While I’ve hit the major highlights of my trip to Maui in the various individual blogs, there were lots of other fabulous things we had a blast doing that I would I don’t want to miss sharing so here we go with that...
Sea Turtles & Seals at Ho’okipa
We visited Ho’okipa Beach Park in the hopes to see some sea turtles and maybe some other amazing marine life.
We were thrilled to see that yes indeed there were many many sea turtles you canwatch but please be good humans and watch from a distance (like the signs request) ifyou do go visit here. This is a tried and true place to see sea turtles so definitely add itto your list of places to visit if these creatures are something you’d like to see in the wild.
When I’d visited last year I was super lucky and also got to see 2 monk seals on the beach! Apparently this is not so common so talk about fortuitous. I absolutely adore seals and I was tempted to sit and watch these creatures all day (even though they really didn’t do much other than lounge about!)
Wailea Beach Resort
I would be remiss if I didn’t share about this. Our conference is held at the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort.
To say I spend a fair bit of time in hotels for work travel throughout the year, might be just a tad bit of an understatement...so let me just tell you this...loyalty has its privileges. Upon check-in the front desk very generously shared with me that they had upgraded our room thanks to my loyalty. Little did we know just how amazing of an upgrade it would be!! They’d put us in a room with a huge sundeck that was right off the pool.
We spent many a morning, afternoon, and evening (when I wasn’t at the conference) enjoying the lounge chairs on that deck. (We even watched a bit of baseball on our devices out there and talked a whole lot of baseball!) It was an ideal place to watch the sunset even when the sunset wasn’t the best. This hotel has a great staff with excellent service.
Their front lawn is such a great picture spot with the “Aloha” sign and all of the flora is just beautiful.
They have multiple restaurants (with good food), several bars with great drinks, a Starbucks, and multiple pools. I absolutely highly recommend staying here if you are able to do so!
Road to Hana
It’s a long drive but if you’ve got great company and a convertible it’s worth doing once. Beautiful scenery and some great places to stop along the way.
We stopped at Twin Falls and wandered the beautiful area. We opted not to get into the water because we had a long day of driving left to go but should you want to get in, you certainly can!
Did I mention I am a science geek? (And so is Marissa!!) With that being said there was no way we were going to drive past the Hana Lava Tube and not stop!
Word of note-they only take cash for admittance so plan ahead.
This lava tube turned cave is about 1,000 years old and it’s amazing to walk through it to see what our planet creates! It’s super dark so with your admission fee they loan you flashlights which you would not be able to do this journey without them. It was cool and damp but not uncomfortable. There are signs along the way to share some facts and science which of course we loved. This place is definitely unique and worth the stop!
Mai Tais
If you are open to an adult beverage, having one of these is a MUST. I’m pretty sure it’s the official drink of the island. Cheers!
We had an absolutely wonderful time in Maui (and yes, for those of you who are wondering, the conference I attended was also super productive. It's just not very exciting content for a travel blog so I'll spare you the details!) and while it was Marissa's first visit to Hawaii, I am certain it will not be her last! Nor will it be mine!
A hui hou!
