Maui has been on my travel list for awhile now, but because of the distance and cost from the East Coast, we never thought much about it. Then last Winter my husband name was pulled in a raffle for a 10 day condo stay! I was super excited to be able to see Hawaii finally.

That Maya Angelou, she is one smart woman. You see the older I get, and maybe it’s because I realize as time goes on, we really only have a short time to really experience this life and get out there and go on adventures and see the world. People say all the time, you are so lucky you get to travel so much, but it’s not luck as much as it is just making things happen that make YOU happy.

Now on to our trip…It was a great week together as a family, we made so many memories, from snorkeling Molokini( thank God, I didn’t see any sharks!), to experiencing our first Lual, to driving most of the island. As a look back, we probably didn’t relax as much as we should have. When you are in a new place, you just want to soak up everything and see the beauty of the Island.

On of our first days there since we were not yet adjusted to the time change we got up at 2 a.m to see the sunrise at Haleakala Volcano. It was a scary drive up as I was gripping the seat and begging Andy to drive slow. When its dark you can’t see that you could drive right off the side of the cliff! The drive back was so much better! Amazing sunrise to experience though! Even it if was only 40 degrees! I was ready to get back down to the 80 degree weather!We had breakfast at Kula Lodge with amazing views of Maui and lots of tropical Maui fauna.

Andy and I were able to steal a couple hours to ourself one evening ( Lexi wasn’t feeling well)  and we went to the Andaz hotel in Walea. Loved this hotel! We were able to relax for a bit and take in the Sunset, and snag a few photos of us as well! 🙂 Later that night we had an awesome date at Pita Paradise, really yummy Greek food and the best dessert, a Baklavla ice cream cake! I may have gained a few pounds on this trip! 😉

 

On our second day we explored the town of Lahaina. I loved this town. It has all the fun shops and restaurants and the beach is a pretty shade of blue. We spent the day shopping, taking in the sights, and eating! We had the best Gelato here!

We drove on farther a bit from Lahaina to see the Nakalele Blowholes. There are signs posted not to get too close, a couple people died from being sucked in. I was happy to stay a safe distance. What incredible views of Maui and that heart shaped rock? Love. This day I was also able to try the taco trucks on the side of the road, and buy some local chocolate with coconut. I was loving the local food!

The beautiful beaches of Maui ( We did three beach days), to a day trip to the local winery for Pineapple wine. Andy thought it was too sweet but I enjoyed it!

One of our days exploring we found this cool surfboard fence in Haiku. I loved driving the Island!

One of our favorite days was the Road to Hana. It takes all day to drive it, and they say as a tourist never to get stuck driving the road at night. Its a very narrow two lane road and can be dangerous at times. We loved stoping at the different mile markers, and hiking to beautiful waterfalls, trying the local banana bread, and drinking out of coconuts. ( yuck!) My favorite was the Garden of Eden, and hiking four miles through the Bamboo forest to experiencing the Seven Sacred Pools at the bottom. What an awesome day! The Black sand beach was really cool too, and I left my camera in the car for the beach, but Evan got to experience jumping off one of the smaller rocks into the ocean. We downloaded the Gypsy guide that day to hear an audible tour guide as we drove along, and we were reminded that “ It’s not about the destination, but the journey”. After you drive it is makes sense. What a wonderful journey we all had that day. My kids said it was one of their favorites from the trip! Even if we WERE one of those dumb tourists that got stuck driving the road at night. There is a shirt you can buy that says. ” I survived the Road to Hana, well I needed one that said ” I survived my husband’s drive home from Hana’. Just glad we made it home safely.

The Grand Wailea

We spent an evening here checking out this beautiful hotel. We splurged on dinner here. What a view from dinner though! The sunset was amazing! 

We also drove Upcountry into Maui. It’s so beautiful with farms and rolling green hills, and did I mention Oprah has a Ranch here( here it is below), I may or may not have stalked her house! :-)We had breakfast at Grandma’s house.. which is a favorite in Maui known for their yummy baked goods and home cooked breakfast. I asked if they had seen Oprah since it’s right across the street. They said not much these days, but they saw her walking down the road and had come in a couple years back.

We also made time for some portraits on the beach the night before we left, because how could we not?. Ahh.. golden Maui light and sunsets. You will be missed.