I’ve already been home for a couple of weeks but am just now sitting down to write my usual facts and fascinations post after a trip. If you want you can read about my other trips by clicking on the links below.
Facts and Fascinations About My Trip to Florida
Facts and Fascinations About My Trip to New York
My husband and I were married in Maui 18 years ago. We have dreamed about going back ever since and finally this year we had the opportunity. My parents flew in to watch our kids which was amazing and we can’t thank them enough.
So let’s get this list started shall we!
1. I always remembered the beautiful smell of Maui. I remember 18 years ago it hitting me as soon as we stepped off the plane. It was intoxicating and I was so looking forward to breathing in this magnificent air again. Only it didn’t happen. I think it had something to do with traveling at two different times of the year. Our first trip was in late February/early March and this trip was in August and I guess different flowers are in bloom at different times. I was so sad.
2. Despite the lack of intoxicating air, the flowers of Maui are stunning. I couldn’t get enough of them. But what I found most fascinating though was that everywhere you looked in the tourist areas the grounds were meticulously maintained, green and lush. Yet as soon as you were out of the tourist areas, the land was really quite dry, brown and barren. It made me realize how much time and attention must go into keeping the lawns and gardens in the towns looking so gorgeous each and every day. Super wow!
3. We rented a 2014 Ford Mustang Convertible while there, a dream come true for my husband. It was so fun to watch how happy he was to drive around every day. We did a lot of driving.
I must have over a hundred pictures taken from inside the moving vehicle. Like this one:
And this one:
And this one:
4. I am not a morning person at all yet every day we were on Maui, I was up by 6:00 am and in bed by 9:00. All that fresh air wiped me right out and I crashed hard every night. I absolutely loved sitting on the lanai early every morning taking in the sounds of the birds chirping and the palm trees swaying while watching the ocean in the distant. It was so relaxing and refreshing and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it.
5. Because we were up so early we were usually at the beach by 8:30 or 9:00 and we almost always had the place to ourselves. I thoroughly enjoyed that. We played in the waves and snorkeled around the reef right off the beach and had a great time.
That’s me saying hi!
6. The sand in Hawaii is hot to walk on and the water isn’t as clear or as warm as it was in Florida. In my opinion Florida definitely wins for better beaches. BUT the ocean waves of Maui were super fun to play in and we even saw a huge sea turtle swim right past us. Very cool.
7. We once again rented a condo through VRBO.com. I highly recommend this site when looking for a place to stay when traveling. We stayed at the Maui Kamaole in Kihei and I loved this location. We were at the end of Kihei just before Wailea so it wasn’t super busy but we were still within walking distance of restaurants and shops. It was a quiet resort with beautiful grounds.
8. The food on Maui was AMAZING. We didn’t have one bad meal. Not one. I showcased some of our meals here if you want to check out some of the places we ate at and recommend. We purchased food at a local grocery store and ate breakfast and lunch in our condo to cut down on costs and then enjoyed dinners out each evening. These were the best fish tacos ever at the Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Kihei. So delicious!
9. Chronic pain sucks especially though when it flares up in paradise. Bringing home a cane was not the souvenir I had in mind but on the positive side my “Hawaiian” cane is so much nicer than the canes I had at home and it folds up! Score! 🙂
10. As some of you know I am a total geek about gift shops. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. So imagine my surprise when we discovered the shops on Front Street in Lahaina. Oh my word, I was in gift shop heaven. It was shop after shop after shop. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many all in one place before. I was a giddy giddy girl. I don’t have a picture of the street itself but I do have one of me in front of the Banyan tree there.
11. Our wedding hotel was gone! We drove around Wailea one day looking for it and were very confused when we couldn’t find it. Once we got back to the condo we googled it to see what happened. Turns out the hotel was demolished and a new ultra modern one built in its place. We had no idea!
12. I don’t often get embarrassed but I will tell you that I experienced something in Maui that made me wish there was a great big hole in the floor that would have opened up and sucked me down. While at a restaurant one day I finished my meal and got up to use the restroom. I was in pain at this point so basically hobbled my way there ever so slowly. When I was done, I made my way back to my table, again moving at a snail’s pace using my cane to support me. It was only once I got to the table and a lady came flying up and hugged me from behind did I begin to suspect that something might not be quite right. She whispered into my ear “honey I don’t want to embarrass you but your dress is tucked up into your underwear in the back”. Oh yes she did and oh yes I did! I about died. Seriously! But thanks to the kindness of this lovely stranger I was able to fix the situation quickly and we got out of there fast. Can you imagine? Has this ever happened to any of you?
13. This was the first trip I think I’ve ever taken without experiencing any travel chaos whatsoever. No delayed flights, lost luggage or anything else. That fact alone fascinated me more than anything else!
Cheers!
Have you been to Hawaii? Where did you stay and what did you love most about it?
Kathy J. says
Thank you for the great review! My hubby and I are going to Maui in February for our 20th anniversary. Neither of us have been there before and we are 60! We have a condo reserved in Kehei, too! I can’t wait!
Laura says
Oh you will have a wonderful time, happy early anniversary!!
Anne says
My husband, 17yr old daughter and I just returned from Maui about a week ago as well! This was our first time there. BEAUTIFUL! We stayed on the Westside at the Outrigger Royal Kahana. Huge building and all the units are different. We got one of the two studio rooms with two beds. A basic unit with fixtures from the 80’s, a small kitchen area and in suite washer and dryer, it had a partial ocean view and was only $95/nt! There was also a 24hr reception desk, a nice pool and the building is set right on the beach.
The Westside is quiet and about 10mins drive to Lahaina and Whalers Village (shopping!).
We also attended Church right on the beach facing the ocean. AMAZING!
We were only there a week — definitely need to go back again!
Thx for sharing your facts and fascinations for Maui!
~Anne~
Laura says
Church on the beach would have been amazing. Wow!
Melissa says
We loved Maui. We went about 5 years ago before we decided it was time to have kid#2. We stayed at the Kapalua condos and I LOVE condo living on vacation. No piles of tourists in hotel hallways, my own kitchen and lanai and a fantastic view. The furniture is always surprising to me…it’s always outdoor or wicker and super uncomfortable, but since we’re not there to sit and watch TV, it works out ok. We LOVED Lahaina as well and all those shops and eateries. We also took a hike/waterfall tour which was awesome. I think we’ll definitely go back someday and maybe stay on Kauai instead, although Maui was really wonderful.
Laura says
We honeymooned in Kauai and it was beautiful!
Tragic Sandwich says
We haven’t gotten to Maui yet, but we love VRBO–we’ve found places on Kauai and the Big Island there, as well as on the Mainland.
What wonderful pictures! I’m glad you had a great trip.
Laura says
Thank you! We have had great experiences with VRBO.
Judy says
Yes, I have done the dress tuck trick too: at the school where I taught. Only a couple of women saw me, but the story grew larger and more epic as time passed. By the time I retired, the faculty were telling that I walked into my room and started teaching. Fun times! By the way, I love Maui too!
Laura says
Oh that’s funny! Glad to know I’m not the only one 🙂
Susan says
I love Maui (and the other islands.) We go as often as we can afford it. I love the Westin in Kaanapali. It’s right next door to an outdoor shopping center where you can send the kids for lunch. Next summer, I think we’re going to try a condo for the first time. Hopefully, we’ll save some money on our room but also save a lot of money on breakfast and lunch. I want to save our spending money to go out to dinner every night!
Laura says
Ahh yes the dinners are so amazing, I’m still dreaming of them 🙂
Theresa M. says
I LOVE MAUI and all things Hawaii!!! We stayed at the Maui Sands when we were there in 1996 (our friends own a unit there) … so hoping to go back soon, maybe for our 17 or 18th anniversary ( we will celebrate our 16th anniversary in October this year, where does the time go?)
Glad you had a great time, and how nice of a complete stranger to come to your rescue, a random act of kindness for sure.
Laura says
Oh I was so thankful to her because I have no idea when I would have noticed myself lol
Jenny says
Amazing trip details– I’m sold on Hawaii for a someday trip 😉
Laura says
Thanks Jenny, yes you will love it! 🙂
ter@waaoms says
oh my goodness… I would have been embarrassed too!! But nice of that lady to let you know what was going on!!
Btw, wanted to let you know I got the package in the mail this past week!! Thank you! 🙂
Kate @ Happy Simple Mine says
Beautiful pictures! I love Maui as well, but hope to visit Kauai on our next stay there. I heard that island is more lush. Have you been to that island?
Embarrassing moments are dreadful in the moment… but they make for great stories later!
Glad you had a nice vacation!
Laura says
We honeymooned in Kauai after we were married. It was lovely and lush! Apparently it is the most lush because they get the most rain of all the islands which definitely helps. I loved that island as well. I really don’t think you can go wrong whichever island you choose 🙂
Marilyn says
So glad that you enjoyed your vacation here. We are in a drought now and have been for some time – thus the brown tones. Also since there is so little sugar cane being planted, those fields are brown. Love your picture in front of the Blanton tree – that is actually one tree – was planted over 140 years ago. Love all your pictures and recommendations – now I really want one of those fish tacos!
Kara M says
I loved your post and your pictures! It reminded me of my trips to Hawaii. I was fortunate/blessed to spend a summer in Hawaii (Big Island) in college as a summer missionary and found time to hop over to Maui for 24 hours. I knew I wanted to visit again for longer, so my husband and I went as our last thing on our “to-do” list before having kiddos (14 years ago). We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua. It was incredible and we SO want to get back to Hawaii, but it won’t be at the Ritz this time.
Laura says
Oh my goodness how did I not realize that about the tree? So very cool!!
Kari says
My husband and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon, 10 years ago. We went to Oahu and stayed in Waikiki. We loved everything about it! I have to disagree about the beaches though! The beaches an Oahu were beautiful and the water was crystal blue, surpassing anything I’ve ever seen in Florida! Maybe it depends on what island you are on. The food was amazing! The people were incredible! And our hotel…wow! We were in a corner room. If we laid on our bed we saw Diamond Head right in front us. If we rolled over to the right we had a view of Waikiki Beach. Yeah, that was a nice way to wake up every day!! lol- and we were like you about getting up early every day and falling asleep early too. But I think it’s the darn time change! When it was 9 pm there it was 3 am at home! We woke up almost every day at 4 am because it was 10 am at home! That killed us!!! And just as we started to adjust it was time to go home! We hope to take our kids and go back for our 25 anniversary. Only 15 years to save up…I wonder if that’s long enough!? lol
Lucy says
Wow great pictures and great story I love it.
Thank you for sharing it with us.
Mary Alice says
Loved the comment from the teacher in reply to your tucked in dress. I was an elementary teacher and was watching my kindergarten class on the playground when a middle school group walked past on their way to a class. One of those 7th graders came to me and whispered that the whole back of my dress was tucked into my pantyhose. I have no idea how long it was like that!