ALOHA! We just returned from an 11 day vacation to Maui. We took Grandma Margaret with us this year. It was her first time, and she got to see her other son, Paul, who has lived on the island for the past 6 or so years.
DAY 1
Paul met us at the airport and took Grandma Margaret to the condo where we were staying on the other side of the island. There was some heavy construction/traffic through Lahaina, so they were able to get some good "catching up" time in.
When we checked in, we were pleased to discover that we had been upgraded to an oceanfront view, instead of the oceanview that we own, (we are timeshare owners at the Westin Kaanapali Villas.) We were also ground floor and got a larger lanai. The kids were able to play on the small lawn attached. It was great. Our room was also shaded the whole time and that really made for a nice retreat from the heat.
One thing I love about this property, aside from the beautiful grounds, is that they have gentle Hawaiian music through the whole grounds. Wouldn’t it be great to be surrounded by beautiful music all the time, everywhere you go?
A view of the lobby from the koi pond area…
Our view….
The kitchen…
The bedroom and lanai…
We went to Hula Grill for dinner, a must visit. They have an upscale dining area and a casual area where part of the floor is all sand. We ate in the casual area. They had a terrific Hawaiian musical trio that really helped set the tone for our trip. The boys practically fell asleep at the table, but that is pretty typical the first few nights we are there.
DAY 2
We beelined to the Gazebo Restaurant for breakfast. This place is a must for us to visit each time we go. There is always a wait, but it’s worth it. It is located at the Outrigger Napili Shores, where we try to stay when not in our timeshare. Because it was so busy, we were not able to all sit together, but we were seated close to each other. I got to enjoy my breakfast with ‘R’. The boys both put away a ton of pancakes! DH and I both ordered the stir fried rice plate. It was so big, we were able to take home leftovers enough for all five of us the next night!
Orchids next to our table…
cutie R…
Happy DH in one of his favorite places….
‘A’ enjoying yummy Pog 🙂
After breakfast, we drove up to Honolua Bay and visited the overlook. This area is being threatened by development. For more information, you can visit savehonolua.org.
Back at the Villas, the boys got to try SNUBA, an alternative to Scuba. The compressed air is located on a float that has tubes attached to mouthpieces. Both boys did much better than anticipated. It was fun to watch.
Here is some video of this new pastime. Maybe next year they will try the ocean!
Chillin’ back at the villa. ‘A’ is surfing on Dad’s back…
Visiting the koi pond…
We spent the rest of the day playing in the pool and the ocean. Paul and Shannon came over and joined us for dinner at Soup Nutz. (Be aware that their logo contains a little artistic nud-ty.) This place is another spot we typically go to. It is very unique in decor and not to everyone’s liking (Barbies in a cage, snakeskin on the wall, and pretty much everything in between), but we enjoy the eclectic ambience and the friendliness of the owner and staff. ‘R’ fell asleep before being fed. We were able to stretch him out on a bench with a bunch of pillows. I wish I had my camera; he looked like a little prince.
On a very cool side note: The owner takes a Polaroid of customers that he likes and puts them up on the walls. There are Polaroids all over the restaurant. A couple of years ago, DH and I were in there on a date night and he took a picture of us. We never knew if he did anything with it or not. Fast forward to this night, and ‘A’ looks behind him and right there at the level of his head was the picture of us! ‘A’ noticed it and brought it to our attention. Of all the places to sit and of all the places the the Polaroids are, I am stunned to know that our picture was right where our son was sitting. (If you look at the pictures on their site, you can kind of see what I mean.)
I've really enjoyed all your pictures of your trip. We once went to Kwai and it is a wonderful memory. I gather that you take this trip yearly?
I see that you enjoy fine dining and good food – and first class resorts. We have enjoyed the same over the years. It makes for wonderful memories.
Antoinette