Maui....Wowie?

SO, as most of you know, I purchased a vacation at a charity event last October. We had the choice of many places around the world (given availability and a time limit)...and ended up choosing Maui. I had gone when I was 7 with Mom and Dad...and Sugar was the best sister ever when she took me to Oahu a couple years ago for a work function. If I learned anything on those two trips, it's that you can't go wrong with Hawaii. SO, me, Karen, Jeff (who I work and vacation with), and Jeff's friend Jason (who by default is my friend), planned the trip and went. There were people in town from Dallas for work in the days leading up to the trip, so needless to say it was hectic getting ready to go out of town. I had been saying for a long time that at the first hint of snow, I was leaving town early. Of course, it snowed Friday, but my flight was Sunday so I felt OK about keeping my flights. I only had an hour or so between my flights...and I kind of got nervous, so I changed my flight to an hour earlier on Sunday....from 7 to 6 am. Had to wake up at 4:30 to get to the airport. We boarded and pushed back on time and I was getting to be pretty proud of myself for de-stressing my trip a bit. We got to the end of the runway, 3rd for takeoff....and we just sit...and sit. The 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th planes take off. Finally they inform us we are being held due to wrong paperwork for DRY ICE on board. Really? Really? I sat and literally watched the 7 a.m. flight take off. Finally 95 minutes after our scheduled time, we took off. Sigh. Got to Dallas, met up with the guys (Karen came a few days later), and we were off to Maui.

After a fairly uneventful 8 hour flight, we made it an hour before scheduled arrival on Sunday afternoon. I immediately posted on Facebook something about "Maui Wowie". I posted it because it rhymed and Maui is very wowie to me. Well, Sugar then said "just say no" to the Maui Wowie. I figured it was a strong drink. So, one night at dinner, I ask the waiter what's in a Maui Wowie. I quickly find out that Maui Wowie isn't a drink. It's marijuana!!! Oh my heavens! All of Facebook must think I'm a stoner!!! I digress.

We took a cab the 30 minutes to our destination in Wailea....to Ho'olei at the Grand Wailea, which is a group of townhomes for sale and rent. Before we even stepped foot in our residence we knew it would be special. It's not humid or stinky like Mexico is, the weather was GORGEOUS, the grounds were perfectly manicured, we were treated like royalty, it's not like a 3rd world country like the Caribbean, the list goes on and on. We are taken to our residence on a golf cart, and I'm not gonna lie, I had tears in my eyes when we walked in. The view was so unbelievable, and it was just so nice. We saw whales from our patio within the first 2 minutes that we were there. Stainless appliances, flat screen tv's, wireless internet access, a wall of glass doors to the upstairs patio that opened completely so that your whole living room and kitchen were basically outside if you wanted., 3 bedrooms (2 kings, 1 w 2 doubles), 3.5 baths, washer and dryer, groceries stocked for us, patios off 2 of the bedrooms, a master bathroom that had it all. I literally can't say enough about the place. And pics do NOT do it justice.

Patio with grill and fridge : )

living room

sunset on the patio (Lanai in background)

our awesome kitchen

our entry

3rd bedroom

our residence second from left

entry to residences

We decided which rooms we would all be taking, took a quick breather, then made our way to the hotel that is related to the residences, the Grand Wailea. Although we were close to the beach, it was about an 8 minute walk down a hill and thru the hotel. It was SO beautiful. Perfect gardens, fish, the inside of the hotel was completely open air, beautiful pools and beach. Again, the list goes on and on.

hotel entry

fountain to the adult pool

beach

beach

A razorback statue! It was meant to be!

After our quick tour of the grounds, we went to the Shops at Wailea, which was a very upscale mall next door to the hotel. When I say upscale, I mean Gucci, Tiffany's, etc. We had burgers at Cheeseburger in Paradise. By that point, we were starting to drag and it was only 7:30 pm or so. So, we walked back to the house and went to bed early. There was a 4 hour difference for the Dallas folks, 5 for me. Monday morning I had reservations to snorkel on a catamaran (just me, the guys aren't snorkelers). Sugar had suggested this particular catamaran/operation, and she was spot on as usual. Thanks, Sugar! They picked me up at the house at 7:20 a.m. We drove around 30 minutes to the dock and off we went on the Ali'i Nui. Beautiful, beautiful boat. Maui isn't necessarily known for it's snorkeling like some places I've been in the Caribbean, but on this particular trip there were supposed to be alot of sea turtles. I have never snorkeled with sea turtles so I wanted to experience that. As far as sea turtles, the trip did NOT disappoint! You had to have a "buddy" with you at all times in the water, which was about to prove to be a challenge since I was alone,  but there was a couple and another guy whose wife wasn't very good...and they were all were experienced, so they took me with them. We snorkeled for about an hour....saw some fish and pretty coral...nothing out of this world. It was the turtles that were so neat. They have "cleaning stations" where they line up at the bottom of the ocean, and fish sit there and clean algae off their backs and necks. Then the one turtle will move on and the next will get into place, and the fish continue their feast. Such a treat to see mother nature at work like that. Then they served us a really good lunch of pulled pork, teriyaki chicken, salads, etc.

water was so clear!

cleaning station...so neat

Hang Ten Dudes

After snorkeling I met the guys by the pool. We got a recommendation to eat at a place named Gannons on a golf course that was close by. We cleaned up and went to dinner there. Way too much money for way not fabulous food. The short ribs were fine, but I expect better than fine for 40 bucks. (and that's where I was informed that Maui Wowie isn't a frosty beverage!). We took a cab to an area called "The Triangle" to see the nightlife....and went home after an hour or so.

Tuesday we got a rental car. We wanted to get some of the Road to Hana done, and then pick up Karen at the airport to save her 65 bucks. Well, we got a late start, then stopped to each lunch, which was unplanned,....met with Jason's friend from grad school for a bit, and finally got on the road. We stopped at a spot to watch some surfers. Then we stopped at a place to do a "gentle" hike back to a waterfall. Well, the gentle hike was 30 minutes and included Jeff taking a tumble (hahahahahha). It was pretty, but ended up taking much more time than we really had. We got back on the road and made it another few miles, and finally turned back. The road was like nothing I have seen. A continuous "S" with a cliff on one side and alot of one lane bridges. Very stressful. Beautiful, but stressful. I would like to see more of it another time.

North Shore

Waterfall after the "gentle" hike

never been scared of heights until I stood on these steep cliffs

We picked Karen up after our very shortened Road to Hana trip. Was so glad to see her! First stop was the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends that we didn't get with the original grocery order. Nothing to speak of here, except when I walked up behind this person with khaki shorts and the whole middle of the back of their shorts was torn in half, exposing their boxer briefs. Too bad this person was Jason. BAHAAHAHAHA! We all had MANY good laughs over that one. "Cracked" up alot about it. He still has no idea how it happened. I'm glad I have a picture to remember the moment. I'll do him a favor and not post it on my blog, though. : )

Tuesday night we ate at an italian place near our house called Matteo's. It came highly recommended. Well, I highly DON'T recommend it. Bad pizza (you'll rarely hear THAT come out of my mouth) and pasta sauce that tasted like Chef Boyardee. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for the Chef B. Just not in Maui when I'm paying that much for it.

Wednesday we just laid by the beach all day. We were supposed to take a sunset cruise, but it got cancelled.....which freed up the whole afternoon. It was so nice, you just had to ask for chairs and umbrellas and the cute Hawaiian boys would go set them up for you on the beach. No fighting for shade with others. There were always umbrellas and chairs to be put out. Since the night freed up, we decided to go to Lahaina to see the town and eat. I remembered it from when I was 7, but alot of people recommended going back. It is indeed a great little shopping town. We ate at Kimo's on the water. Too bad it was dark and we couldn't see the drive or the scenery at dinner. The food was decent. We went home and were all very very sleepy from a long day at the beach.

Thursday was another beach and pool day. Mom talked me into paddle boarding "because you only live once, child". I had wanted to but thought 40 dollars was a bit much. Anyway, I did it. Jeff came out with me for the first half, then Jason went the second half of their hour. I did the whole hour. Let me just say it was very difficult and physically challenging. Poor Jeff, it took him a few tries to get up, and when he did, he was never up for long. There were whales not too far off the beach, and alot of kayak's and paddle boards had gathered wayyyy out in the ocean to watch a pod of them. I decided I wanted to do that. Well, once you get into that deep of water, you get a little freaked out. The water was fairly calm, and clear, and I am a great swimmer, but you worry about what's under you. Whether it be a shark, a WHALE, other fish, etc. I was assured there aren't  sharks on that beach except for "reef sharks that won't bother you". Well, I no sooner get out there....not 10 minutes into my trip, that I see this fin sticking out of the water. It kind of just sits there....then goes under....then comes back. Not alot of movement, but definitely a fin and not trash or moss. Well, I wasn't about to say something to Jeff, who was already having issues standing up. What if it freaked him out, he fell, and got eaten by Jaws himself? So I said "let's go back in a little bit to get our bearings"....knowing he would likely follow since he was having some trouble. Well, I gather myself...make my way back out, but kind of to the side....and I see it again, with alot of bubbles. I asked a girl that passed me if she'd seen it (just to make sure I wasn't nuts), and she had. She said she thought it was a sea turtle. I was skeptical. I asked another guy about 20 minutes later as I was paddling about...he had seen it too, but didn't know what it was. Long story short, I asked a few natives after the paddle boarding excursion, and they doubted it was a shark since it wasn't darting back and forth....and thought it probably was just a turtle or manta ray. MANTA RAY!?!? Sheesh. I'm just glad I didn't fall in. But there were just so many people all day every day out there, I really can't imagine it was anything dangerous. Poor Jason NEVER got up. I guess girls are just better. : )

little did I know what I was getting in to

that's me way out there...the one standing (haha)

Thursday night we went to the Shops at Wailea and ate at Tommy Bahama's. By far the best meal of the trip. Mmm, MMM! I had tuna poke (raw tuna with avacados and crackers, etc) and then a fish called Opah that I'd never had. So so so so so good.

Friday we got up and made the hour drive halfway up the volcano - Haleakela - to go ziplining. The course has 5 lines, and starts small and gets bigger and bigger, until the last line is very long and takes you 40 mph. We all had a great time, it was very little hiking (thank goodness), the views were amazing, and the zip lining was fun! Not much else to say about it....we were very glad we did it. I would like to do it again now that I know what to expect.

wheee!

not a bad view

On the way back to the house after ziplining we met Jason's friend Lee again, and had pizza with him and his brother and his brothers friend at a place called Flatbreads in Paia, which is on the north shore. Paia is a hippy little town that is completely overun by tourists right now for some reason. The place was "all organic" which is always a scary thought for me....but it was actually really good! And the scenery wasn't bad either. I'm not talking about a beach. Jason's friend and brother are two of the best looking young men I've ever seen. Karen and I couldn't stop talking about them! Anyway, I couldn't mention that lunch and NOT mention the second best part next to the pizza. : )

Friday night we went on our rescheduled sunset cruise (on the same boat I went snorkeling on). It isn't labeled as a whale watch, but since it's whale season, they try to find some whales. And boy did they. We saw several pods of three. Just so neat to see those huge creatures. Beautiful sunset. Great food again (short ribs done right). It was a great way to spend our last night in Maui.

Jeff, Karen (somewhere in there), Jason, Me

glamour shot of the trip

3 whales in a "competition pod"

love this pic

Saturday we woke up and went to the beach to enjoy our last few hours in Maui. We ate lunch by the pool so we could lay by the beach one more hour...and then went and packed, showered, and went to the airport. I've never been so sad to leave a vacation. I almost cried (again). I feel so blessed to have such good friends that would want to come along with me, friends that are so fun and can get along so well (it's hard getting 4 people to agree on everything sometimes...and Karen didn't know Jason and Jeff before we went), blessed to have a job that lets me afford a vacation like that, and blessed to have gotten there and back safely! It was just so nice. We enjoyed eating breakfast and some lunches at the house....sitting on the patio after our long days...going down the water slides and rope swing at the hotel like little kids....just the best time. So so so lucky. I can't stop thinking about how fun it was and how beautiful Maui is. Snow is up to my waist in NYC. I know I asked for it, and it's neat in it's own right....but 80 degrees in Maui is tough to beat.

The trip home was interesting....there was almost immediately an emergency on board after we took off. They came on the intercom asking for doctors and nurses. We never figured out what happened but it sounds like they came close to turning around. Shortly after that the turbulence was so bad that the flight attendants had to abandon beverage service and strap themselves in. There were other pockets of turbulence too. I can't sleep on planes, especially with all that going on....so I didn't get any sleep. I've decided I may need some xanax when I fly over the ocean. I just get kinda crazy. I'm not scared to fly, but the second weird things start, I become a nervous wreck.

ANYWAY, I hope you enjoyed re-living my trip with me. It's restaurant week in NYC so we are going to Le Cirque on Thursday. I'll have to report back with a food review!