Maui!

To celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, Chris and I and my parents went to Hawaii! 


This trip was planned at the perfect time- just after COVID, but before the tourism got crazy. We happened to hit the sweet spot. This meant less crowds, and gave us a chance to thoroughly enjoy everything.

Where We Stayed

We flew into Maui and rented a car through Dollar Car Rental. We stayed at an Airbnb at Hololani condos in Lahaina. We rented a corner unit which had the best views. Since it was whale season (I'll never go during non-whale season if I can avoid it), we were able to just sit on the balcony and watch whales. It was amazing!

 

 

See the water spout above? That was from a whale. You could see the whales blowing water everywhere as we sat outside. We would also see them flap their fin or breach the surface. 



Luau

Luaus are kind of a must do when in Hawaii. We booked a luau at Old Lahaina Luau which we really enjoyed. Due to COVID, seating was a bit more spread out and there was no buffet, everything was plated service. But it was all just as much fun. 


Snorkeling

We did see some brave people snorkeling near our condo unit, but the water seemed very choppy. We rented snorkel gear and they were able to point us towards some friendlier snorkel spots. Unfortunately, we didn't have our GoPro yet, so no underwater pics to share. But snorkeling is probably one of my favorite memories from this trip. Not so much seeing the fish (though that was awesome!), but just sharing the experience with my parents. We went to Maluaka Beach, or "Turtle Town." It was definitely a friendly area and had plenty of sandy beach to relax on if you didn't want to be in the water. 

And this part of my drive around Maui was my fave-- all the trees!

 
After snorkeling we grabbed a couple beers and some food nearby. It was a beautiful area. 

Whale Watching

We also went on a whale watching tour. The day of this tour was exceptionally hot, but it was still fun. We saw a breaching whale, a mom and calf, and two whales swam right under out boat. It was worth the trip, but seeing the whales from our balcony was really just as awesome. 





Mama's Fish House

Mama's Fish House is an awesome place and has amazing food. My only regret is that we went after dark and couldn't fully enjoy their location and scenery. The restaurant was just amazing in itself- definitely make reservations EARLY!


 
Another nice place we ate, which was closer to where we were staying, was Kimo's. It has a beautiful view.

 We also walked to Kohola Brewing, which was fun to check out. 
Due to COVID, everything closed at 10 pm, so we didn't have any late nights.

We all really enjoyed Maui. I have been to Oahu before, and never had a strong desire to go back to Hawaii, but this trip changed my mind. It was awesome and I would go back to Maui.

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