Maui 2015

This past weekend, I treated my bf to a trip to Maui. We started off leaving at around 3pm for our flight at 6:40pm Vancouver time. We had dim sum with my bf's mom at Gingeri, located in Lansdowne mall in Richmond. My bf said it was one of the best Chinese food he had. Afterwards we walked around the airport outlet store.

Our flight left on time at 6:40pm and it was a smooth flight. We arrived in Maui around 10pm. We got our rented Malibu, silver 2015 vehicle and headed off to Coast Maui where we were located in Kihei. We bought some food at Foodland: Had the poke, Maui Onion chips, Ginger ale, we unpacked and settled down for the night.

Thursday Sept 3rd

We started off waking up around 9am. We were used to Vancouver time which is 3 hours ahead.

We headed off walking along the sidewalk of Kihei. We had breakfast at a local restaurant nearby called: Three’s Bar and Grill. We ordered a macadamia nut pancake with coconut syrup, a fresh cut papaya with lime, Loco Moco which consisted of a hamburger patty, with a fried egg, gravy on rice. We were checking out the area to see what it was like. We visited the Cove Beach nearby. Set up our chairs and just lounged in the beach area. We saw little crabs crawling around the shoreline. Bf decided to buy some coconut cigars for his enjoyment.

We headed out exploring our surroundings. We drove to a very windy narrow area and it was raining currently and there was a small stream that we had to bypass. We decided because we had a rental car we didn’t want to risk it so we drove back.

For dinner we headed to Nalu, which you line up to order and then you get a number on your table and they give you your meal. We had the Kalbi Ribs with brown rice and kimchi with Root Beer, and BF got the Ahi Tuna Sandwich with pineapple canned juice. There was live Hawaiian music playing while we had our dinner. Many locals come here to enjoy the music.

Afterwards we went home and rested.

Friday Sept 4th

We woke up nice and early for our snorkeling trip to Molokini. The boat was leaving at 7:30pm so we had to wake up around 6am in the morning. Packed our towels, snorkeling gear, shoes etc. It took about an hour to get to Molokini. We were told that we wouldn't be able to make a stop to Turtle Town due to the Hurricane mist/fog. I was very disappointed. Breakfast was provided which consisted of: bread with jam, muffins, coffee, tea, strawberries and pineapples and a special guava juice. Once we got to Monokini we headed off into the waters to do some snorkeling. There were already many boats on the water. Overall, there was barely any fishes to see. I would recommend snorkeling in Hananuma Bay in Honolulu instead. After snorkeling it was open bar and a BBQ lunch which consisted of: burgers with beef, chicken or vegetarian patties, fresh cut vegetables, salad, hot dogs. For dessert we had Macadamia Nut cookies. Overall the experience was ok. I just really, really wished I got to see turtles in their natural environment instead of in the aquarium. BF had seasickness and we were thinking it’s probably the anti-sea sickness pill he took before the trip. Apparently they don’t sell Gravol in Hawaii so we had to use the brand they carried. So BF wasn’t able to enjoy the experience as much due to the fact. Afterwards we headed to

We went to Da Kitchen for dinner. This was local food/fast food joint. We had the Hawaiian plate to share which consisted of: Pork Lau Lau, Kalua Pork, Chicken Long Rice and Lomi Salmon. We made a stop at Foodland for some coffee for the morning hike and more Maui onion ring chips. We had to sleep early for our morning sunrise adventure to Haleakala Crater. We set the alarm for 2:30am.

Saturday Sept 5

We woke up about 2:30am and got dressed warmly. BF had his toque. 2 jackets, hiking pants and hiking boots. I had my sports bra, long sleeve, 2 jackets, hiking pants, hiking shoes. We got coffee and microwaved the leftover food from Da Kitchen to eat on our way there.

On our way to the crater, we accidentally hit a deer. We called the 911, the cop came, and we made sure they called the animal rescue as well to make sure the deer was ok. Afterwards we headed to Enterprise to switch cars because the deer had made damages to the front of the car. We slept in the car and waited for them to open which was 6am. Afterwards we headed back to our hotel and we took a nap.

We woke up and decided to do the Road to Hana. We switched from a Malibu to a Nissan. We stopped by Paia for some food. We ordered the steak sandwich which was delicious. It had mushrooms, cheese and steak. By far one of the best subs I had.

The drive was quite narrow, and windy. There was a lot of people around the area. But the view was amazing. I did a go pro tour of 4 parts. We stopped by some stops to take some pictures. We stopped by a local fruit stand to grab some fruits: passion fruit, apples, pineapple, guava, papaya. It was delicious. Everything was so fresh. Our car smelled like fresh fruit. It smelled so awesome! We passed by a waterfall which we dipped into. The water was refreshing.

I had booked a dinner at Roy’s so we headed off to Lahaina for dinner. I had Pedro’s recommendation of the butterfish and BF had the sirloin with mac and cheese. It was an amazing delicious meal. I will definitely go back to Roy’s. We had another recommendation of the upside pineapple cake which was by far one of the best desserts I had ever had. And we also had the chocolate soufflé.

I asked the hostess what there was to do for nightlife in Maui and they told me the clubs they had i.e. Triangle which is the 3 clubs in Kihei. And some surrounding ones near the restaurant. I asked them politely what music they usually play and they said top 40’s and edm. I was surprised so I kept inquiring about edm and they told me to speak to someone who worked at the restaurant who was a Dj. So we spoke to him and he said they will have outdoor raves and he played trap/dubstep. And he also mentioned that edm music was slowly coming into Maui but the best place to party was in Oahu for edm. So he gave us his email and contact number to keep us posted on events coming up during our stay. But in the end we didn’t hear back from him which I was disappointed about because I really wanted to see what edm culture was like in Maui. Oh wells! Afterwards we headed back to our hotel. We played 3 rounds of Monopoly deal and BF won. We decided to watch some Netflix to end off our day and I lost the Monopoly game so the loser has to pick the movie and I picked Expendables 3. I was so tired so I fell asleep during the beginning of the movie.

Sunday Sept 6     

      

We started the day heading for brunch at 808 Deli and I got the mushroom, Swiss cheese, roast beef melt sub and BF got the spicy tuna sandwich. We share an exotic energy drink from Hawaii. Afterwards we head across the beach to a local surf shop to rent surfboards and gear. We went for about an hour and we were so tired. It was so hard to get on the board because the water waves were crashing in and the board was super slippery. Overall, a fun experience which I one day want to perfect. We decided afterwards to check out another snorkeling destination which was located at Black rock near the Sheraton Hotel in Lahaina. This destination was full of tourist but the beach was much nicer in this area. At this time the waves were crashing in quite high so it was very hard to see into the waters due to the water pulling in the sand from the shore so we decided just to chill around the area. We brought out the chairs and just sunbathed. Many people had been stung by jellyfish because the jellyfish was being pulled in by the waters to the shoreline. Thank goodness I didn’t go in the water for long.

We stopped by the mall to purchase ice cream at Haagen Daaz to validate our parking ticket which was $15.00. We bought a pineapple split to share and a pint of ice cream to bring back to our hotel. Later on the day we went to Ululani’s for shaved iced in Kihei. I had the coconut pineapple and BF had the POG: Passionfruit, orange and guava.We decided to go play some tennis at our hotel facility which was free of charge which consisted of free rackets, balls to use. So we decided to play some tennis we started about 7pm and ended playing at 8:20pm. For dinner we decided to order in room service for our very first time. We ordered from a restaurant nearby our hotel called the Ami Ami. We shared the macadamia nut crusted chicken breast on a bed of rice and veggies. BF ordered the fish and chips which consisted of Mahi Mahi fish. It was a delicious meal relaxed in our comforts of our hotel room. We finished watching expendables 3 while having dinner. Afterwards we chilled for a bit and passed out on our very comfortable bed.

Monday Sept 7

My dearest birthday. We woke up bright and early on his birthday for a planned fishing trip at 7am at the pier near Kihei. It was about a 20 mins drive from our hotel. We arrived on time and started off with boarding the boat and meeting two very nice people who accompanied us on the trip. Anne was super amazing she was super friendly. We had to travel about 45 mins by boat to where we were going to fish. So at the meantime we just chatted with the people on the boat. There was only us and a group of 5 who lived locally and also from Kansas. It was a family reunion for them. When we got to our destination they taught us how to use the fishing rods and the fishing etiquettes. Afterwards, we dropped our line and waited. BF caught 3 in total. 2 too small to keep and 1 lavender snapper. I caught only 1 but it was a super rare one that costed 10 grand. If I caught another one (a pair) and they were both alive and I can sell it to the aquarium for 10 grand. The one I caught was alive but we didn’t get to keep it. I think the overall trip we caught about 12 fishes. Anne was nice enough to fillet all of our fishes except ours which we kept whole to keep to bring to the chef at the Fairmont hotel at Ko’s Restaurant. The other group kindly gave us there bigger fish to cook. After the trip we went to Ko’s to drop off the fish for preparation for our meal the next day. We had agreed with frying our fish with steamed rice and veggies to accompany the dish.

For lunch we headed over to Fred’s for some Mexican food. I ordered the ahi tuna tacos and BF ordered the Baja Fish Tacos accompanied with some lemonade. BF couldn’t eat because he started feeling sea sick so we took most of the food home and got back to rest.

For dinner we headed to Lahaina’s Grill which was situated near the pier. It was a beautiful location. We had the ahi tuna poke to share for appetizers, BF had the Kona coffee rack of lamb, I had the Mahi Mahi. For drinks I had the Pina colada, and BF had the Hawaiian rum with lime and sugarcane. Overall the meal was alright. My fish was little dry and BF’s lamb was a little bit too gamey for me.

Afterwards, we walked along the pier, exploring the galleries and the shops around the area and shared a shaved ice from Ululani’s. We had the passion fruit, tamarind, Calamansi.

Then we headed back and rested for the night.

Tuesday Sept 8

For lunch we headed over to Ko’s for our fresh fish meal. Ko’s was located at the Fairmont in Wailea. It was a beautiful area. The beach there was secluded from the rest of the tourist. It was exclusive to the people staying the Fairmont. We started off with Lumpia for appetizer, I had the Lemongrass lime drink and BF had the pineapple mojito. We then had our fish which was deep fried with vegetables underneath and rice on the side. Overall, an amazing fresh meal. The presentation was beautifully plated. Afterwards, we headed to Wailea beach. We found our self a hidden area among the rocks. We brought out our chairs and lounged till the sun settled. The water was still warm around 6-7pm at night. Afterwards we headed to Fabiani’s for Italian food. We decided to do take out because we had so much sand in our hair and clothing. So we had pasta ravioli wrapped with veal and spinach and we had macaroons for dessert. We also had some of the lamb and fish from Lahaina Grill leftovers that we had to finish. Afterwards we just watched Netflix and passed out.

Wednesday Sept 9

Our last time in Maui, we started the day waking up early around 2:45am to catch the sunrise at the Haleakala Crater. We left the house about 3:30am all bundled up for the cold temperature up on the crater. The drive was about an hour and 30 mins drive up. About halfway we caught up with traffic. Most of the traffic was residing in the entrance of the park where people had to pay $15 per car. We got off at the top site and there was already a lot of people there. Many with hotel blankets, hoodies, shorts, towels etc. Thank goodness we bought our Arcteryx jackets with us and our hiking attire. The sun rose about 6:20am. It was a beautiful sight. We were above the clouds and the sun rose up beneath the clouds. Afterwards we walked around the crater for a bit and 30 mins later we went off back to our hotel to finish the rest of the packing. We finished our Mexican food leftovers from Fred’s. We packed up mostly on Tuesday night so we had a few items to put away in our luggage. Check out time was 12. So we rested up a bit more before our check out time. We sadly said goodbye to our amazing stay on the most comfortable king size bed I’ve ever slept on. I kindly asked the concierge what the bed was it was a king size Sealy Posturepedic bed with a secret mattress topper. We knew we had to get it. The sleep was incredible, we barely woke up during the nights unless we had to go to the bathroom, our back felt great.

Check out time, packed everything in the car. We headed our way to get souvenirs for our parents, friends and family. We headed first to the local farmers market for some pineapples. We found Mr. Pineapple to be the best bang for our buck. About 12 for $56.00. We were told from them that WestJet and Alaska airlines were the only airlines that you had to pay for baggage fees for fruits bought back from Maui about $35.00. But, we found out later that they didn’t charge us so we were super happy.

Afterwards we went over to Walmart to grab some chocolate covered macadamia nuts and some macadamia nuts Maui onion flavored. We also bought a taro pie from McDonald's which we don’t get here in Vancouver and I quite enjoyed it. Not too sweet with a crunchy texture outside.

After all the “chores” were done we decided to go to a mall nearby to find me a pineapple dress. It was clearly impossible to find one. No one had it. Just pineapple shirts. So we bought two Hawaii state fish t-shirts the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a fish.

We decided to head back to Kihei to go for Happy Hour at Sansei (Japanese restaurant) at 3pm but the hours that day was 5:30-10pm. We were so disappointed because we really want to try sushi in Hawaii. So we went to Star Noodle in Lahaina. I had the Thai iced coffee (which is very different to the ones we get here. It is much similar to the Vietnamese Thai coffee) BF had the Iced Tea with Yuzu and simple syrup. We got the Pad Thai, the hot and sour soup noodles with pancetta, Pohole Salad which consisted of Maui Onions, local fern stems which had a similar texture to Okra (kind of slimy, mushy texture). I think they added too much sesame oil for my liking in the salad. We also had the garlic noodles which was a simple stir fry dish but the fragrance of the noodles was amazing. We also heard that they were known for their ramen so we asked if we could try the broth and they gave us a free huge bowl of broth to try. The ramen broth was definitely much different compared to the ramen broth made in Vancouver. Overall, a great dining experience with local ingredients for an Asian fusion restaurant.

We also went over to Lahaina, near the pier to buy myself a pineapple tank top and some flowers for my hair. We walked along the shops which really reminded me of an artsy area with many galleries, souvenir stores, grocery stores etc. We stopped by an amazing gallery. His name was Steve Matson and he oil paints and what he does is he paints a couple of paintings in different angles of the same setting and then he scans it into this digital program to create movement. And the painting comes alive on a high res television screen. It brought the painting onto a whole new level. Apparently he does visual effects for movies in Hollywood. His method of portraying art is supposed to calm the nerves, present a visually stunning way of soothing the mind and the body. I and bf sat at the gallery for quite some time enjoying his pieces. The fluid movement, the artistic colors he used was quite amazing.

We then headed over to Dole for some Dole Whip. It was quite delicious. We had the whip with pineapple juice and pineapple pieces. So delicious!

It was 7:30pm so we decided to drop off our rental car and head over to the airport. We had a quick meal at Sammy’s which consisted of a spam burger with fries and some coleslaw. We shared that and I was pretty much full.

They started boarding at around 10:20 pm and we got back home safely. Overall a wonderful trip by far. I enjoyed my stay in Maui more than Honolulu due to the atmosphere being more relaxed. But Honolulu was better in ways such as: more convenient because everything was much closer ie. Restaurants, tour destinations etc. With Maui you definitely need to rent a car to get to places. It’s about 30 mins average to get around to where you want to be.

Thursday Sept 10th

Flew into Vancouver and arrived at 7:40am. Called a taxi, unpacked, showered and passed out.