Travel,  Travel | Hawaii

9 Locally-Loved Businesses to Support on Your Next Maui Vacation

September 15, 2020 / 106 Comments

Spend time in Hawaii and chances are you’ll be struck by its values. From malama (nurturing others) to kokua (helping out), the 50th state is known around the globe for having a kind, loving soul—that “aloha spirit” that’s felt the moment you step on Hawaii’s shores. 

Want to get in on it? Two of Hawaii’s most prized principles, ohana (family/community) and pono (uprightness) can be celebrated by supporting local companies that give back to the islands. 

With this in mind, we’ve pulled together 9 locally-loved Maui businesses—and why you should choose their services the next time you’re on the Valley Isle:

Redline Rafting Co.

Kihei-based Redline Rafting provides heaps of fun for their guests, from rides on their speedy ocean crafts to snorkeling in some of Maui’s most stunning places. 

Best part yet? They do so with tremendous integrity—and with an eye on sustainability.

Wetsuit tops are offered to guests to restrict the use of reef-destructive sunscreens. Tours emphasize education. Their products are biodegradable, and they have a long list of energy-efficiency policies. 

What’s more, Redline Rafting Co. offers logistical support and donations to community social events throughout the year, coaches and gives financial support to the Hawaiian Canoe Club, trains with local cultural practitioners, and works to support new environmental legislation. 

Their Molokini & South Maui Coast Tour, which takes visitors to a partially submerged volcanic crater and along the bank of Maui’s most recent lava flow, is not to be missed—especially when you know you’re helping the island community while you’re at it.

Skyline Hawaii

Skyline Hawaii doesn’t just offer zip line tours across a number of Maui’s most striking spots—it aims to “conserve Hawaii, one zip at a time.” 

Beloved by kama’aina, the company stays true to its word. Since 2002, Skyline Hawaii has donated over $1.7 million to environmental and community nonprofits, planted over 8,000 native trees, and hosted hundreds of reforestation and ocean cleanup events. 

Additionally, they work with carbonfund.org in their efforts to be a carbon-neutral company, and are the only zip line operator in the world to join 1% for the planet—a collection of companies committed to giving at least 1% of all sales to environmental conservation. 

Whether you want to zipline over 90 foot drops on the slopes of Maui’s largest volcano or fly across the sky on the island’s picturesque West Side, this is the eco-cool zip line to select.

Maui Surfer Girls

Maui Surf schools abound, but Maui Surfer Girls stands out from the crowd. 

With a mission to empower girls through surfing, they offer nationally-recognized signature girls’ surf camps—and full-ride scholarships to them to Maui girls in need.

Maui Surfer Girls also backs a number of nonprofits, including the Kelea Foundation, All Are We Water, the Pacific Cancer Foundation, Paddle for a Cure, and Seabury Hall. Additionally, they assist with Ho’olana, a program dedicated to helping special needs children participate in ocean sports in a supervised and safe environment.

Charitable actions aside, Maui Surfer Girls also boasts a top-notch team of instructors. With one of their excellent teachers by your side during their West Maui Surf Lesson, you’ll gain knowledge of the ocean and waves, learn to hang ten, and fine-tune your form.

Hana-Maui Resort

Formerly known as Travaasa Hana, this boutique resort on Maui’s remote East Coast has garnered international acclaim for a reason: Each of the 75 units on the hotel’s 72-acre property offers a taste of serenity that’s seldom found in our modern world. We mean this literally, too: Their bungalows purposefully don’t have radios, clocks, or televisions. 

And yet, it’s their embracement of the Hawaiian culture that sets this hotel apart. Guests can select from a variety of experiential stays and take part in activities that range from cooking regional cuisine with products grown by nearby farmers to learning how to fish with throw-nets. What’s more, Hana-Maui Resort is part of the Hotel Recycling Program, which financially supports four local nonprofits. All of their bathroom amenities, from bath salts to goat-milk soap, are made on Maui with natural, biodegradable ingredients, and they regularly contribute to the local high school and the much-loved Hana Relay. Also admirable? Ninety percent of the hotel’s employees have Hana roots—giving whole new meaning to the notion of ohana.

Haleakala Bike Company

There are plenty of ways to enjoy Maui’s magic. Chief among them? On the seat of a bike. 

Haleakala Bike Company—as popular with Maui residents as it is with visitors—is the only bike company on the island to hold a concession contract with the National Park Service, giving you the chance to savor the summit of one of the world’s largest volcanoes, either on an autonomous or guided tour. 

Further, Haleakala Bike Company has gone to great lengths to ensure the health and sustainability of the Maui community and its environs. Certified with Sustainable Tourism, and part of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association, they’re big on enlightening clients about Hawaii’s history and culture. To this end, their guided tours are enriched with National Association for Interpretation guides, who are committed to facilitating the stories of Maui’s natural and cultural resources. Their fleet is impressive, and their customer service is exactly what you’d expect to find on the island: Funny, knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly.

Fly Maui

This boutique flight school, helmed by a husband-and-wife team, gives aspiring pilots the chance to take to the sky—rendering the operation one of the fresher activities on the island. Whether you opt for a hands-on lesson or just want to kick back and enjoy the views, you’re certain to see sights that’ll blow your mind, serrated coastlines and hidden waterfalls among them. 

Part of Fly Maui’s allure is also that they pay it forward. They’re part of the of The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots—a nonprofit that provides support, networking, training, and scholarship opportunities to female pilots across the globe. And with their pledge to donate a portion of all commissions to aviation scholarships, you know you’ll be in good hands in more way than one.

Four Winds Maui

Maui residents love Four Winds Maui for plenty of reasons: The great music they play on board. A waterslide that shoots them directly into the ocean. Fresh, tropical-inspired breakfasts, and hot barbeque lunches. An open bar. But above all, this 30-year-old company has become a tradition for many families because it places emphasis on fun for the kids and endeavors to expand each guest’s knowledge of the Pacific.

Their tours—from whale watching to snorkeling to a combination of the two—ensure that keiki have just as much fun as adults. Children three and under are not only complimentary but kids of all ages are treated to kid tattoos, keiki-friendly food, and sea-boards. As the only catamaran on the island that possesses a glass-bottom room, everyone has the chance to learn about Maui’s diverse (and visually dazzling) marine life, from Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins to the 230-plus species of fish that call the waters of Molokini home. 

As for giving back: Four Winds is intent on furthering ocean research—and does so in a tangible way: They have donated their retired vessels to a variety of organizations, including the Kalakaua Marine Education Center at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the Northwest Schooner Society—a Seattle nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and use of classic wooden sailboats.

Island Art Party

Maui is full of creative souls, many of them keen on finding novel ways to have some night-time fun without stepping into a typical bar. 

The answer for many? Island Art Party. 

As Maui’s only sip-and-paint venue, Island Art Party is led by a seasoned art teacher, who provides guests with step-by-step instructions on painting pictures that range from Hawaiian Sea Turtles to one of Maui’s lovely sunsets. With beer, wine, and Prosecco available for purchase, bouncy music, and lively crowds, the Kihei enterprise is a leading choice for first dates and group activities. Big believers in community and a local business’s responsibility to it, Island Art Pary also offers kama’aina and military discounts. 

Ultimate Air

Parents visiting Maui may be stunned by the number of kid-friendly outdoor activities available on the island. And while this is more than true—there’s a bounty of fun to be had the moment you step outside the door—the opening of Ultimate Air in Central Maui was a boon for the island’s keiki population (and has since become one of the most popular spots for play, especially on a rainy day).

Located in Maui Lani, Ultimate Air features 20,000 square feet filled with trampolines, basketball hoops, dodgeball, fitness studios, and more—all of it designed with family-friendly entertainment in mind.

In addition, Ultimate Air, founded by a former pastor and his wife, mentors local employees, usually high school to college-aged men and women. “To personally be able to mentor and invest in that group of people from a ministry side of things—that’s what I love and enjoy,” Ultimate Air’s owner said. Kokua, indeed.~

Don’t forget to check out more of my Maui, Hawaii guides below!

Looking for more Maui, Hawaii travel guides? Check out these posts!

10-Day Maui Itinerary with Kids in Maui, Hawaii

A Guide to the Best Sweet Foods & Desserts in Maui, Hawaii

A Guide to the Cheap Eats & Happy Hours in Maui, Hawaii

The Top Family-Friendly Stops on the Road to Hana – Maui, Hawaii

9 Locally-Loved Businesses to Support on Your Next Maui Vacation

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