Aloha from Hawaii: Part One

The weather is quickly changing, so I've decided now would be a perfect time to begin posting my three-part series about my travels to Hawaii...

The first time I visited Hawaii, I was about 10 or 11 years old. I don’t remember many aspects of the visit, but if I close my eyes and focus my thoughts I can conjure images of rolling waves, palm trees, and sandy beaches.

The second time I visited Hawaii was in 2008. I was much older, and wanted to remember every detail, so I kept a diary of my daily thoughts and activities. I’m just writing about the experiences I had now, over two years later, so hopefully my mind won’t be too muddled.

Then again, some things are so beautiful that you never forget them...

During the first trip, my family and I stayed on two islands: Maui and Oahu. The second time, we spent all our time on Maui. There were a number of reasons why we decided not to go back to Honolulu, and here are the top three...

The same amount of money that landed us a large condo on the beach in Maui only provided two small hotel rooms in Honolulu, Oahu’s capital. That’s how expensive it is compared to Maui, which is known as one of the priciest tropical places to vacation in the world.

Honolulu was very crowded. It isn’t a small, quaint, beach side town. It’s a thriving metropolis with a resident population of 899,593 people as of 2004. That doesn’t include tourists, and in 2005, 4.5 million visited this city. There is also over 100,000 military personnel in Hawaii, most of which are also based in Honolulu.

The view from our lanai during the second trip to Maui in 2008.

We were located near the International Market and Waikiki Beach, but everything else that was of interest was a lengthy drive away. That didn’t really appeal to me.

But don’t get me wrong. I don’t regret visiting Honolulu. I won’t ever regret visiting anywhere. There were a few interesting places that we went, and my favourites were the Pearl Harbour Memorial and the Dole Plantation, also known as Hawaii’s “Pineapple Experience.”

So, Maui... where to start?

We stayed in a condo with a gorgeous view of the ocean between Kihei and Wailea, two trendy areas on the island. It was fully furnished, and came with a complete kitchen. This was a godsend, because food can get pricey. We actually discovered during our first shopping trip that it’s cheaper to purchase alcohol than milk. So... we drank. Also, who wants to eat in a restaurant for three meals every day? We were there for ten days, and wanted the opportunity to cook for ourselves.

My first recommendation if you’re going to Maui is this: shell out the extra cash to get a balcony (known as a “lanai” in Hawaiian) that is on the ocean with an ocean front view. Besides being able to watch the waves every single day, the Kihei side of the island is also where mother humpback whales teach their young to learn to swim. I swear that not a day went by when we didn’t see a pod of whales travel past our beach. We went on a whale watching tour the first time we visited Maui, but this was something different and far superior.

That's me, playing in the waves. My brother and I walked along the beach for hours every day.

My second recommendation is this: do things. I watched many families spend their entire trip lounging on the beach. Fine for them, but there are so many interesting things to do on the island. My family adopted a policy where we would relax one day and do something the next, and this worked well for everyone.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for part two!