Maui Wowie
The winter of 2021, sitting on the lanai of our rental in Kailua-Kona, I said to my husband, “I want to do this every winter,” and he said, “Duh.” And I said, “And I want to bring The Kids,” and he said, “Okay by me!”
“The Kids” as I call them aren’t children at all, as they’re nearing 30, but my step daughter has been a part of my life since she was 4, and in that sense, she is always a kid to me despite her college degree, her career, her successes… Her college boyfriend Alex is the part of the duo. We had traveled in Mexico with them for my 40th, but they live on the east coast and I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, and the pandemic had really knocked out casual visits.
Over the months after we’d returned from the Big Island I started planning a trip somewhere warm. Thailand was out, due to the pandemic and uncertainty over travel the following year. We’ve already taken The Kids to Mexico (though there is much more to see). I wanted beaches and snorkeling, and hubby recently completed his scuba cert, so it had to be warm and inviting, a true break from winter in New England, the cold rain of the PNW, and it had to be something new and fun for us all.
We decided to go to Maui.
I am “extra”
When I plan a trip with friends/family I always put together an absurd brochure to get them excited about the adventures ahead! I am a dork.
Knowing the pandemic would still be a factor, this would require careful planning. Knowing Hawaii is caught on the double edge sword of counting on tourism yet long-suffering with disrespectful travelers, we would have to be considerate in our plans. And I planned well, booked tickets using my Alaska Companion Fare (from BOS>PDX>OGG>BOS; I wanted The Kids to have a day or two in Portland to pad the travel, in case of a blizzard or flight delay). We booked a place to stay, a car rental, we had a rough itinerary and knew we’d have to reserve a lot of things in advance.
The Kids even decided to make the trip extra special - and Alex proposed to Briana in the fall. I mean, not because we were going to Hawaii, but it left me incredibly excited to be able to do some engagement photos for them while we were there.
I had originally planned a big surprise announcement: a box of gifts, all travel themed, all wrapped for Christmas, for The Kids, complete with a card I made that played the Price is Right theme song announcing where we were taking them. My grand idea included us all sitting down for a facetime call, them at home in NH, with us at our home, and watching them unwrap all their travel gifts (bags, snorkels, UV swim shirts, leis, etc) and it would be a fun little “Christmas together even though apart” sort of call. I told them which dates to take off of work. I was READY.
I was also incredibly excited with my plan, and texted one of my best friends all the details - where we were staying, things we’d do, things I’d bought for them, I love surprising people - and couldn’t believe it was only May and I had to wait until November to tell The Kids… and minutes later I got a text from Briana.
actual screenshots of me spoiling the surprise and my potty mouth blurred for you
Being friends with me means sometimes you’re in for a ride full of stupidity but always laughter.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally got to pick up the kids at the airport here in Portland, spend a day with them in the city, show them our “new” house (which they hadn’t seen), introduce them to the pets, and have lots of laughs and drinks and got to catch up. (My careful planning had paid off, as the day after they flew into town, a massive Nor’easter hit Boston, meaning they’d have missed their flight west.) We spent a day in the Columbia River Gorge, then toasted at a great bar/distillery/restaurant in town, and went to bed entirely too late for our entirely too early flight to Hawaii. The following is a photo essay of our adventures (most images from an iPhone), and the next blog will be of their engagement shoot.
All of our favorite places are linked at the end. If you plan on visiting Hawaii, please please PLEASE remember, they may be the 50th state, but it wasn’t their choice. It’s still in many ways like visiting another country. Respect signs and don’t go wandering where you aren’t supposed to. Don’t litter. Don’t speed. Don’t harass wildlife. Tip well. Spend your money with small local businesses and artists. Make reservations for places in advance; if you get somewhere and you discover you can’t get in, don’t be a jerk to the person who turns you away. We may be visitors, but it’s home to many people, and remember to be thoughtful and respectful guests. Tourism in certain places is always going to be a balancing act.
The wind was mighty that day, my friends! But a day in the Columbia River Gorge is always a day well spent.
Due to the Great Flight Fiascos of the 2020s, our nonstop flight was changed to an ungodly hour flight to San Diego, then a second flight to Maui. At least we still had the Premium Economy seats on Alaska? But on the second leg, I was sorely disappointed with the World’s Worst Window Seat. We still caught some views of Maui as we were flying in (including Molokini where we had a reservation for snorkeling later in the week!).
flying to Maui…
We unpacked, made it for sunset at the beach across the street, and then had some great food and drinks at Maui Brewing Company. But we had to go to bed early so we could go see the sunrise at Haleakala the following morning!
First Maui Sunset…
The stars were out and Venus was bright above when we arrived at Haleakala; watching the sky change slowly as the sun rose to greet us, and as clouds blew by our feet, was so incredibly special. I’m glad we did it on our first day so we wouldn’t be too tired. We spent the rest of the day at the beach!
Haleakala Sunrise - fun fact: we made our own cocktail called the Haleakala Sunrise.
Alex had his GoPro with him on our trip and got this awesome time lapse of the sunrise.
Tuesday morning, The Kids and I slept in while Jason went scuba diving. The water was a bit murky from storms off the coast the week before, but he had a great time. We enjoyed some beach time, and then drove up the coast to Ironwoods Beach for a sunset engagement shoot.
underwater in Maui, and at a gorgeous beach
Wednesday morning we had another early start, and decided to drive the Road to Hana backwards. Honestly, I cannot imagine doing it the other way around - we got to see so many beautiful things and had so many places to ourselves.
Along the way, between vistas and waterfalls and swimming holes, we visited the final resting place of Charles Lindbergh; not a bad view for eternity, good sir!
Make sure to check if you need reservations for any of the stops (such as Waiʻānapanapa State Park, arguably the most spectacular beach I’ve ever seen in my life). I would spend an entire day there without question - it was incredible.
Not great for swimming, but perfect for wading and exploring - be sure to visit the little cave!
It is so, so beautiful it looks fake.
Thursday was going to be a fun, and full day - we had an early morning snorkel tour out to Molokini, complete with breakfast, crystal clear waters, and lunch with beers on our way back to shore as we watched whales play around us.
We had time for some relaxing on the beach, and even an afternoon nap, before we had to put on our fancy pants for a special sunset dinner reservation at the famous Mama’s Fish House. I made reservations 180 days in advance for the time I wanted, and made sure to let them know we would be celebrating an engagement.
Yes, the cocktails had real orchids. The service is spectacular, it was a wonderful night out - even though it is a big splurge.
Come Friday, things were winding down for us on the island time-wise, but we still had so much more to do! Jason dropped us off nice and early for a zip-lining adventure, while he took off to look for some oddball records at local shops. The three of us had great views, saw a nene (a bird), and the tour company was wonderful. Our guide was a local whose family is indigenous to the islands, and between her great conversation, and the informative signage around the course, we got quite the little history lesson when we weren’t flying through the air.
Big shout out to zipline.com - Skyline Hawaii!
Lunch at some amazing food carts in Kihei, and the kids went to the beach while I took a nap because I am old. That evening we had our final fancy meal of the week planned, a sunset dinner cruise on a catamaran - complete with some whale watching and star gazing. It was a very small vessel, just 24 guests, and it made for a very special, intimate night on the water.
Views from our sunset Captain's Dinner cruise, complete with a selfie with the captain.
Saturday was our final full day on Maui. We had breakfast, visited Iao Valley, and then decided to spend the rest of our day at the beach. We hit a couple of nice swimming spots, held a small sand art competition, and stayed until the sun had sunk beneath the horizon in what was the best sunset of our trip. The waves were big, the sand was white and warm, and we laughed and played and relaxed before a low-key dinner and drinks on our lanai.
a day of rest and play on the beaches of Maui
Our last morning, we packed up our things, had a fabulous little breakfast at a hole in the wall, did some last minute gift shopping, then made our way to the airport for drinks and snacks. I, being a sap, cried as I watched the plane with The Kids on board pull away from the gate. It was a really great week, and I feel like we hit a lot of what Maui has to offer!
The next adventure with them is their wedding, but after that? I’m already scheming of our trip to Thailand!
Special thanks to the following:
Alaska Airlines / Shine Distillery / Maui Brewing Company, Kihei / Haleakala - Reservations / Grandma’s Coffee House / Shaka Guide / Waiʻānapanapa State Park reservations / Maui Classic Charters (Molokini) / Mama’s Fish House / Skyline Hawaii Zip Line Tours / Sunset Captain’s Dinner Tour on Trilogy / L&L / Nalu’s - great brunch! / Isana / Waikiki Brewing / Tasty Crust / Bamboo Grill / Manuela Malasadas / Da Nani Pirates