Traveling to Hawaii with Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!

I have the coolest mom and I love to take her new places! In honor of Mother’s Day, I am posting about our trip to Hawaii in 2017. We found a great deal on Hawaiian Airlines and were able to fly first class for around $1500. The airport in Maui is largely open air, so the moment we landed, we felt like we were on vacation! There was a warm, lightly scented breeze that swept through the walkways en route to baggage claim. I arranged a lei greeting with [email protected], which started us off in style. We rented a car and stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a few essentials, including beach chairs, coffee, and bottled water. At the time, a rental with Budget cost us $289 for 5 days! Ah, the good ole days.

Thanks to Vuong’s timeshare purchase back in around 2003, we were able to book a 2-bedroom condo at the Worldmark in Kihei right across from Kamaole Beach Park, and we actually had a peekaboo view of the ocean from our lanai. Here, we enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruit each morning as we planned our day. Check out my photo gallery from our trip to Hawaii here https://jenniferspath.org/travel-photo-gallery/

The Road to Hana

We booked a private tour with Private Maui Island Tours – See With Local Eyes! | Holo Holo Maui Tours to see the famous Road to Hana. We chose the “All the Way Around” tour, which gave us the entire experience of this scenic 65 mile drive. Our guide, Sammi, was fantastic! We saw waterfalls, black sand beaches, and beautiful birds and flowers. They have “honor” fruit stands where people take fruit and leave money. We had yummy snacks including coconut ice cream and banana bread. Past Hana, things got a bit hairy…single track roads with sheer drop-offs had us gripping our seats and closing our eyes. The landscape was like nothing we expected in Hawaii, with vast, rolling hills and rocky cliffs.

Sunrise over Haleakala

Haleakala is a shield volcano, the largest dormant volcano in the world. It last erupted in 1790 and is a spectacular place to watch the sunrise at nearly 10,000 feet. Adventurous souls can hike up and/or bike down, but we decided to take a small bus tour with www.TemptationTours.com… to be honest, it was quite harrowing, as we had a driver who was determined to get us a front row spot for the show. He picked us up at 2:30 AM (!!!) and we made it to the top with time to spare.

We snuggled up in our warm clothes, hats, and blankets and hugged our hot chocolates as we waited for the sun to rise. It was truly spectacular to see the clouds slowly appear and the gold outlines to form, followed by a rather rapid appearance of the sun. We stopped by Kula Lodge | Upcountry Maui | Accommodations and Dining on our way back for a cozy breakfast with a vew.

The Old Lahaina Luau

A relatively short drive from Kihei to Lahaina, we found what was billed as the most authentic luau on the island. It did not disappoint, and we enjoyed an entertaining show with graceful dancers wearing beautiful costumes and a buffet of delicious Hawaiian food. Food choices included lomi lomi salmon, Kailua pork, and poke. Old Lāhainā Lū’au Maui’s Most Authentic Hawaiian Luau (oldlahainaluau.com)

Sunset Cruise to Molokini

Our last evening, we took a sunset cruise to Molokini, a small, crescent shaped island formed by a volcanic crater. The water was calm, the temperature perfect, and the sunset spectacular (as they all were). One of the highlights was our ukulele player, Dwight, who serenaded Mom with songs like “You are so Beautiful.” I think he was sweet on her!

Mom, thank you for a wonderful trip full of once in a lifetime experiences and memories! And thank you for giving birth to me, raising me, and always putting my needs before your own. Your love and zest for life taught me so much and gave me the innate joy that persists no matter what storm is passing through my life. I love you!

Check out more pix from our trip to Hawaii here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.132157702821375&type=3