maui – dec 2018
Hi everyone! We just got back from such an amazing trip to Hawaii. Many of you have read my previous post on the big island and Kauai in 2017- which is here if you’d like to look back!
We loved being in Hawaii so much that we decided to head back for the holidays this year and went to both Maui and Kauai.
Let’s begin with Maui. We stayed at the Westin Villas in Kaanapali. I had never been to Maui and really liked the location. It was key for us to have a good sleeping set up (as in all of us having a bed and space!) – and this was two rooms with a close off option. Tom and I had one room with a king and kitchenette and then the kids adjoined with another king room, and a larger kitchen and pull out couch. Our kids liked it a lot. We did not use the amenities at the resort much as we like to get out an explore so I can’t speak to those much. As much as we liked this resort, I am intrigued about staying at another part of the island the next time we go back. I liked the location for sure, but would prefer an area that wasn’t so busy with tons of resorts. The running path in front of the resort was great and the room noise was excellent- great soundproofing.
Let’s talk about what we did! With the time change (3 hour time difference), we kicked off our first day strong! We booked ahead of our trip with Sail Trilogy – I chose the Sail Kaanapali as the dock was a 10 minute drive from us. We bring our own snorkel equipment, but you can also use theirs. Totally amazing trip! The team on the boat was above and beyond in customer service and we had both breakfast and lunch on the boat. The best part for us is the snorkel- and our boys even tried something new to us called Snuba.
One of the things we loved about this experience was it’s about 6 hours on the water and they also have a professional photographer on the boat! I brought my axisgo case for my phone which some of these are from – but the really amazing pictures are by Leo Parias Photography. Later that same day, we went to Monkeypod which had been referred by many friends. It’s in Whaler’s Village and was nice- but it was SO LOUD. Our food was good but we were worn out. I have heard their mai tais are awesome.
The next day, we drove south to have Tom take a surf lesson with Maui Surf.
Tom was super excited about this and my parents gave him a private lesson as a gift! He liked his instructor Miles but wished he could have caught more waves. It was a good intro to surfing and it led to him renting a board later in our trip!
We also stopped at Leoda’s as their pies are all the rave! We got a lime pie and a banana creme and I loved both! Their menu for sandwiches looked great too. Mid day, we stumbled upon Paia Fish Market in Lahaina and we all LOVED our food. The casual atmosphere and such fresh fish made it a repeat visit for us (two lunches, two days in a row!) They also served a beer called Bikini Blonde which I really liked. Late afternoon, we drove north to Kapalua beach. This are is stunning and this beach is a little slice of heaven. Driving around this area was gorgeous! The Honolua General Store had everything you can imagine and it was next door to Sansei Sushi where we planned on eating, but we got there right at 5:15 (they open then) and the line was over 75? people. Dead serious. We ended up finding The Fish Market Maui and it was delicious and fresh! The menu offerings reminded my husband of Bob Chinn’s menu in Wheeling – but this place is small and you eat quickly!
The other excursion we did was a Sunset Cruise on Xmas eve with Sail Maui. This was a gorgeous night as you will see from my sunset picture. We saw many whales and had cocktails on a beautiful night- nothing to complain about!
We were sad to leave on Christmas Day! Having never been to Maui, I would love to return for a trip where we stay the entire time just on this island!
I will upload my Kauai photos in the next couple of days as well and share our favorite spots! It was an awesome return trip!
the concierge mom 