawaii, and especially Maui, many of the restaurants serve either fish or hamburgers. In Lahaina, I ate at a burger joint called the “Cool Cat Cafe” near the giant Banyan tree at the Banyan tree circle (more on this later!). I ordered a veggie burger (it had a spicy green chili on it as a specialty to the restaurant) and iced tea, and it was pretty delicious and not too expensive.

20190518_135521 — View from my table outside at Cool Cat Cafe.

The Banyan Tree in Lahaina is on many must-see lists for tourists and I recommend it as well! The Banyan Tree was planted in the early 1800’s — it is nearly 200 years old! It’s grown in this small park dedicated to the tree and continues to grow today.

Beautiful Banyan Tree

In the same park as the Banyan Tree is a the old Lahaina Courthouse, now a historic landmark. It’s free to visitors and it a quick walk-through if you’re interested in a bit of history at Lahaina.

There are several other historic sites around Lahaina if you walk around. There’s the old prison (near the free public parking location mentioned earlier in this post), Pioneer Mill Hospital near the mall, and historic Baldwin House Museum (which you must pay to visit).

I bought some coffee gelato at the Ono Gelato Co. and Coffee Bar, and it was delicious! In the back of the shop is a small seating area with a beautiful view, if you can find a seat.

There is plenty of shopping in Lahaina, from touristy gifts to jewelry to vacation experience planners.

After an early dinner, gelato and photos, I headed back to my hotel and the Kihei beach for sunset. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen!