Oh, did we have a good time in Maui. No, we had a GREAT time in Maui. We spent 6 days and 6 nights in Maui the first week of December. Though, of course, would have loved to spend a few more days there, we really felt like we saw and did all we hoped to when we planned this trip almost a year ago. We booked a condo in Ka’anapali Beach and rented a convertible for the week.
Day 1, we got into our condo late, around 5 pm. Because of the time of year, we just caught the last sun of the day and spent some time swimming in the pool, which felt great after several very long plane rides. After swimming, we got groceries for the week at Foodland (savings tip: when you are checking out, ask to sign up for their rewards program. This will save you a significant amount of money. 15% or so for us.) For dinner we hit up Ono Tacos in Lahaina. It was so good, y’all, we went back another night!
Day 2, we knew we’d be slightly jet lagged with the time change, so we decided (read: “I” decided) to wake up at 3:30 am and head to Haleakala National Park to watch the sunrise at the summit of the mountain. As a heads up, you need a reservation to see the sunrise in the park now. You can reserve your spot online. They are free, plus a $1 servicing fee, but do know, they sell out quickly so if you are interested in going, get your ticket in advance – by at least a week. There are 2 viewing locations for the sunrise. A higher and a lower platform. We opted for the higher platform. It was very crowded when we got there, so we snuck around everyone and got a spot just below the platform where we could sit on some rocks and wait, while not being in anyone’s way. Wade took several pictures with my big camera.. I think I see a future there 🙂
The sunrise was breathtaking. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but man, it truly amazed all of us. The weather 10,000 ft up was much colder than the 77 degrees it was when we left the condo at 4 am. A couple of layers is a definite must.
After exploring the summit a bit, we headed to the Visitor’s Center for the kids to learn a bit more about the wildlife on the island and also to become Junior Rangers. This is something we did at Mammoth Cave National Park as well, and the kids really love getting their own activity books and working hard to be sworn in as real Junior Rangers. Finley got another Passport stamp in her National Park Passport book. She absolutely loves this book we got her at Mammoth Cave. She is always reading through it trying to figure out what park she can go to next. Always ready for another adventure.
We headed back to our condo for the remainder of the day and swam at the pool and enjoyed the beautiful view on the beach. On the way back, we stopped at a fruit stand, and chatted with some locals. We played with the roosters and bought a pineapple that Daniel still raves about today 🙂
I mean look at those mountains!! so amazing
Day 3, we started with a good hearty breakfast in Kapalua, just a 5 minute drive north of Ka’anapali Beach. There’s this great little grocery and deli called the Honolua Store. We also ate here twice on our trip. It is a grocery, but in the back you can order hot fresh meals. We only ever ate breakfast there, but from the looks of it, it has great lunch and dinner options too. It was super affordable, had great options for the kids, enough authentic food for the adults and really filled us up. There is a beautiful golf course across the street that gave a great scene as we ate outside before heading back for a day full of pool and beach. This was the only day we saw whales out in the ocean. Watching them breach was truly magical.
That afternoon we headed into Lahaina to walk the town a little and have some dinner. The kids played on the Historic Banyan Tree and we walked around the harbor a while before heading to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner. The cheeseburgers here are really really good and the Mai Tai’s are equally good 🙂
Check back for more posts coming from Maui Part 2 Road to Hana with mile by mile guide and Part 3 detailing our luau experience!
living simply 