by Joe
Day 4: Tennis, snorkeling and shopping
The Makena Beach and Golf Resort has a tennis center with 6 hard courts of which 2 are lighted. $20 per person per day and they will work with you to get you on the court. Make reservations because it appeared to be a popular place. The courts were nice and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. We played at 10 am and it was already getting warm but a breeze kept you comfortable. After playing about an hour and a half we walked back to the hotel. We found a great place to enjoy the sun on a little bluff overlooking the ocean and beach.
After a short time we thought we should do a little snorkeling. I went up to the room and picked up our snorkel gear and came back to meet the ocean. The water was a bit colder than we thought it would be and a bit rougher than it had been early in the morning. We gave it a try anyway. Although we were a little chilled we were rewarded by seeing some great fish and a sea turtle. About 45 minutes later we were done, or should I say nicely chilled. We came out of the water and headed to our chairs and warm towels. We sat by the pool and relaxed before we headed back to the room to prepare for the evening of dinner and shopping. I didn’t get warm until a hot shower in the room, not the beach.
We drove to the Shops at Wailea for dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was created by two women from California and they opened their first store in 1989. Multiple types of burgers in the $10 to $14 range excluding fries or any of the other sides. Good cold beer and the burger was tasty but probably not the best burger you ever tried for $12. All the kids around us seemed to be enjoying their time. Kids menu was cheaper. My wife had a Mai Tai and I had the Firehouse pale ale. Their signature 20 oz. beer glass filled with your favorite beer was the best deal there. They give you a clean glass and the box to pack it in. A couple of cool shops there to buy reminders (souvenirs), including The ABC Store and the Trading Post. We also bought some Hawaiian cookies at the Honolulu Cookie Company. Very accommodating staff and the shortbread cookies were fresh, crispy, and many had some type of chocolate. I hope they make it home with being crumbled! Made it back to the hotel in time to relax on the lanai and the big easy chair to catch up on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Day 5: A true beach day
The 4:30 am rooster alarm went off right on time but I fell back to sleep quickly. After breakfast we took a walk and thought about the day. We’ve always used the rule of relax and adventure/site-seeing balance as a good mix for any vacation. While we don’t always accomplish the rest and relaxation portion, we try. Today is a relax day.
The water looked calm as a monk at vespers and there is no wind so we scurried back to the resort and prepared for the beach. We went to the beach and found a couple of chairs in the sun. The Pacific Ocean looked clear and clean and very little surf this morning. We snapped on our snorkel gear and stepped into the very cool water. Fish immediately! As well as a good size loggerhead turtle that swam up to us like Crush from Finding Nemo. The water was so clear today that the fish looked colorful and frisky. The beach was very warm and we relaxed on our beach chairs and watched the sights, human and otherwise.
After a couple of hours I was getting a little rosy red and told my wife that I better go up to where it is a little more shady, like the bar by the pool. I went up and ordered a cold beer and the bartender said it was Margarita Monday. Called Cindy on her phone and told her. She came up to keep me company as we shared some mainland stories with a young lady from West Virginia and the lady we bumped into the other day from Wyoming who loved to talk tennis. Went back to the beach for awhile before we headed back to the room.
We got ready for a sunset dinner at the Molokini Bar and Grille. Before dinner the resort had a Hula school come in to the pool area and put on a great show. After the show we walked to the restaurant, which was in the resort, for an early dinner since we hadn’t really eaten since breakfast. We had a Mai Tai and a Blue Hawaiian. Both were well mixed. For an appetizer we had the Kalua Pork Cavatelli. Pork tasted like it was just pulled from the roasting imu. The white cream sauce and pasta was perfectly blended. Cindy had a Caesar salad first and then the flat iron steak with garlic mash and asparagus. I had the lobster salad and then the local white fish sautéed with roasted fingerling potatoes with a tasty Chardonnay from California. Awesome meal. At 7:30 pm the resort had a fire pit going for the kids to do s’mores and an astronomer to do a star gazing show. He had a nice 8 inch telescope set up and talked us through what we were seeing in the Maui night sky. The stars here are so bright and we are able to see so many more than we can see at home. The guy was hilarious and kept us entertained. My I love Maui!
A beautiful bay near the Makena Beach and Golf Resort
Day 6: The road to Hana and what’s the dress code in Hawaii?
We’ve done the adventure of driving this road twice before but wouldn’t miss it. It’s a great way to see some of the beautiful Maui countryside on the backside (rainy side) of Haleakala. This is a long twisty, narrow road with more than 50 one lane bridges. Not a driver’s dream but the scenery is brilliant. It doesn’t rain every day, and in fact it didn’t rain on us all day. However you need rain to make waterfalls so on this trip some of the waterfalls we recalled from the past trips were mostly dry. There were still some flowing but not as many. Be prepared to stop often to see the sights and stretch the legs of the driver. If you go all the way to the Haleakala National Park, which is past Hana, it’s an all day adventure. You will have to come back the way you came unless you want to chance the rough road all the way around the base of the volcano. If you are headed back after the National Park you should drive at least 1 more mile to the little church and cemetery where Charles Lindbergh is buried. Very private and quiet place just like Lindbergh was.
A waterfall spotted during our drive
Our favorite places to stop are the north shore where some of the best surfing waves in Hawaii are swelling. You’ll know the scene as soon as you get there by all of the people stopping to watch the surfers. Another good place to stop is at the Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside Park where you can depend on seeing at least two waterfalls and pools where some people will be taking a dip. Next is a true black sand beach with some great lava tubes and caves. The water can be pretty rough in some of the areas here. This beach is called Pa’iloa Bay and is right before you get to Hana.
A cave on a black sand beach
Next is the little town of Hana. Great little town and a calm beach where you can take a dip to cool off and relax. The backside of the crater is the location of Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu. This is a fee based park of $10 a carload but it’s worth it. It has some great history, artifacts, and old taro fields as well as the Seven Pools and waterfalls. The last time I was here I was young enough to jump off the cliffs into one of the deep pools with my brother in law and some locals. Cindy and I love visiting the National Parks so we typically buy an annual pass that gets you into any of the National Parks across the U.S. for a year. Cost of that pass is $80. However, because I just turned 62 I was able to buy a lifetime pass for $10 that’s good for everyone who is with me at any park in the U.S. for the rest of my life, which I hope is a long one. Best deal the U.S. government has ever offered me!
My wife and I were very tired and hungry as we came back through the long and winding road at about 5 pm. I had always seen Mama’s Fish House and heard it had a great reputation. We stopped and had a surprise that Mama’s had turned into more than just the fish stand that I recall, and in fact was quite the elegant dive! Our first tip was that you had to let the valet park the car. As we began to walk up to the first of a couple of different hostess stations we were asked what time our reservation was. We told them we did not have one but wondered if they had a bar where we could order a drink. They were very gracious and told us of 2 bars that were available for open seating. Now my wife would not ordinarily go to a place like this without spending a considerable amount of effort getting ready which I always appreciate because she always looks gorgeous. To my surprise she seemed very ok with taking a chance on the bar if for no other reason to hit the restroom and we both could use an adult beverage. To see the humor of this you have to realize I had on swimming trunks and a t-shirt and sandals and she had on a hiking shirt and shorts over her bathing suit. We were early enough to find two seats at the end of the bar and not make too big of a presence known. I found out they had Hinano beer so I was already satisfied. We ordered at the bar and the menu was awesome. Their menu is made up each day and the fish dishes, which are most of the entrees, told you which boat caught the fish that day. I had a lobster seafood soup that had huge pieces of lobster in every bite and my lovely bride had a delicious salad. I had a combination plate that had both the opah and the wild boar Kalua pork dish. Cindy had a beef tenderloin appetizer as her main course. The bartender served us as though we were his only customer. He couldn’t have cared less about how we were dressed. The whole experience was super and though the place is very expensive we had a great time talking to the couple seated next to us as well as enjoying the food and the bartenders. It just goes to show you another example of the aloha spirit and the laid back atmosphere of the great state of Hawaii.