Maui Was Pretty Wowie.

16 years ago

We left Maui at 7:30 pm Friday, flew to Kona, flew to Seattle, and flew to Detroit, landing at about 4:00 pm Saturday. We felt livelier than we had any right to feel, so we decided to make the five hour drive home, rather than wait until the next morning. The last hour was the toughest, but we made it and collapsed gratefully into bed. Jet lag is just now wearing off completely.

In spite of that, it was probably the best vacation I have ever had, and I would go back at the drop of a hat. We saw truly awesome scenery, played in the waves with boogie boards, snorkeled among coral and fish, hiked on a volcano, played in the pool and elsewhere with the grandkids, had some delicious meals, and just generally had a super time. I left a few things to do for next time, number one being biking down Mt. Haleakala - around thirty miles of downhill road. I just couldn't work it into this trip.

I've put in a link to an album at Photobucket if anyone would like to see some of the pictures I took. A few are of family members, but most aren't.

I'm sure glad it's spring now here in Michigan. It would be too depressing to come back from Maui in the dead of winter.

ThinMan

Here is a link that might be useful: Maui Pics

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Comments (16)

lorna-organic
16 years ago
Glad you had a terrific vacation, TM. Hawaii is a different world. Sounds like you will be going back!

Lorna
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
16 years ago
Just had a look at your photo's, spectacular views, beautiful flowers, the fish looked like something we use to have in a salt water aquarium and, my oh my that lavender field, is it spanish lavender? I almost felt like I was there. What a wonderful place to vacation in, I bet you would have liked to have stayed another week :o).

Annette
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Hmm, my 2 cents. If it were me, I would choose the BI (and to be honest, i was never that interested in the BI, but when we went in 2015, it was the second time for DH and I and we wanted to see something different, while also taking the kids to Maui and Honolulu). It is a tough call. Personally, from the East Coast, it does not make sense to visit Hawaii 2x ,IMHO. You can go a lot more interesting places for the time and money, and if you want to veg, you can go to Nevis or wherever, much more quickly. Different for folks on the West Coast, but that is my opinion for our coast. Stilll ... it is one of those places a lot of people just want to see, and I agree that is makes a lot of sense on your way back from what will be a highly educational and maybe even arduous trip, to just take a vacation. So my starting point is, assume you won't go back. I think if you told most people you were going to Hawaii once and only once, and never going back, they would not say "so just go to the Big Island" and call it a day. I think a lot of men would say "just go to Honolulu, drive outside of town to less crowded beaches, make sure you see Pearl harbor and call it a day". I think most couples and families would choose Maui because it is where the action is. In re the road to Hana. IIRC the full trip is like 7 hrs or so ... for that reason I had never done it before. We did it with the kids this last time. We were in some enormous Suburban XL or something, on mostly two lane twisty roads. We stopped hear and there. Is it gorgeous. Yes, totally. BUT ... when we were done, I said to DH ... with two of us in an open convertible, on a less trafficy day, that would have been delightful. With five of us in a behemoth,the a/c blasting, it was like driving a tractor trailer on the Pacific Coast Highway. If you do it, ditch the kids. It's just flowers, waterfalls, views. You can share the photos. They will probably thank you for sparing them. I always liked the downhill bike ride from Mt Haleakala on Maui, which I did years ago at sunrise. You can no longer start from the top (too unsafe) so it was fun but no big whoop this time IMHO. The other days we did a snorkel trip on a boat (IMHO Maui does not have the best snorkel opportunities due to crowds). I really don't remember much else, but maybe your older boys would like going to the areas with all the shopping and bars in Maui (Lahaina et al I think). I know you would love the Four Seasons on the BI. The rooms are so much nicer and bigger and the property is lush. Do you guys golf at all? Gorgeous course. Wonderful plein air spa. It was full, but we never had to wait for things. So relaxing. My kids loved surfing lessons, and spent a lot of time doing that (not at the resort, it was a short ride). They liked a heli tour over the active volcanoes. They liked snorkelling in the pool's own snorkel pond (but it is a bit lame TBH). There are mutliple pools and a pretty walkway along the water, and no other development visible. One thing to note ... the conditions for ocean swimming were rough iirc. People sat at the beach but few went in. Ok by me as I love to watch the ocean but am happier to swim in a pool (just feet away). Total pampering at this place ...I know there are a few small towns nearby, but I do not know if there is enough for say, your boys to spend a "night on the town". My kids all liked the Big Island best, but they were 16, 13 and 14. I might call the concierge and ask him what there is for everyone to do. HTH
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midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
16 years ago
Oh, Hawaii - what a great place!!! Glad you had a good time- I will have a look at the pics later!!
FlowerLady6
15 years ago
TMan ~ It looks like you had a fantastic time in Maui. Love the picture of the 'fetching lass' you met. : -) You both look like you had some quality family time, in beautiful surroundings. All of the foliage looks like right here, only the gorgeous vistas and mountains don't. Florida is flat, flat, flat, except for mid to northern you will get a few rolling hills.

Glad you enjoyed your trip and I hope you get to go back soon.

FlowerLady
mora
15 years ago
You will just have to make do with all the warmth and love of your web fiends for a bit to get you back in your wonderful home space,we're here, lol , M
Vikki1747
15 years ago
TM,
Wonderful pictures ~ aren't the tropics wonderful? Looks like you had a great vacation. We head off to Canada in a few weeks with a stop at Butchart Gardens, which I believe was where you went last spring? I can't wait, we are so looking forward to the trip. Maybe I'll continue in your footsteps and visit Hawaii next year, lol.

Vikki
P.S. I know the name of the flower #1 & 2 = Canna Lily and Spider Lily. The brightly colored foalige shrub is Croton, I think and the double dark orange bloom (looks gold in the picture)is a Hibiscus.
PattiOH
15 years ago
I enjoyed your gorgeous pictures of paradise, ThinMan.
What wonderful memories for you and your family!
Patti
thinman
Original Author
15 years ago
You're right, Lorna. I now know that Hawaii is definitely a different (and amazing) place.

Annette - I don't know what kind of lavender it is. I just thought it looked great, and knew that this audience would appreciate it. And, yes, another week would have been just about right.

Nancy - It was indeed pretty great.

FlowerLady - Hawaii did remind me a lot of Florida, except, as you said, for the flatness. The rainy side of Maui was lush and jungle-like, which I haven't seen in Florida, though it may exist somewhere. Also, at least while we were there, we had a constant breeze, day and night, which made the warmth and humidity very easy to take.

Martha - I will be very happy to make do with those things, although you did scare me a little when you wrote web fiends. Probably a typo, right? ...Martha? ...Right?

Vikki - Have a great time in Canada. You will have a fantastic experience at the Butchart Gardens. And Hawaii the next year? Absolutely! Thanks for helping me identify those flowers.

Patti - I'm really glad you liked my pictures. They do look a lot like paradise, don't they? The trip was definitely one for the scrapbook (figuratively speaking, I don't really do scrapbooking.)

Thank you all for your welcome and friendly comments.

ThinMan
todancewithwolves
15 years ago
So glad you all had a wonderful vacation. Love the flora and fauna pictures. The black sand is amazing as so is the fields of lavender. I didn't know lavender could grow in a tropical environment.

Edna
mora
15 years ago
he,he,he....(sinister pause for effect) yes, it was a typo,lol, M
DYH
15 years ago
WOW! An awesome vacation. Never been to Maui, but your description and photos make it very, very tempting.

Cameron
DYH
15 years ago
I came back for another look. Great family vacation in a beautiful place. I didn't realize that lavender is grown in fields there.

Cameron
thinman
Original Author
15 years ago
I didn't realize that lavender is grown in fields there.

Well at least one field, anyway. :-)

TM
Steveningen
15 years ago
It sounds like you had an awesome trip, ThinMan. Did you guys do the Hana Road drive then? Brian and I got chased by a wild pig at the Seven Sacred Pools the last time we were there. I'm glad you made it up to Haleakala. Did you notice the protea farm about mid-way up? What an otherwordly place. I've got to say, you have more gumption than me to take on that downhill ride on bike. Some of those hairpin turns up near the top had my on the floorboard of our rental car. Glad to hear you had a good time.

Now I'm shutting my eyes and imagining those gentle warm breezes blowing on my face as I sit drinking something out of a coconut watching a Maui sunset.

Aloha

Steven
thinman
Original Author
15 years ago
Rats, I forgot about drinking something out of a coconut. Guess I'll have to go back.

We did do the road to Hana. It was a rainy morning there so we didn't get off the road and hike very much, nor did we decide to go as far as the Seven Sacred Pools. We just had lunch and turned around and went back the way we came. Apparently there was an earthquake there in 2006 and the coastline road south from Hana was damaged to the point where it has been blocked off, so you can't drive all the way around anymore. Still, we loved it and were very glad we took the time to do it.

We actually drove up Haleakala the afternoon of the same day. We didn't have much time up there, but we were OK with that.

I don't know if I really have any more gumption than you. Talk is cheap and I haven't actually done it yet. :-) I know I would be taking it pretty slowly all the way. Imagine the views from the seat of a bike!

ThinMan
DYH
15 years ago
Steven...too funny about the wild pig. I was in Oahu once and got chased by an amorous peacock! I had to convince him that, no matter how attractive he was, I was not his type! LOL

TM -- I'm really studying what you did there as it sounds just perfect!

Cameron

Maui Was Pretty Wowie.

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