Maui - The Magic Isle

Maui, ahhhh my favorite island of them all. Maui offers visitors a little of everything on one island. Where Oahu has lots of night life and Kauai offers the quite solitude, Maui offers both. When you land in Maui you feel like you are on an island. It's a small airport with warm tropical breezes that will meet you as soon as you step off the plane.

Before you get on the plane you have a lot of decisions to make. This is a large island and when you book a hotel you must choose the right part of the island. So, what questions do you ask? What time of the year are you travelling? How much or little action do you want around you? What type of experience are you looking for? The two basic areas in Maui are Kaanapali and Wailea. Wailea is the quieter side of the island and it also will typically have the most sun and least wind in the winter. The hotels tend to have less floors giving you more of an island feel. Kaanapali has lots of action. It boasts a beautiful white sand beach with restaurants, water activities and shopping galore. While you will need a car for both sides of the island, Kaanapali will will require less driving.

Once you choose an area as your base now you must choose a hotel. I've had a lot of fun on both sides of the island and there are some fantastic hotels to stay in. In Kaanapali I would recommend, Hyatt, Marriott or Westin if you are travelling with children because they have fantastic kids clubs and pool areas. They also have timeshare units which may sound like a deterrent but if you can avoid the salesmen it will give you the spaciousness of a condo with the activities and services of a hotel. Looking for a condo property only? The Kaanapali Alii is on Kaanapali beach and if you don't mind not being in the main area then check out the Embassy Suites.

Travelling without children? Sheraton has a beautiful property on Kaanapali beach. Located at Black Rock, this hotel gives you more privacy then those further down the beach. What do all of these hotels (except the Embassy Suites) have in common? Golf! Nearby and world class Golf.

Activities abound in this area. At your hotel or nearby you can arrange for Snorkeling or Surfing equipment and/or lessons. Lahaina has lots and lots of shopping and restaurants, so many you won't be able to eat at them all. My favorite activity of all is Trilogy! Trilogy is a company which provides tours such as snorkeling to Molokini or Dinner cruises but my absolute favorite is the cruise to Lanai. This tour takes you out on their catamaran all day. You start in the morning with fresh, hot, Cinnamon buns, fruit and coffee. You cruise to Lanai and sometimes you see dolphins and you will have time for pictures then when you arrive in Lanai you will choose whether to take the short tour of the town (the town is so small!) or go straight to the beach. All your snorkeling equipment is provided and the beach is at a cove which is home to dolphins so many times the dolphins will approach you (please do not approach the dolphins). Lunch is prepared there for you and it is soooo good! There is just something about eating freshly cooked food outdoors. Then at the end of the day you are on your way back to Maui. Make sure to save room for the ice cream! This was a highlight of a recent trip I took with 3 of my close friends. We all turned 40 the year we went and we needed to somehow make this milestone paletable. So we spent 4 nights at the Grand Wailea and took a daytrip to Lanai with Trilogy. It was well worth the money!! We look forward to turning 45!!

I suppose at this point you are ready to settle down in Kaanapali but.....Wailea has it's own special features. In fact Wailea is my favorite spot. Why? Because it doesn't seem as crowded and it has great weather even when it's raining in Kaanapali. Plus my favorite hotel in all of Hawaii is the Grand Wailea. I have stayed here with and without children and it's just as special either way. The Grand Wailea has one of the, if not the best spa on the island and maybe all the islands. I just love it! The pool is second to none; not only does it offer 3 slides but also a water elevator. Yes, a water elevator. I don't think that I can properly describe how wonderful this hotel is, plus they have a new section with 2 and 3 bedroom units with fully equiped kitchens and full access to the hotels activities. This is not the only hotel in Wailea but it is my favorite. The next one on my list and if you are looking for a smaller hotel this may be the best one for you. The Kea Lani. This hotel is actually all suites and very luxurious. If you are celebrating a special occasion with your special person this is the spot. They also have 2 and 3 bedroom villas right at the beach and each unit has it's own bbq and plunge pool. Need something more economical? Marriott Wailea is the spot. The beach is next door but a great place to snorkel. It's a beautiful hotel with a relaxed atmosphere.

Ready for more activities? Well there is one more in the Kaanapali area that is good for everyone. The Old Lahaina Luau. This is the more authentic luau in all of the islands and it's well worth the money if you are looking for a great luau. Close to Wailea is the Maui Downhill. This is a good one for early risers. The van will pick you up in the early morning and take you up to the top of Haleakala where you may or not see the most beautiful sunrise of your life but whether or not you can see it you will head down the mountain on a mountain bike (with wide seats) then depending on what package you chose you may have breakfast at the end. You should be back to your hotel by 11 am or so, just in time for a siesta on the beach! Make sure to get a picnic lunch and take a day trip to Hana. Take your tennis or hiking shoes and bathing suit and get ready for a fun day on the road. There are plenty of waterfalls and other places of interest along the way. Make sure to be safe when pulling over for pictures.

Maui has so much to offer that you could return over and over and still feel like it's the 1st time. Remember the rule, don't feel like you have to do everything at once. Choose your favorite activity, enjoy your hotel offerings and if you don't have time do it next trip.

Well until next time, travel safe and travel often.

FLYING IS THE WAY, CAN'T YOU SEE, DRIVING IS NOT FOR ME!!

So driving to your vacation spot is not for you? If you have nightmares about screaming kids in the back of a sweltering minivan or if you don't have the time or the energy or if you even are dreading the drive to the airport, call a shuttle and get out of the car! The obvious alternative is to fly. In times past you would call your local travel agent and tell her where you want to go and she would do all the research for you. Show up with a credit card and it's all done. Did you get the best price? Who knew? The only way you would find out is if the person sunbathing next to you mentioned that their travel agent got them this great deal! But today is a different story! Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia are all household names! Long gone, is the loyalty to a travel agent and even if you called one they wouldn't want to just book a flight for you without charging a fee. So what now?

First, which airline will you choose? The cheapest? The most advertised? The one with the name that is on your credit card earning you miles? First you should know that the best airline is the one that has a hub or that caters to the area of the world that you are traveling too. For instance, American Airlines caters to the Caribbean so most likely they have the best schedule, the most seats and the best price if you are traveling there. Are you going to or near Salt Lake City? Then Delta is your airline! Try to get a cheap seat from L.A. to Anchorage on American, it probably won't happen because they don't cater to that part of the world.

What about those cheap regional airlines, like Spirit which has flights to/from Florida and mostly east coast cities? Well, you may save some money but what happens if they have a mechanical problem or a delay? Will they be able to route you on another plane or is that the only flight for the day? What happens if you don't make it back to work at 8 am tomorrow? Now that cheap flight isn't so cheap. Think about this when you are booking the unknown airline. My family and I travelled to Hawaii on vacation one year on a charter airline booked through Pleasant Hawaii. It was very cheap, which my husband liked, but I warned him that if there was a mechanical problem we would be stuck in Hawaii. He thought it would be a dream come true. Well we flew from Maui to Oahu to take our trans-pacific flight home and then there was a mechanical problem with the plane in Oahu. The airline had no agreements with other airlines and they couldn't get another plane to us until the next day. They put us up in a decent hotel way off the beach and they gave us food vouchers for the hotels restaurant, which lacked eatable food and the next day we went home. We were prepared but most people aren't.

I always suggest using a website like http://www.kayak.com/, which will search several websites for the lowest price. Then I go to the official airline website to make sure they are not cheaper. Also watch out for extra fees. It's not a deal if you have to pay fees. Don't make a mistake with your dates or times because the airlines and some websites charge fees for changes. Some of those fees may be more than the cost of your flight, so make sure you have definite plans.

So where will you go? Our favorite vacation spot is Hawaii. In fact in a different life I worked for a Hawaii tour operator called Classic Hawaii. I travelled there for fun and for business. So here is a sample itinerary for a family of 4 travelling to Maui, my favorite island:

Day 1: Fly to Maui (west coast arrives 5 hours after departure, east coast 8 or more). Check into your hotel (Deluxe - Grand Wailea, Superior - Sheraton Kaanapali) for 7 nights.

Day 2: If you are arriving from the east coast, make sure to get as acclimated to local time as soon as possible. Check out your hotel, hang out at the pool, talk to the concierge about local not-to-miss attractions and book one today for Day 3 or 4 if you didn't do this from home.

Day 3: If you are at the Grand Wailea you may never want to leave and I'm sure your kids don't. So after spending some family time on the water elevator, break away from the festivities and go to the Spa Grande (make reservations in advance). After spending sometime in the Roman bath or taking your turn in one of the aromatic baths, your personal spa attendant will give you a complementary Honey Mango Loofah Body Polish. No your spa treatment hasn't started yet! You can then meet your significant other in the open air waiting area overlooking the pools and ocean. If you are staying at the Sheraton, the spa and pools are open to you as well but you also may want to explore the Kaanapali area with your family. Or hit the golf course while others shop. There is no shortage of things to do here.

Day 4: OK if you have an activity planned do it today if you didn't do it yesterday. If not take a drive to Hana. Have the hotel prepare a picnic lunch and get on the road early. If you are staying in Wailea you have saved yourself about an hour. Don't rush though enjoy the drive. Don't hesitate to stop and take pictures at the waterfalls, and beautiful vistas. Ask a native how to find the black "sand" beach. At the end of the road you can hike to the waterfall or on a clear day you can take a plunge in one of the seven sacred pools (not pools like at your local YMCA). Then head back home.

Day 5: After that excursion you will want to rest today. Now either tonight or tomorrow you will want to go to a luau if you've never been. The best of the best is the Old Lahaina Luau. So authentic you'll want to carve out your own canoe! There are many others on the island that will say they are the best and cheaper but if you can swing the price you won't regret it.

Day 6: Today is a good day for shopping. Ask the Concierge at your hotel for any local artists that sell there wares. Some of the hotels have a day when they come in and showcase them. Make sure to go to Lahaina. If you are staying in Wailea it's a 1 hour drive on a 2 lane highway and depending on the season you may see whales and you are bound to see windsurfers. It's beautiful! From Kaanapali it's 15 minutes away. This is a quaint little town with great local restaurants and shops. It's a great way to spend an afternoon.

Day 7: Today is the day to do whatever you haven't done! Need more time at the pool, do it! Need more shopping, do it! But don't over do it. Make sure to have reservations at a special spot on the water where you can have the waiter take a family portrait with the sunset in the background. Now that's a souvenir!

Day 8: Well it's almost over and hopefully you are rested. If you live on the east coast your flight is probably later in the day so get down to the front desk if you haven't done so already and ask for a late check-out or at least a place to store your bags while you hang out at the pool. Ask if they have a shower room that you can use and remember to keep a change of clothes in your carry on bag!

Well that is the first of many itineraries in this blog. Next time I will go into detail about Hawaii. Until then travel safe and travel often!