The family made a trip to Maui in December 2019.

I did not actively make any plans for activities except research the Bike down Haleakala adventure.

After a botched reservation for a room with a kitchenette, we settled to enjoy the Grand Wailea. It’s a huge resort with a nice beach.

We did not rent a car, hoping that we would Lyft it everywhere. It turned out to be a OK decision. Had we known about Kihei Rent a Car prior to arriving, we may have used it more. The $40/day parking fees at Grand was a turnoff. Why do they do that? It is ransom.

The sunset was beautiful on Day 1 and Day 3. Rest of the days, the clouds prevailed.

Couple of recommendations from Uber/Lyft drivers was spot on. One suggested using the ShakaGuide App for Road to Hana car drive. It turned out to be awesome. We even got to hear the story of Hawaii right from early 1700s todate. A bloody history, contrasting with the idyllic nature of the islands.

Haleakala was a spectacular drive and hike. The colors of the crater is etched in my mind. It was disappointing to not be able to tour the observatory. We saw many bicyclists attempting to bike up the mountain. Wonderful grit. The Maui brewing Company was a lovely lunch spot on our ride back. Again another suggestion from a Uber driver.

haleakala

Haleakala

Lahaina was languid, The Banyan tree at the center of Front street is historic and a magnificent sight. We experienced super windy conditions on the drive there. The geography forces the wind to speed up in the mountain gaps.

Under the Lahaina Banyan

If there was a better way to spend a day, it wouldn’t be any other than Road to Hana. Waterfalls, beaches, serpentine roads, vegan ice cream stands all combine to make this one lovely drive. Nahiku Landing is off the main road and we were pleased to find it on the App.

Sea Turtles at Hokoipa Beach

It was not easy to come back to the main land. The silver lining was a relatively empty section on the plane. I was able to sleep stretched out resting my tired back. That’s another story.

Cafe Kula – you fed us many meals. Kamana Indian cuisine – you could have done better. Manoli Pizza – Meh. Joey’s Cafe – good stuff!