After layovers in Dallas and Honolulu, we finally made the all day trip to Kahului Airport. By the time we arrived on Maui, it was dinner time so we picked up a few things in town before driving to the
Inn at Mama's Fish House, where we would be staying for the night.
We got upgraded to a mini-suite and it was such a beautiful place to stay. I wished we could have stayed there longer. The room had a little kitchen, sitting area and a gigantic bathroom.
 |
| Bathtub in our mini-suite |
 |
| Bed in our mini-suite |
 |
| Little kitchen in our mini-suite |
Mama's Fish House also happens to be one of the best restaurants on Maui, which made things very convenient for us. They are well-known for their seafood and desserts. In the descriptions of the fish on their menu, they even have the name of the fisherman who caught it that morning. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Unfortunately, we were so exhausted, it was about 3 am EST by then, that we skipped dessert and went to bed.
 |
| An amuse bouche soup to start us off |
 |
| My first Mai Tai of the trip. I love these glasses and tried to find some to bring home but failed. |
 |
| Polynesian Ono marinated in lime and coconut milk and served in a fresh coconut. |
 |
| Opakapaka in a garlic sauce |
The next morning, we made breakfast at the inn and were on our way down the Road to Hana. Since we were short on time, we had to do the whole drive down and back in one day and then continue on to Ka'anapali for our welcome reception. That made the drive a little rougher than I would have liked. It also required us to be very picky about where we stopped. If you have time, I would recommend staying the night in Hana and then doing the sights beyond Hana on the second day.
Our first stop was Lower Puohokamoa Falls, where we were greeted by a deer carcass. Apparently, this is meant to scare visitors away but we just pressed on and tried to avert our eyes as we walked under it through the fence. We later heard a woman screaming bloody murder and I'm pretty sure she didn't make it to see the falls.
This was the view we enjoyed despite Bambi. Beautiful way to start our drive!
More views from the drive.
Someone had a little too much fun on the Road to Hana. We actually encountered a number of these cars around the islands.
We spontaneously decided that we wanted to take a jog through Keanae Arboretum. Along with lots of different types of plants, the arboretum had painted eucalyptus trees, which I was very interested in seeing.
 |
| Painted eucalyptus in Keanae Arboretum |
 |
| Crape ginger in Keanae Arboretum |
 |
| Makapipi Falls |
 |
| On Nahiku Road |
 |
| End of Nahiku Road |
Our next stop was the highlight for me. This is Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach.
 |
| Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach |
 |
| Sea arches at Wai'anapanapa Black Sand Beach |
 |
| Last stop before we turned around - Wailua Falls |
On our drive back, we stopped at Ho’okipa Beach Park, which is famous for windsurfing.
 |
| Ho'okipa Beach Park |
We made our way to Ka'anapali, where we checked into our hotel and got ready for our welcome reception. I was so excited to see people I haven't seen in over a year that I forgot to take pictures.
799 Poho Place
Paia, HI 96779
