All, this is a very long post and one that I struggled with. If you are not interested in reading the entire thing skip to the “Hot Tips” at the bottom. I think I may change how I organize the travel posts so that they are more organic, focus on the little moments that mean so much, the highlights, and not an account of our day. As always, let me know if you agree or have suggestions that would make things more interesting for you. Oh……and thank you for joining me on this blog journey!
October 7, 2018 – Afternoon flight from Dallas to Kahului airport with a stop and plane change in San Francisco. Travel time is pretty long from Dallas but we arrived at 8:30 pm Maui time. The first thing I noticed was the ½ dozen Aloha’s we received walking from the plane to the shuttle for the rental car place. The people are all so friendly and willing to give you a smile and any information you may need. Our Alamo car was waiting for us and we were on our way to the west side of the island. We stayed at the Westin Ocean resort Villas in Ka’anapali beach. For some reason regardless of the fact that I’m an owner at two islands and a gold card member we were placed in a room with only a partial ocean view and near a pool that was under construction. Not what I would have expected for our gold owner status. This is the second time in the past few years I have been given a room near a construction project. Seems like I need to have a talk with the new company Vistana about our status.
October 8, 2018 – Given the 5 hour time difference we were up early and off adventuring by 7:30 am. We ate at a restaurant called Aunties Kitchen in our resort. The Portuguese sausage was wonderful and worth a breakfast meal here. Paul ordered a mixed meat plate with Spam (Hawaii’s super food), pork belly, sausage and eggs over rice, it was big and tasty. Next on the agenda was a grocery store to stock up on a few things for our condo. The Safeway in Lahaina was “meh” at best. Your typical groceries store with not much in the way of local fare or decent prices. There was a poke bar in the meat section that looked pretty good. We love the condo so that we can make coffee and eat breakfast in, if we want. Besides, you never know when you might need a snack or really want those leftovers from your huge dinner plates. After dropping off our groceries we decided to drive the 30 Northwest of Ka’anapali. The road does go around the island (shaped like an infinity sign) but past the blow hole is “drive at your own risk”. Nakalele Point is where the blowhole and sweetheart rock can be found. Unfortunately we were not prepared for the rocky descent, I had on flip flops, so we decided we would come back another day. Stopping along the road there or back to take in the beautiful coast line views is a must. On the way back through Napili we found the Times Market. This market felt a bit more like a local grocery store and one I would suggest you visit. Naps were in order since we had an early wake up and besides we are on vacation and can do what feels good in the moment.
Dinner was at Star Noodle in Lahaina. When we walked up to place our names on the list we were told that it could be an hour and a half wait unless people with reservations did not show up. We lucked out and our wait was only a ½ hour, not too bad. The food is spectacular here. Avo Ahi is a poke like dish with a lemon oil that has a great combination of flavors. We ordered Garlic Noodles, the Star Udon and Miso Salmon. Everything we had was spectacular and I must say this restaurant is a must try. Make reservations and try this place you won’t be disappointed.
October 9, 2018 – Beach day. $20.00 a day for an umbrella and $10 each for a lounge chair or a beach chair daily was the cost at the resort. I would suggest you look for better rates or simply buy a chair and umbrella at CostCo or Walmart so you have it for the week. If you don’t want to pack them home I’m sure that paying it forward to someone just arriving would be appreciated or place them in the free-cycle bin at your resort. It will be cheaper in the long run if you think you will need them for more than one day.
For dinner we decided to try a place called Miso Phat for sushi. When you are in an Ocean town you need to head for fresh seafood; at least that is my mantra ☺. We ordered a TNT roll, combo of local sashimi, butterfish (cooked) and sashimi combo of salmon, hamachi, and tuna. Towards the end of the meal, the very large sushi chef leans over the counter and asks Paul “are you guys finished”? Paul replied that we were done. He then looks at Paul and says “you guys put away some food” and smiles big. Should we be happy or embarrassed? Regardless of either, this is a great sushi spot.
After our sushi gluttony, according to the sushi chef, we drove to Lahaina to walk Front Street for a while. We parked in a lot that was pricey for the hour but centrally located to where we wanted to be. There is free parking on the street, if you can find a spot grab it. There are shops, galleries, and restaurants galore. Look for the places that seem to have more of a local flare and spend a little time there. In one of the galleries we talked with a salesman about local places we should see/try. It’s always fun to find out what the locals call their favorite places and try them out. He told us about “big beach” in Wailea which is where the locals go to the beach. During our time in Lahaina we were lucky enough to catch a sunset which was spectacularly beautiful, check out the pics.
October 10, 2018 – up and headed out on the road to Hana at 7:30am. It was raining most of the way from the highway 36 turn off from Airport road. Because of the rain we saw the most beautiful vibrant rainbows in the distance. Look for them, they are amazing. We stopped at Twin Falls and walked the short trail to see the falls. We were soaked from the heavy rainfall but it was still worth it. The road to Hana is very twisty and there are many one car bridges. Take care looking for drivers who will not yield and just assume that you will yield to let them through. Be careful, but get a bit aggressive or you could sit for a while before you get your turn. I did find that now and then I would get a thank you in the form of the “hang loose” wave. So many different colors of green and lush vegetation is all you see for the entire trip. There are several beautiful waterfalls along the road which are great picture opportunities. Pull over out of the road to enjoy these beauties. Just a few minutes before the town of Hana we stopped at a road side area for yummy kalua pork and fish tacos. If you need a snack there are several places to choose from that all looked pretty good. Black Sand Beach at Wai’anapanapa State Park was a few minutes up the road from our lunch spot. The beach was packed with people but definitely a site to see. Make the walk down to the beach and wander around. The water is an unbelievable color next to the sand that is really tiny black rocks. Check out the small cave on the right side of the beach too. The waves were crashing into an entrance on the other end of the cave that was pretty cool. Hana Harbor is another stop that is pretty and good for a walk. We decided to make the drive back along the same road we came which seemed to go faster than our drive in. We ended up on the 30 west to Lahaina at about 3:30 pm which is apparently part of the traffic hour. As near as I could tell the slowdown was simply because high waves were coming over the walls onto the road periodically. Be prepared for traffic in the early eve.
Aloha Mixed Plate at the end of Front Street is a must. The restaurant, now it’s a restaurant vs. the picnic tables I remembered from the past, has been renovated in the last few months. It is a beautiful location on the water with the best Kalbi Ribs on the island, in my opinion. The Aloha Mixed Plate came with ribs, a chicken thigh and a piece of fish and of course you need to choose the macaroni salad. I typically wouldn’t choose that side but trust me it works here. My suggestion is you stick with the mixed plate or the Kalbi Rib plate they are the best and what I consider their claim to fame. I didn’t order one, but the blended tropical drinks looked amazing. You’re in Maui order the “tootie fruity” drink and enjoy! I sure wish I had.
October 11, 2018 – we decided that today was going to be a beach and snorkeling day. To rent snorkel gear, chairs, an inner tube, and an umbrella we paid close to $90.00 at our resort. Worth the cost if it is your only choice, but you can save money by bringing what you need with you, finding an off resort place to rent, or purchasing items at the stores and sharing them with others when you’re done. 10 years ago, the last time I had been to Maui, there was not a reef on Ka’anapali beach. In order to see coral and colorful fish you had to drive to other spots on the island like Honolua-Mokuleia Bay. However, with reef safe sunscreen being suggested at the resorts the reef at Ka’anapali has flourished, and I was told that it is one of the best spots on the island to snorkel. The coral is not that vibrant, just a few bright orange spikey ones here and there, but the fish are gorgeous. Bright yellows, blues, greens and orange colors surround you. I literally swam about 10 feet past the water breaking on shore and floated over the reefs. Trigger fish, yellow Tangs, Achilles Tang, Moorish Idol Pennant Butterflyfish, Saddleback Wrasse (yes I looked all these up, got to love the internet), and a Spotted Moray eel moving from one crevice to another. “Frank the Tank” swam by, a sea turtle, at a time when we were unfortunately out of the water. This spot is a definite must for snorkeling. Remember that the sun is very intense in Hawaii, I got color through my 50spf shirt. Don’t be a red back white bellied tube sucker (term we learned in the Bahamas for a tourist snorkeler); cover up and use sunscreen liberally and often.
We had Sansei reservations at 5:15 to make the happy hour special, 25% off the majority of the menu items if they are ordered before 6:00. On Sunday’s and Monday’s it 50%. Sansei in Kapalua is one of the best sushi restaurants I have been to. Many of my family and friends who have been here would also agree. They have wonderfully inventive dishes with cooked items that are as good as sushi rolls and sashimi. The Sansei Shrimp Dynamite and Panko-Crusted Fresh Ahi Sashimi dishes are must try’s along with their Tuna Carpaccio with a Thai chili sauce. We had a few other items that were great but not spectacular like the ones I’ve listed. Do yourself a favor and try this place and order something you wouldn’t typically order. On the road home we found the Napili Market and stopped in. Next time this will be our grocery stop. They had better prices on meat and fish that any of the others we stopped at.
October 12, 2018 – Destination Nakalele Point to hike to the blow hole, this time with better shoes to navigate the rocks and hills. We hiked down to one of the rock plateaus above the blow hole and enjoyed the show for a while. A hike to the right side of the blow hole brings you to Sweetheart Rock and additional gorgeous views. After we had our fill of this spot we tore ourselves away and drove back towards the resort, stopping along the way to explore hidden beaches. I highly suggest you stop at Honolua-Mokuleia Bay to walk trail to the water where the snorkeling is supposed to be good. You will know you are in the right spot because there is a parking lot across the street from a smoothie trailer. First order of business is to order a smoothie. The orange, banana, mango concoction I ordered was fabulous and fulfilled my tropical drink desires. The walk to the water is awe inspiring, full of jungle looking vegetation, large ivy traveling up trees, a multitude of vines hanging down from others, chickens and roosters running around and more colors of green than you find in a Crayola box of crayons. I remembered this side of the island to be more desert looking than the lush jungle vegetation we encountered. Maybe it’s this time of year, regardless it is wonderful.
Since we hadn’t seen the other side of the island we decided drive to Kihei. For lunch we stopped at L&L Hawaiian BBQ. When we walked in there was a teenage looking young man at a booth with a HUGE plate that looked amazing. I had to ask what is was so we could keep that in mind when we ordered, it was a Loco Moco. Paul ordered mini Loco Moco and I ordered a mini Chicken Katsu. Both were more food than we could eat and great!! We drove on to Wialea to find Makena Beach or as the locals call it “Big Beach”. It was big and beautiful so I can see why the locals love it here.
October 13 2018 – Rainy day so we decided to walk the boardwalk from one end of Ka’anapali beach to the other. Our resort provided umbrellas, you just have to ask for them. Check with your hotel/resort for the same service. Along our walk we stopped to admire the many different flowers, interesting vegetation, and the magnificent homes along the way. The dunes along the boardwalk is home to many cats that are more than happy to take cat treats from you is you happen to have them, and of course I did thanks to Paul. I was very happy to give a few treats to all of the kitties I could find. If you shake the treat bag they fly out of the plants on the dunes, they are obviously used to being treated. We did one of my favorite things in the whole world, sitting on the beach and just listing to the ocean, its breezes, and the occasional wave that brings its own melody of sounds. This is my happy place. We had dinner reservations again at Sansei. I wanted to try more cooked dishes this time. Dinner was not as good the second time around, much to our dismay. We ordered some of our must have favorites but they didn’t wow us again. It may be a product of trying to recreate the surprises and flavors we loved from Thursday.
October 14, 2018 – Check out day from the Westin and off to Kahului to the Marriott for our last evening in Maui. Along the way we stopped at several of the roadside beach spots and watched the surfers and enjoyed the sounds of the ocean. The Marriott suggested a lunch spot called Poi by the Pound which we could walk to from the hotel. When we arrived we realized that the place had to be good since there were local families with several generations sitting at a table or waiting for a table. Our meals did not disappoint. Paul ordered the Pan Fried Mahimahi and I ordered the Boneless Kalbi. After our late lunch we drove around the city past the cruise ship docks and north on the 340 to Wiehu Beach Park. We also drove up to the Ioa Needle State park and took the short hike to the viewing deck. It is definitely a site to see and a great photo op. Kahana Beach Park was next on the agenda to watch our last sunset on Maui. It was beautiful and worth every moment. This park is riddled with stray cats and kittens. I wanted to get rid of the remainder of my treats and was overrun by at least 20 kittens. I wished I had a whole bag of food for these poor babies. These kitties were much more skittish than the Ka’anapali cats. Once I tore myself away we dropped the car off at the airport and had the Marriott shuttle pick us up. They have an airport service which makes your travel day a whole lot easier.
October 15 – This morning we decided to walk to the Kahana Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a short walk and a short visit. There is only one observation pavilion and no trails to walk around the preserve, at least where we were. It is possible that there are trails on the back side. It is pretty and worth a quick visit. On the walk back we stopped in the CostCo which was located right behind the Marriott. I picked up two sarongs for my souvenir. We love always having a sarong with us when we travel. They are versatile and great for many uses like a beach blanket or towel. Lunch was planned for “Da Kitchen” which we had read about as one of the best local fare restaurants on the island. They were not open on Sunday so we planned it for our last lunch on Monday. Oh My Goodness this place is the bomb. We were not terrible hungry and could not take leftovers with us so we ordered light. Paul had the Kalbi Rib Bowl, which I shared, and I ordered a couple of appetizer dishes that didn’t wow. However, every dish that exited the kitchen we wished we could stick our fork in and take a bite. The plates are MASSIVE not just HUGE….really MASSIVE….meaning we could share a plate when we are super hungry and still come home with left overs. This will definitely be a stop in my future for a Plate Lunch or one of their many, many specials.
Hot Tips:
- If you have room to pack snorkel gear bring it, especially if you are staying on the beach in Ka’anapali
- Ka’anapali Beach is a great snorkel spot. Look for “Frank the Tank” a large sea turtle that swims up and down the shoreline.
- Casual attire is fine almost everywhere; shorts and T-shirts were the typical attire we encountered
- Pack light if your condo has a washer and dryer
- Place on online order at CostCo or Walmart (check to see if available) and have your groceries ready for you when you arrive. This could be an easy way to get your groceries for your condo if that’s your thing
- Free-cycle containers at your hotel resort can be used to share items with fellow travelers
- Look for mini plates of food items, most regular plates are a very large portion of food
- Star Noodle and the Aloha Mixed Plate are the places I suggest you take the time to eat at on the Lahaina side of the island.
- Make a point to visit Da Kitchen it will be on my list again and again; there is so much to choose from on the menu
- Sansei is my favorite sushi bar on the island; they now take reservations but not on Open Table you must call. Make sure you are picking the location you want; they have two spots now
- Hiking sandals are the hot ticket. I had water shoes that doubled as sneakers for hiking/walking
- Make sure you take the ride to Hana and give yourself the day to explore the many stops available to you
- Buy your sarongs at Costco; they are less expensive and quite a few to choose from. We heard that you can also buy your souvenirs at Walmart and get the same things you find in the shops but at a better price
- Sarongs are a great item to travel with. They can act as a light cover up and/or can be an impromptu beach blanket or towel. Paul has also used them as an extra bag with creative folding, shade cloth, turban, bug slapper, cooling towel, etc…
- Hawaii charges for shopping bags so bring a couple with you or a travel backpack
- We require coffee in our room so we shopped for filters to fit our condo’s coffee maker. Safeway’s prices were ridiculous so don’t buy them there. Look at the other markets or bring a few from home depending on the maker you have available to you
- Flotation Aids at our resort were an additional cost….we think this is a shame; they should be provided with snorkel rentals or at least a gratis item if desired….so be prepared. A safety device for people that are not strong swimmers just seems like good policy
- Make time for the short hike at Ioa Needle State Park
- The preserve located near the airport may have trails on the back side if you are interested
- Shout out to Alamo car rental. We had a maintenance error light show up on our car so we drove to the rental spot and were switched into an upgraded car within a few minutes. They made this process painless.