Maui with Megan
Arrival in Maui
18 months ago, we got an invitation in the mail to enjoy 5 nights at the Westin in Maui for a huge discount if we signed up for a TimeShare presentation. We decided we could make a trip to Maui work in the next 18 months for such a deal. Little did we know that we were months from unexpectedly moving to St. George. We struggled a little figuring out a time to go but finally booked a week in May thinking it might be fun to take Megan with us as a sort of graduation trip. And it was so fun!
We flew from Las Vegas to Maui on Tuesday morning. We left our home in St. George about 8:00am, boarded our flight at 11:00ish and flew to Honolulu and then on to Maui after an hour layover. We read and slept and journaled and Meg watched a show or two.
We rented a car (also discounted because of our package) and headed to THE WESTIN KAANAPALI OCEAN RESORT VILLAS about an hour away.
But first we stopped at Whaler’s Village to eat dinner at Leilani’s. We ordered nachos, a salad and a pork sandwich. Everything was SO good!
Megan was super impressed with the resort when we got there. It looks gorgeous. So fun to be here in Hawaii! First time to Maui!
Early morning walk with Chris all the way down the beach walk and then back on the sand. Then breakfast at the resort restaurant out by the pool. Avocado Toast for me and it was delicious.
At the Pool
Dinner at Monkey Pod
We walked around the shopping area for awhile and then sat down to an early dinner so we could order an array of appetizers at 50% off. We heard about Monkey Pod (and most of our restaurant choices) from Sarah and they were so good. We ordered a Malia Pork and Pineapple Pizza, Pumpkin Patch Ravioli, Waipoli Farm organic salad with beets and bacon and ginger vinaigrette and then for dessert - a STRAWBERRY CREAM PIE. We were told we had to order it, and it was my favorite thing we ate all week! Everything was so good!
Every night we went back to our room and watched an episode of Night Agent (if we could get Megan to stay up) and went to bed so early!
Sunflower Fields
Surfboard Fence
Hookipa Beach Park
Our first main stop on the Road to Hana was the Hookipa Beach Park. It was such a beautiful view from up on the Ridge. We watched the waves come in and out and the surfers out in the ocean waiting for waves. Then we walked down to the black rocks below and took some pictures. It was just so pretty.
After exploring for awhile we drove down to the beach to get a look at the turtles. It’s hard to distinguish them from the rocks but there were about 15 of them and they were really quite large. This is as close as we could get because of a barrier to protect them. I just love turtles!
Surfboard Fence #2
Twin Falls
There’s limited parking for this stop so when we drove by the first time the lot said it was full. We circled back one more time and lucked out with an opening.
We hiked just a few minutes to the first falls. Chris and Megan got in and then climbed up the rocks to jump in a few times.
We hiked up to the second falls but didn’t make our way down the path to get to the water. If we would have had more time it would have fun to explore the third falls as well. We had to be on a tight schedule with our scheduled Black Sand Beach time and so much to do on the Road to Hana.
On our way out we stopped to listen to the bamboo forest. The wind was rushing through them and they creaked against each other, which sounded both cool and eerie.
I loved listening to the sounds of the wind, the trees, all the birds and the water.
Ke‘anae Point
I had read that Ke’anae Point had gorgeous views so we took a small detour off the Road to Hana to explore. Behind us the waves crashed against the black rocks in this little bay.
Around the corner from this old Ke’nae Congregational Church was Aunty Sandy’s. A place well known for it’s homemade and hot from the oven banana bread. We had to wait for 30 minutes for a warm batch to come out of the oven but it was delicious and worth the wait. We got two loaves and ate the first while driving to our next stop.
Wai'anapanapa State Park Black Sand Beach
This was definitely a highlight of the day. Wai'anapanapa State Park’s black sand beach was incredible. We had to book a time to enter the park in advance so we picked the 12:30 - 3:00pm time slot. We ended up arriving right about 1:00 and had two hours to enjoy the beach. The black sand is just so cool. We set out our Turkish towels and Chris and Megan relaxed a bit while I headed on the trail to the left of the beach up and around the black cliffs for more beautiful views in every direction.
I found one alcove where the water came crashing in and up the side of the cliff. I stood and watched it for at least 15 minutes. In and out… crashing on the rocks and then splashing back into the next wave. Mesmerizing. I just love the ocean.
When I came back from my hike Chris and Megan were playing in the ocean. Before we left we checked out lava tube with gorgeous views of the water. Loved it here. Wished this black sand beach wasn’t on the other side of the island — but so glad we made the trip!
Waioka Pond
It was so fun to find the Waioka Pond - otherwise known as the Venus Pool. I had noted it in my Maui research and remembered it when we saw a small sign early in the neighborhood. We parked along the street and asked some fellow tourists if they were headed to the Venus Pools. We followed them over a stone fence and through an unmarked trail down to the pools.
There were quite a few people taking turns jumping and enjoying the still lake-looking ocean water. It was a fun hidden stop.
Wailua Falls
We continued a little further down the road so we could see the Wailua Falls. A beautiful tall waterfall right off the road, but still enclosed in trees.
We walked down the path a little and could have gotten in to swim a bit but since we’d already swam a couple times we just took a few pictures and then headed back.
Unfortunately the Road to Hana was closed after this point so we had to go back the way we came… 3 hours back on super windy back and forth roads.
Poor Megan didn’t fare so well and all of a sudden was throwing up into a Target bag in the back seat. Poor girl. She doesn’t want to eat banana bread anytime soon.
A Day to Relax at the Pool
After our Road to Hana day we wanted to hang out at the pool all day long. We read our books and ate lunch at the Resort Restaurant, and planned excursions for Greece, and swam in the pool, and went down the waterslide, and played pool basketball, and laid on a floatie given to us by another guest. It was just a perfect day.
Lahaina for Dinner and Shopping
We had fun exploring Lahaina tonight. We walked through a few shops and Megan found a sticker that read ‘I survived the Road to Hana’. But did she survive? Not sure. Cassie suggested we eat at Cool Cat’s Cafe - one of her favorite ‘burgers and shakes’ diners here in Lahaina. I got a great salad and everyone loved their meals. Great suggestion!
After dinner we walked across the street to see the largest banyan tree in the world and we missed the sun set yet again. Megan and I got a scoop of ice cream and Chris got a Shave Ice on the way back to the car.
Lunch at Duke’s
Duke’s was just a few minutes walk down the beach. After Chris and I did our two hour meeting with the Timeshare Office then we picked up Megan from the pool and walked down to have lunch at Duke’s. Nachos, a delicious salad, a bowl of pineapple for Megan and our first ever HULA PIE. It was Chris’ favorite treat of the trip. Everything was so good!
Shuffleboard
Megan suggested we play some mini golf and then Shuffleboard at the resort. Mini golf ended in a Megan/Dad tie and then Dad ended up winning.
At first we couldn’t get the Shuffleboard discs down to the end but once we got the hang of how hard we had to push the cues, we started competing. And I ended up beating Dad!
Hula Dance
These little 3 year old, 4 year old and 5 year old hula dancers were the cutest ever. It was so fun to watch them and the older dancers show off their dances, costumes and culture.
Kapalua Bay
I looked up great places to watch the sunset and came up with Kapalua Bay — about 15 minutes north of our Westin Resort. We followed the pathway around the Bay and stopped to take a few pictures. Handy to have Meg here to take some pictures of Chris and I.
Love this crazy guy. Never a dull moment.
Hammocking and Cornhole
Chris and Megan have the kind of relationship where they unexpectedly pour water on each other as they are sitting in the sun, and try to knock eachother off the hammock. They’re just fun that way. We found the most amazing resort at the top of the hill and had fun walking around and playing some cornhole. It was the most scenic area. So fun!
When the sun peeked below the clouds and before it fell below the island, it was brilliant and just gorgeous and made me so happy, especially since we had missed the sun setting for the last couple of nights. Definitely one of the best nights of the week!
After the sunset we headed over to Leilani’s for a repeat meal from our first night. We shared a salad, pork sandwich and nachos and ended with another Hula Pie. So good!
So grateful to come to Maui with this cute girl. We couldn’t be prouder. Love you Meg!
And Maui… we’ll be back soon!