The husband had visited Maui for a work related conference in 2014. Despite wanting to accompany him at that time, the logistics did not work out. Once he got back, he promised me that we would visit the island. He fell in love with it and was completely frustrated, as he could not even visit the beautiful beaches due to work. Knowing full well how much I love the sea, he made good on his promise when one fine day he booked a week in Maui without me even realizing it.

Then the preparations begin. The husband likes to be prepared (and that is an understatement). First the research – on everything! This includes the best swimwear with UV protection for the skin, sunscreen (one that will not harm the corals), sunglasses and the list goes on. But most importantly research about the island and what all to do while there including buying a book about Maui. I laugh at and sometimes get irritated with his incessant research but always thank him for it in the end as it makes life so much easier. What we soon realize is that one week is too short a time. We want to take our time with each of our activities and it is obvious this would not be possible if we went island hopping as so many tourists do. Today, I can confidently say, I’ve seen and done most of everything in Maui and now am ready to visit another island in Hawaii. (hint…hint). What strikes me the most about the place is the pace of life in the island is really relaxed but the lifestyle is so very active. You can actually keep fit while having a great time.

Our Arrival

We arrive at around 1 pm and reach our resort (The Marriott at Wailea) in about an hour and a half. The airport shuttle transfer can take a while and once you land on the island, you want to start your vacation fast, so patience runs low. We dump our luggage (1 cabin sized bag for each of us and 1 bag with our snorkeling gear) in the hotel room and change into our swimsuits. We’ve one swimsuit for each day. I am not happy taking so many but realize once on the island that this is the single piece of clothing which we will spend the most time in. We are determined to make this vacation to be an active one so the first thing we do on arrival at the hotel is jump into the pool and some laps. We are always several lbs more than what we started off with after a vacation, so this time we think we’d do things a little differently. We focus on remaining active while having fun. The emphasis will be less on gorging ourselves with delicacies and more on eating the healthy and yummy stuff too.

If I were to write a detailed travelogue it would be so lengthy that none of you would even bother reading it. So here are some highlights…the best of the best

Maui has such a diverse landscape in such a small area (727 square miles or 1,884 square km). The ocean, the high mountains, rainforest and even small streams and beautiful waterfalls all clustered in this small area. I am amazed that the almighty has given this small island an abundance of nature’s beauty and glory. Every leaf and every fruit looks fresh and healthy here. While talking to some of the locals, I found out that some of that is done with fertilizer (the people aren’t too happy about it as the fertilizer runs into the ocean polluting it) but fertilizer is used everywhere. Here the climate supports growth. Fortunately for us, we got to eat fresh fruits throughout our stay. Unlike our previous vacations that would revolve around a whole lot of eating and less activities, this time we focused on eating fresh produce. Our breakfast would be large and mostly consisted of fresh papayas, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and pineapples. On most days, there would be no time for lunch as we were either snorkeling, scuba diving or doing other such activities. Dinner would be a hearty one though.

Maui is in a different time zone. It is five hours behind Chicago. Both the hubby and me are up by 4.30 am the morning after we land on this idyllic island. By 5.15 am I am too restless to stay in bed so I decide to go for an early morning run. It is the best decision I ever made. The resorts at Wailea (where we stayed) are all along the shore and along the resorts is a path made for walking and running. It is the most picturesque path ever and is around 4 miles long. I run along this path but am forced by my beautiful surroundings’ to stop take pictures.

Star gazing (Haleakalā mountain)

When we are told to get warm clothes for our trip to the Haleakalā Mountain. I do not take it seriously. How cold can it be on an almost tropical island? Boy, am I wrong? We go up to the mountain around 6.30 pm. We traverse a height of 10,00- ft in less than an hour. There are mountain bikers going up the mountain, which we could have done…it would have been more adventurous. Maybe next time?!?!

Up on the mountain, it is chilly but not cold. We watch the sunset. It is really beautiful. But as soon as the sun has set, the temperature drops at least 10-15 degrees. Our tour guide is prepared with warm clothes for us so we pile them on. With sundown the crowds vanish and out come the stars. And what stars we see! I have studied about the Earth being round but at Haleakalā I actually see it and believe it. Flabbergasted at seeing the stars looking down at me, I strangely feel small and weak compared to the enormity of God’s creation around me. We see Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and several constellations through a very powerful telescope. This is a must do according to me. An awesome and unforgettable experience.

Road to Hana

There is only one major road in Maui, which meanders along the island’s periphery and no matter where one has to go one has to navigate through that round about road. The road to Hana, part of this very road, is long winding and a beautiful one with wonderful waterfalls at almost every turn. This ends in the viewing of (and for some jumping in to) the seven sacred sweet water pools and the ocean right there next to them. The best part of this trip is to do the treks, which you can chance upon at every corner. These treks give you a glimpse of the flora and fauna of the island, which is absolutely breathtaking. We make it a point to stop and walk wherever possible. While trekking we take in all the sights and sounds up close and personal. The day we do road to Hana my fitbit actually shows more than 20,000 steps. YAY!!!

Water activities

This place abounds in water activities (ofcourse it does – this is Hawaii for heavens sake). This goes without saying. It has some of the best spots for snorkeling. The visibility at the Molokini crater (a crater formed by an under water volcano) is truly astounding. Again, we want to get in our daily exercise so we kayak to another snorkeling spot and kayak back to the resort. But the highlight of all the water activities for us is our first time experience of scuba diving. After a thirty-minute lesson in one of the resort’s pools, we head straight for the ocean. It is unnerving when you are 20 ft below but soon one gets used to it and starts enjoying ocean life up close and personal. Big time adrenaline rush!

Chillaxing at the resort

If there are enumerable activities to indulge in, there are just as many ways to relax in Maui. For us, it is dipping into the infinity pool at our resort and chillaxing with a yummy ‘mai tai’ or a ‘cucumbersonic’ (the two drinks made to perfection at our resort) and watching the sun go down on the pacific horizon. The infinity pool at the Marriott at Wailea was built before the environmental zoning laws. This make it that much closer to the ocean and thus the best view. After a hectic day of snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking, there is no better way to relax than taking a dip in the pool.

Oh! And don’t forget to eat the mangoes and papayas while there…they’re out of the world.

Bottomline – I completely fell in love with Maui. Can’t wait to go back and explore the other islands…Hawaii here we come…again!