Maui, Hawaii (Dec. 19-22, 2006)

Day 1: Our plane arrived Honolulu at 7:45am after a 10-hour flight from Manila. Whew, it was tiring! After going through immigration, we had to catch a short 30-minute flight to Maui, which got Rod worried. Short flights within the States usually mean small airplanes, which carry less than 100 passengers! True enough, it was a really small plane, but the ride was smooth. After getting our luggage and picking up our car from Budget Rent a Car, we’re on our way to our hotel. The drive to the hotel was about half an hour, but it was an easy drive… nice weather and beautiful scenery and beaches along the way.

For this leg of our trip, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. This is probably the nicest hotel that I have ever stayed in. The resort features tropical landscaping and exotic wildlife within the grounds. The staff and the service are top-notch. Our room also featured a beautiful view of Kaanapali Beach. Once we’ve checked in, we immediately went to sleep as we were so tired from the long flight. After a short nap, we drove down to Whaler’s Village to have dinner at one of the seaside restaurants. Food was just ok, but we enjoyed walking around and visiting some shops.

Day 2: We were planning on going to Hana today, as all guidebooks feature the Drive to Hana as the place to visit in Maui. But we were so tired that we woke up late and decided to postpone the trip to the next day. So we just stayed at the hotel today and lounged at the pool. There are two free-form outdoor pools with an underwater cave. We spent the morning and the afternoon lazing around, walking around the resort grounds and just relaxed. Our nighttime activity was the Drums of the Pacific Luau, which featured a full buffet and a traditional Polynesian show. It was a high-energy show, complete with hula dancing, singing and fire-knife tossing.

Day 3: Road to Hana

We woke up early and set off for a one day trip to Hana. The Hana Highway is a 60-mile stretch of road that connects the small town of Hana to the rest of Maui. The Hana Highway winds its way past waterfalls, beaches, bridges and spectacular ocean views. The road going to Hana initially was smooth and wide. But the closer we got there, the roads became narrower and more winding than we’ve ever seen. Many parts of the road would only fit one car at a time so the drive was really slow. We stopped by some beautiful spots to take pictures and rest like the Hookipa Overlook, Hana Bay and finally Haleakala National Park. All places featured beautiful waterfalls, hiking trails, streams and the Pacific Ocean. Our drive from the hotel to Hana and back was a total of 160 miles, that’s why this was a whole day affair. We left the hotel at 8am and got back at around 5:30pm

After the long drive, we decided to stop by Kobe Japanese Restaurant for some authentic tepanyaki style food. We ordered Kobe steak, lobster tail and some sushi. The chef showed some impressive cooking skills and the food was delicious.

Day 4: It’s time to say goodbye to Maui. Our next leg of the trip is Los Angeles. We’re going to stay with Rod’s aunt in Monterey Park. Our flight arrives at 8pm LA time so this day was totally spent on travel.