6 Places to Enjoy Maui Picnics in Addition to the Road to Hana

6 Places to Enjoy Maui Picnics in Addition to the Road to Hana

After enjoying picnics under Indulge in a picnic under the Eiffel Tower from Picnics in Paris.the Eiffel tower on Bastille Day in France during a recent family vacation, I was inspired to encourage more visitors to Maui to enjoy a picnic at one of their favorite Maui adventure spots. Just about everybody who has ever been to Maui recommends visitors to drive the road to Hana. So do we! Though you may be able to find a few food trucks that sometimes operate along the road to Hana, we recommend taking along a cooler packed for a private picnic lunch next to a waterfall, overlooking a scenic rain forest or ocean view, or at one of the beautiful beaches on the way to Hana. Since you’ll want to drive the road to Hana early in your vacation while still on mainland time, you’ll have a cooler to use all week during your Maui vacation. Along with a picnic for the Road to Hana, we recommend taking a picnic lunch to most other Maui activities too. Keep reading to find out about our famous Picnic Lunch box with everything included and for 6 of our favorite places to pack a picnic on Maui!Chef CJ and his Maui family enjoy a picnic in Paris on Bastille Day.

Our Favorite 6 Places for Delicious Maui Picnics

  1. Haleakala Sunrise or Sunset – If you will be heading to Haleakala to watch the sunrise, you’ll need to leave early in the morning before most restaurants in Lahaina or Kaanapali open. We recommend picking up a picnic lunch the evening before so you’ll be ready to begin the drive from West Maui at 2 or 3 am in time to reach the summit to witness the legendary A black sand beach in Hana is an ideal spot for a picnic on Maui. Haleakala sunrise. After viewing one of the most majestic Maui sunrises Haleakala is famous for, let the crowds leave while you enjoy the picnic lunch you picked up at CJ’s restaurant in Kaanapali!
  2. A Picnic at Kaanapali Beach and other West Maui Beaches – Don’t waste precious beach time! Pick up a picnic to enjoy an affordable lunch on Kaanapali beach. Our Kaanapali diner is convenient and close to the Kaanapali resorts and other popular beaches such as Airport Beach park or the new Honu Kai Beach Park on farthest north beach in the Kaanapali resort at the beginning of Honokowai. Or, take your picnic lunch to any one of the other west Maui beaches stretching from Kapalua to Lahaina and Olowalu. Use the picnic tables for your lunch while surfing at Launiupoko or Puamana south of Lahaina or at Kapalua Bay when you surf the winter swells. One of my favorite things to do when I’m not cooking in my Maui restaurant is to pack the family up for a picnic at DT Flemming Beach Park in West Maui. The crescent shaped beach at Kapalua Bay in West Maui is also an amazing place for a picnic on the beach in Maui. Our picnic lunches are perfect for a day at the beach. Let us know what you have in mind and we’ll share our favorite beach recommendations. We also offer private chef services if you’d like a private chef to personally prepare a romantic dinner for you at your choice of locations.
  3. Charter FishingCoconut Poached Fish at CJs Kaanapali restaurant on Maui. Trips – If you’ve arranged for a charter fishing trip on Maui and need a lunch but don’t want the usual grocery deli platter or cold cuts, take our picnic box lunch. And if you catch a fish during your charter fishing trip, bring it to CJ’s and we’ll cook it for you! It’s only $50 for two ($20 for each additional guest) and we include everything from the pupu (Hawaiian Hors d’houvres) with fresh sushi, entrée with fresh fish prepared a couple different styles and top it off with our famous Hana Bar Sundae featuring Maui Chef CJ’s homemade Hana Bar dessert with mango syrup over Roselani Vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm! After dinner, grab another picnic lunch for your next day activity during your Maui adventure. Find out more about our You Catch It, We Cook It fresh caught fish gourmet dinner program with preparation and sides included.
  4. Exploring a DayRelax for a picnic next to a jungle waterfall while hiking the bamboo forest on Maui. Hiking – Maui offers a variety of hiking suitable for beginners to experienced hikers. Visit Iao Valley and sit beside the refreshing Iao stream after the easy hikes around the Iao Valley. Spread out a small blanket on a soft grassy area to enjoy a picnic lunch next to the stream. For more strenuous day hiking in West Maui, the old Kings Trail linking Lahaina to Maelea is a fun hike with rewards of amazing views of the West Maui coastline. More adventuresome hikers may choose to hike into Haleakala. And not to be missed, the bamboo forest hike on the Road to Hana is also an easy hike the whole family would enjoy especially when they know a complete picnic lunch by a waterfall awaits at the end of the hike. The bamboo forest trail in Hana Maui.
  5. A Day at Big Beach in South Maui – If you are staying in Kaanapali or other West Maui accommodations, stop at CJ’s in Kaanapali before driving to South Maui. Then, you won’t need to waste time in Kihei or Wailea and can head straight to Big Beach or Mankena Landing with a hearty picnic lunch already in hand. Though you may find a food truck open at Big Beach, if you pack our picnic lunch you’ll also have a cooler full of ice to keep your picnic cool and few ice cold beverages, too. In addition to the reusable cooler included with our picnic lunch, budget travelers will love this option since we include free ice refills every time you stop by the restaurant in Kaanapali before heading out for the next Maui activity! And you can keep using the cooler throughout your Maui vacation.
  6. Honolua Bay or Slaughter House Beach – Just north of the Kapalua Resort is Honolua Bay and Slaughter House beach. Since neither beach area offers food service and both are a short hike to reach, you’ll want to maximize your beach time by taking a picnic lunch from CJ’s restaurant in Kaanapali. Snorkel Honolua Bay in the morning while the bay is calmest and before the snorekel charter boats arrive and then savor your picnic lunch from the shore while you watch the charter passengers snorkeling where you were just earlier.
  7. Picnic at the end of the bamboo forest hike in Hana on Maui.Driving the Road to Hana – I know I was only going to provide 6 of the best places for a picnic on Maui. And I did! But we named our picnic lunch after the Road to Hana drive and that it is famous drive I included the Road to Hana along with the other 6 Maui locations for a picnic. Just because you enjoy a picnic lunch at any of the other 6 best locations for a picnic on Maui list doesn’t mean you should skip the opportunity to enjoy a picnic lunch on the Road to Hana drive! The Road to Hana offers plenty of spots for waterfall picnic lunch. Or, if you prefer a picnic on a beach, wait till you get closer to Hana for lunch and then take your picnic to the Black Sand beach for lunch. Spread out on a blanket and pull your ice cold beverages from the cooler. Enjoy a refreshing sip as you unwrap your deli sandwiches, pickles, chips, cool pineapple boat and other picnic delicacies included in our Road to Hana Box Lunches! For dessert, our famous Hana Bar dessert is included. Though often requested and usually quick to share a recipe or cooking advice, the complete Hana Bar recipe is one of Maui Chef CJ’s secret recipes.

An image of the Hana Box Picnic from CJs Kaanapali restaurant on Maui.

Our Hana Box lunch is only $13.95 per person and includes the use of the cooler with FREE ice refills throughout your Maui vacation. Since you’ll have the cooler all week, we thought we’d extend the usual Maui picnic recommendations beyond driving the Road to Hana! If you are a fan of picnics, don’t miss our 7 ideas for the best picnics on Maui presented above. Or, be sure to read why the Road to Hana is a popular Maui visitor activity.

After relaxing with one final picnic on Kaanapali beach, pick up our airline boxMaui airline box from CJs Deli in Kaanapali. lunch for your flight home when you return the cooler to our inexpensive Kaanapali restaurant. In addition to everything included with our Hana box lunch, a reusable souvenir cooler with an ice pouch is included to keep everything chilled on your flight home and to remember all the great picnics you had on your Maui vacation each time you use the cooler at home.

Already been to Hana and most other recommended Maui picnic locations? Then maybe a private chef dinner on Maui would be the next vacation memory to make. You may be surprised to find out Maui private chef dinner is often less expensive than a fine dining experience at a resort restaurant. And the experience of a private chef cooking dinner in your accommodations is an unforgettable vacation memory that will last a lifetime! Wondering ‘How much does it cost for a private chef dinner on Maui?’, request a no obligation quote for a private chef dinner on Maui using the button below:{{cta(‘646cf88d-2f70-4180-8031-ffe1b29cf7a7′,’justifycenter’)}}

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CJ’s Kaanapali Diner Review

My daughter and I visited Maui a couple of weeks ago and came to your restaurant 3 times. I just wanted to thank you for your willingness to meet our gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free requirements. We loved being able to eat out safely and wish we had a CJ’s at home! I just wrote you a stellar review on Trip Advisor. Hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer!

Kelley MacCabe
CJ’s Maui Restaurant Review

Wonderful for a Sunday Brunch since you can order breakfast until 11:00am! Had a ‘custom’ 3 ingredient omelette (I chose mushrooms, feta and spinach) with nicely crunchy on the outside and soft inside home potatoes, yummy. Hubby had the pancakes with fresh fruit! These are light fluffy slightly sweet batter pancakes, not those heavy bland ones (OK I admit it, I had to have a few bites of his breakfast…) Service was fast and friendly :0). The menu is EXTENSIVE, we live here and love it!

Kathy, Lahaina, Maui
CJ’s Deli and Diner Maui Restaurant Review

Fact: CJ’s Maui onion soup will melt your face off it’s so good. Best I’ve ever had. It gets 20 stars.
Alas, it’s not on the menu every day… But when my fiancee and I went this past summer and were lucky to meet Chef CJ in person and mentioned that we had been thinking about the onion soup since the last time we visited two years earlier, he was kind enough to put it on the next day’s menu. We went back the following day and ordered it, and it was amazing, just as we had remembered. Another fact: the onion soup at CJ’s is better than the onion soup at Mama’s Fish House (and at like 1/4th of the price). Really. It’s that good. Part of me wants to reverse engineer CJ’s onion soup recipe, quit my job, and make millions selling onion soup to the mainland masses! (or: CJ, wanna make a deal?)
I think that the loco moco gravy is made from the same goodness. So that’s great too. The potato salad is tasty as well.
The to-go lunch plate is respectable.

Jonny S, San Diego, CA
Maui Chef CJ Prepares Mushroom Soup for Kaanapali Restaurant Guest

On a previous visit to Maui, I had the most delicious mushroom soup at CJ’s Deli and Diner in Kaanapali. When I arrived in Maui this week, I emailed the restaurant and asked what day they might have the soup. The owner and chef, Christian Jorgensen (CJ), promptly replied even though he was on vacation in Vegas. He gave me a number to call to check on the soup of the day. Then when he returned to Maui on Friday, he emailed me to let me know he would have the soup for me on Saturday. When I got there, he was so friendly and the soup was even more scrumptious than I had remembered. I really appreciated how valued he made me feel as a customer.

Linda D.
CJs Maui Restaurant Customer

Good Morning, My wife and I spent last week in Maui. Your early bird special was the best. After we found you, we ate breakfast there every morning. You had two regular coffees that we just loved.

James T Wilson Jr
Maui Restaurant Customer

The best burger I ever had! Great Service! Fantastic Food!! Simply Awesome.

Pat Janostin, Champlin MN
Kaanapali Restaurant Customer Comment

Thanks for all the Good Food. Best we have ad since we hit the island 5 days ago!

Jeff and Myra V., Ontario, Ohio

CJ’s Maui Restaurant Customer Comments on CJ’s Private Luau in her Blog

Aloha, Just wanted to let you know that this post was up last Friday and it will be included (linked) with all of our Hawaii properties. Thank you both for excellent service. You made our trip to Maui very memorable! Feel free to comment on the post. It’s always good to have additional information and your input.

https://www.ciaobambino.com/ciaobambinoblog/index.php/2010/01/photo-friday-special-activities-in-maui/

Nancy Solomon, Travel Writer
CJ’s Maui Restaurant Customer Comment

Aloha, We were in to see you many times during our stay last month in Ka’anapali, couple of things for you:
Need to order some more of your CJ’s roasted Kona Coffee. I see it’s not yet on your website, only the Maui Coffee Co. stuff. We ran out last weekend and are having withdrawls, please help!! Need 2 bags urgently!!
Secondly, your claim about having the best corned beef hash on the island. I think you’ve understated this because it’s the best I’ve had any where in the world! And that covers a lot of ground as I’ve been to every continent multiple times. Just the best anywhere, period!! Don’t suppose you would have that for delivery to Indiana would you? Maybe by the pound(s)?
Great people and even better food, Mahalo CJ’s. Seriously though, please let me know about that coffee. How do we get some ordered and shipped to Indiana?

Bill Clark, Valparaiso, In.
CJ’s Maui Restaurant Customer Comment

​CJ’s Deli & Diner Rocks! Been here several times while visiting Maui – each time we tried different meals and each time we LOVED the food, service and atmosphere. Only suggestion would be to provide regular dinner napkins along with this paper type – because we’re messy!

Aloha and Mahalo from Detroit