Shave Ice Everyday in Maui

Posted on Jul 10 2018 - 2:08pm by Aubrey

Maui is one of my favorite places to relax, unwind, recharge and experience the beauty of nature. So, when we went on a family vacation to the Valley Isle this summer, I was so excited to share it with my boys for the very first time…and leading up to the adventure, one of their big asks was if they could have shave ice everyday! And you know what, we did… Their shave ice fascination started out when I went to Oahu for work and visited Aulani, they saw me make a “Mickey Shave Ice” on TV and after that, they associated Hawaii with the sweet treat! Well, they were definitely on point with that association, and I didn’t want them to be disappointed. Here’s our rundown of Shave Ice in Maui…

Peace, Love and Shave Ice – Kihei

This is a cute shave ice hut in the middle of a strip mall in Kihei. It was our first shave ice stop while in Maui and it didn’t disappoint, the hardest part was selecting the flavors. When you’re 4 and 5, like my boys were at the time of our trip, the “look” is just as important as the taste…so when for me, when asking what flavors they want..the response is by color. LOL!

There are so many options to pick from and although I read them all out to them, I still had to use my Mom senses to pick for them. The hut has a cute wrap around counter, and since shave ice isn’t really a to-go item, they ate it on site before it melted away.

S & Q’s Coffee and Shave Ice Shack – Kihei

S & Q’s shave ice was another fun spot across the street from the beach along Kihei Road. It was a short walk from where we were staying and had an inviting walk-up vibe. At this point my boys were fixated on “rainbow” shave ice and this satisfied their cravings. They have some nice outdoor seating where you can do some people watching and even watch the sunset.

Ululani’s Gourmet Hawaiian Shave Ice – Paia

 

Ululani’s had been recommended to us by friends and so we knew this was one spot that we were going to go for sure to have shave ice. It was really good! They have multiple locations, and we stopped at the one in Paia after our hike to Twin Falls. The way the ice is shaved, it’s so soft and melts in your mouth. They had 2 rainbow versions for my boys and I tried the ‘Sunset Beach” with a snow cap (aka condensed milk) topping. YUMMY! I’m sure all the shave ice places do this, but here I noticed how they poke holes into the ice once it’s shaved and that allows the syrup flavors to really sink in. My sisters also opted to have ice cream scoops under their shave ice creations.

Lahaina Ice Cream Parlour – Lahaina

In Lahaina, for our daily ice shave hunt, we actually veered a little left and replaced it with Dole Whip, which is an equally delicious dessert to feast on in Maui – truly one of my all-time favs. It’s pineapple (Dole) soft serve! It’s such a refreshing treat and instantly became Isaiah’s favorite dessert that day! The Lahaina Ice Cream Parlour also serves shave ice and regular ice cream…we got stuck on Dole Whip on this outing.

It’s creamy, pineapple goodness…and it melts, so eat it QUICK!

Gus’ Hawaiian Shave Ice – Kihei

Gus’ Hawaiian Shave Ice was not only the most convenient shave ice for us, but our family favorite. It operates out of an old school VW van and is more along the lines of a food truck, but regularly posts up on Kihei across the street of Kamaole Beach Park I. Gus’ can also be found on Saturday’s at the swap meet near Kahului Airport. When we checked into our condo, I had asked about shave ice and was advised the one right out front is the best..and we would have to agree.

Gus’ has all the tropical flavors and a “tigers blood” that my boys became fixated on…. This shave ice is thinly sliced and not only can you add ice cream to your order, they have fruit varieties when it’s like blocks of ice with mango or pineapple inside, then they shave it and you can top it with coconut cream. It’s heavenly…in fact, by the time I remembered to snap a picture (as you can see), I was about halfway done…

So there you have it, our Hawaiian shave ice tour in Maui. And, while we did get our fix for the week, we still left room to try some other spot whenever we return. Just make sure to get shave ice at least once, twice or everyday when you’re on vacay!