Beaches · Hiking · National Parks in US · Travel · Vacations

Counting it down – Top 10 Travel Memories (Part 5)

After a 8 month hiatus, I am back to the blogging world. Had I written this post 8 months back, I would have written it much differently. There would have been yipees and la la la’s and drum rolls and what not! Its post number 50 and I have to be celebrating, and the blogger-in-me 8 months back would have heard drum rolls playing in my ears as I published my 50th post. But no drum rolls today. Why? Just because!

I am happy to be back doing things that I love and instead of drum rolls and a grand celebration, the blogger-in-me today wants to pause and humbly be thankful to everyone and for everything :). The beauty of life lies in the fact that it is unpredictable and you have to embrace it as it happens. Let me tell you that life without drum rolls is even more worth living and I have made memories to last 10 lifetimes in the past 8 months, but more on that later!

It’s been long, so here’s a quick recap on what we were up to. We were on our way to a count down of my top 50 travel memories (be it day trips, adventures, things that I did to overcome fears or just a short walk down the street) through a 5 series blog. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 in case you have missed it. The basic idea behind doing this was to make a list of trips/moments or days which were memorable either because I attempted an adventure, or tried to overcome a fear, or had a gala time with friends or I was introduced to something that I was oblivious to until that point.

I have had so many of you ask me when I was going to finish the last part of the series that I feel blessed to have readers like you :). So here you go! My top ten travel memories..

10. Speed Boat adventure, Lake Oroville, California – Summer 2007
It’s no surprise to folks who have known me for sometime that I am not a water person. I don’t look forward to water activities and I am never in my element around water bodies. But something took over me when I got control of a speed boat on a day trip to Lake Oroville. My friends wanted to try out knee boarding. I passed on the knee boarding but I’d like to think that knee boarding wouldn’t have been so much fun without such an awesome driver handling the wheels of the speed boat :). You’d be surprised how many water adventures are there in the list although I am petrified of it!

9. Wildlife spotting, Yellowstone National Park – Spring 2010
I wanted to visit Yellowstone for the colorful springs and geysers, but my husband only had one purpose on the trip – wild life photography. Chase the crowds because that’s where the wild life is. Little did I know that the thrill of watching wolves and bears (grizzlies and black ones) only 100 feet away would be a thing I would enjoy so much. Forget the fear, I was running with his tripod when we saw crowds piled up to get a glimpse of the wild life.

grizzly bear spotted at yellowstone np
grizzly bear spotted at yellowstone np
Spotted a fox on route to Lamar Valley
Spotted a fox on route to Lamar Valley

8. Ray Feeding, Moorea, Tahiti – Winter 2008
Every time I talk about this adventure, people are amused and they often tell me that you are quite brave to be in the vicinity of sting rays. Frankly speaking they were the most docile creatures I have come in contact with. Even though I was extremely skeptical to get into the water, petting them was an experience I will never forget. Mesmerizing!!!

Ray Feeding - Motu excursion Moorea
Ray Feeding – Motu excursion Moorea

7. Delicate Arch Hike, Arches National Park, Utah – Spring 2008
I always liked hiking, but back in 2008, a 3 mile hike was a big thing for me. That too uphill in the scorching sun! But the hike to the Delicate Arch in Arches changed my perspective. I realized that the best views and the best locations cannot be seen driving around in a car and by stopping at vistas. You have to go that extra mile (in this case three miles :P) to be rewarded with stunning views. A sunset at an absolutely breath taking location made all the effort worth it!!!

Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch

6. Mendocino and Fort Bragg Getaway, California – Summer 2011
My husband has an uncanny knack of pulling surprises when least expected. Our Mendocino getaway had plenty of elements to make it one of my best trips so far. Gourmet food, hiking, visit to glass beach (quite artsy!), a train ride and a stay at a cozy cottage with breath taking views of stone arches in the ocean. What more can a girl ask for :).

Skunk Train ride - Fort Bragg
Skunk Train ride – Fort Bragg

Picking sea glass at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg
Picking sea glass at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg

5. Flying (in) a Cessna, San Jose – Summer 2013
It was one of M’s childhood fantasies to be a pilot. He never pursued the idea, but he’s much more adventurous than I am and so for one of his birthday’s I gifted him a flying lesson in a Cessna aircraft. I did not fly the Cessna, my husband did (of course, we had an instructor with us and take off and landing were handled by her) but an extra passenger was allowed and I accompanied him. The experience was so fantastic that it made it to my top 5 🙂 🙂 :). We cruised over Santa Cruz mountains at around 4000 ft, much much lower than the cruising altitude of a commercial jet liner so it was a whole new flying experience.

In Cessna flight over San Jose
In Cessna flight over San Jose

View from ~3000 ft
View from ~3000 ft

4. Hiking the Half Dome, Yosemite, California – Summer 2011
I underwent couple of knee surgeries when I was 16. And that was the reason that friends/family never really saw me as someone who had the physical tolerance to attempt a 17 mile long hike reaching elevation of 8000 ft. That’s why the hike to the Half Dome is one of my most cherished memories. Getting to the top of the half dome wasn’t easy, but getting climbing down from the dome was a challenge in itself. I have a fear of heights and I did not look down even once. I blindly followed instructions from you know who 😛 and kept coming down the ropes till I was at the bottom of the half dome. I managed to pleasantly surprise quite a few folks. In my mind, I always knew I could do it, but I know my mom must be really proud when she saw what I attempted and accomplished :).

half dome hike
half dome hike

3. Swimming with Turtles, Maui, Hawaii – Thanksgiving 2010
This was the highlight of my Maui trip and the first time I swam in the ocean – with people and with turtles too 🙂 – off the coast at Black Rock on Kaanapali Beach. And my husband think a turtle even bit me. When I was out of the water, I had a bite mark on my right shin and it no way looked like a coral scratch. It was a smiley shaped mark with a couple of teeth marks too!!! Enough to make it to the top three list!

Swimming with turtles @ Black Rock in Maui, Hawai'i
Swimming with turtles @ Black Rock in Maui, Hawai’i

2. Kayaking the Bio Luminescence Bay, Puerto Rico – Thanksgiving 2011
I literally thought for an eternity before placing this at number 2. It probably shares the same spot as my top travel memory, but I settled for a close second spot only because the top one was the first time I had attempted something out of my comfort zone. Yet again a water activity – This time it was kayaking through mangrove channels when its pitch dark to get to the bio luminescent bay. Touching the water to see it glow with billions of bio-luminescent organisms! I have never experienced ANYTHING LIKE THIS ever.Sort of fairy sparkles in water that vanish in a matter of seconds. Surreal and out of the world!!! And the fact that normal cameras cannot capture this phenomena totally makes it an experience that is just for your eyes to cherish.

bio luminescence kayaking, puerto rico
bio luminescence kayaking, puerto rico

1. Shark feeding, Moorea, Tahiti – Winter 2008
Hold on..before you visualize me in a cage feeding sharks let me tell you that we fed non-killer sharks (the ones you can dive without a cage) on a motu excursion in French Polynesia! Excitement down by a few notches?? Well, for me although I was not in a cage, it was yet another water adventure and the first time I had attempted something of this magnitude. By the way, Tahiti is famous for its motu shark feeding excursions – I believe there are no great white sharks in Tahiti, but Tiger and Bull Sharks both of which you can dive without a cage! It took me 3 tries to finally get in the water with the instructor with my snorkel on. I was tightly holding on to the rope attached to the ship. When food was let out a bunch of sharks rushed in to eat them. I thought I fainted in water, but 20 mins later, back on the ship I was a different person. I (We) went, I (We) saw and I (We) conquered.

Shark feeding in the pacific ocean @Moorea
Shark feeding in the pacific ocean @Moorea

Hugs to everyone who were part of my travel memories and adventures. I truly cherish them from time to time.

I hope you enjoyed my top 50 travel memories. The travel, the memories and the blog are all going strong. I need to go plan my next travels, the next 50 blogs and make new memories. Until then, please keep reading and stay tuned for more!

Hiking · National Parks in US · Travel · Vacations

Counting it down – 50 Travel Memories (Part 2)

For the context of readers who just started reading (I had a few new followers after the last post), I am counting down my top 50 travel memories in the past 8-9 years. And, we’re also counting towards blog post number 50 (Drum rolls again please :)) The basic idea behind doing this was to make a list of trips/moments or days which were memorable either because I attempted an adventure, or tried to overcome a fear, or had a gala time with friends or introduced me to something that I was oblivious about until that point. In my previous post I re-counted travel memories 41-50. Let’s go through 10 more and count down from 40 through 31!

40. Hiking Pinnacles National Monument – Spring 2012
Hiking is high up there on my “top-things-I-enjoy-doing” list and Pinnacles was memorable because it was a great trip with friends and had a lot of hiking thrills (inclines, steep slopes, sand and rocks, going inside caves, picnic at a nice lake, bird spotting, scorching heat, shaded halts and more!)

Hiking Pinnacles National Monument, California
Hiking Pinnacles National Monument, California
Hiking Pinnacles National Monument, California
Hiking Pinnacles National Monument, California

39. Washington DC – Summer 2006
I graduated in May of 2006 and I took the Washington DC trip with my family on their first visit here for my graduation. It was hard to pick out just one pick from the gazillion museums and buildings we visited in Washington, but I quite distinctly remember the Lincoln memorial, Washington monument, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Capitol Building, Washington DC
Capitol Building, Washington DC
Washington Monument, Washington DC
Washington Monument, Washington DC

38. A Disneyland Birthday Party at Disneyland, California – Summer 2007
A fun-filled birthday with friends in a fairy land. The parade, the fireworks, the thrill of rides (yes, inspite of all the motion sickness I did enjoy most Disneyland rides) and a great day in all.

At Disneyland, California
At Disneyland, California
At Disneyland, California
At Disneyland, California

37. A snowy day at Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee – Winter 2006
Winter of 2006 marked my first travel outside of greater Los Angeles area. I visited family friends in Atlanta and we went to the Great Smoky Mountains. It was much later that I found out that Smoky is the most visited National Park in Continental US. It was my first White Christmas and I loved every moment of it. Unfortunately I was unable to find photographs from this trip 😦

36. Luau – A Hawaiian Feast at Maui, Hawaii – Thanksgiving 2010
A traditional kalua pig being cooked in an underground oven, tasting poi, hula dancing, Samoan fire dancing – Luau at Maui had all the elements of a Hawaiian party and was a great way to experience the culture of Hawaii.

Luau at Maui, Hawaii
Luau at Maui, Hawaii

35. Horse Riding at Santa Barbara, California – Thanksgiving 2007
Back in India, I only sat on horses that were controlled by another rider, so my horse riding experience in Santa Barbara was my first time horse riding alone. I did not master the art, but my cute off-white/brown horse and the scenic trails as we climbed up a mountain made the trip worth it!

Horse Riding at Santa Barbara, California
Horse Riding at Santa Barbara, California

34. Sunset at the Hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park – Fall 2011
Uncountable hoodoos, watching the colors change with changing rays of sun – Bryce is a wonderland of sorts. If you like nature or if you like colors or if you like the outdoors, Bryce would definitely be on your top destination list.

Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park
Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park

33. Walking the streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – Thanksgiving 2011
Over 10 stray cats in a block. I guess that would sum it up all for people who are acquainted with me! Walking the streets of Old San Juan will always be stay in my mind. I have a terrible phobia of cats and it required much more than courage for me to walk and enjoy the beauty of Old San Juan. Don’t get me wrong, I loved walking the non-cat-infested streets of Old San Juan. The color of the buildings, the architecture, the whole feel wowed me, but there were a lot of streets which I could not walk or walked with eyes closed and M dragging me to the other block since cats crossed the street left/right and center. I am having goose-bumps as I write this. Gosh! This memory is when fear overcame me 😦

Streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Streets of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

32. Enjoying Aebleskivers at Solvang, California – Thanksgiving 2012
Some Danish pancakes please! Okay, I have to be a geek and put this definition from Wikipedia!

Æbleskiver (Danish meaning apple slices (singular: æbleskive)) are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover.

We have visited Solvang over 3-4 times and tried a lot of their Danish pastries, but only during our last visit to Solvang, we had a chance of trying aebleskivers. Danish pancakes definitely win over traditional pancakes in my eyes 🙂

Relishing Aebleskivers at Solvang, California
Relishing Aebleskivers at Solvang, California
Danish Pancakes (aebleskivers) being cooked
Danish Pancakes (aebleskivers) being cooked

31. Biking at Angel Island, San Francisco – Spring 2010
I like to bike and so there has to be a memorable biking day in the top 50 list. A ferry trip from Tiburon to Angel Island and a great day of biking Angel Island catching up with an old friend from college.

Biking at Angel Island, San Francisco
Biking at Angel Island, San Francisco

Hope you enjoyed the list. Top 30 travel memories to follow soon! Keep reading 🙂

Beaches · Restaurants · Travel · Vacations

Maui: Luau, Dining and shopping

This is my final blog on Maui and it is dedicated to its night life and inumerous food and dining options. The other two are available at Maui Part 2 and Maui Part 1.

Luau: Your trip to Hawai’i is not complete if you do not attend a luau. Maui has 5-6 different luau options and we only had a chance to experience one. The Old Lahaina Luau is considered to be the most authentic in Maui, however; we decided to attend the Royal Lahaina Luau since it has more food options for a vegetarian. Also, no fire dances at the Old Lahaina Luau!

For those of you who don’t know what a luau is, it is basically a Hawai’ian feast that with spectacular hula dance performances. Kalua pig (slow cooked in an underground oven) and poi (taro paste) are amongst the 2 delicacies available in most luaus. Taro is one more thing that Hawaii is famous for! Though, poi does not taste good. The show usually goes on for over 3 hours and the audiences are treated with great Hawaiian music and hula dancing. Most luau’s are catered to tourists and feature dances from various Polynesian islands like Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji. The Samoan fire dance is a show stopper for a lot of people and is indeed breathtaking.

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Food: After it gets dark, Lahaina downtown is a great place to hang out. We preferred exploring dining options at the downtown rather than eat at the resort everyday. Here’s my pick on few of the dining options you have available while you are vacationing at Maui.

Longhis – An Italian restaurant at Lahaina downtown. Mai tai’s are their speciality.
Cilantro – A local Mexican restaurant in Lahaina that reminds you of La Salsa.
Monsoon India – The food is not that great, but this place in Kihei has the most amazing sunset view at the beach while you are enjoying dinner.
Mixed Aloha Plate – A local favorite and my favorite from the entire list. Although I could not try out the authentic Hawai’ian options, the look and feel of this Lahaina downtown restaurant describes what Maui is all about.

My blogs on Maui would be incomplete without the mention of Roselani icecream – Maui’s original ice cream with great tropical favors to offer. If you are visiting Maui, DO NOT leave the island without tasting Roselani :). Needless to say, shaved ice is a great way to cool off the heat and enjoy it on the beach. The best one out there is the 3 layered tropical delight shave ice sold at a food truck outside Big beach of Makena beach. Drinking chilled coconut juice in tropical weather at a beach is indeed the QUEEN of clichés. But don’t miss out on it just because everyone does it!

Roselani ice-cream - Maui's speciality!

One more food item that you should not miss is the locally made banana bread sold at food and fruit stands on the road to Hana. We parceled a few loaves of Banana bread and slow baked dry coconut to the US mainland. Hawai’i is famous for its coffee plantations, so make sure you don’t miss that either. We tried local Maui peaberry and a couple of other local Maui flavors. Peaberry is usually the mass favorite and considered to the Holy grail of coffees! Any coffee lover would love to cherish a cup of Maui peaberry. I absolutely do 😀

Shopping: No vacation is complete without shopping and collecting souvenirs. If you are going to Maui, stores to check out are Banana winds, Waterworks, Glass Mango. Whalers Village and Lahaina Cannery Mall should cater to most shopaholics.

That said, I am feeling that I have already wrote too much in my three blogs, but believe me, there is much more to Maui. No wonder there are people who go back frequently and are still not tired of the place. I hope all my pointers in the 3 blogs make your Maui vacation memorable!

Beaches · National Parks in US · Travel · Vacations

Maui, Hawai’i: The volcanic crater and upcountry

As promised, here I am with my second Maui post. In continuation with my previous post on Maui, this post talks about Maui’s volcanic crater and lush green upcountry of Maui. From dramatic and extravagant beaches to colorful volcanic lava

Haleakala National Park: Apart from the beaches, people go to Hawai’i for its volcanoes. Maui does not have any active volcanoes, but Haleakala is CLAIMED to be the world’s largest DORMANT volcano and the top of Haleakala is one of the most visited places in Maui.

Haleakala is known as the “House of the Sun” and I’d like to narrate a small tale associated with it. It is believed that in ancient times, Maui, the Demigod’s goddess mother Hina complained that the sun moved across the sky too fast every day. To please his mother, demigod Maui climbed Haleakala’s summit before dawn, and lassoed the sun, stopping it from moving. Maui only agreed to let go the sun if the sun allowed more time for light during the day. The sun agreed. And so this legendary tale is the secret to why the island receives more sun and sunlight!!!

Haleakala crater - Maui's dormant volcano

Now that you know the reason behind Maui’s mystical sunrises and sunsets, do try to make it for either at Haleakala’s summit. We had decided on giving one whole day to Haleakala because of the time it takes to drive there from West Maui. At the base of Haleakala is a gem of a flower farm called “Sunrise” farm. This farm grows the famous Hawaiian Protea flowers. It only takes 20-30 minutes to visit the farm and is on your way to the summit, so if you get a chance, do visit it for the exotic and pretty pink proteas. Some great photograph opportunities here.

From the exotic flower farm, we headed for some adrenaline rush. What better than a 5 course zip line at the base of Haleakala. We had joined the Skyline Eco Adventure Zipline tour for an amazing adventure. Great instructors and 2.5 hours of guaranteed fun. It was my first time zip-lining and I throughly enjoyed it. The ziplines gradually increase in length and depth as you go from the first to the last one. We headed to the top of the summit after ziplining.

Top of Mount Halaeakala: The road to the top of Haleakala is one of the world’s fastest ascending roads to go from 0 ft (sea level) to 10,000 ft. in a mere 37 miles. Lots of elevation gain so take a break at the visitor center and at the overlooks to get yourself acclimatized with the thin air as you go higher. You are literally above the clouds in no time. It is a surreal feeling. To get ourselves acclimatized before reaching the summit, we took the short hike at Lelewei overlook at 8000 ft. Gusty winds of 50 mph made our hike extremely difficult, but it provided us with exhilarating views of the Maui coastline.

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Haleakala is also home to the rare Silversword plant, which is ONLY FOUND in Maui over 6000 ft and to the endangered Nene or Hawaiian goose. We were lucky enough to spot both of these. The visitor center at 10,000 ft has a nice glass view that offers a panoramic landscape of the vast crater. Extraordinarily colorful sand! If weather and time permit, do the Sliding Sands trail which takes you to the bottom of the crater. We could not do it due to adverse weather, but I am sure walking down the crater would be one helluva experience.

Iao State Valley Park: From shades of orange/red/brown of the volcanic crater sand we headed to land surrounded by varied shades of green. In central Maui is Iao valley park – a lush green mountain landscape that SCREAMS the word SERENITY. Paradox right? But the drive makes you fresh. We took a hike in the park that is also home to the Iao Needle and numerous water streams. This state park is a good spot for a relaxing picnic.

Road to Hana: Considered to the be most celebrated road in whole of Hawai’i, we decided to dedicate a day to our journey to Hana. The road to Hana is all about the journey and not the destination. Clichéd but IT IS WHAT IT IS. 637 curves (yes, someone counted them) and uncountable one-lane bridges (actually we tried to count but lost count after 12) make this tropical rainforest a nature lover’s dream. We blindly followed the book Maui Revealed on this road so that we did not miss the great waterfalls. We definitely saw more than 10~12, but the ones that really impressed me were the Three Bears Falls, Paihi Falls, Hanawi Falls and Wailua Falls.

Three Bears Falls on Road to Hana

There are a lot of wonderful beaches in East Maui on the road to Hana. We stopped at a lot, but my best picks are 1) Black Sand Beach for its magnificent sea rock arches and the blowhole, 2) Hamoa beach for watching wind surfing and 3) Hana beach for relaxing and swimming. Most people drive past Hana to go the Seven Sacred Pools or O’heo O Gulch, which is part of the Haleakala National Park. O’heo O Gulch is a series of waterfalls that eventually merge with the ocean and is definitely worth the stop and the hike.

And oh, did you know that there were fruits called “strawberry guava” and “pineapple guava”?? Well, I did not before we ventured upon the road to Hana, but now I have tasted both and were the highlights of my trip. Stop by at the fruit and food stalls on your road for some amazing fruits and banana bread. Your road to Hana is incomplete without these food stops. More on food to follow in my next post dedicated to Maui’s dining, shopping and night life!

Beaches · Travel · Vacations

Maui: The Valley Isle of Hawai’i – Beaches

Happy New year readers!! Its been over a month since my last blog post. But now that I am back from 2 amazing vacations, I’ll try to make it a point to be a little more active in adding new posts!

We visited Maui, Hawai’i during Thanksgiving 2010 and here’s my take on all the cool stuff you could try out if you ever plan a Maui vacation. We were only there for 6 days, so obviously we couldn’t get enough of this island but I am still going to pen down my experiences at Maui into 3 different blog posts. The first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Hawai’i is beaches and so this blog post will talk about Maui’s beautiful beaches and water activities. A second post on Maui’s volcanic crater and much talked about Road to Hana and a third one on Maui’s dining and shopping are available too, so read on 🙂

Swimming with turtles @ Black Rock in Maui, Hawai'i

We stayed at a resort on Kaanapali beach in West Maui. You will read a lot about Kaanapali being “THE” place to be in Maui. I believe the prime reason for this is its proximity to a lot of places. This gorgeous stretch of white sand beach has a lot to offer from world-class resorts to amazing views of blue water and the distant islands of Molokai and Lanai. Kaanapali was rated as America’s best beach in 2003. Well..that’s a long time back, but it is a still great beach if not the best. If you are staying in West Maui, I highly recommend staying at Kaanapali. If West Maui ain’t your pick, South Maui is also a good option. Pick Wailea for the 5 star resorts or Kihei if you are on a strict budget. But I wouldn’t prefer it over the West Maui any day. Before I go into describing my picks for the best beaches, do want to know the highlight of my trip??? It was SWIMMING with TURTLES 🙂 🙂 :). Let me jump into describing Maui’s snorkeling options first.

SNORKELING: There are a lot snorkeling tour options available but since we had snorkeled before at other places and had all the gear, we decided to visit Black rock (from the Sheraton side) on the first day and see if we really needed to opt for a tour instead. Surprisingly, snorkeling at Black Rock lives up to all the hype. Absolutely delightful and fantastic. It was our first time swimming with the turtles in the ocean though. And I have been bragging about it ever since. But trust me, overcoming the fear of water and swimming with those gentle creatures is truly a memory I will cherish for a lifetime :). Lots of colorful fishes near the rock make it an incredible experience. Check out the slide show below in this blog to view few of our snorkeling photographs. Some tourists don’t get to see so many fishes even if they opt for expensive tours. So, if you have all the a gear and have been snorkeling before, don’t waste too much money on the tours everyday. There are a lot of places close to the beach where you can explorer your snorkeling options. That said, snorkeling at the crescent-shaped Molokini islet is renowned and scuba on the outer side of Molokini is world-famous. Some other options are taking full or half day trips to the distant island of Lanai.

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BEACHES: We did a lot of beach hopping in Maui and here is a list of few of the best beaches in Maui. In West Maui, Kapalua and Napili (north of Kaanapali) are good options. Though Kapalua is an extremely small beach. Kaanapali of course, is good for anything and everything. In South Maui, we started exploring beaches from the town of Kihei. Kama’ole Beach Park I tops the list of great beaches in Kihei. This beach is fabulous for swimming and has reasonable snorkeling options at the 2 ends. The only downside is that there is no shade on this beach, so it can get very hot in the afternoons if you are not in the water. Wailea beach near Fairmont Kea Lani has the most hep crowd. If you just want to read or relax on the beach, this is the beach. But snorkeling and swimming at Wailea were a big flop when we visited the beach. May be it was the wind that day because Wailea is known to be great for swimming. We spent sometime relaxing on Wailea and then headed to further to explore other South Maui beaches. Next stop was Makena Beach State Park or Big Beach. I LOVED LOVED LOVED this beach. Very less crowd and a huge stretch of white/golden sand. Couldn’t get better than that! May be it was the sun or the time of the day we visited the beach, this was the bluest of all beaches I visited in Maui. Makena/Big Beach was my favorite of all Maui beaches we visited.

Sunsets at Maui are definitely not to be missed. Kaanapali beach is probably a good place for an evening stroll and watch the sunset. But my favorite beach to watch sunset was Kahekili Beach Park. Public parking near Westin provides easy access to this beach. On a clear day, you get amazing views of Lanai and Molokai from this beach. We saw sunset from Kapalua beach too, but it was raining slightly on that day and so it was not anything great.

Makena State Beach or Big Beach

Other water activities: Snorkeling and scuba are not the only options you have. There’s everything from a banana boat ride to an aqua submarine ride adventure. Go explore an activity that suits your liking.

Books to read: If you have read my previous posts, I have mentioned that it almost always pays off if you read travel books about your vacation spot beforehand. We did quite a bit of research and here is a list of books we read: Fodors Maui 2009, Frommer’s Maui 2009 and 2011, but a true gem was Maui Revealed: The ultimate guide-book. Please read it and you will not regret it! More posts on Maui COMING SOON!!!