where to stay in maui // hawaii part four

Obviously there are a lot of great places to stay in Maui. We actually made reservations in advance of our trip at a resort I won’t detail, which we were really excited about; however, as we were planning some things to do, learned that it was under heavy construction via lots of poor Google reviews for noise, parts of the hotel being shut down, etc. Needless to say, we anxiously began researching other available places to stay. Cassidy did a lot of investigating and review, and ended up finding a residence rental that is a part of the Honua Kai Resort. It is within the resort, with all of the resort amenities, but is managed by Maui Resort Rentals and serves as a residence, which made it incredibly comfortable for our extended stay.

Maui Resort Rentals was fantastic to work with. They answered all of our questions right away about the spaces we were looking at, allowing for a seamless decision to cancel our previously booked room and schedule our week with them. We were so grateful for their directions, guidance, and assistance prior to and during our trip. The room was immaculately cleaned, and they left very kind welcome treats for our arrival.

We actually ended up getting a discounted rate because they were doing construction below us, but we overlook construction all the time at home, so we didn’t mind! Definitely keep an eye out for deals like this, because we had a fantastic experience, and the construction wasn’t at all distracting for us.

Our condo was twice the size of the apartment we live in downtown, but it was nice having the space since we were typically getting ready at the same time after enjoying the beach and pools… or I was getting ready and could let Cassidy nap in peace may have been the real advantage. The patio with a view of both the water and the mountains was unbelievable and we really savored spending time out there to read and just be. Since it was a residence, there were chairs, an umbrella, and a cooler stored in a closet for us to take out to the beach. We loved the additional amenities of a residence available like dishes, a dishwasher, a refrigerator we could stock, and a washer and dryer in case we needed it.

Food Truck Park was an easy walk from our resort, which we took advantage of a couple times (I discussed some of our favorite places we ate in this post). Because we had a refrigerator and dishwasher, we hit the Target close to the airport (per recommendation from my kind and knowledgeable mother in law) and got some water and a few snacks to keep on hand in our room. We especially loved these chips, which we learned are actually made in Washington (lol), and can be ordered on Amazon.

Our resort was also an easy drive down to the Whaler’s Village and downtown Lahaina, but it was also nice being just a little outside of the heavy tourist areas where we didn’t feel too crowded. One evening we ventured over to that area and experienced where we would have originally stayed, and felt more affirmed about our decision to change locations since our place was just more our pace. We really enjoyed downtown Lahaina, which I covered in the previous Hawaii-related post, and if you are a nightlife person, it could be a great area to stay in. Cassidy and I pretty much were in bed by 9 with the time change and we are personally not nightlife people, so our location definitely worked out well for us. It was really quiet and serene. Even with guests around us at the pools during the day, I still felt like we had plenty of time to ourselves.

Overall, we would highly recommend Honua Kai Resort, but would also suggest working with Maui Resort Rentals, because they undoubtedly made our experience all the more worthwhile!

Head here to read more about where to eat, this post talks about our new environmentally friendly applications, and this post discusses activities to do while in Maui.

what to do in maui // hawaii part three

I’ll be honest, Cassidy and I spent the better part of our Maui vacation relaxing, reading in the sun, and enjoying good food, all of which I highly recommend. We had plans to do more and see more, but it just felt so good to unwind in tropical paradise, and reset for our next season. We did make time for a few activities, so I’m making suggestions based on that, but also listing a few things we could have done, had we either planned accordingly or willed ourselves to move from the beach/pool situation more.

What to do in Lahaina:

1. SNUBA

   Seriously, do NOT miss this recreational activity. And don’t just snorkel. Splurge for the SNUBA, no questions asked. This was hands down, one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. As our diver said, snorkeling is 2D. SNUBA takes it to three dimensional. Our diver was Todd, and if you can, for sure make a reservation to go with him.

   We did the Discover Kaanapali tour with Trilogy, and the entire crew was incredible. They served both breakfast and lunch, as well as some snacks, which also makes it feel even more worthwhile. Make sure you eat and drink lots of water, because it really does exert a lot of energy! We let them know ahead of time I am gluten free, so they had a little açaí bowl prepared for me (which you know is practically my love language if you follow me on Stories), making me a happy camper!

   I was a little cautious and unsure, but one of the girls on our excursion was a SCUBA diver, and she told me beforehand that she initially hyperventilates every time she goes. Had I not been aware of this, I wouldn’t have recognized the signs of what was happening, but this is exactly what happened to me. It’s against your normal human-survival-nature to be able to breathe underwater. I was completely panicking but Todd motioned to slow down my breathing and relax, and then I was able to figure out what I was doing wrong. Once I slowed down, and learned to trust the equipment, I was able to navigate the art form that is balancing out your ears, and then I settled in and enjoyed the swim.

   We swam through the coral reef, saw a puffer fish, and swam next to several sea turtles just feet from us! One even almost ran right into Cassidy’s goggle face!

   Be sure to read all of the information they give beforehand. My biggest recommendation is to wear and take reef safe sunscreen (I obviously personally love the Beautycounter line) the entire time you’re in Hawaii. If you go in or after 2021, that will be all that is sold in the islands anyway, thanks to groundbreaking legislation, but it’s really just so much better for the reef, as the cheap stuff permanently damages it. You can read more about our environmental takeaways from Hawaii here.

   The whole experience was absolutely amazing! Definitely a must!

2. Explore downtown Lahaina

   This is pretty straightforward, but if you’re like us, and on Eastern time, it’s easy to get up early, watch the sun rise over the mountains (depending where you are on the island), and go to downtown Lahaina before the night owls are even conscious. We went ahead and went to breakfast as soon as Down the Hatch (read my Where to Eat in Maui post) was open. Parking can be a challenge in this area, so getting in early helps, and then it was nice to take our coffee to go and just walk around while it was quiet and not as hot. These were honestly some of my favorite mornings. It felt like we really got to enjoy the slow pace of the island lifestyle before it was dominated with tourists.

3. Wake up for the sunrises

   As I said above, the time change really helps to be able to enjoy this part of God’s creation. Since we were in Lahaina, and we had a dual ocean and mountain view from our balcony, we got to see the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever experienced in my life. Our trip came at a pivotal moment for me personally, so it was so special to hear God’s voice and assurance in those quiet moments before the rest of the world was stirring. It felt like He had painted the sky just for me. I will forever remember those precious mornings.

What to do in Maui

1. Haleakalā Sunrise

   This is something we didn’t get to experience, but not for lack of effort on our part. If you know you are going to Maui, spots are open up for this sunrise tour up to 60 days in advance. Once this window closes, you have to wait until two days in advance and at the 7:00am HST mark, you can possibly score a spot. We almost got in, but the spots filled before we could click the final button. It’s cut throat, and unfortunately we had booked our trip after the 60 day mark. Sunset is supposed to be great too, but we had sunset reservations elsewhere.

2. Drive the Road to Hana

   If I was planning this trip again, I would have done this very first, but the thought of sitting in a car after the longest travel day ever was unappealing. Looking back though, this would have been the time to venture through it both to enjoy the scenery right away, but also because the airport isn’t too far from the first stop. Lahaina isn’t the closest driving time-wise, so it would have taken us almost an hour drive just to get started. If you do the entire thing and take time at all the stops, it would take you a couple days. You have to figure out what matters most to you, but the stops we did (along with some extra driving) are below.

3. Go to Paia

   I talked about the best açaí bowl I ever had in this post, which was in Paia. It’s a cute little surf town, so we walked around a little, but also definitely head from here to the Ho’okipa Lookout, which is also a stop on The Road to Hana. Amazing views. A photo from this spot is on our AT&T screensaver if that tells you anything. If the waves are good, it’s also super fun to watch the surfers and wind surfers. We got to see a ton of sea turtles on the beach too, which was really cool.

If I can offer any advice, honestly, just slow down, unwind, and enjoy the laid-back island life. It takes some time to get around the island, traffic can surprisingly get backed up based on time of day, but just sit back and enjoy the ride. Everywhere you look there are breathtaking views. Bask in the warm sun and experience God’s creation. It is such a special and unique place!

maui food [trucks] // where to eat in maui

We ate a lot of good food in when we went to Hawaii earlier this summer. This is a super straight forward post about where to eat in Maui, should you find yourself there, particularly in the Lahaina/Kaanapali area, which is where we stayed. Obviously there are plenty of other places to eat. We can only fit so much into one week, hard as we tried to go for it all! I grouped our selections by meal below to hopefully make it a little easier to digest:

Dinner

1. Mala Ocean Tavern

   Make a reservation for sunset. You can request to be on the patio, and they will do their best to honor your request, but can’t guarantee it. This was probably my favorite meal we had. Everything about it lended to the experience. It’s in downtown Lahaina and the exterior is unassuming, but the interior is beautiful and it is right on the water. We were able to sit on the patio, with the sun setting over the water, and the waves crashing up over the wall, onto our feet. The service is absolutely fantastic, from the hostess to the servers, and the food is incredible - I had the Balinese stirfry with fresh island fish, but with the Molokai purple mash potatoes instead of rice, per recommendation. Definitely get dessert and make it the butterscotch pot de crème, which I would have never chosen on my own, but was suggested by our phenomenal server.

2. Aloha Mixed Plate

   This place is all about the experience. They also host a luau every night, and it’s right on the water as well (next to Mala), so you can hear the luau and choose to have traditional food prepared for it, which is what we did. I will say, this was not my favorite food-wise, but just because it was unique and not my typical cup of tea. This dinner was more about the overall experience of the meal and the atmosphere, which is why I would still highly recommend. The dessert (pineapple upside down cake, which happens to be gluten free) was out of this world. If nothing else, plan your night to stop by just for this!

3. Maui Tacos

   A local chain, and not at all fine dining, but the blackened fish taco was so good we went once for lunch and returned a second time for dinner to go.

4. Maui Food Truck Park

   This location (also the backdrop for this shoot) happened to be walking distance from our resort, and was a fun place to grab dinner and either sit under the lights or bring back to our hotel, which is what we did the first night after our arrival following a long long day of traveling. Cassidy got some BBQ, which was great, and I opted for poké bowls both times we walked over.

Brunch

1. Down the Hatch

   Also in downtown Lahaina, which is closer to where we stayed, it’s fully outdoors and features live music, depending on what time you arrive. We of course were on eastern time, so were up and at ‘em and arrived by 8am Hawaiian time (2pm ET), but the music had usually started up about the time we were headed out. The huevos rancheros montaña did not disappoint, and Cass enjoyed his chicken & waffles. It was such a fun little place to sit and hang out in the beautiful weather, then get coffee (iced of course), to walk around Lahaina before all the tourists were awake and crowding. We later learned it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and the other meals also look incredible.

2. Paia Bowls

   Hands down the best açaí bowl I’ve ever had. An Instagram-friend, Marit Engdal [@marit1306], suggested this to me. Paia is a little surf town and a stop on The Road to Hana. We enjoyed walking around, and Cassidy hit up Paia Bay Coffee & Bar for coffee and banana bread. This little gem was certainly worth the drive for us from Lahaina!

3. Break The Wall

   The second time we went to Down the Hatch, I ventured “next door” to their sister açaí/shaved ice/coffee shop for a giant but delicious açaí bowl.

Dessert

1. The Shave Ice Spot

   You can’t go wrong and you must get the shaved ice somewhere because they’re everywhere, but we enjoyed going to this modest location for an afternoon pick-me-up since it was close to our resort, but we also felt like it had the best syrup to ice ratio, and was a good bang for your buck versus the couple others where we indulged.

2. Hawaii Gelato

   Yum. I wish I had gone here more often because what I had and everything I sampled was delicious! Unfortunately that whole time change thing kept us from venturing out too far beyond sunset dinners. It was kind of nice to be on a vacation where we felt like we had slept in, but still got to enjoy the entire day!

3. Mala Ocean Tavern and Aloha Mixed Plate

   The aforementioned butterscotch pot de crème and the pineapple upside down cake, respectively. Seriously, I would go to both of these places just for the sweets!

Again, there are plenty of great places to go, but these are the ones we enjoyed most (because yes, I did I leave a few off the list!) And if you do go to Hawaii, enjoy! Because I sure can’t wait to return!

going for green // hawaii part one

It’s been nearly two months since we returned from Maui, and now we’re trying to soak up the rest of summer before it flashes past us.

I’ve always thought of myself as fairly environmentally conscious, but not to the extreme of the crazy tree hugger lady. No offense if that’s you. I applaud you, really; it’s just not where I’m at in life, but I am getting closer. Maui was so incredibly breathtaking, it felt like a dream. I kept repeating over and over (probably to the point of annoyance for Cassidy) as we drove around, or took in the views, or frankly just hung out at the beach: “Can you imagine what it would be like to live here?!” It was just hard for me to grasp what day in day out life would feel like. Island Brittany was certainly loving life, virgin drinks in hand. (Disclaimer again if you didn’t see my Insta stories: not pregnant. I just don’t drink.) But honestly, what a beautiful place to inhabit. With that though, we admired the care for the environment, common love for nature and its beauty that everyone respects. It’s just a way of life. Never in your face or boastful. They just serve paper straws instead of plastic. End of story. Every trash can also had a recycling receptacle. Target doesn’t have plastic bags. Bring your own or buy a cheap reusable one. Everyone was in on it. Being environmentally friendly was a cohesive effort and everybody cares. There are opportunities to see the implications right in front of your face if you choose not to abide and how it immediately impacts. Instant gratification of doing good.

This perspective lended Cassidy and I to discuss and come up with some simple action steps we can take to be more mindful of the impacts we have on the world around us:

1. Don’t use a straw or plastic lid unless I really need it. I like to think I’ll get a metal straw and keep it in my purse. I am really considering it, but I’m not sure how truly sustainable that is for my lifestyle. I am grateful to the mainland establishments that offer paper straws. We are trying to make more coffee at home, and I really don’t take drinks to go too often anymore. It seems like a metal straw is unnecessary for me at the moment, but maybe if you find yourself regularly getting those cold Starbucks drinks, it would be ideal to make the switch. If my lifestyle displays that more in the future, I will certainly invest. If we all cut down on the plastic we’re consuming, it can have huge effects for the waste we’re producing that is also impacting our environment and making its way to our oceans. Save the sea turtles! They are majestic creatures necessary to the ecosystem.

2. Recycling. Our apartment building has a trash chute in our hallway, but we have to go all the way down to the parking garage to recycle. It’s a brand new building, and I really wish they would have also included a chute for recycling, but they did not. Typically my choice to not recycle is out of convenience, but we are making the decision to recycle more, even when it is inconvenient. I have been trying to save a recyclable cup until I am in a place with proper disposal rather than conveniently dropping it in the closest trash bin.

3. Use coral reef safe sunscreen. While in Maui, Cassidy and I went on a SNUBA excursion with Trilogy. Honestly, if you are planning to go snorkeling while in Hawaii, pay for the upgrade and SNUBA. As our diver said, “Snorkeling is two dimensional, SNUBA is three dimensional and makes the reef come to life.” It was one of the coolest experiences ever. I will share more in an upcoming post about the experience, but it is not one to miss. Because of this experience though, we have a newfound appreciation for ocean wildlife and the reef. We didn’t know about the effects of sunscreen previously, but now that we do, choose wisely. Vote with your dollars. Get reef-safe sunscreen. In 2020, retailers in Hawaii will no longer be able to sell sunscreen that isn’t reef safe. Beautycounter is leading on the frontlines of this legislation. We used this one while on our trip and we were so thankful we invested, because we used a LOT of sunscreen in that Hawaiian sun!