Maui-licious

Let me start by saying that Maui was my favorite island before this trip. I am happy to say, that it still is.

We stayed at the Kaleialoha Condo in West Maui near Ka'anapali. I will say that I really am not an apartment dweller. I only lived in a condo once in my life and it was right on the beach. It can't be on the 1st floor, for paranoid reasons on my part. I booked a 3rd floor corner unit, for the extra windows. After looking at the pictures, I knew that I would love it and that I would want it! I really want to buy it! But that's another story. There's nothing like going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the surf. Anyhoo, the unit is fully equipped with upgraded kitchen & bath plus a W&D. You can practically jump from the lanai into the ocean. Practically. We watched sea turtles daily and they swam with us occasionally. You also have a direct view of Moloka'i and Lana'i .We walked to the small outdoor Farmer's Market on M/W/F. They have a great selection of locally grown produce. I loved the cream cheeses & jams/jelly. Banana Bread was really good too. They are generous with their samples, so try before you buy!

I had booked our car through Costco/Alamo for for $220 for the week for an economy but ended up getting a compact from Alamo through Priceline for $126. The cars on the Alamo lot in Maui are the dirtiest and most dinged up cars that I have ever rented. Our last rental in Maui was from Alamo as well, so we were prepared. We received a Toyota Yaris with electric nothing! Manual windows, manual door locks and powered by our feet like the Flintstones! I kid about the last one, but practically.

Haleakala Sunset

We did the Road to Hana during our last visit, so we skipped it this time. We did the Haleakala sunrise last time as well, so we decided to do the sunset this time. Although beautiful in it's own way, I find the sunrise awe inspiring and SPECTACULAR! You have less people there for the sunset but it is still freezing! Actually, it got really cold about 30 minutes before sunset. The ride back down was ok for the most part except for those that go about 65 mph and barely have time to stop before hitting the cows that graze along the road.

Since we loved where we were staying so much, we spent a lot of time there. Either out on a lounge chair, in the ocean or right on our lanai. A froo froo drink, my Nook and the fresh ocean breeze... I'm a happy camper. I guess it helps that we have done all the "must dos" in Maui, so we didn't feel like we were missing out on anything. Before driving up to the crater, we went into Paia to look around the shops, drove through upcountry and made a quick stop at Tedeschi Winery. Didn't take the tour though, so I can't comment on that.


Food:
Renting a condo helps with expenses, big time! We had breakfasts, some lunches and snacks in the condo. Danny even grilled some steaks one evening. We LOVE Da' Kitchen and were happy to see one opened in Lahaina since it's just about 15 mins from the condo. I think we ordered from there 3x during our stay. They have fried Spam Musubi! Onolicious! Entrees easily feed two plus some left over. Prices seemed in line with the Kahului location, and we find it very reasonable.

D had a hankering for pizza one night and we picked one up at Roundtable Pizza. Almost $30 for a tiny pizza and 3 garlic twists. PLUS to add insult to injury, it tasted like microwave stuff.

Eskimo Candy in Kihei had really good fresh Mahi and D loved the seafood chowder. The Fish & Chips at Paia Fish Market was good too.

If you are in town during the Maui County Fair, do yourself a favor and go! It puts our county fair to shame! Not in size, but the food is AMAZING! Plus it's affordable!

Maui is my relaxing place. I should make it the last stop from now on. Or my only stop. I'm thinking 3 or 10 weeks.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends,
but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers.
The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy