Maui

Beautiful Sunset in Maui, HI

Manhattan Beach

In May my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, we had scouted several locations for a anniversary trip, but finally settled on Maui.  While he had been to Oahu several times, he had never been to Maui, I had been to Maui and knew just how beautiful it was.

The view from the pool

After spending the night in Manhattan Beach, CA, we flew direct from Los Angeles to Maui.  Having secured a last minute rental at Kaanapali Shores Resort, we were able to get an incredible deal.  The room had a gorgeous view of the ocean, and stunning grounds.  It is nestled on Kaanapali Beach right next to the Papakea Resort.  They have a pool that overlooks the ocean, and is the perfect retreat in the early mornings (for us East Coast folks) to drink coffee while reading, and observing the sunrise.  With the time change we found ourselves awake at 4 am most mornings, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the pool.

The view from our room

The chickens kicking us off of our towel

As I said in my Tampa post, I love finding hidden beaches.  While in Maui, we took a drive one day and found the most beautiful beach.  It was located near Makena, but it was hidden amongst multimillion dollar homes.  There was parking along the street, and a trail that was marked to the beach.  There were maybe ten people on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach.  While lying there, we were visited by the most unusual visitors-chickens.  They were quite bold, and booted us off of our towels even.  It was one of the most incredible beaches that we found while we were there.

The hidden beach

Another day we visited the Maui Winery, which was incredible.  They have a tasting room that was free, along with the tour.  They have stunning views that surround the property, the entire drive was photographic.  While the tour is short, I highly recommend it as a place to stop while in Maui.

One of my all time favorite activities in Maui is the Trilogy Catamaran.  My husband and I did not go this trip, as the water was still too chilly for me, but plan on returning this year hopefully and taking our kiddos.  The boats are a lot of fun, because of the crew.  The food was incredible last time we went, I am just hoping they have GF options for our celiac child.

The food in Maui is some of the best in the world in my opinion, between the BBQ, the desserts, the ambiance, it is an amazing place to eat.  For breakfast, my uncle told me about the Gazebo Restaurant.  They have the best pancakes on the island we heard, and I would concur with that.  I highly recommend getting there early or you will be waiting for a while.  Our favorite restaurant for lunch the Hula Bar & Grill, it is located right on the beach.  We typically ate an appetizer instead of a meal.  The pork sliders are delicious!  I loved the fact you could slip your toes into the sand.  The dinner that was hands down the best was Dukes Beach House, located on the Honua Kai Resort grounds.  After dinner definitely get the Hula Pie, there are no words to describe how good it was-my mouth is currently watering.

Hula Pie by Kim

Maui is the perfect island for families and romantic getaways, I hope our trip pans out this summer.  Our girls would be in awe of the beauty, and would be in foodie heaven.

God bless,

Brandi