Maui

I'm back in Hawaii!! I was a little sad that I didn't go to Hawaii last year and looked forward to this trip. I have never been to Maui before and wasn't sure what to expect. The reputation/impression I always had of Maui was a very resorty type of island where mainlanders outnumber locals.

I flew out on United Airlines direct to Maui. During the flight, I was able to get a free Lonely Planet Hawaii guide book by participating in the trivia game onboard. UA likes to have people submit their estimates of when the plane will be at the midpoint of the flight path. Even though I didn't calculate the math, the answer was submitted in my name and it was the closest time; off by 45 seconds!

The reason I was in Maui on this particular trip was influenced by a Westin Vacation Ownership timeshare promotion. For some reason, I'm on the Westin timeshare mailing list. I had previously attended a presentation at the Sheraton Kauai and is likely the reason why I'm on their mailing list. Not only did the promotion let me stay at this hotel for vastly reduced published rates; it included a sub-compact rental from Avis. Of course, the agent was able to convince me out of the sub-compact to a Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible. Even though I would never buy a GM vehicle, the Camaroo SS is a very nice muscle car.

Before heading to the west side of the island, stopped at Costco in Kuhulio for some supplies and a change of clothing. UA forgot a luggage piece and the suitcase wasn't scheduled to arrive for another 8 hours. Since I knew this hotel was a timeshare property, it made sense to stock up on necessities and food. Checked into the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Villas resort. It is an impressive property especially compared to Hilton Grand Vacations. The parking charges seemed reasonable at $7 per day for self-park and $9 for valet. The property had public access to the Ka'anapali beaches as well as a pool with water slides for kids.

After hanging out at the pool and beach, headed out to Aloha Mixed Plate to have my first Hawaiian dinner meal. It is basically an outdoor restaurant and is popular at sunset time. I enjoyed my shoyu chicken entree. I will say that I was in a little bit of sticker shock being in Maui. Just not used to lunch plates being $12. The one thing I did notice about Lahaina is that there are alot of paid parking lots. Something I'm not used to especially compared to the other islands. For such a little town, it was funny to see so many valet parking lots.

For day 2, I was told that the snorkeling in Maui is second only to the beaches of the island. Headed out really early to catch the sea life before the ocean become too choppy to float in the water. According to the guide, waves come in around 11 am and makes it difficult to stay in the water. I had stopped by the concierge before the snorkeling expedition to seek out some advice. They were helpful in providing all the "hot spots" map for snorkeling. With map in hand, the goal was to see as much snorkeling at various points along Maui's west coastline. First stop was at Kapulua Beach but it was a short visit. Unfortunately, there was alot of clouds in the area and made it too cold to get in the water. Decided to head south and see what else could be had stopping for lunch at Ono Kau Kau at 3481 L Honoapiilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761. After lunch, headed back to the Westin to enjoy some R&R.

For day 3, I made another attempt to do some snorkeling. Headed south to Ulua Beach and hit the jackpot! The weather was perfect, bright and sunny. The ocean wasn't too rough or cold. The reef system off the beach was quite extensive and the beach wasn't overly crowded. After awhile, I wanted to see the famed black sand beaches and headed to Akini-Kinau Preserve. After navigating some rural roads, the black sand beach was more like black pebble beach. The water was rougher here and the clouds had rolled in. I watched a brave couple get into the ocean to snorkel but I didn't feel that adventurous. I saw the Jawz food truck when leaving the preserve and decided to have a fish taco. The XL fish taco was the size of three tacos and the price was good at $10. I had ono and I was reminded of baja when having the fish tacos.

The Avengers movie was just released and headed back to Kahului to see the movie in 3D. The Costco sold Hollywood Movie Tickets and I had grabbed a pair when I was there last. Initially, I had thought I would have watched the movie in the evening but I seemed to be falling asleep pretty early in Hawaii. So I caught the matinee showing and the Costco movie tickets was still cheaper than the matinee prices but not by much. Afterwards, went to Da Kine Kitchen to try the fried spam musubi. I prefer regular spam musubi. I did enjoy my chicken katsu dinner plate. The portions are substantial and so are the entree prices. Two people can easily share the plate and walk away with more money in their pocket. :)

For day 4, headed out to the Haleakala National Park. The park consists of the Haleakala volcano and the coastal expansion from previous lava flows. The park ticket allows for multiple day entries. I do believe it takes a couple of days to hit the major points within the park. Due to the elevation of the volcano summit, the area was enveloped with low lying clouds. If I was ambitious enough to wake up at 3am, I might have been able to catch the sunrise with a clear view 360 degrees. Alas, I was not and wasn't able to see much outside of the immediate valley. For the adventurous, camping permits are available.

Afterwards, headed to Ulupalakua Ranch for some lunch and grubbed on an elk burger and kalbi short ribs. I was interested in visiting the ranch and having some fresh meat. I found the elk burger tasty. If you do make it to the ranch, the meat (although expensive) is cheapest here versus the supermarkets in the cities.

On the way back, dropped by Lahaina and had some shaved ice from Ulu Lanis Shave Ice. I was leery of trying given the obvious tourist advertising. I'm glad to be wrong as the shave ice was the perfect Hawaiian style rivaling my favorite shave ice place in Oahu. Ended the day back at the hotel pool and enjoyed fresh poke from Foodland Supermarket. Foodland has a poke section in its butcher area. The quality and taste rivals restaurants in the mainland. The spam musubi at the store is typical; I have yet to find the "best" spam musubi but I persist!

For day 5, I headed out to Hana. The "road to Hana" is one of the highlights of the island. Supercurvy road running along the mountain cliffs, the various lookout points and waterfall parks gives you plenty of opportunities to appreciate the natural beauty of the island. Along this road, I was able to stop at 3 different waterfall pools. The water was brisk but it was fun to take a dip. I did not spend much time in the city of Hana but wanted to see the sacred pools inside Haleakala National Park. On the other side of the summit, the coastal area of the park has over a dozen pools formed by various waterfalls coming down from the volcano. I enjoyed my last dip before heading back to the hotel. The road does continue in a loop but after the Haleakala National Park the road is unpaved for several miles. If you're faint of heart or in a vehicle not equipped to handle dirt roads, don't go on. Turn around and head back! Getting back to the western side of the island, decided to go back to Da Kine Kitchen for dinner before turning in for the night. This time, I had the chicken katsu plate.

On our final day of the trip, just spent a relaxing day at the hotel. Since the flight wasn't until that evening, all the luggage was in the car. The hotel will still give you access to all facilities and the gym is equipped with shower facilities. It was easy enough to just keep a day bag and enjoy the last day in Maui. Before heading to the airport, made a pit stop in Lahaina for one last shaved ice. I was also able to catch the sunset; a nice end to a pleasant vacation. :)