Maui

Best months by our weather score: April, May, June. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Kahului International Airport (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive). Months marked in the storm row fall in the Central Pacific hurricane season (June 1 to November 30); the score takes that risk into account.

Gateway airport

Kahului International Airport (OGG)

US nonstops

ANC, ATL, DEN, DFW, LAS, LAX, LGB, MSP and 10 more

Distance

2,483 mi from Los Angeles, 4,917 mi from New York

Passport

Not needed for US citizens

Hotel, one night

$296 on Jan 13, 2027 · $216 on Jul 14, 2027 (Kihei)

Visitors a year

2,531,472 overnight visitors (2025)

Bringing a dog

Hard: Rabies-free state: two rabies vaccinations, microchip and a passing FAVN blood test at least 30 days before arrival qualify a dog for the 5-Day-or-Less program ($244) or direct airport release; otherwise quarantine of up to 120 days ($1,080). Release at Kahului needs a $165 Neighbor Island Inspection Permit, a booked inspection with an approved Maui vet and documents at the Animal Quarantine Station 30+ days ahead.

Hotel prices: Cheapest hotel rated 3 stars or better in the named area, 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'Nightly total - including all taxes + fees' view, Class 3+ filter, checked 2026-10-20. Kohea Kai Hotel Maui on both dates. Cheaper 3-star hotels in Kahului ($230 Jan) and private condo listings were excluded as outside Kihei or not hotels.. Visitor figures: DBEDT (State of Hawaii, which now produces the former HTA visitor statistics), 2025 Annual Visitor Research Report, Table 51.

Maui suits couples, families with mixed ages and first-time visitors who will rent a car. You get resort beaches for the mornings and three big outings: Haleakala, the Hana Highway and a boat to Molokini or the whales. Most visitors stay on one of two coasts and drive from there.

Pick another island if you want city life, cheap rooms or a trip without a car. Oahu has more hotels, more nonstop flights, buses and Waikiki rooms from $139. If you want wilder scenery and fewer resorts, look at Kauai, but read its hurricane recovery notes first. For a full comparison, see the best Hawaiian island ranking.

• Kihei is the value base on the south shore: condos, a few hotels, beach parks and short drives to the Maalaea ferry and the airport. On Kayak, the cheapest 3-star-or-better hotel was the Kohea Kai Hotel Maui at $296 on January 13, 2027 and $216 on July 14, 2027, both one night for two adults with taxes and fees.
• Wailea, just south of Kihei, is the big-resort strip. The cheapest 3-star option there was the Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea at $605 for January 13, 2027; the large beach resorts started near $1,018.
• Kaanapali and Kapalua in West Maui are the classic resort beaches. They sit north of Lahaina, so expect construction traffic through the burn area on the way from the airport.

Hotels near Kahului airport were cheaper, $230 to $243 for January 13, but Kahului is a commercial town, not a beach base.

Maui's best swimming is on the leeward west and south shores. Kaanapali Beach is a long strip of sand with snorkeling at the rocky point at its north end. Napili Bay and Kapalua Bay are small, sheltered crescents that are usually the calmest in West Maui in summer. In the south, Wailea Beach and the Kihei beach parks are good for children on calm mornings, before the afternoon wind builds.

Makena Beach, known as Big Beach, is the most striking stretch of sand on the island, but its shorebreak injures swimmers. Treat it as a beach for looking, not for small children. North-facing beaches take big surf in winter, and the north shore near Paia is a windsurfing and kitesurfing coast, not a swimming one.

• Haleakala National Park: $30 per private vehicle, valid three days and covering both the summit and the Kipahulu district near Hana. Sunrise needs a separate $1 vehicle reservation for entry between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., bookable up to 60 days ahead on Recreation.gov.
• Hana Highway: a full-day drive of narrow bridges and waterfalls. Waianapanapa State Park, the black-sand beach on the way, needs a reservation: $5 per person plus $10 parking for non-residents.
• Whale watching: NOAA's humpback whale sanctuary says whales can be seen from November through April.
• Molokini and Lanai by boat: snorkel trips leave from Maalaea and Kihei, and the Expeditions ferry crosses to Lanai three times a day from Maalaea. See our Lanai page.
• Iao Valley State Monument has reopened, per the state parks division's October 2026 notices.

Lahaina is not a day trip yet. Maui County reopened Front Street between Papalaua and Shaw streets on August 1, 2026, with businesses such as the Ulu o Lele Marketplace back. Fencing still lines the mauka side, and the county asks visitors to stay out of fenced lots. The state expects full harbor operations by the end of 2027.

Maui is warm all year; the table on this page shows the monthly averages. The real choice is between seasons. December to April brings whales and the highest prices. April to May and September to early November are the shoulder months, with lower rates. Summer is dry and calm on the west and south shores, which suits families, and Kihei hotels were cheaper in mid-July than in mid-January on our dates.

The Central Pacific hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. In late September 2026, Hurricane Nolo passed south of the islands; its winds cut power to more than 12,000 customers in West Maui and Upcountry and fed a brush fire of more than 100 acres at Olowalu. See our hurricane season guide.

Kahului Airport (OGG) has nonstop flights from 18 US airports: Anchorage (seasonal), Atlanta (seasonal), Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul (seasonal, from November 9, 2026), Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. Hawaiian, Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United all fly in.

It is a domestic flight. You need a REAL ID-compliant license or another TSA-accepted ID such as a passport; TSA charges a $45 ConfirmID fee if you show up without one. Our no-passport islands list covers the rest.

Hotels are the big cost: $296 in January and $216 in July for the cheapest 3-star-or-better hotel in Kihei, against $605 in Wailea. Since January 1, 2026, the state Transient Accommodations Tax is 11%, up from 10.25%, under Act 96, the so-called green fee. County lodging tax and general excise tax sit on top; Kayak's totals include them. Many resorts add daily resort and parking fees, so compare final totals. Add a rental car and the $30 park pass.

Small-Group Road to Hana Adventure Tour with Pickup & Lunch

Breakfast, a deli lunch and water are included; tips are not. It is a long day in a van on a narrow road, and the sign-up page lists pickup at hotels or a Kahului meeting point, so check which applies to you.

7 to 11 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(3,602 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Maui: Haleakala National Park Sunrise Tour

Self-drivers can do sunrise for the $1 per-vehicle sunrise reservation plus the park entrance pass ($15 to $30), which is far cheaper; the tour sells the driving, the 3am start and the guide. Bring warm layers: the summit is cold before dawn.

9 hours

4.7★★★★★★★★★★(683 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Deluxe Helicopter Tour of Molokai and Maui

It departs Maui and does not land on Molokai. Passengers over 275 lbs must buy a second seat; we found no bookable tour that starts on Molokai itself, and Kalaupapa can be visited only on a permitted guided tour.

55 minutes

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(352 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.