Maui, Hawaii was the destination of our recent quick 7 day adventure. Recently Southwest Airlines started flying to the Hawaiian Islands. This caused many of the airlines to reduce rates to compete. This seemed like a good time for my travel buddy & I to go back to Hawaii. We chose Maui, known as the Valley Isle, the second largest of the islands. Maui is known for its world famous beaches, the sacred Iao Valley, humpback whales (in winter), the Road to Hana and of course - Haleakala.
For this journey, we planned to see as much as we could in 1 week. To that end we stayed in 3 separate locations. We started in Ka'anapali at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa http://westinmaui.com stayed for 3 nights, moved to the Residence Inn in Wailea for 3 nights, then spent our final night at the Ritz in Kapalua.
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| First night sunset - beautiful |
Upon arrival at the Maui airport I picked up a rental car. It is advisable to have a car when visiting Maui unless you are planning on staying at a inclusive resort or staying put in your hotel area. I arranged my rental through Costco. If you have a membership this is the way to go!! Very reasonably priced! I arrived at the Westin late in the evening and received a warm welcome. This was very much appreciated after a long day of travel. My room was large, clean, inviting. The bathroom looked like it had recently been renovated and was beautiful & well appointed, fluffy large towels and a separate sink area outside of the shower area so if you have more that one person in the room someone can be in the shower, while the sink is available for the another guest to use. I really liked this feature - and the sink had a nice size mirror above it that was well lit. This room gets 5 stars from me!
The next morning I met up with my travel buddy, CS, and we walked over to Whalers Village for a little bite to eat before heading out to the beach with our snorkel gear. Whalers Village is a Maui shopping 'mall' - I hesitate to use the word mall, it is a unique shopping experience with a variety of shops. There is an ABC store there, which is a grocery store. Great place to gab some snacks and beverages for the beach! There is also a little food court which is good for lunch or a quick meal.
Our game plan for Day 2 was to drive the road to Hana & get an early start as the Road to Hana is an all day event! First I want to put in a plug for a guide book - Maui Revealed.
If you are traveling to Maui and want to do the Road to Hana - this is your guide book. We had done the road about 8 years ago. We just drove from one beautiful waterfall to another to amazing beaches. We did not have a plan, we just wandered the road, and had a blast. This time, we had this guide book and we were able to find something we had not on our first trip. There are so many cool places to stop along the road, you'll have to find your favorites. We loved the 3 Bears waterfall, the Halfway to Hana stop where we purchased some amazing Banana Bread, The Black Sand Beach and the Red Sand Beach with the 'washing machine " experience. Be sure and take snacks and there is a road side stop in Haiku that has several food stands. We ate at this place that had tacos, but there was all kinds of interesting food. On our drive back we stopped in Paia. Paia is a old plantation town that from the 1800's to the latter 1900's grew sugar can. Now it is a quaint little town with a laid back 'hippy' vibe. We enjoyed strolling around. One of our favorite shops in Paia is 'Alice in Holland' - you have to go check it out. We got a salad for dinner at Mana foods with his a Health Food Market - worth a stop. We went with a salad for dinner because our next stop was Ululani's Hawaiian Ice!! OMG, you have to have a Hawaiian Ice here! Delicious !!
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| 3 Bears Waterfall |
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| stop for banana bread |
As I mentioned - The Road to Hana is a full day. We made it back to the Westin around 8:30 or so, tired but feeling content with our day. It was a wonderful adventure.
The next morning we slept in a bit then prepared to make our move to the Residence Inn (RI). We had a bit of a drive to Wailea - about an hour. We did make a stop in Lahina to walk down the main drag and take a look around. Very touristy in my humble opinion. When we arrived at RI we received another warm welcome. This is a great location for Wailea and not as expensive as the 5 hotels along the beach. There are 5 luxury hotel properties that line the Wailea Coastal Walk, Andaz, Wailea Beach Resort by Marriott, Grand Wailea, Four Seasons & the Fairmont. They are all beautiful. There is free beach parking anywhere you see the yellow gates - very handy to know this to find parking. RI was just a few blocks from this area. We walked the Coastal walk all the way starting at the Andaz down to the Fairmont & back. It is a 3K walk on an easy paved walkway. As you stroll, walk, jog, run the path you will enjoy the beautiful Pacific Ocean view on one side and lavish hotels on the other.
Wailea is so beautiful
These two pictures were taken by CS as we strolled the Coastal trail
That evening we were invited to the Luau at the Wailea Beach Resort. Although I had been to Hawaii before, I had never been to a Luau, what a treat this was. The Resort has a Luau 5 days a week and it is spectacular. Tu Au Moana (
https://teaumoana.com/ ) the show, Marriott caters the food. One of our friends that was with us said she had been to a different hotel's luau and that the Marriott luau was far superior. I can't speak to that but I can tell you I was impressed and had a wonderful time! We were greeted with flower lei, shown to our table and enjoyed the pre-dinner demonstrations of traditional Hawaiian arts such as tattoos, putting flowers in ladies hair and a coconut demonstration. One of the performers doing the coconut demo explained about his tribal tattoos which started at his knees and went up to his chest. He said that he received these when he went from being a boy to being a man. The process took 14 days, 7 hours a day! wow. I enjoyed all the information that was provided before, during & after the show. At the dinner one of the highlights was the Kalua Pig (hawaiian tradition of baking a whole pig underground until the meat is very tender). Dinner was served buffet style and was plentiful.
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| The Pig being brought out of the pit |
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| Carrying the pig to the buffet |
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| Getting My tattoo |
The show took place as desserts were placed in the center of each table. It was a wonderful show, full of information about the rich traditions of the Hawaiian people and what the individual dances meant. We saw the hula of course but also many other dances including the fire knife dance. The performers got audience members involved in several segments of the show. All in all a very entertaining evening.
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| Our private cabana for the day |
The morning following the luau was our designated 'lazy day'. Through the kindness of an old friend we had the use of a pool cabana at the Ohi pool, Wailea Beach Resort for the day. We packed up our snorkel gear and headed over to the resort. The cabana was amazing! All the necessities plus a complimentary pineapple fruit bowl and fresh banana bread. The poolside at the Resort features 5 pools in three areas. Each pool has a different atmosphere. After checking out all the pools (the adult pool was our favorite) we headed down to the beach for a snorkel. We saw so many turtles on that snorkel we lost count! We think it was more than 9 - but we'll say 9 for sure! It was incredible ! After that fantastic snorkel we went back to our cabana for lunch and a little relaxing. We stayed at the resort until Sunset! Upon departing the resort, we wanted something quick to eat on the way back to RI. We stopped at the Monkey Pod restaurant near RI (they are a chain), sat at the bar and we were served very quickly. We ordered a pizza & a pasta appetizer, both were delish and then called it a night. A perfect day!
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| snorkeling off the beach |
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| The adult pool at the Wailea Beach Resort |
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| Vanishing edge pool at the Wailea Beach Resort |
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| Sunset in Wailea |
The next day we got up early to do the drive to Haleakala. We opted to go up after the 'sunrise rush' and just do some hiking. It was about a 2 hour drive to get to the crater. Lots of switch backs and tight turns on this drive, so you need to be alert and ready for the road. I wanted to see the sunrise, but I did not feel comfortable driving this road for the first time in the dark, so maybe next time.
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| Haleakala |
We received some good advise from a park ranger before starting our hike. It is a bit deceptive when you hike in towards the crater - its all down hill. Coming back is all up hill. It is a steady grade. We were advised to not over do - if we wanted to hike all the way to the crater, it would be a 6-8 hike and we should pack a lunch. We decided that about 3-3 1/2 miles would about right for us, so we set 'Map my Hike' at the beginning of the trail, and when we got to two miles, we turned around and headed back. Haleakala did not disappoint. I'll leave you to judge for yourself from these pictures.
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| The trail to the cone of Haleakala |
After our hike, we headed down the mountain towards Kula. We were hungry and had heard from the concierge at RI that Kula Bistro was a really good place for sandwiches and salads. It turned out to be a hot tip!! The food and service was top notch!
After lunch we continued our drive back to town, stopping at a small town, Makawao for a little look around. We had hoped to stop at a bakery that had been in business since the 1940's and was suppose to be great, however, it was closed! Closed on Wednesdays! We were out of luck but enjoyed our little walk about.
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| Wailea Coastal Walk |
We decided to make one final stop on our way back - Paia! We liked this charming little town the first time were stopped here and figured it would be a good place for dinner. And of course we had to stop at Ululani's Hawaiian Ice! This was a very full day and when we got back to the hotel we both zonked out!
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| Wailea Coastal Walk |
Our last full day in paradise included a move over to the Ritz Carlton, but first we were going to do the Wailea Coastal Walk again, this time with a friend who lives in Wailea. What a beautiful morning for a nice long walk. If I had this walkway with this view back home, I'd be doing it everyday!
After our walk, we went back to the hotel, packed up and head over to the Ritz. What an amazing beautiful property. We got there just about lunch time, so after we checked in we headed up to the concierge lounge for a bit of lunch. Then it was off to explore! After talking to the concierge we discovered there was a hiking trail near by called the Coastal Trail. It's approximately a 3 mile trail round trip, rugged in some spots, sandy beach in others, incredibly scenic views of the pacific ocean.
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| the beach along the Coastal Trail in Kaanapali |
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| Found these swim steps along the coastal trail |
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| Had to go for a dip! So refreshing |
After doing our hike, stoping for lots of photos, we made our way back to the parking lot of the Napili Kai Beach Resort and call the Ritz for a pick up. The hotel offers a shuttle service in the general area of the hotel. The hotel is not located directly on the beach, so they will shuttle you to the beach, the coastal trail and a few near by shops.
After showering and cleaning up we explored the hotel grounds , which are extensive - 54 stunning acres, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua proudly maintains the Honokahua Preservation Site, a recognized “wahi pana” (sacred site) that lies adjacent to the resort and serves as a destination where Native Hawaiians can gather to conduct ceremonies and protocol. Unearthed during the construction of The Ritz‑Carlton, Kapalua in 1987, the significance of the discovery became apparent, and the entire hotel was redesigned and moved inland. Working with cultural leaders, the remains were re-interred and the preservation site was created.
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| Ritz Photo Shoot |
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| The 'Props' |
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| Ritz Photo shoot |
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| CS Photo Shoot |
As we strolled the property we headed towards the water and found the Ritz Burger Shack. A cu little outlet for burgers, sandwiches and drinks with tables scattered outside with a beautiful view. As we approached we noticed that there was a professional photo shoot going on. They were shooting pics for the Ritz. CS, who loves photography and is quite good at it, talked to the photographer a bit and took a couple of snaps. As they finished up their work - they gave CS & I their props! And then we did our own photo shoot! Fun!
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| CS Photo shoot |
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| Performer of the ceremony |
The property has a sunset ceremony nightly at approximately 6:30 when we were there. You first hear the sound of a conch (Pu) just as the sun starts to disappears from the sky. The beat of the pahu, a sacred Hawaiian drum, echoed throughout the lounge and was followed by the incantation of a beautiful Hawaiian oli (a chant) to the 4 directions. The ceremony, as it was explained to us, starts with the sounding of the conch shell to gather up all of the mana—or energy—from the four corners, and from our day, from their ancestors, and from themselves. It signals to them that it is time to reflect upon the day—what we have accomplished and all of our good deeds, but also what we’re yet to accomplish, the things we shouldn’t have said or thought or done, the promises we made but can’t keep. As the sun touches the ocean, you let all of these things go, so you can await the dawn and a new day.
It is a short ceremony, but totally worth it.
Then At 7:30 there was a Fire Knife dance. This is also a short presentation but so fascinating and you get to see it up close! We loved it. We stayed on property and ate light that night, it had been a full, fun day.
Sad to say the next morning was departure day and time to head home. We did take one last walk along the Coast after breakfast and enjoyed the last few hours before having to head for the airport.
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| Mahalo Maui! We had a blast! |
We loved Maui and hope to go back. Even though we saw a lot, there is more more to see. Mahalo Maui! Can't wait to return to your beautiful shores.
Until next time, Safe travels!
Susan
The show took place as desserts were placed in the center of each table. It was a wonderful show, full of information about the rich traditions of the Hawaiian people and what the individual dances meant. We saw the hula of course but also many other dances including the fire knife dance. The performers got audience members involved in several segments of the show. All in all a very entertaining evening.
The morning following the luau was our designated 'lazy day'. Through the kindness of an old friend we had the use of a pool cabana at the Ohi pool, Wailea Beach Resort for the day. We packed up our snorkel gear and headed over to the resort. The cabana was amazing! All the necessities plus a complimentary pineapple fruit bowl and fresh banana bread. The poolside at the Resort features 5 pools in three areas. Each pool has a different atmosphere. After checking out all the pools (the adult pool was our favorite) we headed down to the beach for a snorkel. We saw so many turtles on that snorkel we lost count! We think it was more than 9 - but we'll say 9 for sure! It was incredible ! After that fantastic snorkel we went back to our cabana for lunch and a little relaxing. We stayed at the resort until Sunset! Upon departing the resort, we wanted something quick to eat on the way back to RI. We stopped at the Monkey Pod restaurant near RI (they are a chain), sat at the bar and we were served very quickly. We ordered a pizza & a pasta appetizer, both were delish and then called it a night. A perfect day!
After our hike, we headed down the mountain towards Kula. We were hungry and had heard from the concierge at RI that Kula Bistro was a really good place for sandwiches and salads. It turned out to be a hot tip!! The food and service was top notch! 
