Got back from Maui yesterday. It was an awesome trip. Dh and I are so tan now. I can't even wear my makeup now because of the difference. lol.

We rented a condo in Wailea which saved us some $$ not only in hotel costs but also in eating out. We shopped for food in Kihei which is a short drive away and ate meals out on the lanai/deck overlooking beautiful scenery. It was nice to be away from the crowds in the hotels too. I definitely recommend it. It made for a nice honeymoon.

We did go out to eat a few times at a couple of nice restaurants. My favorite was Mama's Fish House. The service and food was heaven! And the restaurant was in front of the beach and beautiful. We also did a luau at Feast at Lele. I definitely recommend it too. Instead of waiting in line for the buffet like in other luaus, we got served a 5 course meal and enjoyed the performance while relaxing at our table. They had free drinks too. There's not a bad seat in the place at all. But it was a splurge. We also went to Da Kitchen a few times. It's a tiny take out place serving Hawaiian/Asian food in Kihei. Don't know how authenically Hawaiian it was but it was definitely comfort food! And it was good. I even developed a taste for poi (taro paste).

We took a couple of day trips. One to the volcano crater. Had to take Dramamine for the curvy ride up. Spectacular views even if it was misted over by the vog (foggy conditions from the erupted volcano on Big Island, which blew over Maui).

We also did the Road to Hana. Which was nice...but we missed a bunch of sights because we couldn't find it and/or we ran out of time. Hana is more of the wild tropical Hawaii that people usually imagine. Although it is not as "wild" as I had expected (probably because of all the tourists visiting). We wanted to see the "Blue Pool" which is a huge waterfall, but it was closed due to liability issues. We did enjoy the black sand beach though. The sand is black from volcano. Very unusual to see (at least for us!).

We went to the beach a lot (needless to say. lol). Our favorite was Ulua beach near our condo. We got there early before it got crowded and snorkeled and played in the water. Caught a partial sunset there too but it was obscured by the vog. On our last night in Maui we did catch a full sunset in Kihei as some of the tradewinds cleaned out the vog. Gorgeous.

Did whale watching and souvenir shopping in Lahaina. Whale watching was amazing. We did an ecotour with the Pacific Whale Foundation. We apparently were on a trip that had a record number of whale breaching! The baby whale was apparently practicing. :) It was nice that a few years ago we saw the whales in Alaska feeding....and now we got to see the whales in Maui (where they go to breed and give birth). It's toward end of whale season in Maui and the whales are getting ready to make their trip back to Alaska now.

We were a little glad that we didn't stay in Lahaina though because it was much more crowded and "touristy." Although it had a section that felt more like a center of town for the community. We almost stayed there because of the better rates but then we found a reasonably priced condo in Wailea, which we prefer because it is much quieter. Lahaina is a cute town though. And we came just in time for the Banyan Tree birthday celebration. :) It's an amazingly huge tree!!!

All in all a wonderful trip. Likely the last one for a long time though. It was a major splurge even though we didn't go for luxury and made some very economical choices. But it was for our honeymoon and we came back with lots of beautiful memories. So it was well worth it.

I hope that Maui will stay beautiful. I don't know how long it can last with so many thoughtless tourists. We saw people littering and people stepping all over the coral reefs and otherwise disrespecting the island and nature. :( I also can't help wondering what it is really like to be a resident. The cost of living is so high and the are so many tourists. I really hope that it will stay beautiful for future visitors and residents alike.

Sounds wonderful! I was in Maui 21 years ago (as a jr. higher on a family vacation). It was beautiful!

Mini, that sounds heavenly, and as you said, you have a lifetime of memories now :). You can't put a price on that! ;)

Sounds like a great trip, and I'm glad you had such a good time. :)

That sounds like the the most beautiful, amazing trip ever. A friend of mine is taking a trip to Hawaii this month, and she cannot wait....we've been doing the countdown for months, lol.

I've been on two Hawaiian vacations and both were like a dream!:) I've been to many places and there's just nothing else like Hawaii! If anyone ever has the chance to go there, you should if you like the beach at all.

So insanely jealous!! DH and I have been dreaming of going there. Did you take pictures?? :) I'm glad you both had a great time!

Wow, it sounds like you had a wonderful time! I'd love to go someday. :)

Yes, Maui is wonderful indeed! I already miss it. It's so cold in Boston! lol. The first couple of nights we got back the temps in Boston dipped into the 30s. 50's during the day. That's a huge adjustment after a week of 85 degree weather!

We did take a ton of pictures which I am organizing now. I'll try to post some after I sort through them.

So insanely jealous!! DH and I have been dreaming of going there. Did you take pictures?? :) I'm glad you both had a great time!

I've also wanted to go to Hawaii for a long time. It took dh and I about 2 1/2 years after we got married to make it down there! It's definitely a splurge, especially coming from the east coast. It was like a 10-12 hr plane ride (not including layover). We chose to go in the "off season" too which saved us some money.

If you guys do go, I definitely recommend renting a condo directly from the owner. It's the first time we've done this and I definitely prefer it over hotels. We are do-it-yourselfers though so we don't mind if we are not waited on hand and foot. Which is good for our wallets too. With the condo you get a lot of privacy and it feels more like home. The condo we had was also very nice and in a lot of ways more luxurious than our own home. So it was all good.

Anyway, I hope you and your dh will be able to go in the future. I've never been so in love with a place. :D

Wow, sounds like you had a fantastic time. I never been there but everyone I've talked to that has always raves about it. Can't wait to see pictures. :)

I agree with renting places instead of staying in hotels when traveling. My sister and her husband rented a townhouse in the Upper East Side when they went to N.Y.. She said they not only saved money but enjoyed it much more than a hotel.

Oh I LOVE Hawaii and really want to visit Maui, lots of people prefer this island over the other. Sounds like an awesome awesome trip!

It sounds like you had an amazing time!

Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!! I'd love to go to Hawaii, I've never been. :)

It's great to hear you had a wonderful time and experience in Hawaii! I love it here. It's heaven on earth even if it's really expensive. :)

I hope that Maui will stay beautiful. I don't know how long it can last with so many thoughtless tourists. We saw people littering and people stepping all over the coral reefs and otherwise disrespecting the island and nature. :( I also can't help wondering what it is really like to be a resident. The cost of living is so high and the are so many tourists. I really hope that it will stay beautiful for future visitors and residents alike.
I see this everyday and it really is sad. It's especially sad and infuriating when I see residents do it. Taking the island for granted. I'd really like to see a stop of all the over developing too. Everyday I have to stop and marvel at the beauty around me.

Your trip sounds amazing! I'm glad you and your husband had such a fantastic, memorable time! :)