Part 3- Activities: Island Style
The great thing about Hawaii is that you have the option of choosing between a hundred different things to do OR doing nothing. And by nothing I mean laying on a beach or by a pool and relaxing, which to me is something. We had so much fun just being at our place, Napili Kai, that we really didn't HAVE to go anywhere. If we had only been there for 7 days we may not have, but since we were there 10 it was fun to get in the car, get out and do some activities. Here's a breakdown of what we did and where we did it...when we were not doing our favorite activity...nothing :)
Walking the beautiful grounds of Napili Kai
Going out to eat, especially at the Seahouse Restaurant, this is in front of it.
THE BEACHES!
Napili Bay
Perfect beach for families especially with young children. Very gentle surf. Enough rollers to keep everyone entertained, but not SO much that you are on edge the whole time. Great easy snorkeling right off shore. Home to the Seahouse Restaurant and the Gazebo Restaurant. You may even see some Green Sea Turtles if you are lucky like we were.
Kaanapali Beach near Black Rock
It's kind of a long walk with kids from Whalers village where we parked* Fun was had checking out the hotels from the beach path. People were jumping off Black Rock, which was as nerve racking as it was entertaining. There was a rip tide the day we were there, but the water was shallow enough that we were able to keep a safe hand on the kids. The Sheraton has a bar right there, which meant we didn't bother bringing a cooler and they also had a little beach shack that sold, floaties, toys and other incidentals. The nice blue cabana chairs were for guests only ;( but we survived.
*technically you are not supposed to do beach parking at Whaler's Village, understandably. BUT we shopped and ate at Whaler's Village so we did park there. Guilt Free :)
Kapalua Bay
to my kids "Secret Beach"
Through a tunnel (Ergo why my kids call it Secret Beach) and down a path you find this beautiful beach. It is another very good beach for kids. It is a great spot to snorkel and swim (they also have a beach activity rental desk) It is really popular especially on the weekends, so I suggest getting there a little early in the morning to get a nice spot or try a weekday. But we especially loved it because it was walking distance from our resort and room. Joe actually dropped off the stuff, the kids and I and then went and parked our car and walked back. The parking lot is pretty small. This beach is also the beginning of the Kapalua Trail, which was my beautiful running spot this vacation. This bay is almost completely cut off by a reef so while there are waves they aren't the kind you boogy board or surf on. Which was perfect for us. Save those activities for Fleming or Kaanapali Beach.
to my kids "Secret Beach"
"Secret Secret" Beach
This beach probably has a real name, but the only way we could get to it was from taking the Kapalua trail a little over a mile North. It took me 15 minutes over a path and then gravel and then lava and a boardwalk to run there, but 45 minutes for my family and I to walk there. Maddie was killing our average speed :) This beach is super secluded, has beautiful white sand, but you will have to be smart about what you pack in because its kind of hard to get to. The trail does come up onto the road in between some condos, there may be a small place to park there but I didn't go that far up. It is one of the best hidden places in Kapalua. There was never more then a few other people on the beach when I was there. AND some amazing homes to check out.
D.T. Fleming State Beach
Fleming beach is right next to The Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua. You can actually take the Kapalua Trail all the way there from Napili but it is almost 2 miles. You can also take Highway 30 North by car until you reach it :) Much easier. The day we went there it was pouring rain when we got there so we left and got lunch at the Honolua Store in Kapalua and then went back afterwards. It had stopped raining but it was REALLY WINDY! That is why I am using only a picture from HawaiiGaga.com and not one of mine. I had sand in my ears, nose, and everywhere for 2 days after that. Maddie was freaking out and after she stayed under her towel for 15 minutes because of the sand storm, I rallied my troops to head back to our beach. I have been to Fleming beach in years past though and know it is great for Boogy boarding, Body Surfing and more. It has a lifeguard which is nice because of the bigger surf and it is also right in front of a cool little beach cafe at the Ritz! Pina Colada's anyone!
Flower Picking!
Delaney was told by the landscaper, he "needed her help "to keep the flowers in bloom" around Napili Kai. She was given free reign to pick as she desired. This made Laney a very happy girl :)
Whaler's Village
http://www.whalersvillage.com/
We shopped at tons of great shops, we ate at Hula Grill and Leilani's, we walked the beach path, and we got fake tattoos. Well, the boys did.
We shopped at tons of great shops, we ate at Hula Grill and Leilani's, we walked the beach path, and we got fake tattoos. Well, the boys did.
This picture cracks me up. It reminds me of the movies, where the guy wakes up and realizes after too much fun the night before, that he has a new piece of art on his body.
The good ole' Pool!
The Old Lahaina Luau
http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/
The Luau was fun, the kids loved it. Keegan asked why everyone kept asking where we were from "How did they know we aren't from here" "Well Keegs, because Locals don't come to this stuff, they put it on:)" One disclaimer about the Old Lahaina Luau, No FIRE DANCERS or warrior dancers. The boys, including Joe, were a little bummed. It was a neat format though with photographers lining the beach there ready to take a picture for you (at a cost only if you liked it) Also they had Hawaiian Arts and Crafts. The servers were friendly and efficient. They really knew how to do their job and do it well. The show was actually a little of a history lesson which I loved but it was also fun and energetic. I think a good time was had by all. Our family had a blast.
Run/Walk/Hike
The Beach Path at Napili Kai. This was a great warm up. The trail was right along the ocean and pretty rough. You just had to make sure it was open during high tide it sometimes is closed. I would run and then I would come back and the next day we would go all together.
When we went with the kids, it definitely took longer, but we still went far and we diverted from the path as much as possible. Like I said one minute we were on a beautiful path, then a lava field, then a boardwalk, then climbing stairs, then staring over a tidepool. It was awesome!
Click here to see the trails Kapalua has to offer. The coastal trail is the one we stuck to.
I took the picture of myself on my run because it was my 2nd day in Maui and my 2nd day running! What you can't see is the reason my eyes are closed it was POURING rain. It was raining so hard and was so warm I felt like I was in the shower. One thing's for sure. part of the reason I haven't started my new run routine is because it is gonna suck to go back to my treadmill. I didn't even listen to music while I ran in Hawaii. It was just such an amazing place that I WANTED to get up every morning early and go. At one point Joe rolled over and said, "you know you don't HAVE to run everyday." That's a reverse in roles :)
Click here to see the trails Kapalua has to offer. The coastal trail is the one we stuck to.
Molokini Crater and Turtle Town Snorkel Tour
Quicksilver 55 foot Catamaran
The people who work in these types of tourist trades are very well versed in customer service. The crew of the Quicksilver were no exception. Joe and I both agreed that this crew were above and beyond. You could tell straight away that they loved their jobs. They were efficient yet fun! Friendly conversation as well as genuine concern for the good time being had, can only be faked so much. I would say I have a very good B.S. meter and it wasn't sounding.
They served a continental style breakfast, a nice lunch of pulled pork or grilled chicken sandwiches. Fruit and Salad. All that plus your snorkel gear was included in your ticket. A fun playlist played over the boat and Maddie and I enjoyed looking through the glass bottom window while Joe and the big kids snorkeled around. I tried to get her into the water but she hated the mask and so she wouldn't go for it. I missed not getting to go in, but Joe was having so much fun with the kids and when he offered to trade places I just figured I'd let him keep going.
The trip included stops at the Molkini Crater as well as Turtle Town and then a South Maui Coast tour which took us past Tiger Woods' house, a nude beach, a dangerous but beautiful beach and all the way to the most recent lava flow on Maui. The captain was a very experienced diver who had lots of stories, really interesting stories about the surrounding islands and Maui itself. They even had a ship wide trivia contest. That I swear we should have won. Whatever :)
It was a long trip we left our resort at 6:30 in the morning to get to the harbor in Maalea by 7:30am and we didn't get back until after 1pm. Oh did I mention they had $1 Mai Tais and Beers for the Cruise part of the ride. I really enjoyed Joe being the only driver on the rental car during our trip. I think I had earned it after 10 years of marriage, and I would estimate 8 years of designated driving :)
We had rented an underwater camera for $35 on the boat and took 75 pictures in the 60 minutes of snorkeling so I spared you ALL the fun. I should add, Delaney had a wee bit of a panic attack after sliding down the slide at the first stop. Joe talked her down though and I was SO proud of how great she and Cam did. Keegan keeps getting mad at me for not saying I was proud of him. Of course I was proud of him too. But I KNEW he would do great. I wasn't sure about the other two. I was SO proud of you Keegan!
And p.s. that turtle really was THAT close. Keegan and I were joking that they train the turtles to touch people so they can charge them the $10,000 fine they do if you touch a green sea turtle :) Joe didn;t touch it I promise.
PARASAILING
We walked right up to the UFO Parasail on Kaanapali Beach, it was straight out from the Whaler's Village. It was not something we reserved in fact we decided on the way home from our snorkel trip that we were going to stop and let Keeg and Joe go up. The other kids and I played on beautiful Kaanapali Beach and then we all went to the Hula Grill for an early dinner. We were all pretty wiped out by then but Keegan was pretty PUMPED after soaring over 800 FEET in the air! He loved it!
What we did best...Nothing!
Around Napili Kai
Coconut Checkers
Hmm..Do I sense some arguing :)
"Laney Come Back!"
Shuffle Board...Keegan wants this exact thing for his birthday. He's turning 10 not 70 :)
Bocce Ball. We held our version of the Gaffney Family Olympics one day. Our friends the Somers do this when they are on family vacations. We each picked an event. I picked a 2 mile run/walk/hike/tidepool expedition. Maddie swimming, Keegan Shuffle board, Cam putting competition, Joe body surfing and Delaney Bocce Ball. Though we gladly played, we had no idea that she was a SHARK.
Nice Form Laney! She kicked everyone's butts BUT mine :) Keegan was NOT happy.
CREATURE HUNTING
Maui and more specifically Napili Kai was full of fun creatures to hunt. Namely geckos, frogs, fish, turtles, grasshoppers, herds of birds :) and snails? The kids were excited every time we stepped foot out of the room. They searched and explored the grounds and had so much fun, as did Joe and I watching them hunt. It was all good until we had a gecko in our room one night. I didn't sleep a wink. Where was Keegan and his hunter skills, snoring away in the next room :) Of course!
SPA TIME
I don't have pictures but the Makai Massage & Bodywork Spa was literally a 2 minute walk from our room. We walked up in the morning made appointments and enjoyed our spa services later that day. We took turns. Joe had a 50 minute massage. I had one too, as well as a mango honey body scrub and a mint/rosemary scalp treatment. It was heavenly! And well worth my 100 mile challenge. Now maybe Joe will do his own challenge so I can hitch a ride on that wagon and get another massage :) I think having my body scrub treatment a few days into my trip helped me to not peel. That and the 85 SPF I was applying constantly. I still got a nice tan!
27 Hole Putting Greens
We looked out on this from our lanai. People grown ups and kids, families and couples all were a constant fixture on the putting green. They even had a putting competition on Monday nights. We missed because of our luau. Just putting with our family though was a fun way to spend some time. Even Maddie tried to play.
And so the sun sets on our Maui Vacation. It is the night before school starts so it's time to say Bon Voyage to our Island Ways and Aloha to early morning wake ups, lunch making, and homework. We wake up at 6 am tomorrow morning. I will be ready for another vacation by 6:15am. Wish me luck!
