G and I just got back from a few days in Hawaii and we had so much fun! Typically our trips consist of a few days in a big city and we spend our entire time running around to see the sights. By the time our trip is over, we are completely exhausted. This was quite a bit different though. We crammed a lot of things into our trip but it was a lot more relaxing than usual. It was a great change of pace and what’s better in December as the weather starts to really cool down than a Hawaiian vacation?

We stayed on the island of Maui at Ka’anapali Beach. We stayed at a beautiful resort and our room had a great view. We were right on the beach and I was surprised by how uncrowded it was. Maui in general was a lot more relaxed than what we saw of Honolulu, it had more of a small-town island feel to it.

We arrived in the evening and spent the next day at the beach. The weather was beautiful and the water was really nice (I’ve never been in an ocean that wasn’t freezing!). We spent most of the day boogie boarding with a few timeouts for other things.

We did spend a little time hanging out in the shade at the pool and drinking mimosas.

I also had time to take a lei making class at the resort next door.

Making leis isn’t that complicated but it was a lot of fun! We spent the rest of the day going back and forth between the beach and the hot tub.

Our next morning was spent snorkeling! We got up early and went down to the harbor where we boarded a boat and were served breakfast. Our first stop was Molokini, a crescent-shaped volcanic crater located a few miles from Maui. I’d never been snorkeling before and it was so much fun! I was surprised by how many different fish we saw and time seemed to fly by when we were in the water. After Molokini we traveled to Turtle Town where we saw a couple of sea turtles. We also got lunch and when we were finished snorkeling we were served mai tais.

We spent most of the afternoon relaxing before exploring the town of Lahaina. And since we were in Hawaii, we had to try shave ice! I had watermelon with cream on top and it was delicious, I can see why people always recommend it!

The next morning we got up early so we could be first in line for breakfast at The Gazebo, a local restaurant that is pretty popular. I had the banana macadamia nut pancakes which were really good and our view of the ocean couldn’t be beat!

After breakfast we decided to explore the Road to Hana, a winding drive that takes you through the rainforest. We only drove it for a little ways but we got to see so many interesting sights. I loved how green everything was, it was so different than anywhere I’ve visited before.

The Bamboo Forest was a lot of fun to see. We only had to hike in a few feet from the road to be surrounded by dense bamboo.

It was really interesting to see but if you ever visit, make sure to bring bug spray! We ended up with quite a few mosquito bites after our short hike.

Next we found a trail that led to this waterfall.

It was crazy how a short little hike really took us into the rainforest. The trails were really clear to see although not super easy to hike and they were surrounded by walls of plants and underbrush.

It was really fun to see a landscape so different than what we are used to.

After our drive we headed back to our resort where we relaxed for a bit before heading to a luau. Although the luau we went to was pretty touristy, we still got a lot of great food (and more mimosas) and it was really fun. We got to hear about the history of Hawaii and got to see plenty of luau dancers! I have to say, I think the fire dancers were my favorite. We were definitely sad to be going home the next day.

We had so much fun on our Hawaiian vacation and I can’t wait to go back! G and I got to see so many different sights in Maui and although we had a pretty packed schedule, it was such a relaxing trip. The weather was beautiful (I was surprised to find that everything is outside in Hawaii- the restaurants, airport, and even our hotel lobby) and the landscape couldn’t be beat! I really enjoyed our snorkeling trip and our relaxing days at the beach and pool were pretty nice too. The Road to Hana was definitely worth taking- it was a lot of fun exploring the rainforest and I really liked seeing the dancers at our luau.

-Molly

Have you ever been to Hawaii? What did you enjoy the most?