MAUI Wowee!

Well, I decided to spare the blog readers of  a million pictures of me and Don in front of the tropical sunset. This post is just going to be the basics about what we did and what we ate and what we would recommend to our friends. 

1. Our Hotel- Hyatt Regency.  Loved it, but it is a BIG resort.  Fabulous gardens with pink flamingos, penguins, parrots, and swans.  Fabulous art, views, concierge was great.  The location seemed to be perfect.  We could walk along the ocean front path that goes in front of all of the big resorts in that area.  The shopping, dining and water sports area was a short stroll away.  The restaurants and bar offer as much ambiance as I had dreamed of, and they have servers who take orders at the pool.  The food by the pool was spectacular!  I was impressed.  The downsides are few, but if I had to say a few...Very crowded pool, hard to find a chair by the pool (but we always got one), not a ton of umbrellas around pool, not exactly a "nap by the pool" atmosphere.  I had a hard time reading my book and napping because it was so lively.  But, I did have friends with me each day, so maybe I wasn't in the mode to nap.  The hotel served Pepsi products- bummer for a Diet Coke addict.  And finally, there are definite Asian themes in the decor of the hotel, and in keeping with that, the beds are extremely low.  They are almost like cots on the floor- no box springs, just mattresses on these cool Asian bed frames.  It was very comfortable, but we both found ourselves commenting on these "damn low beds"!  We had drinks at the Swan Court restaurant in the hotel.  It is touted as the most romantic location in Maui.  There is a lagoon like area with swans swimming around and the ocean beyond that.  It was romantic, but I liked the outdoor bar better.  And a few people ate there and said it was disappointing.  We never ate at the sushi restaurant in the hotel- Japengo, but the views alone would have made it enjoyable for me!!  I realized that I am at least 50% in for the atmosphere.  I mean, it is the tropics, let's have some palm trees and sunsets!!  One last note on the hotel, we had a partial view of the ocean, and it was fine.  We spent very little time in our room, and unless you are springing for the Presidential suite, I'd save that money to spend on something else!

2.  Places we ate-  Farm Bureau had meals for us on three nights, so we didn't have a lot of time to try the local cuisine.  But, two out of three of our choices will be with me forever!!  The least favorite- Sansei sushi.  Great reviews and food, but no view.  We tried some adventurous things, and I thought the food was GREAT.  I just want a view.
-Everyone wonders if Mama's Fish House is worth it.  And I can wholeheartedly say YES!  It was one of my favorite experiences on Maui.  The drive there was fun- sugar cane fields, cute villages, surfers etc...And Mama's was FAB!  The food was excellent.  This is their famous dessert The Black Pearl!

It was great!  But the atmosphere was what I loved.  The most picturesque beach front location with open air seating and Hawaiian decor.  The service is excellent, and it is just hard to believe that there is really a place that beautiful in the world!!  But, beware, it is very expensive.  Too expensive to even justify, but I considered it  like admission to the most beautiful spot in Hawaii!  You gotta go!!  Critics say it is too touristy, but I am sensitive to that, and I didn't think so. 

-OK, I know you want to know where this is!  Merriman's!  AHHHHH, Merriman's!  This was our favorite!!  Arrive before sunset and enjoy wine from the wine bar while watching the sunset!  This place is at Kapalua where there is some famous PGA Golf Tournament, and I wouldn't have been shocked if Tiger Woods had walked in- it is the kind of place where you EXPECT to see famous people!! The food was incredible.  We dined on the lanai, and it was just Magical!!  Expensive, too, but not quite as bad as Mama's!

This is the front of the restaurant!  Nice!!  Also, loved the Hula Grill. It was just down from our hotel.  Great food and views- less expensive, more casual...
The rest of our meals were either Farm Bureau events or room service- we did that once when we were too tired to go out!
3.Activities-  We didn't do many!  Some people had stuff planned all day, every day, but we did a lot of poolside relaxing!  But we did go Whale Watching!!

I even bought the hat to prove I did it!  I got a little woosy and decided that it wasn't very fun for me, but everyone else seemed to enjoy!  Don LOVED it!! 
We did see some whales- incredible!!  Other things people in our group did...
-zip lining- if you are the kind of person who likes that kind of thing then you will love it.  Some people went because they felt like they should, and they didn't enjoy it.
- the road to Hana.  We were on the fence on this.  It is a guidebook must see, but it takes a whole day to do it right.  And most people in our group seemed to think that they were disappointed that they had spent a whole day in the car.  It is a treacherous drive with lots of twists and turns. 
-Surf lessons, the girls who did this loved it, but they are very sporty.
- GOLF- everyone liked the golf and the views.  One of our friends played several courses, and his favorite was Kapalua.  Who knows if I spelled that right! 

OK, so I might add more later, but I have to go take Sydney to her Talent Show Rehearsal!!  Aloha!