News: Ka'anapali Resorts Give Back

As the Maui News put it, it is A Season of Giving. In an article with the same name, it featured a story on Wednesday that showcased how members of the Ka'anapali Beach Resort Association collected and donated more than 30,000 pounds of food for the Maui Food Bank. It is being called an all-time high for the holiday food drive. A spokesperson for the Food Bank said that these donations collected will go to help more than 20,000 people this holiday season.

With news reports of food banks all across the nation reporting a one-two punch of decreased donations and an increase in food requests, this display of the holiday spirit in action could not come at a better time.

The article lists the following organizations from the KBRA as participants in this food drive, with the Westin Maui Resort and Spa leading the way with the total donations from it's employees.

• Whaler on Kaanapali Beach
• Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas
• The Ka'anapali Beach Hotel
• Kaanapali Alii
• Beach Activities of Maui
• Maui Marriott Ocean Club
• The Royal Lahaina Resort
• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
• Kaanapali Golf Courses
• Maui Kaanapali Villas
• Whalers Village
• TS Restaurants
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa
• The Fairway Shops

I encourage you to read the entire article for all the details, including some of the gracious and selfless things that individuals from these organizations did to help improve the lives of those in need. Truly heartwarming.

News: UH Play in Christmas Eve Hawaii Bowl

Most people have heard by now that the UH Warriors football team will be "bowling" tomorrow, playing in the 7th annual Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Here's a nice article from the Hawaii Today column of the HawaiiMagazine.com website.

University of Hawaii and Notre Dame go bowling on Christmas Eve

College football doesn't seem like it would be a normal holiday tradition in Hawaii, but then again, maybe it is. You see, of the six previous Hawaii Bowl games, UH has played in 4 of them, and have a record of 3-1 going into tomorrow's bowl game. Each previous Hawaii Bowl has either been played on Christmas eve or Christmas day, and you can find more details from this Wikipedia article.

As for the Fighting Irish, this is their first trip to Aloha Stadium for the Hawaii Bowl, and it is a welcomed reward after a dismal 6-6 season. Seeing how cold and miserable the weather in the Midwest is right now, and seeing that Cindy and I drove out to visit friends in South Bend last month, we know Notre Dame will at least enjoy the weather.

Of course, the Warriors had bigger dreams last year when they played Georgia in the BCS Sugar Bowl, finishing off a 12-0 season prior to losing to Georgia. Expectations weren't very high at the start of this season for the team after they lost a pretty strong graduating class of seniors in '08, as well as their popular head coach.

Catching the Game

If you'd like to add a little football to your holiday fesitivies (and you have cable or satellite), the game will be broadcasted nationally on ESPN and kickoff is at 8pm Eastern, 3pm HST. We'll be with family tomorrow, but you can be sure that the guys, at least, will be around the TV shortly after dinner. 

Go Warriors!

News: Mixed Emotions on Lahaina bypass

About two weeks ago, I shared an article that highlighted upcoming work that was about to begin on the long awaited Lahaina Bypass. That article listed the date for the public meeting that was being held on Dec. 10th to discuss the plans and solicit feedback from the community. The Maui News yesterday posted a follow up article covering reactions from local residents attending that meeting.

Residents express mixed emotions on Lahaina bypass

The article does a very good job of sharing quotes and concerns from many different residents, and as the title states, with somewhat mixed emotions about what is involved in this project. While you're obviously never going to be able to please everyone at the same time, I think there's a good approach being taken here to let people address the Transportation board and have their concerns heard before any work is done. 

According to the article, work is still expected to begin this month, and the project is estimated to be completed in two years.

News: Walgreens has arrived in Lahaina

The following is an article that appeared online on the Lahaina News website last week.

Lahaina Pharmacy sold to Walgreens

For those of you that were hearing about the competition between rival drug store chains Walgreens and CVS earlier this year to acquire Longs Drugs (which CVS did), you might remember some of the hoopla that was going on around it. With Walgreens losing out on the big prize, they settled for acquiring a few local pharmacies, include 4 on Maui.

According to the Lahaina News article, the first of those Walgreens-acquired pharmacies was to open its doors under its new name yesterday, in the Old Lahaina Center. The Lahaina Pharmacy, which was owned by Sheldon Zimmerman and who was interviewed in the article, was serving local residents for the past 17 years.  Zimmerman, now 75, talks in the article about his first arrival to Maui some 38 years ago.

Putting the business aspect aside for a moment, I really enjoyed the interview in this article and about how Mr. Zimmerman summarizes all the changes he's seen to the Lahaina area since 1970, and how happy he was to raise his family there. Hearing him recall a different time for West Maui, before all the shopping centers, resorts, and even the parking on Front Street back then, all stirs up ideas of what it would have been like to see Lahaina back then.

While it didn't get the attention that the Longs Drugs story did, I think it is a nice story, and felt it was worth sharing. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Mahalo.

News: Twinkle of Hope - Tree Lighting in Kapalua

Sharing an article I found today online in the Haleakala Times that was posted last week.

Twinkle of Hope

Tomorrow evening (Dec. 3rd), the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua will be hosting a tree lighting ceremony and activites that is titled "Twinkle of Hope".  It is an event that will benefit the keiki from Maui's homeless resource center, Ka Hale A Ke Ola. As part of the ceremony, children from Ka Hale A Ke Ola will be selected to do the honors of flipping the switch to illuminate the tree and the entire courtyard.

I felt it was worth sharing because it illustrates one of the many of the good things that business and organizations do on a regular basis around the islands, not just during the holidays. Resorts like the Ritz-Carlton and others make a conscious effort to give back and support to the communities around them. They're not just about the tourism industry and catering to their guests, and it's another demonostration of the Aloha spirit in action.

So, the next time you're thinking about something special to do in Maui, why not look for something that involves the community? Organizations like the Pacific Whale Foundation and the Maui Arts and Cultural Center are two of the many organizations out there always looking for volunteers and participation in special events that benefit the local groups. It's not just about making a financial donation, it's about getting involved and giving back to the community. Volunteering on vacation might not be something that pops into people's mind when visiting the islands, but spending a few hours of your trip doing something for others is a small price to pay for all the magic and beauty that Maui offers you in return.

Small Aside

In addition to the goodwill highlighted in this article, I also found one of the last lines in the article quite amusing.

"Guests are advised to bring either a beach blanket or a small beach chair."

Growing up in Chicago my entire life, I never thought I'd envision someone bringing a beach blanket or beach chair to a tree lighting ceremony.

News: Lahaina Bypass Work Expected to Begin

Passing on an article from the Maui News regarding an announcement made by the state Transportation Director on Friday:

Lahaina Bypass to Move Forward

For those of us that have visited Maui and stayed in either the Ka'anapali or Kapalua areas know that there is really only one road to drive along Maui's west coast, and that's Hwy 30 (otherwise known as Honoapiilani Highway). And that's fine if you're new to the area, since you can't really get lost. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful view, too, right up next to the ocean, tall rock walls on your right. Yet, a good part of the drive is limited to only a single lane in each direction, and if you happen to be heading north on Hwy 30 say around 4pm, you know where I'm going with this.

As soon as you hit near where Lahaina starts to the south, you find yourself sitting in traffic like you would be in downton Honolulu or even close to what you left behind back home (we're from Chicago, so we know it all too well here). On a good day, it might start to thin out as you approach the Lahaina Cannery Mall, at which point, it's two lanes again. 

Well, this proposed bypass, which has been talked about for decades now, would help alleviate some of  that gridlock with an alternative route for those not needing to stop near Lahaina to get to their destination.  You might think it would be something that could be signed off on and started rather quickly, but that's not how it works.  Much of the Hawaiian culture is based upon respect for the land and the environment around them. It's engrained in their traditions and their everyday lives, even in this modern age. So they don't just go plowing down trees and nature preserves to make way for more automobile traffic on a whim.

Much like the debates last year over the Hawaii Superferry, a key step towards any new  development or modernization in Hawaii involves an environmental assessment. I won't get too much into that, but as the name indicates, it is a review that measures the impact of any proposed development or modernization to the land and areas that would be affected. The article also mentions a concept that I found interesting, in referring to the construction contract for the Lahaina Bypass as being a "design-build" contract.  It's intention is that even though an environment assessment is done before hand, any new discovers or findings uncovered in the middle of the project can be re-evaluated and the bypass route altered to accomodate and preserve the land as deemed fit.

In addition to the news article, you can also read more about the first phase of this project at the Hawaii Department of Transportation's website under the section listed for the Lahaina Bypass.

Mahalo.

News: Colt Brennan Follow up

I wanted to share an article in the Honolulu Advertiser that caught my eye this week.

Colt Brennan still misses Hawaii

We're not very big college football fans, although we were caught up with the local hype when Northwestern went to the Rose Bowl in '96. Yet, we got drawn into the UH Warriors last year and all the excitement around their eventual push to a 12-0 season in the WAC football conference and their loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl that year.

Like many following the team, we became big fans of Colt as he lead the Warriors to many great come-from-behind victories, breaking multiple offensive passing and touchdown records, and a career Senior year that led him to be named a Heisman Trophy finalist. We were tracking him this summer when he entered the NFL draft and were happy that he was picked up by the Washington Redskins, which is the team mentioned in the article above.

You really don't need to be a big sports fan to appreciate Colt's story. He faced some adversity and indiscretions early in his college years at Colorado, but he never gave up. UH gave him a chance to turn his life around, and with strong guidance from his coach, June Jones, and the support of his teammates, he returned the favor and led the Warriors to their best season ever. Colt and the Warriors had the entire Aloha State cheering for them this past January as they battled in the Sugar Bowl, and even though the team lost, UH Warriors football was never going to be the same.

But even through that Colt is now part of an NFL franchise and displaced from the islands during the season, he has not lost that Aloha spirit. In the article, one of Colt's teammates thanks him for "bringing Hawai'i to the East Coast." The article also talks about a few of the adjustments he's making being back on the mainland and his new responsibilities after college. It will be interesting to see how he handles the next few years, and we'll be cheering for him when he gets to step out onto the field for his first NFL regular season game.

News: Kaanapali beachwalk extended north

I recently found this article online from the Haleakala Times from last month that was reporting on new changes to the Ka'ananapali beachwalk along the shores of Ka'anapali Beach in West Maui.  The article mentions that, through efforts between the Maui Kaanapali Villas and the Lahaina Bypass Now organization, there is a new pathway that now connects Kahekili Beach with the Ka'anapali beachwalk.

We love the Ka'anapali beachwalk and make it a part of our regular activities when we're in Maui.  Whether it's going down to Whalers Village, taking Cindy to the spa at the Westin, or just a day of walking all the way down to the Hyatt, it's just a fun way to get your exercise or walk off a little of the Hula Pie you might have endulged in the night before.

Since we stay at the Sheraton over on Black Rock, we pretty much have easy access to both Kahekili Beach to the north and the beachwalk to the south, and haven't really given much thought to how others get from one to the other.  Although I haven't found much more information about this online so far, it will be interesting to see how it is when we're there in February.  

The photo on the right was taken just at the south end of the previous pathway near Kahekili Beach, which would connect to one of the parking lots at the Sheraton.  Now, you could easily walk through the parking lot and through the open air areas of the Sheraton to get to the beach and the main beachwalk, but I was never really sure if that part of the property was for guests only or not.

In any case, this previous pathway was right along the golf course in Ka'anapali and near the Maui Eldorado.  We've followed this path north up to about the Royal Lahaina before switching onto the sand.  It will be fun to see where this path continues to now since last time, we never made it as far as the Maui Ka'anapali Villas.

If you'd like to see more of the Ka'anapali Beachwalk, you can check out our Photo Tour page, which features over 100 photos that we took from walking along the beachwalk.  And for each photo, you'll see a satellite map image of where the photo was taken courtesy of Google Maps. It will certainly be one of my projects this next trip to update this tour with additional photos of the new pathway areas near Kahekili Beach.

More to Come?

Going back to the article for a moment, it also cites that the Lahaina Bypass Now organization is also working with land and property owners along Maui's west coast to build a connected walkway starting up north in the Kapalua area and extending south all the way to Lahaina Town.  Doing a quick lookup on Google Maps, it's about a 10 mile drive between those two areas, and for a walkway along the coast, it would only be longer by foot.  It sounds a little too ambitious to me, but I would certainly be interested in seeing it if it is ever completed.

Let me know what you think.

Hawaii Sky Watching in November

I read a nice article from the Honolulu Advertiser on Sunday that I wanted to pass on here for fellow stargazers who also fancy the islands in the Pacific:

Venus and Jupiter light up the night in November

Anyone that has spent a nice, romantic, after dinner stroll along their favorite beach in Hawaii has no doubt noticed the incredible display of stars that can light up the sky on a clear night. If you're like me, you can't help but be mesmerized by the vast amounts of sky glitter that you otherwise might not be able to enjoy back home near the big cities. Just another one of the many things that makes Hawaii so special.

For me, it's not just enough to see them while we're there, but to capture the moment to have whenever I miss those quiet, peaceful nights along the shores of Ka'anapali Beach just staring up at the sky in amazement (oooh, chicken skin moment). One of my favorite photos that I have ever taken (so far) was of the Milky Way over Black Rock in Maui. And although I didn't know it at the time, I was actually staring straight at Jupiter as mentioned in the article above (minus Venus, of course).

If you're looking for more, you can read about stargazing on Maui as well as view my Stars over Maui set on Flickr. You can safely bet that I'm already planning time to spend watching the skies on our next trip in February, and it's no coincidence that the two weeks we chose for our trip include the night of a new moon (Feb. 24th). Not too geeky I hope. :)

Death, Taxes, and Maui No Ka Oi

As mentioned yesterday over at Go Visit Hawaii, the 2008 Readers' Choice Awards from Conde Nast Traveler were announced and once again, Maui was ranked the top island in the world.

The way Conde Nast breaks up the rankings for islands across the globe is into different geographic regions (Caribbean, Pacific, Europe, etc.), and while there isn't an official "Top Island in the World" category, each island in the different regions is ranked independantly and given an overall score. Except for 2006, Maui has had the top overall score in any of the regions every year since the rankings began.

Another note worth mentioning is that the island of Kauai beat out the competition for second place, both in the Pacific Islands category and in the overall world rankings. A nice one-two punch representing the Aloha Spirit.

You can find more details from the links above, as well as in the November edition of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, which should hit newstands in a few of weeks. You can also read up on last year's post, too.

Mahalo.

Seeing HAPA in concert a second time, pinch me

Last year, when we found out that HAPA was going to be playing the Castle Theater at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center the same week we were going to be in Maui, we were ecstatic. It was truly a magical night, not to mention the fact it was only 3 days after spending my birthday in Maui.

So imagine my joy this afternoon at lunch when I'm checking Maui News on my mobile phone and find out that HAPA will be back at the Castle Theater for a show on February 27th, the last Friday of our next vacation. Way cool.

This will be our third trip in a row where we're lucky enough to see live performances by well known Hawaiian artists. In September of 2007, we were in Maui for the Taste of Lahaina (just realized I need a link for that and never uploaded those photos), where we saw Beach 5, Brother Noland, and Sean and Robi. Anytime you can make live, local music a part of your vacation just adds to the memories of it all.

Have any stories of concerts you've been to on Maui or in Hawaii? We'd love to hear them.

Going to Hawaii without paying airfare

Maybe not the most practical way to save on airfare, but there was an article at the Honolulu Advertiser about a British woman that sailed her way from San Francisco to Waikiki in a row boat. It only took 99 days.

99 days of rowing are over

Turns out it's only part of a plan to go all the way across the Pacific on her own. Her reward? Six months in Hawaii before she leaves for Australia.

Better watch out for the Superferry. :)

Kidding aside, she does have a good purpose for doing this, so be sure to take a read of the full article if you haven't seen it yet.

Baby Turtles at the Maui Ocean Center

After reading the notice in the Maui Ocean Center newsletter, I found this article in Honolulu Advertiser that shows off the six baby honu (sea turtles) that have just arrived to the center this week.

We've been to the Maui Ocean Center in our past trips and Cindy's favorite exhibit is the Turtle Lagoon where you can get up close and personal with the sea turtles (for those of us that don't snorkel, anyway). According to the new article, these six little guys will have their own exhibit next to the Turtle Lagoon and will be cared for over the next 2-3 years before being released into the ocean waters. We'll be certainly stopping by to check in on these guys in February.

If you happen to be there before us, stop in and let us know if they're really as cute as they sound. :)

Mahalo.

Halloween in Lahaina Crackdown?

Read this in the Maui News today from a story they reported yesterday about annual festivities on Front Street for the upcoming Halloween holiday this year.

LahainaTown denied a Halloween permit

We have seen and read about past years where the parties and parades down Front Street for Halloween have had almost a Mardi Gras type atmosphere, with plenty of people and fun all dressed up in their costumes marching down Front Street in Lahaina. It was (and still is) something we're planning on checking out in the upcoming years.

Even though LahainaTown was not given the permit they have had in past years (starting back in the 1980s), it looks like there still will be plenty of people showing up for this annual event.

Let us know if you have any Halloween in Lahaina stories that you'd like to share.

Maui Magazine Article - Sandcastle

Aloha,

We've been subscribers to Maui No Ka Oi magazine for a little over two years now, and recommend it to everyone we talk to that loves Maui. In fact, we've even started to see it in the magazine section at the Barnes and Noble bookstores out here in Chicago. Cool.

When we got back from our most recent trip to Maui, the latest issue (May 2008) was sitting in our stack of mail, starving for attention. After a few days, I finally pulled out the issue and started browsing through it when I found this article about someone that built a house 22 years ago in South Maui that resembled as sandcastle. Now, I know the idea sounds a little juvenile and you start to picture a moat with big towers and pointy tops, but reading the article and looking at the photos in the magazine, the house is absolutely stunning.

It has these massive open airways on the sides of the building that lead right outside, and the views they show of it looking out at the ocean from their patio ... wow.

Take a look at the article and let me know if you agree. And if you haven't seen the magazine yet, stop by your local bookstore (depending where you are) and see if they have a copy. It's a nice taste of the island for your coffee table.

Mahalo.

Sheraton Maui No Ka 'Oi

Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which owns the Sheraton chain among many others, choosing one of over 200 Sheraton locations each year to be named their Hotel of the Year. Well, for 2007, our favorite Sheraton Maui Resort took that well deserved honor.

We've been visiting the Sheraton for 3 years now, after it was suggested to us by Cindy's aunt and uncle (very smart Maui people themselves). Every since we first pulled up to the resort during that first trip, we knew we could never stay anywhere else. I could surely go on and on about all the things we love about staying at the Sheraton, but I'll save that for another post.

Official Press Release (pdf)

Monk Seal visits Ka'anapali Beach

Thought this was a cute story and wanted to share. It was reported by the Maui News website, which you can read here, Monk seal digs the sand at Kaanapali Beach.

I guess it's just not human visitors that are drawn to the beauty of the sandy beaches of Kaanapali, but some of the local animals as well. When you put it together, you've got whales that return every winter all the way from Alaska, monk seals that like to set up out front of Whalers Village, and sea turtles that swim all the way up to the shores where snorkelers can swim side-by-side with them.

It's just more proof that Maui is the place where everyone wants to be. :)

Maui Best Island in the World, says readers

So many it's not news to some of us, but the record number of 28,000 travelers in the latest Conde Nast Traveler Readers Poll just had to put it in writing.

As it turns out, Maui has owned the top island honors for every year since the category was added to the survery, with the exception of last year. After all, "Maui No Ka Oi" isn't just something people say because it sounds nice.

You can read more from Maui News in this article and also watch the news from MauiToday.tv (sorry I can't find a direct link to the story just yet).

The survey and story will be published in the November issue of the Conde Nast Traveler, which comes out October 25th.

Bring on the Whales

While our first "whale" trip isn't planned until February of 2009, we saws this from Maui News and thought it was worth a post.

It looks like the first whale sighting of the season was reported over the weekend out in the waters between the island of Lanai and the town of Lahaina on Maui. The article reports that it's not uncommon to see the first whales in October, but it's more common to see them in November instead. I guess just like all of us, the whales can't wait to get back to Maui, either. :)