Guest Post - Stilettos and Pearls to Princess Twirls

Aloha! Those are the first words we heard as we stepped off the plane. We felt the cool salty breeze hit our faces and were greeted with beautiful lei’s. This was paradise better known as Maui! My husband and I visited Maui for the first time last year and it was AMAZING! The food is incredible (I was 13 weeks pregnant when we went so I didn’t experience much other than bread items but my husband said it was great!), the ocean is crystal clear, the people are laid back and the weather is AMAZING. My husband, Peter, and I have traveled a lot in our day. We have been to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Europe, China, Puerto Rico and Hawaii has now topped our list of best vacations. The thing about Maui is that people are so relaxed there. They move at their own pace. They come and go as they please and so after a few days there you start to be on “island time.”

Peter and I spent the first 3 days in Kihei. We stayed at a great condo at the Maui Sunset that we found on Air B&B. Our condo was on the third floor and overlooked the pool and the ocean. Not too shabby for a $115 a night condo… that’s right $115 a night! It may have been decorated in 1987 but it was clean, had a kitchen, and overlooked this amazing bay!

Since we were coming from the east coast we were able to watch the sunrise pretty much every morning. By the third day there we finally got to see a sunset and it was pretty spectacular!

Every day in Maui we would get up and go snorkeling. I actually hate the ocean and have an irrational fear of sharks. I have watched one too many shark week episodes so I think that great whites will attack me as soon as I get ankle deep. But for some reason or another snorkeling in Maui was really fun. It was probably because where we were at you swim 20 feet and you are swimming in one of the most beautiful coral reefs you have ever seen. We saw every type of coral fish, swam with turtles, saw stingrays and this was right off the shore. Here is a map of Maui that points out all the snorkeling spots.

As you can see if you step into the water you will probably run into a coral reef within 3 minutes of swimming. This was Peter’s favorite part of the trip. He snorkeled 4-5 times a day.

Maui is also known for the Road to Hana. This is the highway on the back of the island that takes you to the small town of Hana. Along this road terrain changes every 10 miles. 

You see sugar cane fields:

Jungles and waterfalls:

Steep cliffs:

Rocky beaches:

Red mountains:

More waterfalls:

Black sand beaches:

Grasslands:

And many other cool things along the way. Make sure if you go to stop at Aunty Sandy's Banana Bread Keanae Landing Fruit Stand between mile marker 16 and 17 for the World’s BEST banana bread.

My only recommendation is go when you are not pregnant and nauseous the entire drive. The roads are super super windy and it takes 6-7 hours to make it to Hana…. But it was a once in a lifetime drive and the view was amazing!

The last part of our trip we went to the Ritz Carlton in the upper left hand corner of Maui, Kapalua. The hotel was spectacular but this part of the island is SUPER WINDY! Every day umbrellas would flip over at the pool but you can’t beat this view! 

Just be careful because the beach is next to an ancient Indian burial ground. Peter and I thought we were going for a lovely romantic walk and then the Ritz staff member kindly asked us to please exit the ancient burial ground… whoops!

If you are planning a trip to Hawaii let me tell you Maui is the way to go. Any day when I am down I think of lying on the beach with my toes in the sand and my (virgin) pina colada in hand and dream of Maui. 

Thanks for checking out our amazing vacation!

And be sure to visit my blog - Stilettos and Pearls to Princess Twirls!

XOXO

Katelyn