by kelly
/ February, 25 2015 01:30
Last week Will and I took a romantic Valentine's trip to Maui, Hawaii with Will's sister and his dad. Hahaha! Ok so it was more like a family vacation that happened to cross over on Valentine's Day. It actually was a great time - filled with sun, sand, surf and of course sunblock! And I must say it timed perfectly against the zero degree temps on the East Coast. Check out some of the highlights from our trip.
We landed in Maui to 80 degree temps on Friday, the day before Valentine's Day. Our hotel was located in Wailea which is about 40 minutes south of the main airport in Maui called Kahului Airport (OGG). The first night we just unpacked, discovered our resort and walked the beach path in Wailea. The path is a little over 1.5 miles and is lined with other hotels and vacation condos. Will and I ended up doing a few sunrise and sunset runs along the path - just too picturesque to pass up! I will say that the entire Maui coastline looks like it's straight out of a travel magazine!
The next day, Valentine's Day, we did a cool hike at La Perouse Bay. The hike is not for the novice as it is at times rocky with rough lava from the last volcano eruption - all the way back in the 1790s. Although some of us did do the hike in flip flops which was impressive, I'd still recommend sneakers. It was gray during the hike (reminder, sunscreen should be used no matter the type of weather) but I think it made it more adventurous in some ways with the waves crashing next to us. Fortunately we beat the rain storm that came through towards the end of the day. Go us!
On Sunday our big agenda item was having dinner at Mama's Fish House which is something of a restaurant must and institution in Maui. Mama's Fish House was rated #2 in OpenTable Diner's Choice 2013 Best Restaurants in America. The restaurant was a little pricey so we made this meal our big dinner of the trip. Despite the price, Mama's Fish House was not stuffy and you could definitely wear Hawaiian shirts and flip flops to dinner. If you ever go, I would arrive early so you can walk the restaurant premises. The restaurant is nestled in a coconut grove on a secluded white sand beach. Oh and it's known for great fish of course. Definitely worth it.
The Road to Hana was on our agenda for Monday. Driving this road is a whole day activity that begins in the early morning as there are lots of scenic stops and plenty of traffic. The Hana Highway is a 64.4 mile narrow and windy coastline drive that connects Kahului with the town of Hāna in east Maui. At times the road narrows into one lane of traffic for both directions and cars must yield and wait for one another to pass. The views are breathtaking and at times your car is barely separated from the coastal cliffs. The stops along the road are also pretty amazing - including waterfall trails, little towns and arboretums. And I had some of the best ice cream in the little town of Ke'anae. One piece of advice, consider some Dramamine for anyone who get's motion sick. One of us, I won't say who, got a little queasy riding in the back seat.
Tuesday was recovery after our long day of driving. We just enjoyed or hotel amenities: some ping pong in the game room (I was the ultimate champion, beating Will in 2 out of 3 games!), hanging out by the pool and swimming at the beach. Wednesday was the big day as I finally conquered my fears and took my first surf lesson in Kihei with Maui Wave Riders. I was very nervous and caught myself shaking when I first entered the water with Will and our instructor. But the experience was amazing and I caught a fair number of waves. Now I must be honest the water was very calm and shallow which made learning to surf much easier. Our instructor even helped me and Will ride tandem on one large board a few times which was definitely entertaining.
Our last day in Hawaii was met with a little bit of sadness as we knew what temps waited for us upon on return. Nevertheless, I was so happy to spend such a fun and beautiful time with family and finally getting to check one thing off my bucket list (surfing!).
