The Valley Isle: Maui (February 10, 2019-February 13, 2019)

On Sunday, we left Oahu and flew to the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands, Maui, known as the "Valley Isle." We flew Hawaiian Airlines for our short inner-island flight and were pleasantly surprised to find the plane was very nice. At the airport, we picked up our reserved rented Jeeps. Key point: you will need a rental for Maui! 

We arrived around lunch and ate at Teddy's Burger. Then we drove the 40-minute drive to our hotel and were able to check-in. We stayed at Royal Lahaina Resort in their Deluxe Garden Cottage Room. This resort was very nice, and I am glad we paid extra for the cottage room. It is located in Lahaina, an old whaling village, and offers amazing beachfront views of Ka'anapali Beach. 

That afternoon, we drove over to Maui Wine, which was a little over one-hour drive from our resort. The drive was pretty, and it had rained, so there was a rainbow, and the sky was just gorgeous! Nearby was one of my favorite little hidden gems, the Ulupalakua Ranch Store. Bobby and I both bought t-shirts from here, and I have since ordered another one online. 

The next day, we ate breakfast in our room and then mom and I drove up to the Northwest area of the island to Lahaina Harbor. We saw Nakalele Point Blowhole and walked in a few shops. Bobby and I had planned a whale watching excursion, which left from Lahaina Harbor. It was so thrilling to see these huge mammals up close. The humpback whale migrates from Alaska, a 3,000-mile trip. We learned so much on this cruise, like the females carry their calves for 12 months and their "singing" can be heard for up to 20 miles. After our whale watching trip, Bobby and I grabbed pizza from a place on Front Street. Then, we went back to the resort where we watched another UNC basketball game at the bar! Daddy had found his element!! 

That evening, we attended a luau at our resort. It was called "The Myths of Maui" and include an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner, cocktails, a shell lei (which I still have to this day), live music, photos with the dancers, and a fire finale. It was amazing! The luau was about $150/person in 2019, so I have no doubt that has changed in 6 years! The emcee of the luau asked for volunteers from the guests to learn the hula, and yes, I raised my hand! It's a funny memory!

The Road to Hana was on our agenda for the next day. This iconic road is a narrow, two-lane road that crosses 54 bridges, is over 50 miles, provides stunning oceanfront views, and crosses 60 one-lane bridges. There are also 600 hairpin curves along this road, lush rainforests, and stunning waterfalls. Plan a full day for this drive as it takes about 3 hours to drive one way. The drive begins in Paia Town. There are several sites along the road at various mileposts. "Jaws" Country Store is a stop if you need a snack. Don't miss Twin Falls, which is a short walk from the parking area. One gem we found was the Kahaku Smoke Shack. It might have been the best meal I had the entire trip. There was no sanitation at this place. It was a literal shack, and we walked up and ordered. The chicken, rice, and pork was prepared over a coal fire on grilling racks. It was served in a leaf boat, and I am telling you that it was delicious. 

Proceeding on The Road to Hana, we saw Waikamoi Falls and the "painted eucalyptus trees." We stopped at Kaumahaina State Wayside, the Ke'anae Peninsula, and in Kenae Village. We saw Pua'aka'a Falls, Hanawi Falls, and at Hasegawa General Store in Hana. As we continued driving, we just could not stop stopping. The views from this road are just no something I can describe-this is a must if you visit Maui. We made a quick stop at Wai'anapanapa Sate Park. The further down the road we traveled, we could start to see Haleakala, the world's largest (dormant) volcano. We could see whales in the harbor, even from a distance because we could see the water shooting up from their blowholes. Heading back toward the resort, we passed McGregor Point Lighthouse.

One thing I did not get to do while in Maui that I had planned on doing was seeing the sun rise or set in the "House of the Sun" known as Haleakala National Park. I wanted to drive up to the 10,000-foot elevation, but of all times, the park received nearly a foot of snow, so the park had closed! Yes, it does snow in Hawaii-I was just as shocked as anyone!

That wrapped up our time in Maui! It was my favorite of the three islands we visited, and I have added Haleakala National Park back to my bucket list in hopes there will be no snow on my next visit!!

Here are a few pictures from our time in Maui:

Here are a few links:

https://www.royallahaina.com/myths-of-maui-luau/

https://www.royallahaina.com/

"There's hope at the bottom of the biggest waterfall." ~ Anonymous