MAUI

We kept hearing on the news about high wind warnings starting Friday, especially in the afternoon. We had tickets to fly to Maui at 3:30 pm, and were worried that we wouldn't be able to go, since we were traveling in a small jet. For a considerable price we were able to change our flight to the morning, which was really better that getting there at 4:30pm (or not at all) because it would give us more time in Maui. Interestingly, they said that if they had to cancel our afternoon flight because of high wind, there would be no refund, and we would be able to get a flight the next day only if there were seats available and also at a much higher price. So we thought we better not take a chance of not getting to Maui at all, paid the increase, and headed for the airport. As we were walking out to the plane, we saw a rainbow in the distance.



This is the plane that we flew on. It was a surprisingly smooth flight, but it was definitely windy when we got to Maui.


We got a car, and started exploring. We stopped in Lahaina at a place called Aloha Mixed Plate, which was outside and close to the beach.





After lunch we set off to find our hotel, the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali. We were given the opportunity, for a price, to upgrade to an ocean view on the 4th floor, and we decided to do it. This is looking out at the beach from the office area when we first arrived.



The beach there at the Sheraton was famous for the Black Rock where people loved to dive.



This is the view from our room. It was absolutely the most gorgeous view I could ever imagine!



We had our own balcony with table and chairs, and it was like looking out at our own little paradise!



I walked around and took pictures of the grounds. They had waterfalls, and several pools that were like a lagoon meandering through the palm trees.










We never got a chance to go swimming in these beautiful pools!!! There just wasn't enough time with only 3 nights in Maui! After we got settled in our room, we went down to the beach and rented a cabana for 2 1/2 hours. It was great fun to lounge under the awning, listen to the waves, watch people diving off the rock, and just "hang out!" The bay right there is a famous place for snorkeling, and we both said if we had been able to stay one more day, we would have tried it!





Back in our room, Tom saw these guys go by.



Late in the afternoon we went back to Lahaina to look for a place to eat dinner. We picked a place called "Kimos." We had to wait about 35 minutes, but it was well worth it.



We went upstairs, and sat in an open dining room that looked out over the ocean (of course!).
This is the view from our table.






I had a Parmesan crusted fish (kind of like swordfish), and Tom had a steak. He said it was the best steak he has ever had. The entire meal was delicious! They served fresh rolls and muffins--the muffins sort of tasted like carrot cake.



For desert we ordered their famous Hula Pie. It had a crust of crushed Oreo cookies, macadamia nut ice cream, and fudge on the top. It was huge--and wonderful!



After dinner, we drove past our hotel to a town called Kahana to find a Laundromat. While we were at the Marriott, we didn't have time to do our laundry, even though they had a very nice, large laundry facility. At the Sheraton, they did not have any laundry facility, so we had to drive about 10 minutes to find one. So we spent Friday evening in Maui doing laundry! It reminded us of when we were dating--we used to spend Friday evenings at the laundromat doing Tom's laundry.

When we got back to the hotel, and stood out on our balcony, we saw the grounds all aglow with tiki torches! So ended our first day in paradise!



Saturday morning we were anxious to take advantage of the buffet breakfast that was included in our upgrade, which was priced at $26 a person. When we got there we discovered that there was a long line waiting for a table--about an hour wait. I wanted to go do thing--not wait in line! So we asked if we could just take our food back to our room, and they were very happy to accommodate us. They gave each of us 2 containers--one for cold food and one for hot. It was delicious! And so we sat out on our balcony, eating breakfast, enjoying the view of the beach before the sun came over the mountains, and looking for whales. Can you imagine?



After breakfast we went looking for a store that was famous for Hawaiian clothing: Hilo Hattie. After spending about an hour there looking for a shirt for Tom and Daniel, we went into Lahaina.



It has quaint-looking building, and a harbor. It used to be a whaling harbor and village. Now it's a tourist village and harbor! But it's a lot of fun to walk around.




In the center of town is a Banyan tree that is really incredible. It sends out roots that hang down from its branches. Those take root and become another trunk. This one tree took up the entire block.






In the park, in and around and under this tree, they were having a craft fair. So we walked around and looked at everything,



and then went across the street to a restaurant called "Cool Cat." It's famous for its haburgers, and is located on the 2nd floor, with an open eating area where you can look out over the harbor or down the street.



We had a great lunch--we sure had fun being toether!