Although Kauai was much more difficult for us to leave than Oahu was, we were still excited to spend the final five days of our Hawaiian adventure on the island of...
M A U I!
We booked the last flight of the day so we could soak up a few final hours on Kauai, and we were so happy we did. Getting to the airport was simple and quick, and we had no issues returning our rental car or getting to our gate. It was a quick 45-minute flight to Maui, and we were so excited to explore this new-to-us island. For the first time since arriving in Hawaii, there was no line for our rental car, and we thought, "Heck yes! We'll get there faster." Our enthusiasm was quickly squashed when the guy helping us told us about the shut downs because of wild fires. We had no idea what that meant, but we learned it quick: there is only one road that led to our resort, and it was closed indefinitely. Yikes! We spent around seven hours parked on the side of the road, and we finally got to our hotel room after 1 AM.
We thought the worst of it was over once we got there. But when I checked us in at the front desk, I was informed that 1) the hotel was at full capacity and 2) the tower our room had no air conditioning. With no other options, we lugged our luggage and two sleeping kiddos into a room that was 80 degrees. Definitely not ideal! We tried our best to sleep and remind ourselves that paradise it still paradise even if it's hot, but I did go down to the front desk and ask for an update first thing that morning. Unfortunately nothing had changed, and that continued every time I checked for the next 24 hours as well. The hotel was very apologetic and accommodating, and they offered us resort credits (which we used for lunches) and a partial refund for the two nights we did not have A/C. I was grateful for their willingness to compensate us for this, and TJ was grateful for a wife who is not afraid to be perceived as a nuisance (LOL). Even though our stay in Maui had a less than ideal start, we were still so happy for the five nights we spent at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Maui.
When I originally booked the trip in the order that I did, I saved Maui for last because I assumed it would be our favorite based on what I read. Surprisingly, Maui ranked last on our list as the trip progressed! It wasn't because anything was necessarily wrong with it; we just enjoyed the other two islands better, especially coming from the slow pace of Kauai. We mostly stayed on or close to our resort while on Maui, which was a hit with kids because of they thought this pool was the best. After more than a week of adventure, it was difficult for us to adjust to the culture on this island. It kind of felt like we were at an amusement park at times with the large crowds everywhere; there were a lot more tourists here than Kauai and Oahu. We would absolutely go back, but we'd spend more time on the other islands over this one next time!
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Maui, Day One
Our first full day in Maui was a rest/resort day for us, and the pool was a H I T with the kids. They were little fish all day long, which meant that TJ and I went back and forth between pools and chairs all day long, too. The beach here is great, as well, and we saw several sea turtles pop their heads up from the water as we splashed! And after two years of anticipation, we finally got to see the penguin show that happens every morning at Hyatt Regency Maui. The animals on property were so great: African penguins, koi fish, and a variety of birds. We enjoyed exploring the grounds a bit throughout the day.
To finish day one, we ate a club dinner and then walked down to Whaler’s Village. The walk there was quick and fabulous, and we’ll likely do it again before we leave. We love a good walking town, and this lil’ beach one was a winner. We enjoyed some delicious gelato at Ono before walking back to the resort.
We went to bed early to prepare for the next day's adventure: The Road to Hana!
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Maui, Day Two
This magical day can be summed up in four words:
THE ROAD TO HANA!
We spent around ten glorious hours driving winding roads and gawking at stunning views and pulling the car over to explore and driving over 59 one-lane bridges and going with the flow. I downloaded the Gypsy app to my phone and purchased a guided tour that was fabulous, and we listened and stopped where we wanted and didn’t miss a thing, even if we didn’t stop. A lot of people book private tours for this trip, but we decided to give it a go ourselves. I'm so glad we did! We took our time and did what we wanted when we wanted. The Gypsy app was a huge part of why we enjoyed ourselves so much -- definitely worth the $14.99 we spent!
There are countless places you can see from the road, and we made the following intentional stops along the way:
-Ho'okipa Beach
-Ke'anae Arboretum
-Ke'anae Peninsula
-Aunt Sandy's Banana Bread
-Huli Huli Chicken
-Hamoa Beach, Hana
-Wailua Falls
These pictures give a glimpse of all the beauty we witnessed and experienced:
We were all pooped by the time we got back to the hotel, and we were so grateful for such a fun last big adventure day on our trip. Each island has been uniquely its own, and we have loved every minute of discovering that for ourselves. Maui won me over with the Road to Hana — an outdoor lover’s paradise!
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Maui, Day Three
We woke up after 8 o’clock, ate a club breakfast, and spent the majority of the day bouncing back and forth between the beach and the pool. Both kiddos made friends on this day, so it was an ultimate lounge day for Teesh and me. I finished my third book of the trip, and he chipped away at his second (fun fact: it was so fun to look up from my book to see him reading his).
A little after 4 o’clock, we packed up and headed in for showers. Why? Because it was L U A U night at Drums of the Pacific! Dinner, drinks, a three course meal, sharing a table with a darling family from NJ, and a fabulous show made for the most wonderful evening. Throw in the matching outfits that were a hit with everyone we passed (LOL), and this day was just about as good as it gets. Especially after such a big adventure day yesterday, it was lovely to take it slow all day long and then get fancy for dinner. It was extra nice that the luau took place at our resort, so we just had a short walk to get there.
A Hawaiian luau was a MUST-DO on our bucket list for this trip, though it was quite costly for all of us to attend. Was it worth it? Absolutely! If you ever get to experience Hawaii for yourself, I highly recommend you enjoy an evening like this for yourself.
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Maui, Day Four
*sigh*
This day was our final day in paradise. Did we contemplate cancelling our flights and doing a long layover in LA? We absolutely did. But were we prepared enough to actually pull the trigger? Sadly, no. I can assure you that next time, we will be.
We spent this last glorious day in the water all day long. We walked for shave ice after breakfast and then continued on past Whaler’s Village to Black Sand Beach for some swimming and snorkeling. The water was soooo clear here, and we saw lots of fish and a sea turtle. Braxton and TJ were especially giddy for an up-close swimming experience with the turtle, and I ran like a Baywatch mom to grab the GoPro so they could capture it on camera. We already miss seeing their cute little heads pop out of the water when you least expect it.
After a few hours on the beach, we made the 20-minute walk back to our hotel and posted up by the pool until the sky turned from blue to orange to gray to black. We used the remainder of our hotel credits to enjoy dinner poolside, and it was the perfect ending to a perfect two weeks. No one wanted to leave the following day, but we were all looking forward to being home; ironic how two opposites can be true at the same time.
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Hawaii, you have been even dreamier than our wildest dreams. What we once thought was a once-in-a-lifetime trip has now become a once-every-few-years trip; we have been wowed, and we definitely want to feel this way again.
MAHALO, HAWAII!
