Taken by Kris Nelson on February 19th, 2009.
Location: Our lanai at the Sheraton Maui Resort, Ka’anapali, Maui

A sampling of the morning views we used to enjoy when staying at the ocean front rooms at the Sheraton Maui Resort in Ka’anapali. Sure, we paid a premium for those rooms, and all budget-minded travelers will say that you can save a ton of money on cheaper rooms that you’re not really going to spend that much time in anyway. And they’re right.

Still, for two weeks out of the year, being able to wake up and walk out on your balcony and see views like this…

I like to think it was worth it.

Mahalo,
– Kris

This photo is from my Maui Portfolio on my photography website. Head on over there if you’d like to see more.

Aloha Friday
A cloud covered Molokai as seen from a private area of the Sheraton Maui Resort.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 3 months since my last Aloha Friday post. I guess it goes to show just how busy of a summer it has been for me. Regardless, I’m still working on getting things a little more regular here.

This photo is an oldie but still a goodie. It’s taken from one of the viewing areas at the Sheraton Maui Resort in Ka’anapali. In fact, it’s only one of many great views you can find at the Sheraton.

More FollowFriday Coming Soon
I’m writing this a little unprepared today, so the return of Follow Friday (aka #FollowFriday on Twitter) will have to wait until next week. I’m excited, though, because I met so many great people at the Maui Photo Festival last month and have a great list of tweeps you’d be interested in following.

And speaking of the Maui Photo Festival, they’ve recently announced the dates for the 2nd annual event next year. If you couldn’t attend this year, or wasn’t sure what it was about, let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing. I still owe you details and photos from my MPF experience this year, and hoping to feature some of them this weekend over at Maui by Photo. In the meantime, find me as @MauiByPhoto on Twitter and ask away.

Back to the dates for next year’s event, block off August 25-29 on your calendars. Also, there will be a big push on preregistration starting in a few weeks, and great early bird deals to save money on your registration. Check out their site (and here) as more details are released.

Hope to see you there next year.

Aloha Friday
An old version of the sign out front of Whalers Village.

Back today with another Aloha Friday photo after missing the last few weeks.  I like this photo, even though this sign has since replaced with a new one.  It’s a reminder that even though all of our past trips have essentially centered out of the same spot in Ka’anapali, there is something always new and different to discover at Whalers Village.  The second year we were there, they updated the sign and a few shops.  This past February, there were even bigger changes with the Rusty Harpoon moving out and the edition of Cindy’s favorite, Swarovski, near where Tiffany’s used to be.

Our Aloha Friday photo each week is from our Maui Photo Day Calendar. Visit www.mauiphotocal.com for more details on how to add a new Maui photo on your iGoogle page or your blog everyday, as well as how to subscribe via RSS.

In the News – Sheraton Working Giving Back
In addition to the Aloha Friday photo, I ran across this article in the Lahaina News this morning that I wanted to pass along:

School receives fresh coat of paint from Sheraton workers

You probably know by now that we’re fans of the Sheraton, so that’s one reason why it popped up on my radar (thanks to a Google News Search).  It’s just one of many touching examples of how people from all over the islands regularly show off their Aloha Spirit and give back to the communities around them. I posted a link to another story back in December about members of the Ka’anapali Beach Resort Association joined to participate in a holiday drive that raised 30,000 pounds of food for families in need. You may only hear about these stories every now and then, but you can rest assured that this type of community sharing and commitment can be found somewhere on the islands just about every week, however large or small.

Follow Friday
So, I’ve been sort of absent from the Twitter seen for the last two weeks now, only jumping back in earlier this week. I don’t have a full Follow Friday list like before, and I actually wanted to take a moment for a shameless plug of the new Maui site I’m working on.

So, I’m inviting you to follow @MauiByPhoto on Twitter and help me spread the word.  I’m targeting Monday for the initial launch of the new site, so be sure to look for an announcement soon.

As for the new site?  It’s going to be mainly a blog format, but with a few slight twists. Relatively small in the grand scheme of things, it’s primary goal is to highlight the beauty and magic of Maui through some of my best photos, and be a place where fellow Maui fans and residents can talk story about some of the best places, and their favorite memories, on the island.  It’s not a replacement for the site here or any other of the great Hawaii blogs out there, just a little place to stop along the way.

I’m pretty excited (and slightly nervous) about the concept, and here’s to hoping it’s well received.  Hoping to see you there.

Mahalo,
- Kris

Taken by Kris Nelson on February 17th, 2009
Location: Private lanai at the Sheraton Maui Resort, Ka’anapali

I was looking through the past editions of our Sunday Photo Series and noticed that I haven’t featured a beautiful Maui sunset in quite a long time.  In fact, the last one was posted all the way back in September! I guess we’ve had a lot of other great things to share if we’ve gone that long here without featuring one of these beauties.

This photo was taken on our most recent trip to Maui and the day after we witnessed our first Haleakala sunrise. I guess maybe the Maui sunsets were getting a little jealous that their early early morning cousins were getting all our attention this trip, so it decided to puff up its chest and spread out its peacock feathers in all its glory. And I must say, while it’s not the most fiery and golden sunset we’ve seen on Maui, the blue skies added their own dramatic feel to the mix. The result was one of the best sunsets we’ve seen in our relatively short time on the islands.

I have already received a few compliments on this photo, but to be brutally honest, I’m not 100% happy with how it came out. When I see this photo, I still recall the anguish I was going through as I snapped away with photo after photo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful image and certainly worthy enough of being shared with all of you. My angst at the time was that I couldn’t capture the actual beauty of the scene exactly the way I was experiencing it (which happens a lot on Maui, actually).  To put it another way, I took about a dozen shots at this scene with various exposure settings, came away with this one as the best of the bunch, and in my opinion, it’s still probably only half as spectacular as it was in person. What does that tell you about these magical Maui sunsets, eh?

Talk Story
Since we’re back on the topic of Maui sunsets, a very popular one I might add, I thought I’d pose the question to everyone: Where is your favorite place to watch the sunset on Maui? I realize that’s a pretty tough question, but we’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Not to introduce any bias of our own (cough, West Maui, cough), but I mentioned the above photo was taken from our private lanai of our room at the Sheraton Maui Resort. I only say that because as much as fun as it is to share a gorgeous sunset with a beach-full of strangers or with a handful of nearby tables at your favorite ocean view restaurant, there’s a lot that can be said when you and yours are able to bask in the beauty of one of these moments in private. It is definitely one of those moments where you feel like the only two people on the island, and that the sun is putting on this amazing show just for you.

Your turn, tell us your favorites, and don’t be afraid to link to some Maui sunset eye candy as well.

Mahalo,
- Kris

Related Posts and Links

• Archives: Sunday Photo Series
• Sunday Photo: Warm and Golden Maui Sunset
• Time Lapse – Maui Sunset
• My Flickr Photoset: Maui Sunsets

Taken by Kris Nelson on May 30th, 2006
Location: Sheraton Maui Resort, Ka’anapali

It’s really hard to believe that it was only 3 years ago yesterday that we set foot on the island of Maui for the very first time. It feels like we’ve had the Aloha Spirit and the magic of the Valley Isle in our hearts for so much longer than that, but alas the calendar doesn’t lie.

For our “Maui Anniversary”, as @Ucsmiles put it, I decided to hunt down and post the very first photo I ever took on Maui for our Sunday Photo this week. So, here it is. It may not be exuding Maui like a beautiful waterfall or a sandy beach would, but for Cindy and I, the view in this picture sparks the recollection of so many great moments and wonderful memories that keep us longing to return to our favorite island paradise. It’s the view from our lanai at the Sheraton on the very first evening of the very first day of the rest of our Maui-enriched lives.

The Story Behind the Photo
I’ve probably told parts of this story here and there through various blog posts in the past year and a half, but since I’m sharing this particular photo this week, I decided to throw it out there again in it’s entirety.

It was back in the early part of 2006, and we were planning and budgeting every nickel and dime we could afford to get us to Maui. At the time, we had no idea we were about to fall head-over-heels in love with Maui, and that it would change our lives forever. Cindy’s aunt and uncle were seasoned veterans with this heaven on Earth, and their own location of choice was the Royal Lahaina Resort just north of Black Rock in Ka’anapali. They were the ones that scoped out the Sheraton, among many others in the area, and made the recommendation that “this was the place for us.”

So it had been decided, the Sheraton it was. We made the reservations, and opted for the ocean front rooms in what we later found out to be called the “Hale O Ka Moana” building. With Hale, meaning ‘house’ and Moana, meaning ‘ocean’, you knew these views had to be good. Admittedly, we never did a lot of research into the grounds of the Sheraton prior to our trip, or about the Ka’anapali area as a whole. We didn’t know what Black Rock was, or about the cliff diving ceremony. We’d heard Cindy’s aunt and uncle talk about the walking path along the beach, but we weren’t expecting to find Whalers Village so close and to be such a great place to shop.

After all, it was only our second true vacation as husband and wife, so I never really thought to look into those types of things.

Our Arrival
So, after things were booked and the countdown to our vacation was over, we were on our way. I’d like to say that the direct flight to Kahului from Chicago just flew by, but those who have made similar flights know that’s just not the case. We were a little worn out from travelling all day, but that feeling didn’t last much longer. As soon as we started our final approach to the airport, the first visions of palm trees, those amazing mountains, and the sparkling ocean came into view through that little window. That was just the small start of a turnaround in our spirits that latest the rest of the evening.

We made our way off the plane, got our bags, and waited for the shuttle to take us to the car rental area. Feeling the trade winds rush by and watching all the palm trees sway above us around the airport parking area was the next part of magic that started infecting our spirits. We had a bit of a wait at the rental counter, but that didn’t dampen our mood at that point. With some sketchy directions from the nice man behind the counter, we had our car keys and a map and were on the road.

The First Drive
We’re veterans now of that drive from Kahului to Ka’anapali along Hwy 30, but I still remember the feeling of awe we had that first drive. The winding roads heading west towards Ma’alaea, those amazing views, the tunnel, seeing cars parked at the Papawai lookout, the view of the West Maui mountains towering into the sky right in front of you. It was starting to get to us, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. After what had become a long and taxing travel day started to feel like a dream. Maybe it wasn’t real and we had dozed off on the plane and we really were just dreaming.

Closer to Lahaina, and even passed town, there are parts of Hwy 30 that literally go right up to the ocean. There are concrete dividers, much like those used in highway construction back home, that do their best to keep the water from the roads, but that’s really it. When we were passing those areas for the first time, we couldn’t believe our eyes. I, being focused on the road, was listening to Cindy’s cries of disbelief of what she was seeing, and I was hearing emotions in her voice that rivaled those of our wedding day.

Aloha, Sheraton
We made it to the Sheraton Maui Resort on the first try without getting lost (which is rare for me). As we pulled up to the front lobby for check-in, we were greeted with fresh flower leis that were so beautiful we wish we could have kept them forever. While we checked in, the bell hop took care of our bags by loading them up on a golf cart. We hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but it was because the Hale O Ka Moana building is actually on the other side of Black Rock. That meant driving to the back of the resort, to where we followed this nice fellow in the golf cart.

The bell hop unloaded our bags onto the luggage cart while we parked the car, and he led us up to our room. By know, we were just about speechless because we were starting to see some of the greenery and flowers around this part of the Sheraton for the first time. No kids running around, no crowds, everything was just so peaceful.

The Moment
We get to our room and the bell hop opens the door for us. The first thing we see is a view like the one to the right. The bright sunshine rushing through the curtains, the top of a giant palm tree, two chairs on the lanai, and nothing else but clear, blue ocean. That was pretty much it for us as far as holding back our emotions.

We raced towards the lanai while the kind bell hop started unloading the luggage cart and putting the bags on the bed for us. I think both of us completely forgot he was there, which I’m sure was a reaction he and the other staff got a lot from first time guests like ourselves. That first deep breath of the ocean air from our lanai was more intoxicating than the best Mai Tai’s on the island.

I turned around just in time to see that the bell hop was almost done, so I came back inside to give him his tip. He tried giving me directions on how to walk back to the lobby from this side of the resort, which I was barely able to focus on, and then he was off on his way. By the time I made it back on the lanai to rejoin Cindy, it was too late. Her eyes were welling up, so mine started right along with hers. We couldn’t believe how beautiful everything was, and that we had come so far that day, and in our lives, to be witnessing this magic for ourselves.

The Photo
So, after we had a moment to collect ourselves, it was time to freshen up after that long day of travelling, and to go find something to eat. Part of me thought a good, cool splash of water on the face might have awaken any bit of disbelief we might have been experiencing at that moment, but it was all real. While Cindy was getting ready, that’s when I tore open my luggage to get to my camera. I snapped what would end up being my first Maui photo ever, and although it’s not going to be hanging in any galleries anytime soon, it has all that special meaning for us as being the start of a beautiful love affair with Maui.

Talk Story
So that’s it, the story behind this photo. Our lives, much like the ones of many others before us and since then, were forever changed by the experiences of that first trip to Maui. Each time we arrive at Kahului airport, there is that sense of magic, but it’s never going to equal that feeling we had on our first trip.

Do you remember your reactions when visiting Maui for the first time? Silly question, I guess. Well, share them with us, as we know we’re not the only ones that have been struck hard by the magic of Maui over the years, and we’d love to hear your stories, too.

Mahalo,
- Kris

Related Posts

• Great Views from the Sheraton Maui Resort
• Travel Tradition: Arrival Day
• Sunday Photo: We’re Back

Taken by Kris Nelson on February 26, 2009
Location: Ka’anapali Sunset Luau, Sheraton Maui Resort

I’m turning up the heat a little bit with this week’s Sunday Photo. This shot was taken at the luau at the Sheraton Maui Resort during the second week of our trip last February. Although the weather forced the rest of the luau indoors, we were still treated to the fiery finale outside in the upstairs courtyard. Regardless of the weather, the luau was still lovely, and just another part of our travel traditions each year.

From a photography standpoint, this is the type of shot I really prepare for; doing researching, looking at samples, and a little bit of trial and error. Much like shooting the whales out on the water, there isn’t much you can do to practice for this type of shot (unless you know someone you plays with fire for a living). For all the anticipation and effort, I’m pretty happy with the end result.

A Small Bonus
As I put this post together, I’m listening to the latest release from the newest Maui-born artist in my Hawaiian music collection, Anuhea. It was @jalove that tipped me off to this CD with a post on Twitter. After firing up iTunes and listening to a few of the samples there, Anuhea just sold herself another copy of this self-titled record.

It’s not the type of Hawaiian music that fits into the same categories as HAPA or IZ, iTunes files it under R&B/Soul for what that’s worth. It does, however, have a subtle island feel to it that you might only pick up on if you’re a fan of Hawaii (hence reading this blog) and take a peek at her bio at Amazon.com. Some compare her music to that of Colbie Caillat, but I like to think each artist has his/her own sound and urge you to take a listen for yourself. You can also track what others on Twitter are saying about Anuhea here.

Head over to iTunes or Amazon (click the cover image above) to listen to samples, and if you like what you hear, be sure to grab a copy. Not into digital music yet? Shoot over to MELE.COM to order a CD and also check out some other Hawaiian artists while you’re there.

Mahalo,
- Kris

Cover Image from Amazon.com

If you like this photo, you can see more in our Sunday Photos series here at the blog. Our website also features daily photos on the Today’s Photos page, and you can also get a new photo from Maui everyday on your Google home page. Check out our Maui Photo Day Calendar for more details.

Aloha Friday and Happy May Day!
A young whale calf practices breaching off the West coast of Maui.

Our Aloha Friday photo each week is from our Maui Photo Day Calendar. Visit http://www.mauiphotocal.com for more details on how to add a new Maui photo on your iGoogle page or your blog everyday.

Follow Friday on Twitter
For my Twitter recommendations this week, how about a few great travel and destination resources offering some great deals and advise.

• @SheratonMaui
  Name: Sheraton Maui Resort
  Location: Ka’anapali, Maui
  Web: http://www.sheraton-maui.com
  Twitter Bio: Where the legend of Ka‘anapali began…brought to you by Jocelyn
• @starwoodhawaii
  Name: starwoodhawaiiPR
  Location: Hawaii
  Web: http://www.starwoodhawaii.com
  Twitter Bio: Starwood Hotels Resorts in Hawaii…Sheraton, Westin, Luxury Collection and St. Regis – Iconic resorts, beachfront enclaves and breathtaking locales
• @TheWestinMaui
  Name: The Westin Maui
  Location: Ka’anapali, Maui
  Web: http://westinmaui.com
  Twitter Bio: The Westin Maui Resort & Spa is situated along a spectacular stretch of the famed Ka’anapali Beach
• @kaanapaliresort
  Name: Melissa
  Location: Ka’anapali, Maui
  Web: http://www.kaanapaligolfresort.com
  Twitter Bio: Marketing Manager for Ka’anapali Golf Resort on the island of Maui
• @KahanaSunset
  Name: Kahana Sunset
  Location: Kahana, Maui
  Web: http://www.kahanasunset.com
  Twitter Bio: Maui vacation condo rentals on secluded white sand beach.

If you have Maui or Hawaii tweeps that I haven’t featured yet here on our Aloha Friday posts, feel free to leave a note, or better yet, catch me on Twitter (@webnelly) if you haven’t already.

Have a great weekend everyone

It’s no secret that we’re fans of the Sheraton Maui Resort, seeing as we’ve stayed there each of the last four years on our trips to Maui. We enjoy the friendly service, the location, and best of all, the views. If you’ve browsed around our site and our photo gallery for any great length of time, you have no doubt seen some of the amazing views we seen while we’re there. Time for a little show and tell to let you in on where to get these same views if you’re staying at the Sheraton.

The Old Lobby
The first place I’d like to share with you is where you can get a view of nearly half of Ka’anapali Beach, just like this one.

In fact, the view is so nice from up here, the Sheraton chose to put one of it’s live webcams at this very spot. Decades ago, back in the earlier days of the Sheraton, this area used to be the lobby of the hotel. We were told the Sheraton was once called the “upside-down hotel” because the lobby was all the way up on the top floor.

So here’s how to get there. When you’re down by the pool area (there are two of them) keep walking along the pathway towards the cliff by Black Rock. You should now see the recently renovated Black Rock Spa, at ground level, and you want to head to the left of that. You’ll be greeted by a Starwood representative at a big concierge desk and there are two elevators across from that. Take that up to the 8th floor and once you step out of the elevator, you’re right there.

Be sure to take a moment looking over the view to your left. You can see the beach, the pools, Black Rock, and even some of the mountains to the west. From there, you can also continue walking on the 8th floor where you’ll see a big open area (the old lobby). The giant open air windows that line this old lobby are just as spectacular, and have a few benches if you’d like to take in the view a little longer.

Pretty impressive so far, but we’re just getting started.

Scenic Lookout
Once you’re done looking out from the old lobby, the next stop is to find a little lesser know spot where I snapped this photo a few years back.

Keep walking through the 8th floor opposite from the elevators you arrived in. You’ll see more open air windows, another building in front of you (building six) out through that lookout, and yet another elevator that awaits you. If you’d rather get a little workout, take the stairs next to the elevator like we do.

The numbers are gonna play a little trick on you. You’re starting on the 8th floor, and you first go down to the 7th floor (which is the Fitness Center). After the 7th floor, you arrive at the 3rd floor. I know, it took us for a surprise at first, too. From this point, it starts looking like an entirely separate hotel, no view of the beach, fewer keiki running around, and even a reserved parking lot.

At the base of the elevator/stairs you came down from, there’s a long walkway that has a slight decline. Take that walkway until you set another elevator and a set of stairs on your left. Take the stairs down to what is the ground floor (also listed as the 2nd floor). You’ll have another walkway on your right this time that will lead you towards the parking lot. When you get to the end of the walk, you’ll see cars on your left and a sign that says “Scenic View” on your right. Unless you want to see the same Mustang convertible in 4 different colors, turn right.

Follow that short path (shown below) and you’ll find it turns into a circle walkway around a large tree and a sign with the story of Pu’u Keka’a (Black Rock).

And you’re there. One funny story about this view (the one of Molokai above), is that the tree on the right in the photo is no longer there. Maybe it took a day trip to another island.

An Ocean View
By now you’re probably satisfied with grabbing a few choice photos for the folks back home, but we’re not quite done yet. Take the stroll back down the path you came up here on. When you get to the walkway near the parking lot, hang a left and go back down that hallway towards the elevators. Continue on passed the elevators this time and make another left towards some of the rooms that have the best ocean views on this side of the island.

As you continue down this corridor, you’ll come across one open path on your right hand side that leads out to a lawn area. You can choose to take that one or keep walking all the way to the end of the corridor to find a similar exit. These both take you to the same lawn area. Once you’re on the lawn, it’s just you, a few well placed palm trees, the reef behind Black Rock, and a wide open view of the ocean.

Kahekili Beach
Well, I hope you still have room on that memory card of yours (or roll of film if that’s still your thing). One last stop while we’re on this side of the resort is a nice view of Kahekili Beach.

Retrace your steps back towards the elevator and that makeshift Ford Mustang dealership in the parking lot (sorry, I couldn’t resist). This time, walk into the parking lot th
rough the first set of cars on either side and following the driveway to the left when it starts to curve. Obviously watch out for hotel golf carts and cars. Follow the driveway and you’ll soon see Kahekili Beach through the trees.

There’s a few good spots to sneak through the foliage and grab a shot or two of the beach and the private cabana at the Maui Eldorado. If you’re brave and able, there’s a very small ledge area on the rocks, next to the sign that warns “No Diving”. We’ve seen a few people taking photos from that area (okay, I was one of them), and I’m only mentioning it because you probably would have seen it anyway.

Not Too Bad, Eh?
Depending on how long you stopped to enjoy these great views, you’ve probably killed close to a half hour by now, and might even be a little lost on how to get back. Or maybe you want to keep heading down that driveway towards Kahekili Beach for more photos. If not, you have two options on how to get back to the main resort area.

First, you can retrace your steps back through the parking lot. Once you get back to the building, hop in the elevator (or stairs) to the 3rd floor. It’s a right towards the walkway (on an incline this time) that will lead to the next elevator/stairs combo. That one goes only one way, up. Take that to the 8th floor and you’re back in the old lobby. Follow that to yet another elevator (by the first lookout point mentioned here) and that one will take you all the way back to the first floor and the lawn and pool area.

The second option is to just continue down the driveway out of the parking lot, passed the entry gates. Continue down the hill and you’ll see another parking lot and the tennis courts on the right. Follow the signs through there and you’ll make your way back to the lawn area right next to the Black Rock Spa. This is the preferred method if you’re tired of riding in elevators by now.

The Best Views
While these views are pretty amazing, the absolute best views, in our opinion, are from the deluxe ocean front rooms in the Hale O Ka Moana building, also known as building six. Imagine waking up every morning and walking out to a lanai with a view like this one.

Certainly something you could used to, right? I’ll save notes on those for another post.

Mahalo.

Trip Journal entry for Wednesday, February 25th.

Being from the Windy City, you’d figure we’d be used to all this wind.

A Good Night’s Sleep
After two long, but wonderful days along the Road to Hana, we slept pretty well Tuesday night. We couldn’t believe we were halfway through the second week of our trip already. Bummer. Because of our planning habits, these last few days were setup to be pretty laid back and open to anything we wanted to do, or do nothing at all. Only the evenings were planned for tonight, tomorrow and Friday, so anything goes during the day.

Today’s plan was to do a little more beach hopping, seeing that the only real time on the beach we’ve spent so far was on Sunday. It’d be a shame if we spent two weeks on Maui and didn’t come home to winter in Chicago without a tan.  Borderline sacrilegious, possibly. Anyway, Cindy had originally scheduled a second massage at the Westin because of the nice act of Aloha on their part from last Friday, but she cancelled in lieu of time in the sun.

It was slow morning getting ready, so we were already getting the day off right. The plan was to head up towards Kapalua and find ourselves a few spots on Napili Beach and Oneloa Beach in that area. We had visited Kapalua Beach a few years ago, so we were already somewhat familiar with those whereabouts. What we discovered as we headed out for the day, however, was that the wind had other plans.

First Off, Napili
The wind was blowing something fierce on Wednesday, with reported sustained winds in excess of 30 MPH and gusts even stronger. That helped bring in more showers as we headed further north towards Napili and Kapalua. We didn’t let that discourage us, though. At least not at first.

We made a stop at the Napili Village complex in search of lunch. We came across Maui Tacos, which we surprising had never tried before. Boy, we were really missing out. After gazing at the menu for a few minutes, we placed our order and were enjoying some great food in no time. I had been joking in the past that our mainland favorite, Chipotle, needed to open up an operation out here on Maui. But after trying Maui Tacos, I don’t think that’s really necessary anymore.

This was also my first full day without having my cell phone with me. Technically, I was without it Monday and Tuesday because there was no reception in Hana, but now it was official.  I had commandeered Cindy’s cell phone to send updates to my Twitter account via SMS, but it didn’t feel the same without following my tweeps, also. Cindy soon grew tired of me constantly asking for her phone, so my live vacation stream dried up rather quickly.

To The Beach
After lunch was devoured, it was off to our next stop, Napili Beach. The wind was starting to pick up a little more as we made it to the beach, but still not terrible. The clouds, on the other hand, were hiding more of the sun and the warmth than Cindy would have liked.  I did manage to spend some time waking the beach and snapping some photos. Since the conditions weren’t ideal for the sun worshipers, I had a beach fairly empty of occupants to work with.

It was a really nice beach, minus the weather. If memory serves, it was slightly larger than Kapalua Beach, and from what I’ve read, normally not as crowded either. There aren’t any towering resort buildings like you see along Ka’anapali Beach or Wailea Beach, which gave it a nice, somewhat isolated feel.

After Napili, Oneloa Beach was next. We continued on north along Hwy 30 passed much of Kapalua and found the parking lot for the beach completely empty. Were we in the right place? This is actually one of the larger beaches on this side of the island, where was everyone? It turns out we weren’t the only ones turned off by the high winds and passing showers, and the beach was completely empty. We didn’t even bother putting the towel down it was that windy. Beach hopping over.

Over the Rainbow
We decided to head down towards Lahaina and walk around Front Street instead. We still had a good part of the afternoon ahead of us before we had to be back for our luau at the Sheraton later that evening. We were thinking of going on another whale watch Friday morning, so we wanted to head into town and visit PWF to set that up.

As we drove further south towards Lahaina, it felt like night and day. Almost like the something out of the Wizard of Oz, with the gray and glooming conditions up near Kapalua starting to give way to bright sunshine and the vibrant colors closer to Lahaina. You know, the type of weather you’d expect to see on Maui. The wind seemed to follow us, however, but that warm sunshine sure was a welcomed improvement.

After scheduling our whale watch, we spent about an hour or so walking along Front Street. We weren’t really looking for anything in particular, and were just sort of taking it easy doing nothing. After a completely packed first 10 days of our trip, doing nothing certainly felt nice.

A Different Luau This Year
Our first luau at the Sheraton Maui Resort was two years ago. It was just that one evening that sold us on making that particular show one of our traditions every trip. It was right on the grounds of our resort, and while was relatively small compared to the larger luaus on the island, they still put on a great show. You have a spacious lawn area, a view of the Black Rock Cliff Dive ceremony and an always spectacular sunset off the shores of West Maui. Like I said, perfect.

Well, this year it was a slightly different show. Remember that wind that spoiled our beach hopping plans earlier in the day?  Well, it was strong enough to force the luau indoors into the main ballroom at the Sheraton. It turned out to still be a lovely evening, and I realize the weather is outside anybody’s control, but it just didn’t feel the same without the cliff dive and the sunset. I guess that’s just part of our tradition that we’ve come to look forward to, and a little spoiled by.

Just prior to the luau, we took our annual Aloha Photo wearing our alohawear. It’s a little something we do every year, where we find a new matching set of alohawear to add to our collection, and take a photo together before our luau. Our tastes in alohawear have changed slighly over the years, and I was really liking the set we found this time around.

The Show Must Go On
Aside from missing the sunset and the cliff dive ceremony, the luau was still a great show. The other lacking omission, so we thought, was the fire knife dancer that is typically the finale of the night. As you’d imagine, that’s not something the local fire marshall would be too thrilled about seeing performed indoors.

Fear not, though, as the show must go on. At the end of the main performance in the ballroom, we all emptied out into the courtyard outside and crowded around as a small group. It was a different take as in years passed, being able to stand closer to watch the show rather than sitting in our seats. It allowed everyone there have a better view of the little fire exhibition, wh
ich was cool.

And of course, I just had to take advantage of being closer than usual, and snapped this photo as part of the performance.

It was a great finish to the luau and the evening. Normally, we end the evening with a stroll along the beach after the luau, but that wasn’t in the stars tonight, or any night during our trip this year. One of the few downsides of coming to Maui in the winter months I guess, but I think the whales and some of the other advantages more than make up for it.

Taken by Kris Nelson on February 25th, 2009
Location: Sheraton Maui Resort in Ka’anapali, Maui