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H and I got married on November 3rd of last year. Due to lame work commitments, mostly on my end, we weren't able to go on a honeymoon or vacation or tryst...really anything...until this past week. We both took off a week for work and started monitoring flights for what destinations we might be lucky to land.
Now let me be forthright about something- I am was a planner. This type of vacationing used to give me anxiety and heart palpitations. Now it's more of a heart murmur. Sure we still hit snags, but I've finally learned to take these trips in stride with the amazing opportunities they offer.
So H gave me a call on a Thursday morning with the news that we're flying to Maui. He was in Sacramento on business and would be meeting me in San Francisco. He said our chances for Maui looked great! So off I went. Fast forward to a 4 hour flight to San Fran, a long overnight layover at the airport and a 5 hour flight to Maui and we were finally on track for an amazing honeymoon.
Upon landing, H booked a hotel and we grabbed a car from the airport car rental area. A little negotiating with Hertz and we were able to grab a blue Ford Mustang convertible for the same price as a sedan..Bliss! Vroom Vroom!
We really enjoyed Aston Kaanapali Shores. It was in our budget, allowed early check-in, offered condo style living, and had beach access. The property is beautiful. The staff kind and attentive.
The only downside about Maui is that it's super expensive. We decided on 1 activity a day and spent the rest of the time exploring different towns and sitting on the beach.
The Atlantis Submarine was fantastic. It's a quick trip. The guide was hilarious and flirty knowledgeable. H really loved this activity (his pick :) ) I enjoyed it as well; I'm not a swimmer and the submarine allowed me to experience the ocean floor without being suffocated with gear.
Afterwards we walked around the area. Saw the beautiful Banyan tree, checked out some shops and hit the beach. We were lucky enough to catch the sunset at our hotel.
The snorkeling trip was almost a whole day affair. about 7-3 pm. This one was also H's idea. Now even if you can't swim, like me, I would still recommend doing a snorkeling tour. However, having 80 plus people on the boat (and more in the water) made me anxious. Thank God my swimming enthusiast partner convinced me to get in the water and pulled me around on a noodle so I could look in. The views were breathtaking- 100 ft visibility. We went to two snorkeling locations and snacks and meals were provided. Downside is I spent about the entire second half of the trip being sea sick from the motion of the ocean. Still glad to have experienced this.
Our favorite!!! Hands down. I may be on a hunt for the best ziplining across the country from this point forward. The ranch is beautiful, the guides really know the best places to go on the island and the groups are small. The 5 line is awesome. Oh the thrill of swishing past the husband and seeing lakes and hills and forests on all sides.
We also checked out Paia- on the recommendation of our guide at Piholo. It's a cute little hippie town. Very entertaining to see how everyone knows everyone's name. Lots of great boutiques. Then a quick ride into Iao Valley (with many dead ends on the way). I really enjoyed this part of our ride. We drove through a lot of small streets and alleys. This was our last stop on the way to the airport. Definitely will return to check out the volcano and tour of Hana!
Keep a lot out for our foodie exploits in the next post!
