Vegan Bound for Maui
Maui is the second largest island in Hawai’i. It is apparently just slightly bigger than my home state of Rhode Island and has been my favorite place to travel to ever since my first trip with my mother when I was a young teen. There is just something so special about the people who live there and the Aloha spirit they live by.
I mean, how can a day be really that bad when you are surrounded by miles of beautiful ocean water, swaying palm trees, smiling faces and bountiful amounts of fresh fruit. Can you feel it yet?
Our most recent trip was for a family wedding and as soon as my husband and I received the invite, I was like, “You had us at Hawai’i”. We typically stay at one of the beautiful resorts in Lahaina, but opted to rent a condo from VRBO this time and found a beautiful place right on the beach called the Mahana in Ka’anapali. Not only did we save a little by not having resort fees, but the view was absolutely gorgeous. The ocean was literally outside our bedroom where heard waves crashing and watched sea turtles swim in the reef. We also had a full kitchen and more space to work with, which is always nice too.
Of course we enjoyed the beach as often as we could, but also had to venture out for some delicious eats. With the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, eating a strictly plant-based diet is super easy in Hawai’i. Even the locals that aren’t technically vegan eat some wholly plant-based meals like fruit and acai bowls. Here were a few of our favorite spots.
Ka’anapali
Farmers Market: The cutest small local grocery store you’ve ever seen. We went on the first day we were there to pick up some snacks for the room and were lucky enough to find they had a bunch farmers and local makers had stands outside with the most delicious food you could ask for. We got a mix of apple bananas, strawberry papayas, lilikoi (passion fruit - pro tip: top your papaya with it), Maui grown pineapple, and the fluffiest most delicious homemade vegan garlic Israeli bread with intense flavors of salt, garlic and herbs. I will seriously be dreaming about that bread forever and regretting not buying her homemade hummus to go with it. If anyone from Maui knows whom I’m talking about please let me know who she is and ask her if she ships to Rhode Island.
A’A’ Roots: This place is a little gem in a plaza a couple miles north in Lahaina from where we were staying. The vibe is a relaxed, eco friendly and rustic environment with a hand-painted Anthony Bourdain quote on a wall. We went here twice and wished I could have gone more! Some of my favorites were the jackfruit tacos with yummy rice and black beans that were on special, avocado toast, breakfast bagel full of veggies and hummus, lilikoi lemonade - perfect summer drink were the passionfruit and lemons shined, Stacey’s vegan tapioca pudding. I had never had tapioca pudding before and discovered I was in love with it! Creamy coconut milk with tapioca topped with an agar agar sweet lilikoi jelly. Yum!
Ana’s Gourmet Grocery: A cute little grocery store located in the resort next to us. Picked up some great snacks and things to bring home such as coconut candy, Moloka’i purple sweet potato chips, lilikoi butter - essentially a jelly. If you haven’t caught on yet I’m obsessed with lilikoi flavors!
Lahaina
Choice Health Bar: A must stop during our last couple of visits! Yummy açaí bowls topped with fresh fruit and granola for breakfast. Fresh juices in reusable glass bottles. If you return the bottle on your next visit they will give you a $2 token to use for your next purchase. Another must try at their vegan BLT sushi roll. Nori wrapped with Maui Tempeh, cucumber, cashew cream cheese with a soy onion, tomato relish dipping sauce. They currently have three locations now so check them out in Whalers Village in Ka’anapali, original Lahaina location, and Paia.
Paia
Mana Foods: Local grocery store in the heart of Paia. Wishing I had a Mana Foods here at home. Natural food heaven with lots of pre made foods, vegan choices and of course walls of fresh tropical fruit.
Paia Gelato: So many vegan gelato choices! An entire case full. They are happy to sample the delicious variety of flavors they offer. After much consideration I fell back into my lilikoi obsession. When in Hawai’i get the lilikoi.
Ululani’s Hawai’ian Shave Ice: This place was truly amazing. My first Hawai’ian shave ice. Don’t know what took me so long. Powdery shaved ice with natural purée juices of lychee and coconut on top of Coconut Glen’s creamy vegan coconut ice cream. I could absolutely go for one of these right now on this humid Rhode Island summer day.
Kihei
Joy’s Place: We made it a point this trip to see some different parts of the island. My husband is a huge beer fan and we of course had to venture out to the very impressive new Maui Brewing Company Brewery. Such an amazing brewery and I couldn’t stop staring at all the chickens and roosters in the parking lot. There were seriously so many. Did I mention its in a corporate office park and not next to a local farm? Anyway we, made a lunch stop before the brewery to Kihei where we stopped at Joy’s Place. Cute little spot with the friendliest staff. I got the most delicious and filling Live Burrito Supreme. It was filled with sprouted sunflower seed mix, cashew cheese, lettuce, avocado, cabbage, carrots, organic salsa and wrapped in collard greens. Such a great filling meal. I grabbed a fresh fruit smoothie too and we walked across the street to a local surfing spot and watched the surfers in the warm afternoon air.
Road to Hana
These are two of my favorite places on the island and I was so sad we couldn’t make it back this trip. First thing you should know before venturing on the road to Hana is that it really is a full day trip. We downloaded the Shaka Maui app on iTunes and it was soooo helpful. It can be overwhelming to venture out on the road with so much to see. The app will help you break it all down. The road is only about 52 Miles long from Paia to Hana but with narrow roads and endless amounts of beautiful stops. I would recommend going early. Plus with the narrow roads and winding turns, it isn’t something you want to do when it starts to get dark. Don’t worry the beautiful waterfalls will wake you right up! Now for my two must stops.
Coconut Glen’s: A vegan ice cream hut in the middle of this long drive. Made from coconut milk, this is truly the creamiest, most decadent, and freshest ice cream you’ll have for miles away.
Hana Farms: A must stop on your Hana journey. Last fall when we were there they had a beautiful small farm stand right on the Hana Highway. I believe they have since expanded and created a larger outdoor market. We took home so many treats during our visit. Everything from homemade lip balms, fresh bananas, lilikois, pineapple BBQ sauce, and their lilikoi jam that I will forever be dreaming about. I love how different this side of the island is versus the western side near Lahaina. The area is so green and lush. A forever memory at Hana Farms is standing under the farm stand when out of nowhere a refreshing tropical rainstorm poured down. Lasting only long enough for a memory and sometimes... that’s just how it should be.
We missed a couple stops on our last trip such as the 7 Sacred Pools of Ohe’o and a cute organic farmers market I wanted to check out. We planned to do the reverse route, which is a little shorter, but found out the morning we were going to leave that the reverse route was closed until September 2018. So it unfortunately put a wrench to that plan. No worries though. I know we’ll make it back to visit again soon.
