Maui Trip 2012 - day 5

Today is supposed to be the relaxing day. But we ended up going to Lahaina for sightseeing in the day time, snorkelling at the Black Rock and the Sheraton reef, before going for a Luau at 6pm (Feast of LeLe).

Lehaina is a very touristy town with a lot of art shops. A lot of good but pricy restaurants and of course, who can resist another shaved ice (from Ululani, with plum powder, condensed milk and 3 flavoured syrups) before leaving Hawaii! On top of that, i finally tried Lau Lau (fatty pork wrapped in lotus leaf with fermented vegetable) and kalau pork with cabbage.

The Luau we choose is called Feast of LeLe. I read a lot of comparative reviews between this and Old Lahaina Luau. I picked this one as they have table service (instead of a buffet for 500 people), even though it's pricier.

There's definitely an abundance of food, where we had food from 4 different areas, each area having 3 different courses. There's a total of 12 sampling, on top of unlimited booze of cocktails and wine pairings. Desserts is a course by itself.
The dance is not as cheesy as the typical luau and i really enjoyed the show.

We had a lot of fun and it's a good way to end our Maui trip.

Maui Trip 2012 - day 4

The 2nd day of serious sightseeing, the Haleakala Crater.

Before we head up the 10,000 feet mountain, we went to Surfing Goat Dairy and got a flight of  brie/hard cheese samplers to take with us.

http://www.surfinggoatdairy.com/

Part of my regret for this trip is T. Komoda bakery is closed for renovations/vacations. They are renowned on cream puffs (based on internet reviews) and they are part of the "drive-to" place on your way up the Haleakala Crater. Grr...

The drive up the Crater is spectacular and the view at the Crater is awesome.

We are told that this is technically not a "Crater" as it's created by erosion and not eruption. But it's so smooth and the colors are so pretty! who cares!

We had an awesome view of the Crater while we picnicked and had our cheese samplers.

This is a silver sword plant. It's a protected plant now on the crater and is a mutant species of the California cactus. It is very pretty!

After this, we went to the Maui winery which is my least enjoyable experience in Maui. I don't think pineapple wine is my cup of "wine" and they don't really have the Aloha spirit. What is interesting is the drive is very scenic, overlooking the other side of the Maui Island.

After that, we went back to the hotel, picking up a few mangos on our way, and grilled another steak for dinner.

Maui Trip 2012 - day 3

This is the first day of our sightseeing.

Our first stop is Iao Valley to find Iao needle. This is a very beautiful valley, very misty and mysterious. We were lucky to see waterfalls in the valley, as it was raining the night before. (proof that it's rare: even the tour bus drivers are taking photos of the waterfall hee)

The valley also had a lot of deaths as King Kamahemaha I destroyed the Maui army here, to unite the Hawaiian island. It is recommended not to stray off the paths, in case you stumble upon a burial ground)

After visiting the valley, we went to Paia again, this time in search of flat bread. We spend 30 mins walking down the Paia beach as the high surf attracted a lot of surfers/boogie boarders. It is very entertaining watching the high surf and the attempts to surf the waves

After that, we went to Paia flat bread company for their pizza. They emphasized on organic and fresh food, but it tastes like an ordinary pizza to me =p

After lunch we decide to try the harrowing Maui West Mountains. This is a more dangerous drive as we are right beside the cliff, with areas of mulitple hair pin turns, and .... wait for it.. wait for it.. one lane for both sides of the traffic .. We were told to look out for cars coming in the opposite direction on the other side of the hair pin turn, and just take turns going into the turn. IN some cases, somebody has to reverse back to make way..

In case you are wondering why we are doing this, we are in search of Lorraine shaved ice, per Janet's recommendation.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lorraine-shave-ice-kahakuloa-2

When we are there, she gave us some coconut shavings that's also one of the best thing that I ever ate! I swear that she stir fry them with Gula melaka. And she make the best banana bread too. So if you ever find yourself in Maui and willing to take a risk on the West Maui mountain, look for Lorraine (hey, 20k hits on youtube.. she's famous!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skJoJcL4PBk&noredirect=1

She also has a nice backyard where you can sit and watch the ocean and the mountains that looks like a smiling crocodile.

And no.. it's not just for the shave ice.. it is a really scenic drive up the West Maui Mountain and these photos have not been photoshopped for vibrancy!

Anyway, we got back to the hotel (in one piece) and made our way to Sheraton hotel to view the Black Rock ceremony. For the locals, the Black Rock is supposed to be the place where the soul leap into the spirit realm of their ancestors.

http://www.kaanapalidreamin.com/blog/2009/01/looking-forward-to-black-rock-cliff-dive-ceremony.html

So every night, there's a touristy performance of 5-10 minutes where a Hawaiian guy light the torches and dived off Black Rock, at sunset. Aka, super cheesy but kind of entertaining because of it's cheesiness =)

After the show, we walked back to the hotel via the Beach Walk and grilled ourself a nice steak for dinner at the hotel, with wine and margarita.

Maui Trip 2012 - day 2

Happy birthday to me!

First thing first! A spam sandwich , with local strawberries, made by yours truly!

After that, we went snorkelling off the beach outside the hotel. Westin is built on a beautiful snorkelling reef zone and we saw lots of beautiful fishes. Janet informed us that a high surge is coming on Sunday and visibility will be affected. She told us that Sat AM will be the best time to get the best out of the reef snorkelling. I felt so surreal snorkeling in Hawaii at 10am on my birthday.

After the snorkelling and relaxing at the pool area for a couple of hours, we went to the Fish Market Maui to get a filet of silver snapper. This place came highly recommended because of the quality of the fish and their marinades are good. We choose the soy,honey,ginger marinade for the fish and got a pound of their ahi poke.  The poke is one of the best i ever had, and the snapper is delicious, although i made a mistake of putting the fish directly on the grill, to get grill mark after it's cooked in the foil. Note to self: fish sticks to grill without oil =) ..

After a nice lunch, we felt another need to relax at the pool again, coupled with a nice nap.

Dinner that night is at Westin Tropica.

http://www.westinmaui.com/dining/tropica/

I picked it as I wanted a dining experience right by the ocean. This restaurant has 6 tables on the grass area, by the beach, nicely spaced out for privacy.

We made a reservations for 6pm, so that we can watch the sun set behind us with our cocktails, before our dinner.

Their cocktails are famous too. B ordered a Mai Tai and I ordered sin non nombre which has cayenne in it.

Dinner includes ahi & crispy pork belly, seared diver scallops on a bed of quinoa salad, tropica cerviche, beef tenderloin & kona lobster and a dessert sampler plate. All yummy !

The best part is we got 20% discount for the food, on top of being able to spend our Westin voucher at this place. So this is a free meal for us ! woo hoo !

After dinner, we walked back to our hotel on the beach, to exonerate our gluttony =)

Maui trip 2012 - day1

First day in Maui started with a 8am flight. Always brutal to roll out of bed at 6 am. My incentive is a 11am arrival at Maui, with almost a full day in front of us.

The flight is uneventful and we got a complimentary Mai Tai on the plane that tasted a little weird and it looks like a Costco Mai Tai. Note to self: do not get Mai Tai from Costco.

Upon arrival, the first thing we did was to pick up our car and drove to Paia fish market for lunch. The grilled ahi is wonderful but the ono is a little dry. The calamari is nothing special.

What is interesting is the Paia town. It has a few nice stores for art and clothing with a very unique ambience. My feeling is a beach town combined with "Arty" quirkiness. Quite a combination. I can see why the guide book said: footwear is optional in this town!

After lunch, we did a Costco run, for water, bread, rum, margarita, fruits and a couple of good steaks.

Maui is renowned for high food prices, both restaurant and groceries. Coupled with the fact that we are staying at a Westin resort that will cost 12 bucks for a drink at the pool.
http://www.westinkaanapali.com/

A friend told us about marlin fish jerky that's only available in Hawaii, available in Costco.
http://www.marlinfishjerky.com/

Needless to say, we got about 10 packs of that :) For friends and family.

After that, we went to Savers which is a thrift store in Maui. We got some nice shirts and dresses there for very good deals. Much cheaper than what you would pay in Lahaina.

After all that excitement, we drove to the hotel but we only manage to settle down at 7pm that night. We had to change the car (due to issues starting the car) and the room (for a better balcony).
Since its almost 11pm San Diego time due to 3 hours time difference, we decide to pack dinner and call it a night.

We went to a strip mall near the hotel, where I had loco moco (from Honokowai Okazuya and Deli) and B had tacos.

I love the loco moco, even though the guide book say it will not be advertised as health food. What's not to like? Hamburger patty with gravy and 2 eggs. Yum!

It's worth mentioning that Westin has a wonderful concierge. Janet Maher is my assigned concierge. She sent me a postcard, 2 emails and a call before my trip to ensure that I have everything prepared for the trip. She also had a list of places to visit, including a few local places per my request.

And it's Hawaii after all. Pretty sunsets are seen from the hotel pool every night. This is a collage of all the different days of sunsets pictures that i really like.