Maui

Stop number three was Maui - Hubby's favorite on the itinerary. To be honest, it wasn't a good first impression for me. The airport was serviceable and we rented a minivan from the car rental counter. We chose to stay at the Aston Kaanapali Shores and even got a little sea view beyond the garden view (there was birdsong every morning and evening), but the condo hotel was pretty dated. It was nice to have washer, dryer, and a little kitchen though. We ate some of our meals in the room - there was a grocery store across the street - to cut down on costs (HI was expensive). I was expecting someone to welcome me with a lei - isn't that what they do in the movies? With condos and hotels everywhere, it didn't feel much different from Florida... 

Beach at hotel

View from the front of hotel, after the rain

Hubby likes nothing more than to hang out at a warm beach for his holidays. He and Boy went on a snorkeling trip, and saw the humuhumunukunukuāpua'a (reef triggerfish - the HI state fish) and a turtle, among other things. There was snorkeling near the shore at various beaches, which was nice. We found a beach with light waves (could be the Baby Beach) where Girl loved playing in the water. And I really liked Napili Beach. Otherwise, we spent quite a bit of time at the pool. Things were looking up a little.

Snorkeling trip

Baby beach

We ate at the hotel restaurant often, simply for convenience - the food was not so good (what you do when you travel with kids). No expensive luau for us (kids wouldn't sit through that) - just watched the free hotel hula show, which was cute. We did check out Whalers Village and had lunch at Cane & Taro - nice view and yummy sushi. Found a couple other good restaurants - our favorite was Star Noodle. There was this big communal table where you could see what others were eating, and the desserts were so good. Another fond memory is Aloha Mixed Plate - tasty and filling.  We splurged at Mala on seared tuna and Kobe beef burger.
We took a pass on the Hana Highway as reviews said that the hair-pin turns did not make a pleasant drive with young kids. We did drive north from Kaanapaali to Mokuleia Beach, where Hubby snorkeled and Boy found crabs in the little cove. The development thinned out a bit as we headed north, but probably won't be that way for long. This was more the HI I imagined.

Honolua Bay

Mokuleia Beach