Maui, Hawaii ~ July 2017

Sunday July 16, 2017

Vacation off to a slow start. 

Diane, Jay and I were up early and off to the airport for our long awaited trip to Hawaii. We boarded the plane and got all settled in with our pre-departure cocktails. 

Mamosa Time

Mechanical problems with the plane had us sitting on the plane for an hour and a half until they finally found another plane but we had to wait for it. American Airlines was very accommodating and gave us sandwhiches, chips, cookies and beverages. 5 hour delay was cut down to 4.5 because they were able to turn the plane quickly and everyone boarded without issues. Pre-Departure cocktail # 2

Vodka Cranberry, be kind to your kidneys!

And away we go! 

Finally. 

We had coordinated flights with Janet who was flying in from LAX, scheduled to arrive 10 minutes before us. Her flight was about 15 minutes early so she had almost 5 hours to wait for us.  Bummer way to start off our trip.

Our luggage came down quickly so off to the rental car place.  Jay had called from Phoenix to let them know we had a 5 hour delay and they said “no problem, your vehicle will be waiting”.  Not so fast.  Our vehicle was GONE.  Ugg.  He had upgraded to a large SUV.  They had a SUV for us but said they couldn’t do anything about the rate because it was pre-paid.  DUDE – it’s called a refund!  Anyhow they said if we didn’t like this one they would deliver the vehicle he paid for to wherever we wanted on Monday.  This vehicle is fine so Jay will call Budget and have them refund the difference between the rates.  SO FINALLY – off we go!.

We made our way to the condo at 7 p.m. and the office was closed.  There was a lock box but we don’t have a code. Hmmmmm.  There was a phone box that said #30 for the on-site property manager.  I called, no answer.  Two minutes later a woman came up and said “did you try to call me?”  She opened the box and gave us the envelope with the keys.  NOW we can start our vacay.  Yay!  The condo is BEAUTIFUL and the ocean view is amazing.

View from standing in the living room

We were all hungry after a day of airport/airplane food so we ventured out but first stop was to walk down to the beach and put our feet in the water.  Heavenly.  We ended up going to Leilanie’s at Whaler’s Village for dinner.

Maui rainbow

1st Sunset

Janet and I with the obligatory "first" Mai-Tai. *So*De*Lish*

The ladies decided on appetizers, no entrees. 

Diane and I split a tomato/mozzarella salad and an order of crab cakes

Janet had coconut shrimp appetizer and a wedge salad.  Jay had seafood pasta.  Everything was excellent.  We wandered our way back through the shopping center and stopped at the ABC Store for flip flops, bottled water and snacks.  Ventured back to the condo and unpacked.  By then it was 10 p.m. Hawaii time (1 a.m. California/Arizona time) so we were all pretty tired. Off to bed. 

Monday July 17, 2017

Wide awake at 5 a.m.  Who needs sleep?  I figured I’d SF&P (shower, fluff and puff) and go out to he lanai to blog.  

Beautiful morning in Paradise from the lanai

As I got downstairs Diane was walking out of her bedroom with her phone in hand.  Dennis called so she thought something had happened back home.  He thought we were three hours later, not earlier.  There was a bad monsoon last night which left behind lots of damage and took out one of the marinas.  I called Paul and he said everything was fine at home, random trees down on his way to work.  All is well.

No idea what we are going to do today but I can guarantee a good time will be had.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay went up to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and brought back some cooked sausage that we shared. Linguica, Hawaii’s version of Portuguese Sausage.  It was kind of like a sweet chorizo. Plus some pineapple sausage. Both were very good. We headed north and drove around the top of the island.  It’s a long and windy road with some really narrow passages and hairpin turns that can make your stomach do flips but so incredibly beautiful. 

Old cemetery along the way  

We went for lunch at Kahului Ale House.  I ordered an Asian Chicken Salad and Diane ordered Fish ‘ N Chips so we shared a little.  Janet and Jay had wraps.  Back in the car and continuing north then down the island to Kula Botanical Gardens.  That was really nice.  There weren’t many people there.  We meandered around there for a while taking pictures at the gorgeous Koi Pond and lots be pretty flowers. 

Nene in the bird sanctuary

Poisonous AND Toxic! Let's not venture into the Tabu Gardens! 

We supported the gift shop!  I bought some earrings and Janet bought a bracelet for herself and a couple of souvenirs.  Back in the vehicle and down to Lahaina.  We stopped at Banyan Treats for an ice cream. 

I had Pa'uwela Sunset: orange dreamsicle with pineapple tidbits that was super good and very refreshing.  We walked down to where the tour boats sail from.  We had planned on taking a dinner cruise Thursday night but ruled it out after getting more info. Then we checked out some more shops.

I never pass up on a scooter op!

We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the condo. Coffee, water, fruit and apparently we needed more snacks! None of us felt like going back out so we decided it would be a Pizza and Pajamas Nite.  We ordered in from Dolly’s which was highly recommended by Donna (Diane’s friend since Jr. High and like our sister from another mister).  

FTM I woke up Itchy McScratchy and when I went to shower I discovered a bug bite the size of a tennis ball.  I put on After Bite, Sting Ease and Magical Healing Salve (not all at the same time).  The itching stopped but the redness was lingering.  Diane wanted to stop and get benadryl but I remembered I had an allergy pill with me so I took that.  A few hours later the redness and heat had calmed down.

Tuesday July 18, 2017

Up early, SF&P and down stairs.  Diane was up and Jay got up shortly thereafter.  It was about 5:30 by then and the sun was almost up.  There was a nice ocean breeze.  I told her this is the time I like to go for a walk on the beach.  She said “lets go” so we left Janet a note and off the three of us went.  We walked the stretch of beach in front of our condo from one end to the other.

Then we walked through the property and out to the main road and walked a bit passing a mixture of McMansions and a homeless camping spot on the beach.  

Ocean Princess,
guardian of the homeless camp

When we got back to the condo Jay went up to get his keys and we took a little drive to check out the local area.  Shhhhhh, don’t wake Janet.

Agenda today is breakfast and then we’ll see where the road leads.  Stay tuned.
********************

I don't typically do the "toes in the sand" pics but...
all this colorfullness on the lanai had to make its way into the blog! 

We had breakfast at Jazzy Java which was pretty good.  Diane and I had Bagel fwith Lox and Cream Cheese.  Jay and Janet had the traditional breakfast with eggs, potatoes, breakfast meat (one with bacon, one with Portuguese Sausage), toast.  Its an adorable eclectic place.

Then off to the Maui Winery but first a stop at a fruit stand on the side of the road for pineapple and some little cake breads for tomorrow morning. 

What do you feed your Dragon?  Mine likes fruit!

Another long car ride on a twisty windy road but when we arrived the view was amazing.  Gorgeous property but the wine was meh.  They give you a choice of three different tastings.  I had my three plus a sip of one of Jay’s, one of Diane’s and one of Janet’s.  There wasn’t one wine I would go through the trouble of taking home.   I would still recommend going up there to wander around their beautiful property.

Fig Tree

We ate pineapple in the parking lot before leaving

We left there and ventured down to Kehei.  I wanted to go to Moose McGillycuddy’s to get a tank top for Paul. His 30 year old one finally wore out! They’ve closed the one in Lahaina so we had to go to Kehei. No tank tops, just t-shirts so t-shirt it is.  While we were there we had a beverage.  They may have been alcohol involved!

Lahaina Lemonade on the left; Mai-Tai on the right.

Then we stopped at an open marketplace and meandered through the shops.  We supported the local vendors. ;-)

Back in the car and headed towards the condo but not without a stop at the local ABC Store.  This one had a regular deli counter with hot foods, etc.  Chey had told Diane that we HAD to try the Musubi. Cedar said it was good too. When we were waiting at the airport Diane and I were talking about it and the lady behind us said "that's SOOO good". It’s a square of rice about the size of a Twinkie with a wrap of seaweed around the center.  It looks like sushi but it has spam on top instead of fish. It did not sound or look appealing but we took one for the team. 

It wasn't horrible but I won't be having another! 

Diane, Janet and I walked down to the beach to put our feet in the ocean while strolling up and down the stretch in front of the condo.  Then we stopped at the foot shower to wash off the sand before putting our feet in the pool. 

We had decided earlier in the day that dinner would be LOBSTER!  We asked Mr. Google for a few recommendations and ended up at the Lahaina Fish Company on front street.  We had a cocktail at the bar while waiting for our table.  The quoted 20 minute wait was about 7 minutes.  We had a corner table upstairs that was just perfect. 

Diane and I both had the Twin Tails, Janet had the Prime Rib/Lobster Combo, Jay had Prime Rib.  The prime rib was marketed as “award winning”.   Jay thought it was under seasoned but Janet said it excellent.  The entrees were all delicious. The lobster was cooked to perfection. The bread was yummy and I especially liked the soft butter sprinkled with pink sea salt.  Everything came with mashed potatoes (no choices).  The mashed could have stayed in the pot.  

My Happy Meal

We skipped dessert and walked down to Banyan Treats for an ice cream. 

Wednesday July 19, 2017

Today we’re going to the BEACH.  We’ll have some morning snacks, go to the beach, have fish tacos for lunch at a place we discovered before we left, go to the Mai-Tai Party on the property and then back to Kehei to hook up with my friends Doug and Tony.  BusyBusyDay.  Making the most of every minute.  

**********

Hangin' with the locals.
Jay took this picture across the street from the Maui Winery the other day.
Paul said it looks like he's been replaced.  

As planned, Jay went to the store and bought sausages, some kind of scrambled eggs, coffee cake and juice.  We had casual breakfast on the lanai. Then we loaded up the cooler, lounge chairs, boogie boards and towels and headed to the beach.

Shleping our stuff to the beach

Aloha from my little slice of Paradise

Jay, our Sherpa, went back to the car to get pineapple, water, chips.  He's a trooper

Around noon we packed up and went to The Fish Market for Baja Fish Tacos.  It was the first place we put on our to-do list when we planned this trip. Rated as the Best Fish Tacos in Maui.  They were super good.  The fish was crispy on the out side, tender on the inside, the cabbage was crunchy, the salsa was fresh and a little bite to it but not too much, the crema was just the right amount. Perfection in a tortilla.

We each had one taco and split one order of fries.  Plenty-o-Food

We decided to head back to the condo and go relax at the pool for a while.

My sister, the bag lady, carrying ALL of our bags back to the condo

I stopped into the office with one of our chairs.  My friend Doug works for a property management company and this is one of his properties. Who knew? He had emailed Vicky, the manager, as soon as he found out we were staying here.  She was very welcoming when I walked in and took one look at the chair and immediately got up to take it from me and grab another.  I told her (joking not sassy) “instead of four Tommy Bahama Beach Chairs, we had three plus a random chair which would have been fine except when you sit in it, it collapses and you fall into the ocean”.  I’m not telling which one us did THAT but I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t Jay!  She gave me a TB chair and said “this is the one that belongs in your unit”.  Hmm, was this a test?  Diane said someone probably left it somewhere and thought they lost it so replaced it with a cheesy one.  Dunno. 
We went to the pool.

We had this beautiful pool all to ourselves 

Then back to the condo to SF&P and get ready for the Mai-Tai Party.  We’ve been singing

“Oh we’re goin’ to a hukilau”

“Huki-huki-huki-huki-huki-hukilau”

“Oh we’re goin’ to a hukilau”

“Everybody loves a hukilau”.

With a little hula dance added in to get in the mood.

It was nice but I’m not sure why everyone says don’t miss it.  They had Mai-Tia’s, pineapple, some snacks like chips and chex mix.  There was also entertainment and a drawing for logo items.  Jay won a shirt.

We left there and went back down to Kehei to meet Doug and Tony at the Tiki Lounge.  It was so good to see them.  I’ve known Doug for 29 years.  He’s lived on Maui for 13. I saw them last when Paul and I were here 9 years ago.

There is a possibility there was some ass pinching going on!
Doug on YOUR left, Tony is on MY left.
Love these two guys!

By the time we got back it was almost 10.  Jay went to bed.  Diane was reading and Janet was on her tablet so I took that as a sign that it was time for me to go to bed too. 

Thursday July 20, 2017
Today we are going to breakfast, going to the Ritz to walk their beautiful cliff walking path, going to the BEACH and then back to SF&P and go somewhere nice for dinner.  At least that’s the plan…

*********

All things subject to change.  We were going to go to the Gazebo for breakfast but it was at least an hour wait. There is no "name taking list", you just stand in line where there isn't any shade. We went to Slappy Cakes instead. The wait there was 40 minutes. Slappy Cakes is a pancake house with grills in the middle of each table so you can make your own pancakes.  We all opted for ordering off the menu.  

I had Banana Bread French Toast

Diane had Avocado Benedict

Janet got a Mushroom Scramble and Jay had Buttermilk Pancakes. 

Everything was good.  Instead of a walk at the Ritz we went to the Maui Tropical Plantation.  We did the tram ride tour which was nice. 

Tram driver demo of how to husk and crack open a coconut  

Feeding the fish and the ducks

We went to the Maui Dive Shop. There was a dress shop next door.  Support your local businesses! 

We went back to the Fish Market for one more Baja Fish Taco.  So yummy. 

Then we drove down to the Ritz Carlton and took a walk around their property.

Puttin' on the Ritz
Hammock aka Sister Swing
Hilarious

Back to the condo so for some pool time.  This time we didn’t have the pool to ourselves but there weren’t many people there. 

Janet in the Pastor's Mom's pool float

Did I mention Janet’s Pastor is here?  Same week, same condo complex.  What were the odds? They come here every year and usually stay in the same unit. He’s traveling with his Mom and Dad, brother and niece.  His Mom and Dad were at the pool when we got there.  He arrived shortly thereafter so we chit-chatted with them for a while. 

Back to the condo to SF&P to get ready for dinner.
Dinner at Kimo's.  We had a nice table overlooking the ocean.  We started with cocktails.  

How about a Wicked Wahini?

The ladies did appetizers, no entrees again.  Diane and I had Beet Salad with Pears and Goat Cheese; Janet had the Caesar.  The three of us had Shrimp Cocktail.  Janet also had Seafood Chowder and Diane had Coconut Shrimp.  
This was not my favorite.  The salad was boring and the dressing was not very flavorful. The arugula didn't seem as fresh as it should be. The shrimp cocktail was good but zero presentation appeal for a nice restaurant.  Typically they hang them off the edge of a martini glass with ice.  These were lazily just tossed on a plate.

Diane's Coconut Shrimp at top of the photo

Jay had Parmesan Crusted Opa. Janet had been wanting for Hula Pie all week so FINALLY... 

Janet in her Happy Place

I would recommend going there for the dessert after having dinner elsewhere. After dinner we walked up Front Street for a bit before heading back to the condo.

I probably won't be able to updated tomorrow's activities/photos until I get home.  I'm sure there will be time at the airport but I'm going to assume I won't have internet access.  Here's the plan:
Check out time is 11 so we'll probably leave around 10:30 because Janet has an appointment for a tattoo at 11. When she’s done we’ll have lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.  Then do some last minute shopping and then to the Aquarium at the Maui Ocean Center.  Our flight leaves at 9 p.m.; Janet’s at 9:55 so I image we should be at the car rental place around 7.  

Friday, July 21, 2017
I do have time for two quick photos.
Our last dawn on the lanai:

Our last Maui morning walk on the beach:

Bed Hair ~ Don't Care

*******
First things first, Jay went up to the store and brought some breakfast meats (a variety of sausages and some bacon).  We had that out on the lanai with our cake breads and fresh pineapple.  

We packed up all our leftover snacks, coffee, etc and took them to the Pastor and his family.  We talked to him for a bit before saying Aloha.  As planned we checked out around 10:30 and dropped Janet off at the tattoo place.  Diane, Jay and I went to the Harley shop for t-shirts.  Then we mowsied through the stores and took some pictures at the Banyan Tree.

We continued down Front Street and, once again, supported the local businesses!  As we got close to Cheeseburger in Paradise, Janet text'd me that she was done.  Perfect timing.  

Cheeseburger ~ in Paradise

Diane had Fish n Chips.
Who knew a cheeseburger place would have such beautiful fish?

We did a little more last minute shopping before heading out to the Aquarium at the Maui Ocean Center.

The aquarium was very nice and and in such a beautiful setting.

Jellyfish

Jelly's are my favorite

Don't be Jelly!

Ginormous Stingray

And now it's time to say aloha to this beautiful island.  Off to the airport.  This time our flight was right on time.  TYJ.

Quick recap:
The weather could not have been better.  We had a few sprinkles of rain here and there but they never lasted more than a few minutes.  It was about 80* everyday with fantastic trade-winds that Maui is famous for.  The humidity wasn't bad.  It was not crowded as I expected it to be in the middle of summer vacation time.
The Kahana Village was very nice.  The unit looked exactly like the pictures (which is not always the case). These condos are individually owned and rented out by the on-site property management company.  Because they are individually owned they are all decorated differently, as opposed to a hotel or resort where every unit is exactly the same. That's nice because you can look at the units (furnishings and views) before making your reservation instead of a unit randomly selected for you at a regular resort or condo. The view from our lanai was perfect. The only complaint about the furnishings in our unit was that the futon should be replaced. The futon is how our unit "sleeps 5".  We didn't need it so it wasn't a problem for us.  The property was beautiful and well maintained.  Part of the beach in front of the complex was rocky, especially in the morning when the tide was out. There was still enough sandy beach, although we would have liked more for our morning walks.  That being said larger beaches were just up the road.  We all said we would stay there again.

We did a lot of sightseeing. A lot of relaxing at the beach or at the pool.  A lot of eating!  A few cocktails!

The Best of the Best 
(in the World According to Patti):
Best Mai-Tai - Leilani's.
Best Dinner - Lahaina Fish Co., Twin Tails.
Best Lunch - The Fish Market, Baja Fish Tacos.
Best Dessert - Kimo's Hula Pie.
Best Breakfast - On our Lanai - compliments of Jay.
Best Shopping for Souvenirs - ABC Store!
Best Views - pretty much everywhere.  The twisty windy road north of Kahana is breathtaking.  The property at the Maui Winery was gorgeous.
Best Casual Activity/Entertainment - I don't think I can pick.  The Tropical Plantation was very nice as well as The Botanical Gardens.  The Aquarium was nicely done.
Of course there are all kinds of adventurous activities/entertainment like ziplines and parasailing that we did not partake in. 

Mahalo for traveling with us.