Magical Moments in Maui

I had never been to Hawaii. I remember as a preteen hearing so much about it, and it was my dream for what seemed like FOREVER.

I got married on Maui in March 1989 to my hubby, George. We have gone back to Maui every year but two since that time. We finally bought a timeshare resale off the market in 1998 at MAUI HILL (a great place!) in south Kihei, just bordering Wailea.

In May 2001, my son and his family, with my little grandkids, came with us on vacation to our unit at MAUI HILL. Well, 6 weeks later they ended up moving to MAUI! My son and daughter-in-law are both in healthcare, and the demand for their jobs is quite high in the islands. BUT I was devastated; however, it came to be a blessing in disguise. They rented for 2 years and then bought a two-bedroom condo in May 2002; we then purchased ours at the property in front of theirs a couple weeks later! How about that, huh??!! So now we trade our Maui Hill weeks. Thank you, Maui Hill for all the memories and for holding onto our timeshare. We get to do SOME WONDERFUL traveling to beautiful resorts in places I never dreamed I'd be able to go, making a lot of memories along the way.

Quick Tips:

GET A DISCOUNT BOOK BEFORE YOU GO: Entertainmentbook.com has good books, and make sure you register it online when you receive it. For (or less), this little book has GREAT dinner discounts at both fine and casual restaurants. It also helps you saves money on snorkel tours, parasailing, etc.

FEBRUARY on MAUI: Festival of the Whales is held yearly at Kalama Park in Kihei. There are free whale-watch tours, crafts/food booths, music, and entertainment - a fun time!

WEDNESDAYS IN WAILEA: Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9pm there is free entertainment at the Shops at Wailea.

Buy your own snorkel gear and bring it back home if you snorkel. It is not expensive if you get it at the COSTCO near the airport.
*If you're staying at least 5 days or more and have more than two people, DO SHOP AT THE COSTCO! You will save money on chips, drinks, and snacks.

HALLOWEEN: Go to this wild extravaganza in Lahaina at least ONCE. You won't forget it!

Best Way To Get Around:

You need a car to enjoy the island.

I have tried just about everything on the menu here and have never had a bad meal. If you are looking for romantic, soft ambience, this is NOT it. This is a casual locals’ place to eat.

It is not expensive, as rates for lunch or dinner run between $5 and $9. With your entrée you get two scoops of rice, macaroni, OR green salad (just about every meal in the islands comes with rice and macaroni, and salad). They have WONDERFUL mahimahi and chicken katsu, which is lightly breaded chicken that comes with a spicy, tangy berbeque-type dipping sauce. The teriyaki chicken has FOUR pieces of chicken cooked just RIGHT in a teriyaki-flavored sauce. Other menu items include loco moco, noodle soup, Portuguese bean soup (at the Kahului location only), Kalua pork, and lau lau. Lau lau is something you MUST try. It is steamed, shredded pork wrapped and cooked in taro greens with just a tad of fish for extra flavor. TO DIE FOR, and one of my favorites.

There are about five booths and five tables at the KIHEI location, and Kahului location is much bigger. A lot of people do takeout, as this is a very busy place.

The Five Palms has been around for awhile. The restaurant sits at the oceanfront side of the Mana Kai Resort, an older, well-established high rise complex in south Maui.

We have gone to the "early-bird" special on several occasions. For $19.95 (I think recently upped to $21.95.) between 5 and 6pm, you have a choice of prime rib, mahimahi, or chicken as your entree. Dinner comes with a nice green salad using local fare, rice or potato, and a light Lilikoi cheesecake for dessert. The food is good--NOT wonderful, but very good. The service is good, too, and the views are stupendous; you're not going to get more oceanfront than this place. It is lovely and romantic but casual at the same time. Happy hour between 2pm and 5pm has two-for-one drinks and "pupus" (hors d'ouevres) at the bar. A fine place to have dinner in a group or just for a romantic night out.

...and it's going to take awhile. So I thought it best that I do this in increments. There is just too much information to give in one segment!

We live part-time on Maui now, and every time we visit, I find more new things to share with travelers. I have been visiting Maui for the past 16 years and have made well over 40-50 trips there. And still, every time I go, I am fascinated all over again, like when I was there on my first visit in 1989.

We now own our own condo, clear and free, in addition to a timeshare down the road at another resort.

ok- We used to visit the west side of the island on our first few vacations in Maui (1989-1994). Since that time, however, we have found so many things we love about the Kihei/Wailea area, in addition to the Ia'O Valley, Pukalani, and up country. Of course, it doesn't take one long to fall in love with this island, nor does it take too long to drive to other parts of the island. We chose Kihei as our main vacation area because the snorkeling and the beaches seem to be so much nicer than the west side. The weather is usually warmer, and the south part of the island gets only 12-14 inches of rain per year. Ka'anapali and Lahaina are ok to visit for a day or two,(MY opinion), but the area is so crowded and the traffic horrendous. Be advised that there are still two lane roads in some areas, so getting around can often take a bit of your time. Here are some places and activities I would suggest you experience, if only once: 1. A nice luau 2. I'ao Valley National Park 3. The Tropical Plantation 4. Kula Botanical Gardens 5. Downtown Lahaina 6. Kapalua area 7. Drive the NOrth road around the island 8. Hana(some areas are nicer than others) 9. Ahi'i Marine Preserve past Makena 10. A rafting trip to Lanai'i 12. Maui Ocean Center 13. The Maui bumper Boats/(across from the ocean center) 14. Dinner at Leilani's on the Beach, Ka'anapali. 15. EAT A SLICE OF HULA PIE. to DIE for! SNORKELING,BOOGIE BOARDING, SUNSETS SUNRISE at Haleakala, and don't forget to just R-E-L-A-X. For families traveling with at least 2 or more children I suggest a roomy condominium. You can save $$ eating some meals in, You have the space to spread out and relax, tvs usually have vcrs or dvd players, more relaxing for not only young kids and teens, but parents AND grandparents. To be continued....