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
We just got back from our honeymoon at the Ritz! Loved it!
ReplyDeleteMaui is my happy place! We just got home from a trip to Oahu and Kauai and although it was beautiful, Maui will always have my heart! My husband and I were married there last June and spent our entire 18 day trip exploring the island. I couldn`t agree more with everything you said, the snorkeling is amazing and you simply can`t beat the weather on the south shore! Did you make it to Big Beach - that`s my favorite beach on the entire island! The road to Hana was an experience in it`s self, I loved Waianapanapa State Park and the Seven Sacred Pools. We took a helicopter tour of Maui and Molokai and I`d recommend that to anyone who`s planning a trip, the view is breathtaking and you get the chance to see things you wouldn`t normally see from the ground. Loved reading your post - makes me excited to plan a return trip!
ReplyDeletexo jen