Houdeks in Hawaii
In the spring of 2017, my family met up with us in Europe to embark on a crazy week visiting Switzerland, Cannes, Monaco, Florence, Siena, Venice, and Verona.
It was amazing and memorable, but exhausting. My dad declared that the next year we would go on a trip where the only itinerary would be "beach, pool, sleep, repeat."
One year later, the six of us found ourselves on a plane to a dream destination: Hawaii.
We chose Maui because it's supposed to be calmer and less crowded than some of the other islands. This was strictly a no-sightseeing-allowed trip, so it was better to not be tempted by Pearl Harbor or other such places.
The legends turned out to be true- despite it being Memorial Day weekend, nothing was overcrowded. We often had the pool to ourselves and always had plenty of space on the beach.
We stayed in a condo on the grounds of the Grand Wailea resort. It was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip just to walk around the gorgeous hotel gardens.
The beach was a short walk from our condo through those beautiful grounds. We spent every day there swimming, relaxing/reading on the sand, and getting sunburned. Even David, the half-Sicilian who never burned once in France, was a tomato by the end of the week.
Sunset walks (and dances) were a highlight of the trip!
You know, for when swimming in the Pacific got boring. Actually, more like for when I got tired of being sandy or tired of walking the 5 minutes to the beach. It was the perfect place for some light reading.
Our only exception to the no-sightseeing rule was a day trip to Lahaina. Cabren really wanted to try surfing, so we had to venture to a beach with bigger waves. He loved it!
David ended up giving it a shot as well, but he hated it so, so much. I don't know that I've ever seen him hate something that much (in America haha). We were proud of him for trying though!
We managed to see a little bit of the town, including a giant banyan tree that takes up a whole city block.
I convinced the family to stop at the Jodo Mission Buddhist temple on our way back to Wailea for a few pretty pictures. :)
Eating was one of the few approved activities besides sleeping and swimming. Hawaiian food is all about fruit and seafood, neither of which I'm a big fan of.
I was, however, a fan of the locations where we ate. I'm more than willing to not love the food if I have the chance to hang out in this type of paradise.
The restaurant Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (yes, that's what it's called- named after Hawaii's state fish) was on the hotel grounds and was right on the water.
Our most memorable meal by far was at the lu'au! We went to one on the hotel grounds. We loved the view of the ocean as the sun set.
The dancing was very fun to watch, but the most entertaining part was when the fire dancer got right in my dad's face with his torch and screamed "EAT IT."
Before we flew home, we ventured out on a last-minute snorkeling trip.
Hanging out on the boat was a relaxing way to end the trip. No one ended up seeing many fish, but there was a lot of coral. I had already seen a few giant turtles while swimming on our normal beach, so I was content.
Hours later, we watched the sun set one last time from our balcony, packed up, and sadly headed to the airport.
Until next time, Hawaii! (A girl can dream).
See also: Houdeks in the Holy Land
It was amazing and memorable, but exhausting. My dad declared that the next year we would go on a trip where the only itinerary would be "beach, pool, sleep, repeat."
One year later, the six of us found ourselves on a plane to a dream destination: Hawaii.
We chose Maui because it's supposed to be calmer and less crowded than some of the other islands. This was strictly a no-sightseeing-allowed trip, so it was better to not be tempted by Pearl Harbor or other such places.
The legends turned out to be true- despite it being Memorial Day weekend, nothing was overcrowded. We often had the pool to ourselves and always had plenty of space on the beach.
THE HOTEL
We stayed in a condo on the grounds of the Grand Wailea resort. It was honestly one of my favorite parts of the trip just to walk around the gorgeous hotel gardens.
THE BEACH
The beach was a short walk from our condo through those beautiful grounds. We spent every day there swimming, relaxing/reading on the sand, and getting sunburned. Even David, the half-Sicilian who never burned once in France, was a tomato by the end of the week.
Sunset walks (and dances) were a highlight of the trip!
THE POOL
You know, for when swimming in the Pacific got boring. Actually, more like for when I got tired of being sandy or tired of walking the 5 minutes to the beach. It was the perfect place for some light reading.
THE TOWN
David ended up giving it a shot as well, but he hated it so, so much. I don't know that I've ever seen him hate something that much (in America haha). We were proud of him for trying though!
We managed to see a little bit of the town, including a giant banyan tree that takes up a whole city block.
I convinced the family to stop at the Jodo Mission Buddhist temple on our way back to Wailea for a few pretty pictures. :)
THE FOOD
Eating was one of the few approved activities besides sleeping and swimming. Hawaiian food is all about fruit and seafood, neither of which I'm a big fan of.
I was, however, a fan of the locations where we ate. I'm more than willing to not love the food if I have the chance to hang out in this type of paradise.
The restaurant Humuhumunukunukuapua'a (yes, that's what it's called- named after Hawaii's state fish) was on the hotel grounds and was right on the water.
The mall in Wailea was too fabulous to have a food court. We ate at a fancy restaurant there and the girls stayed to do a little shopping.
Our most memorable meal by far was at the lu'au! We went to one on the hotel grounds. We loved the view of the ocean as the sun set.
The dancing was very fun to watch, but the most entertaining part was when the fire dancer got right in my dad's face with his torch and screamed "EAT IT."
THE SNORKELING
Before we flew home, we ventured out on a last-minute snorkeling trip.
Hanging out on the boat was a relaxing way to end the trip. No one ended up seeing many fish, but there was a lot of coral. I had already seen a few giant turtles while swimming on our normal beach, so I was content.
Hours later, we watched the sun set one last time from our balcony, packed up, and sadly headed to the airport.
It was truly an amazing time and my parents are amazing for bringing us there. David is already saving up with dreams of retiring right on that beach. 😂
Until next time, Hawaii! (A girl can dream).
See also: Houdeks in the Holy Land
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