Island Paradise

The trip to both Hana and Haleakala was beautiful. The aquarium is interesting and informative of the marine life around the island. The show at the shopping mall was very entertaining and free. The luaus are very expensive but entertaining as well.

Quick Tips:

Take sunscreen as the sun is closer and you could burn. When leaving the island, be sure to arrive at the airport in plenty of time, as the lines do get long. Rent a condo so you can do your own cooking. The restaurants are expensive to eat out every day. See as much of the island as you can without overdoing.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car as the mileage around the island would be to expensive for a taxi. As for public transportation, I don't believe there is any other than to the shopping malls.

One bedroom, king size bed, kitchen, living room with queen size hide a bed. Lani with ocean view. It had all the amenities for cooking that you would need. Washer and dryer in unit. Very clean. Pool, hot tub, tennis and putting greens. It also had two TVs with VCR and rental movies at the office.

This is a drive through a virtual rainforest. It has numerous waterfalls with hiking trails for the more adventuresome.

The foliage is beautiful, with trees overhanging the highway and abundant flowers everywhere. It is a coast road with views of the ocean and the cliffs around Maui.

The drive to the crater Haleakala is refreshing and a different experiece for anyone. Be sure to take a jacket as it is quite cool on top and your camera is a must to capture the sun as it rises. Awe inspiring.

This place is very informative, with pictures and newspaper articles about whales and the harvesting of the whales. There are also old artifacts of tools and ships' logs with pay schedules of the sailors. The sailors would sign on for two or three years at a time. Some of the sailors, in their spare time would do carvings. Thus the scrimshaw on ivory was created with various drawings for their loved ones back home. The hardships they endured would make some of them jump ship when or if they reached a port.

Individual shops in an open-air setting on Kaanapali Beach. Three-tier mall with food court and individual restaurants. After shopping, take a walk on the beautiful Kaanapali Beach and watch the snorkelers and boats on the ocean.

Our trip started with a flight from Phoenix, AZ which lasted six hours. We exited the airport and that is when the air smelled like flowers and the trade winds were blowing softly.

We picked up our car and proceeded to our condo, a very short drive. The sugarcane fields and abundant blooming flowers were refreshing after spending six months in Arizona.

We stayed at a condo resort called Maui Schooner. Which was excellent. The ocean view from the lanai was breathtaking and I knew this is where we would spend our leisure time. The condo had everything you would need. It had a pool, hot tub, barbecue grills, tennis, putting greens, ocean views, horseshoes, and of course a washer and dryer in every unit.

Our first full day we took the drive to Haleakala Crater for the sunrise. By the way, you will be up at 3 in the morning because of the time difference, so be sure and take this drive, as it is a memory not forgotten. Take jackets, as it is quite cool, and don't forget your camera, as the pictures you take will be outstanding.

We took the Road to Hana the next day and that drive was also fantastic. This is a journey through a virtual Rain Forest with many waterfalls and hiking trails. It is fifty miles of coast road with many spectacular views of the rugged cliffs and the ocean. The foliage is dense and every shade of green you can imagine. Just before we got to Hana, we opted to picnic in the State Park. It had a walking trail above the ocean and you could view the Black Sand Beach and the waves hitting the rugged rocks and spraying everything in their way.

When we reached Hana it was raining hard and we decided to turn around and make the return trip. This was just as spectacular as the trip there.

We drove to Lahiana one day and took in the shops and the famous tree. This banyan tree covers a whole block and is 131 years old. In fact they were having a Birthday party for the tree while we were there.

We visited the Whalers Village Shopping Mall, which has three tiers of open air shops of every variety. On the upper floor we found the Whalers Museum, which was very interesting and educational. The artifacts, pictures and newspaper articles were unbelievable in what the sailors actually did on their expeditions. After the Museum, we took a walk on Kaanapali Beach, which is a beautiful sand beach and the swimmers and snorkelers are having fun.

One night we went to the Cannery Mall, which is on the other side of Lahiana. We went through the shops and then ate at their food court. This was very good and prices were reasonable. While we were eating a Hula Show started and was very entertaining. This is a way to see some of the Hawaiian customs come alive and was free.

We took in the Aquarium at Buzz's Wharf and got to see all the colorful coral and fish found in the area without getting wet. They have a few sharks and man of wars swimming in tanks and also a tank with the huge sea turtles.

My nephew and niece went snorkeling and said it was an awesome experience they had a great time taking in all the attractions just as we did.

You can't go to Hawaii without bringing back macadamia nuts and seashells. This is a must.

Overall the trip was enjoyable and relaxing for all of us. We scheduled things to do in the morning and then relaxed by the pool or on our lanai's in the afternoon and watched the sunsets. Unforgettable to anyone contemplating a journey to one of our most beautiful states.