Maui Love

Aloha Friends! I hope you've had a lovely few weeks! We had a much needed getaway in Maui. It's been over four years since we've had more than a weekend away together as a family, so we were over the moon to have 10 spectacular days together in paradise. Here's a few moments from our trip: 

 Kaanapali Beach - view from the Sheraton Hotel. I'd love to say this was our room, but it was just the first place we stopped when we arrived on the island - we were starving - surprisingly the complimentary airplane peanuts didn't go too far. 

 Kimo Restaurant in Lahaina  - Incredible seafood. My fish was crusted in coconut - we were fancy that day. 

 The magical backdrop of Banyan trees. (I actually packed a variety of shorts/tshirts/sundresses for my daughter for this trip, but she insisted on wearing this dress everytime we went out because it made her feel special. So although the photos make it look like we did everything in one day, it's really her repeated dress selection).

 Best fish tacos from our trip: Lahaina Luna Cafe. (And I thoroughly researched the fish tacos across Maui. Thoroughly.)

 Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice. It was absolutely delicious. It looks like a snow cone but it is creamier and more flavourful, like ice cream. I am still stumped as to why it isn't called Shaved Ice instead of Shave Ice....so delicious, yet oh so grammatically challenging at the same time......

 Our gorgeous morning walk along the Kaanapali waterfront. There are beautiful waterfront homes lining the boardwalk. My husband and I found that one of our new favourite bits from the trip was the word Lanai (a home's outdoor patio).  "Excuse me, were you just out on the Lanai? Did you see my fiance out there? I think my fiance was on the Lanai. Have you met my fiance?"

 We were lucky enough to see rainbows wherever we went, which made me feel like my mom was right there with us.

Sunset swim in Kihei. The sun drops right out of the sky at 6 pm, but it takes a beautiful final bow.

A gorgeous walk along the waterfront in Wailea. As you can tell from the warning sign below, we literally took our lives in our hands on this walk. Possibility of Crime!! Judging by the picture are old mobsters waiting in the hedges, ready to shove unsuspecting pedestrians off the cliffs? 

 Paia - a groovy little hippie town where celebs like Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson have homes.

  Sunset along Kamaole III beach in Kihei.  There aren't any lights lining the streets, so from 6 pm onwards, everything is pitch black. I think that's why everyone is up and outside by 7 am, to get the most from the daylight. I love how active the community is. I made sure I applauded them all as they ran by. 

The gorgeous Iao Valley State Park. It only takes about half an hour to walk around, and you want to get there early, because parking is limited and line-ups form quickly.

My favourite moment in Maui was snorkelling along Keawakapu beach. It is a lesser known beach, and quickly became one of our favourites - it wasn't as touristy as some of the other local beaches, and has gentle waves for our daughter and incredible snorkelling. I was all alone snorkelling over a beautiful coral reef, when all of a sudden two beautiful sea turtles swam around me. I slowly followed them, transfixed by their fluid movement. It was one of those times of life where I just felt like the luckiest person to be sharing their space.

The drive up to the Maui Winery is a stunner. My husband said it's the most fun he's ever had driving because of the way the road takes so many quick twists and turns. When this photo was taken on the lush winery grounds, the mist was rolling over the hills, giving it a real dreamlike feeling.

There are two very definitive parts to this trip. These photos encapsulate Part One- the trip itself - which we agreed was one of our favourites (second only to our African adventure) - we had mini adventures everyday, laughed our butts off, were off our phones the whole time, and started and ended each day with a swim. It was blissful togetherness.

Tomorrow I will bring to you Part II -The Journey Home:  24 hours of grossness

xoxo