Maui ~ 3rd Anniversary Getaway Part 1

Where has summer gone? I have started to blog many times, but have been distracted many times by naps, good books, time with my amazing husband, family, and friends, to much tv that I never have time for during the year, a few projects around the house, and being a little lazy...

It's hard to believe that it has been a month since we returned from our Amazing, Surreal 3rd Anniversary Getaway to Maui, Hawaii! It was everything we dreamed of and so much more. Prior to leaving I was so excited to spend a week away with my sweet husband and unplug from work, home, etc. and just enjoy relaxing and exploring God's beautiful creation. I remember doing a report about Hawaii in 2nd grade complete with a grass skirt and hibiscus lei and have always wanted to go there since then! We did and saw so much in Maui that I am going to break it up into a few different posts.

The day we got to Maui we went and checked out our rental car for the week. We decided to upgrade to a convertible to really be able to see the island as we drove around. (Note: If you are going to Maui although we greatly loved having the convertible later in the week we decided if we ever went back we would get a jeep and explore a little more of the unpaved roads if you are more adventurous.) Anyways, we signed all the paperwork and then were told to go out of the building and to the right there would be a row of convertibles, the keys were in the car, and we could pick whichever one we wanted. We both looked at each other like "Your kidding right?" It was really neat! We chose the silver Seabring and it was great all week! Driving on Maui was amazing because on most of the island you look to one side and you see these beautiful mountains and on the other you see the gorgeous blue ocean!

We stayed on the west side of the island on Kaanapali Beach at the Westin Maui Resort and Spa. The hotel was so beautiful. Most of the hotel is outdoors including the check in desk and restaurants. The first thing you see when you walk in is one of several waterfalls and it is so relaxing to hear the waterfalls and ocean as you eat or relax in the pool. The pools had several waterfalls, caves, and water slides that connected each pool to another, with the exception of the adult pool which was nice to unplug at. We had an amazing view from our room of Black Rock, where we snorkeled one day later in the week.

Our first day there we went and rented snorkel gear for the week. We had already scheduled a snorkel trip for our 2nd day there that included gear but after doing some research I learned of several other good snorkel spots on the island that you could get to without using a boat. Then we swam in the ocean a bit. The west side of Maui has calmer waves in the summer and it was nice to relax in the ocean once you got past the shore break. That night we went to dinner at Hula Grill just down the beach from our hotel. We sat in the Barefoot Bar which was really neat because you sat in the sand and listened to a ukulele player and even saw a few hula dances. This was the view from our table. That night is one of my favorite memories from our trip because it was so relaxing to listen to the beautiful Hawaiian music, sink your toes in the sand, and watch the sunset go down by your love.

The next day we got up early and did a snorkel/sailing excursion with Trilogy. This was one of our favorite things on the trip. We sailed out of Maalea Harbor south of our hotel to a dormant volcanic caldera called Molokini. The crater is 2 miles south of Maui and is known as an excellent snorkel spot because there is no soil so the water is completely clear. We saw lots of colors of beautiful coral and a few fish. Then we got back on the boat and headed to another spot called Turtle Town or Five Caves Five Graves (named for a cemetery and Hawaiian burial ground on the mainland). Here we stopped over several caves where the protected see turtles live. They come up for air every 20 minutes so the likelihood of seeing one is very high. This is one of the main things Jason wanted to do while in Hawaii, see a sea turtle. (Well technically he wanted to ride one, but that is illegal and I had already threatened him beforehand!) I was relieved and excited when after we swam several yards from the boat we immediately saw a Hawaiian sea turtle! The size of these are tremendous! After our turtle sighting we swam on over several lava fingers that were covered in coral and we saw more fish here. After we got back on the boat we had a wonderful lunch and sailed back to the mainland. We had both been snorkeling twice before in Cozumel and Grand Cayman but never sailing and it was wonderful to sit and enjoy the views and breeze on the ocean. We went on a smaller boat with about 30 people and the crew was awesome with their hospitality and attention. I highly recommend them!

Later that night we went to our luau. We chose the Old Lahaina Luau because I had heard several places it is considered to most traditional authentic public luau on Maui. It was right on the ocean. The food was very good we tried many traditional Hawaiian foods as well as some more exotic foods such as octopus and raw tuna (I don't recommend either one, but I can say I tried them now!) The music and hula dancing was wonderful! I particularly loved the slow dances they were so romantic! They recognized honeymoon and anniversary couples and we got to dance by the ocean...It was very sweet!

Well that's the first two days... I'm working on a post more about our trip to a pineapple plantation, more snorkeling, a beautiful drive along the northern coast, and hike to a blowhole by the sea. Everything you think you know about picking a pineapple is not true, so tune in again for a lesson in how to pick the best pineapple and some beautiful landscape photography from my talented hubby!