Day one:

We are all very excited to start our journey to Maui! \240Luckily our Covid tests were easy and negative. \240We left for the airport at 6AM. Thanks to Dad for the ride to the airport. We arrived in Chicago and soon realized the really long line was to get our bracelet showing we passed our Covid tests. We are all fully vaccinated but Weston. \240I read he will have to get another rapid test when we arrive. We grabbed a bagel and on to first class, yay! \240We used points and it was worth it. Of course they served breakfast which none of us ate because we had just eaten. We later found out it was the only meal they served. Of course, Covid is the reason for everything. \240It was a nice flight. \240We arrive in Maui and it was seamless. They looked for our bracelet and we just kept walking. Weston never had to get the rapid test. We did not book a car before arrival so we were concerned. But it was only a 5 minute wait for the cab and $70 later we arrived at Marriott’s Wailea Beach Resort, Maui.

The line took awhile at the resort but we were greeted with leis and kukui nut beads for the boys. Also a Maui guava juice soda. Weston said it was like a sweet flower. \240None of us were fans. The rooms weren’t ready so we went to grab some lunch. There is a 6 hour time difference here.

We had lunch by the pool at the KAPA Bar & Grill on this very windy day. It was very good. The boys had blackened mahi-mahi tacos and the girls a firecracker sushi roll. We started with edamame, yum!

Our room was ready after finishing which was great. \240We are so tired. The kids went to explore and we rested on the balcony. We have a gorgeous view. Our goal is to stay up until 9 or 10.

We skipped dinner and had ice cream. Thinking maybe sugar would help the kids stay awake. It did not work. We were done at 8PM. \240We awoke several times but managed to stay in bed until 5:15AM. .

We started the day with Starbucks and then headed to the beach. It’s a short walk down the sidewalk. There was a line waiting on chairs to be put out. The price is right, free to hotel guests. Still crazy that there was only one guy working. You know Covid @@. No one was tipping him either which we thought was sad. I guess no one has cash. I find things like that annoying. Always carry some ones and fives on you when at a hotel etc.

We bought masks and snorkels for Elle and Weston. 40 to buy them at the Grand Wailea 50 to rent for the day at Marriott. The kids enjoyed themselves. Check out the pics below to see what Weston found. When you see it you’ll totally not be surprised :). I went in the water and floated on my raft seat. The water here is crystal clear like Marco was during Covid. I saw some beautiful fish. I then saw a big dark shadow about 20 feet away. Then I saw it surface with a splash of white and gray. I started slowly backing up, oddly enough I wasn’t too scared. Then I saw a couple float over it and start to point. I was a little nervous for them. It was really big. Then they said, “It’s a sea turtle”. I got closer and couldn’t believe how big it was. We have swam with a female and her baby in St Maarten but this one was way bigger! \240I was sad the rest of the family was on the beach. It made me think of my friend Sue Hauck, Weston’s Godmother. She passed away almost 13 years ago. She told me about snorkeling in Maui by the hotel and saw a dark shadow swimming beside her. She said she thought this is it, it’s a huge shark. But, it was a sea turtle too. I like to think that maybe Sue had something to do with the sea turtle I saw.

Mike came out and hung with me in the water. We saw this cricket floating on a leaf. It was there for a while. We figured it was trying so hard to survive Mike carried it out of the ocean to the bushes. I appreciated this 💕.

We had lunch at a taco truck that is probably stationary at the Grand Wailea. The kids and I had the shrimp and Mike the carnitas. The kids and I agreed best taco ever. They were $9 small but perfect for lunch at the beach.

The kids left for the pool and we stayed at the beach a while longer. We went to find the kids and they had enough sun for the day so they went in and we went to the adult pool. It is really beautiful, calm and serene.

I made reservations months ago for some dinners. Our friend Rick had sent me an article about Maui and the guy had a wonderful dinner at Ferraro’s. We ate there which was a walk down the beach at the Four Season’s resort. The food was fantastic. Weston was a little disappointed the fryer was down, \240so no calimari. They had meatballs instead for an appetizer with pineapple lemonade. We had great salads and wonderful homemade pasta. Weston had a calzone as big as his head, he wasn’t the biggest fan so we shared our pasta. The calzone was smoked chicken and pear, Mike loved it. It was a beautiful view of the ocean out doors. We walked back and managed to stay up until 8:49PM. We get to pick up a mini van tomorrow so we wil be doing more site seeing.

We started the morning off with Starbucks again. We managed to sleep until 5:15AM. Mike and Weston are going to go get the Rent for Less Maui rental van, it’s like Air BnB. We hugged them and told them we loved them before they left.

Ella and I went to the adult pool. It’s a gorgeous Infiniti pool with cushioned chairs. We got the last ones available. Mike called and was pretty sure our 2007 mini van was rented from the Russian mafia. He said the A/C worked great so we are good. They hit Target and Safeway on the way back for a ball to throw in the ocean and some other things. . I read a great book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”. Ella’s English teacher gave it to her. It’s very enlightening and beautifully illustrated. Ella is reading the \240series “Unwind”.

The boys went to the ocean to play. Ella and I kept chatting and reading, a perfect day. The boys came back with one of those amazing shrimp tacos for us for lunch.

We are so excited about eating at “Mama’s Fish House”. \240My friend Rebecca Zorn said it was a must so I made reservations months ago. Thank goodness. I later read it’s the number one restaurant in Maui. \240I was a little apprehensive since other than Mike we are not huge fish fans. Our reservation is at 7PM.

We were ready early so headed out 90 minutes early because it’s 50 minutes away. It only took us 50 mins after all. We walk in and the view is spectacular! \240I timed our reservation so we could be there at sunset. It’s on the beach with covered dining and also indoor dining. We were seated in the covered outdoor dining part. We were pleased with our table.

Our server was great and service never waivered. Mike ordered a Maui IPA and I had the Pau Hana (menu below). He suggested ordering it with tequila, amazing! \240Say Say would have loved it too :) The appetizer special was a grilled octopus which was so good. We all loved it. It was with chili oil, pickled onion, and a some sort of slaw. They brought us an amuse bouche, an amazing gruyere and broccoli soup with wheat bread and honey butter to dip. It was about 1/4 cup and the best we’ve ever had.

For dinner I ordered the Tristan Island lobster tails, only available in Hawaii and Japan. Apparently only 300 people live on the island. Well they must be the happiest people ever because it was hands down the best I have ever had. The whole family agreed. Weston was especially happy since he got to eat most of the 2nd one. Mike had the curry. The waiter said it as red versus green but it really was more yellow. It was divine! \240After googling what the fish looked like Ella chose the Antarctic Tooth Fish. It had an Asian flare. I even liked it! \240Weston had the Kona Kanpachi stuffed with crab and lobster. I think that was my 2nd favorite. I never thought a seafood meal would be the beat thing I \240ever ate but it truly was. We were stuffed but had to order the black pearl. We managed to devour it, chocolate mousse covered with chocolate in a pastry shell. The most beautiful dessert!

Mike and I were so surprised to see a 2018 Peju on the menu! \240Also for $101 which trust me isn’t bad here. Rick and Mick turned us on to Peju, thanks guys! We took the extra back to the hotel.

It really was a great night!!

The road to Hana!

Well, we’ve committed to doing this so we are! \240We have the Russian mini van, \240only one of the sliding back doors works. Our goal is to not forget to not \240open it because if we do it will take 15 minutes to get it closed so it doesn’t beep. We leave around 7AM. We are about 40 minutes from Target.

We stop by Target to get a cooler for waters, soft drinks and lunch. We just grab the meat, cheese packages. It was easy and worked well. We start on the road to Hana about 8:30ish. We downloaded the Shaka Guide app. I highly recommend it if you go. We linked it to our blue tooth speaker since our van did not have Bluetooth.

The Hana Highway starts right past Kahului Airport (OGG). The first town we come to is PA’IA. It’s a quaint town where you can stop for breakfast and some shopping. There are a few other places you can stop before we did. A few are on private property but people go anyway. We chose not to stop since the app tells you there are better things ahead. Most are waterfalls, \240they warn you not to swallow any water. The kids wore their swim suits we brought ours but none of us decided to swim at the beaches or waterfalls along the way.

We stopped at Ho’okipa Beach Park. There were a lot of surfers and the view was magnificent.

A quick stop at ko’olau a waterfall. There was lady in a van there with her Pomeranian. She was originally from Ohio via California. She said she never imagined in a million years living here in Maui. \240She seemed quite normal and very nice. Ella bought a cute necklace.

Then onto what I think was my favorite, Ke’ane. The water breaking on the lava rocks was just spectacular. This is also the place to get Sandy’s famous banana bread. We waited even though there was a line and a 20 minute wait after we ordered. It came out piping hot and delicious. We need the carbs after all the steps we are climbing!

We stopped at Wailua and then to a lava tube, essentially a cave. I did not go in, the kids and Mike did. There was only one other family there which I found interesting and scary at the same time. They said there were a lot of beetles on the ceiling. Good decision, Karen!

Along the drive there are many beautiful things to see. The rainbow eucalyptus trees are very cool. They are beautiful but considered invasive and not native. There were not that many.

We saw a lot of native youth at the waterfalls. They were jumping and swimming. I guess they know where it’s safe to jump.

The roads are all paved. They didn’t get real bumpy until the last hour or so to Hana. They are quite narrow. Passing tourists can be difficult because there are so many bad drivers. Mike did a great job, I would have been a wreck. We had a local driving a few cars behind that was blasting the horn. We pulled over as well as others behind us and he flew by us. We kept expecting to see a wreck up ahead. Instead he stayed just a few cars ahead of us so, it didn’t pay off. The traffic was not heavy. It kept moving and there were alot of times we didn’t see a car in front of us. It wasn’t what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised.

We made it to Hana which was a nice town and made are way to Kipahulu’ National Park. We hiked to the seven sacred pools. There are really 20, but you know it’s marketing according to the app. A gorgeous view with a decent workout to get there. There was no swimming because the waterfalls can all of the sudden dump water. This sadly is where the man and daughter from Louisville lost their lives. I said a prayer for them and their family. They had an article posted about it on the entrance sign. We did not see anyone breaking the rules.

Ella and Weston got some bug bites at this park. Yes, we bought bug spray at Target but didn’t use it. We were well into the day so forgot about it. So if you ever go don’t forget to spray.

I’m sure I will have to edit this blog multiple times so apologies up front.

Today was moving day. We are leaving Wailea and headed to Kaanapali. We are moving to Marriott’s Ocean Club which is part of the vacation club. We will have 2 bedrooms and 3 baths. It was a hotel that they converted. We have a decent size refrigerator and a microwave. There is community laundry and a kitchen. We got a great room on the 9th (top) floor, 9104. I reference this for future requests if we return.

They checked our negative Covid test again. Our room isn’t ready so the kids played volleyball in the pool and we headed to the beach. The beach here is a little steep and tougher than at Wailea. There are rocks you have to be careful of in the water. There is also a steep drop to get to the water. It’s manageable but not as serene as Wailea. It is gorgeous. We had to pay $45 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. Chairs by the pool and anything with shade are very hard to get right now. The social distancing requirement is really tough for these places. They put a lot of chairs on the lawns to give people a place to go. People are up and sitting on chairs at 5:30AM.

Our room is ready and the kids decide to shower and chill. Mike and I head to the grocery. Safeway is king here. They are out of milk, I’m glad I don’t have little kids here. We grab a few things for breakfast and lunches. We are exhausted after the long road to Hana, packing and unpacking so we plan to grab carry out after the grocery. We see a Jersey Mike’s in the parking lot. Quick and easy and actually pretty good, not to mention reasonable and quick!

We finally get to bed after 9.

It’s the big golfing day! \240I’m even excited to see it. We have a tee time at Kapalua the Plantation Course. It’s a windy day. It’s windy here all the time we’ve been here but more so today. It’s nice, there really isn’t any humidity, which was not what I had expected here. Our tee time is at 11:08.

It’s only about 15 min from the condo. They want to get there at 10. We arrive and they are really nice. They decide to credit us about half for the kids playing and on top of that they credit us their club rental fees. Very nice! \240They all have to rent clubs and shoes. They charge $50 for me to ride. We decide to shop in the pro shop after the round.

The course is tough! \240We had some 30mph winds and the greens were crazy. Not to mention not playing with your own clubs and no 60 degree wedge. The views were spectacular. I don’t know how you would even be a spectator at the Sentry tournament. They told us the players get in vans to transition on some holes it’s so steep.

I saw a broken 8 iron on the side of the path in the woods. A nice ping at that. Weston was riding with me and Ella and Mike were behind us up the hill. Weston says, I’m going to play a joke on Dad. Very funny. The video is attached below. I’m not the best at videoing. I also attached the last swings of the day on 18.

Everyone broke 90 which is really impressive. It was the first time I had seen Weston play in a while and boy he had some amazing shots. Ella was chipping the ball very close to the hole. Mike proved he can still really play. \240I really enjoyed myself. We bought some things in the pro shop and they still credited us back $175.

We decide to grab an early dinner. We head to The Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina. We have a coupon for a free basket of fries and they are known for their burgers. We’ve earned it, right?! \240Everyone’s food was good except mine which was bland. Weston ordered a burger that had 3 patties. We figured skinny patties like BiG Mac style. Nope…see below. He did not finish it, but came real close! \240We got sweet potato fries so they wouldn’t let us use the coupon even with paying the cost difference. Note; nothing printed on the coupon about that. \240Needless to say I’m not going back there. \240It’s the principle. 15% tip after she actually said I’m sorry that’s a game changer for you. \240Nope actually a game changer for her, about 8% actually. :/

We are all worn out and decide to watch a Netflix movie. I google and find out what people are liking. We decide on “The Mitchell’s versus the Robots”. It was so good. I highly recommend it, especially if you have kiddos headed to college soon. It is animated and by the same guys that did “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”.

The last day with the Russian’s van. We are a bit nervous because the Uber driver said he dropped someone off at the rental place and they were charged $250 for sand. Mike said he told him $290 if there was trash or sand. We risk it and go exploring with the snorkels in hand.

We decide to head towards Kapalua since we drove by some beautiful beaches on the way to the course. We decide to investigate the Ritz Carlton area. After, all that’s where the players stay.

I’m pretty sure we just drove into Seaside on a mountain. We drove by quaint $$$ shops and restaurants. We see a sign pointing to Napili. I read that Napili was a nice beach for snorkeling. Well we scored a great parking spot, so good we thought for sure it was illegal. But, yay, it wasn’t! \240The water was very calm, lava rock areas, but not everywhere. There were fish and Weston saw a sea snake or eel who knows. We got to see a few sea turtles too.

After a few hours we decided to get lunch somewhere. We ended up at the Sea House at the Napili Kai. We would totally stay at this place. It looks great, open air with a view of the beach we were just on. Ella and I had chili lime chicken salads, so good. Mike had the mahi-mahi fried fish tacos, he loved them. Weston had the blackened mahi-mahi on a Caesar salad. The prices here were much more comparable to a restaurant for lunch on vacation, reasonable. I could have sat there all day sipping Prosecco. I did have a fun drink called Smashed in Paradise, recipe below. I highly recommend it, very good and I did not get smashed. Mike had a Maui beer.

We have the luau tonight. Getting a reservation at a luau is like trying to get an Australian labradoodle puppy after covid, expensive and a waiting list. \240The concierge helped us out before we came. We are booked at Maui’s Finest Luau at Sugar Beach.

Thank goodness we have the RMV because it ends up taking us an hour to get there. We are supposed to be there to check in at 6. Well, if you know us we are on time. The line is so long! \240I guess on time is late. We have general admission. The VIP was sold out, we wouldn’t have paid that anyway. So this includes dinner and 2 drink tickets. No discount for kids. It was like $750 for 4 of us. Crazy I know but when will be in Hawaii again? \240I guess when The Baker’s decide to go, or just Amy and I :).

We check in and are taken to a table with 2 other people. I guess luau’s don’t have Covid protocols like every other place we’ve been. The people barely acknowledge us. We go to the buffet, if you are reading this \240you know how I love a buffet, NOT. I knew what I was getting into so I’m remaining positive. The food was ok. Pork, bake chicken wings, steak and onions, rice, mac and cheese with faux lobster. It seems mac and cheese is everywhere. I guess pasta is cheap and Americans love carbs. They had a dessert plate with banana bread, a slice of purple potato and some fried donut hole thing that was purple inside. The donut thing was actually not bad. The cocktails were not drinkable, way too sweet for us. Others were sucking them down. The wine was awful. I stuck with water. Mike tried a pineapple wheat beer, also bad. Water for him too. That reminds me, the water here is great! \240It’s so weird being at the beach and you’re able to turn on the tap and drink the water. Why can’t Florida figure that out? \240That could be the greenest thing they could do.

The setting was really pretty at the luau, on a beach. The show started at 7:30. The dancers and band was good. The problem was there were only 5 max. The energy was low and the emcee kept yelling for applause during the performance. We were ready to go after about 2 dances. We stayed until the end, we paid for it and I kept thinking the energy would go up. They called people on stage to hula. Of course, Ella went, I love that about her. I think pushing her to come out of her comfort zone for all those years works. She had fun and we loved watching her. So, \240that’s the night in a nutshell. We were disappointed there were no leis or flower crowns, you had to buy them, no drinks in coconut shells and pineapples. We felt very overcharged. We reported our experience to the concierge they are working with the company to get a partial refund, they thought our experience was weak also. . I am glad we went but would have to be really pushed to go to one again.

The ride home was quicker and we were very tired, again. My goal when I get home is to be this tired every night. It’s so nice to actually sleep! \240This reminds me of another thing. I absolutely LOVE the time difference here. I love waking up so early and watching the mountain light up. I love being in a lounge chair before 8. Well, that if Mike goes down and works at 6 to save us some. I like being in bed at 9 here. It’s dead after 9:00 here and most things close at 9. \240Aloha.

Today we plan to relax and look at the beautiful scenery. Mike got up early and got \240some chairs. He meets a guy in his 70’s named Darrel. A very nice guy who has vacationed in Hawaii a lot. . \240Darrel says he loves the Hula Grill, fortunately, we have a reservation there on Saturday and bonus we can walk from the hotel. He is from Northern California and surprisingly he is a staunch conservative. He and his wife brought their daughter for her 50th. She is a new strong \240conservative, I was really surprised by that. She and her husband just moved to Manhattan, Kansas. He works for a \240large tech company in silicone valley. She told us they really had no idea what they were dealing with in California until they moved. They feed you and program you to believe the rest of us are all loony..ha! \240She said the expressways there have large homeless camps in the grassy areas. She said they have tried to help them and there is housing \240but they don’t want to leave. She says trash is everywhere. She found it ironic since they preach to be so green but do nothing about it and it blows everywhere. She said it became unsafe for her kids to walk to school because of the harassment by the homeless at a public park. No wonder people are leaving there by the droves. She said it’s really hard to realize what a rat race it all is there until you escape. We love talking to people from other places, it’s interesting to hear perspectives.

We have reservations tonight at Duke’s. I made reservations on 3/2 for Duke’s \240and Hula Grill. I just based my decision on reviews from people on Open Table. \240Our reservation is at 7:15. We catch a cab that Mike had scheduled at 6:30.

We get to the Honua Kai Resort around 6:40. We check-in and grab a seat outside the restaurant, Duke’s. It’s a very beachy vibe and the resort is hoppin’. \240We hope we get a good table that’s more outside versus in. The luck of the Irish was with the Hardy’s again. We had what I think is the best view so far. It was different, such a gorgeous view of the sunset. Mike orders a beer and I have a lemon drop martini, very good, and not too sweet! \240We started with calamari which are huge sticks here. It was good. \240I prefer the smaller more tender type we have at home but, still delicious. I see they have the Tristan lobster tails. Should I risk it? \240I decide to go for it. They were good but not half as good as Mama’s. Mike had the ahi tuna. It was good but wasn’t the best he had ever had. He thought it was sliced in a way that made it more chewy. Ella has a Caesar salad and coconut shrimp. She thought they were great. Weston got the seafood risotto, it totally surprised me that he ordered that. He loved it. We ended using our Marriott discount card for a free world famous hula pie. It actually worked! \240We were full, but managed to scarf it down. Description below.

Note: \240It took forever to get our entrees. We are very tired again. \240We probably wouldn’t have ordered the famous pie had it not been free. \240We head to get a taxi or Uber a little before 9. Luckily it’s only a 10 minute ride. Well…

This is when the luck of the Irish ran out. I guess my German blood is kicking in. The valets call us a taxi. He says about 10 minutes. Well, no taxi. We wait 20 minutes and ask again. He calls, \240they say they are close, 10 more minutes pass. There are no ubers, and cab companies aren’t answering. You know COViD, we pay people to stay home, why work? \240There is a big shortage of drivers and cars. We are so tired it’s now later than we have ever stayed up. \240Mike gets ahold of a guy on the phone he says he he has no one in the area and this is supposedly the company that is close. Ugh! \240I hear the valets yelling at a guy on the phone. Please note the place is deserted. A few people arrive but they are all in their own rental cars. I finally go to the front desk and beg them to figure something out. Mike couldn’t get the Marriott to answer the phone, nice. Finally a nice cab driver shows up dropping someone off and we jump in before he knows what’s happening. We get home after 10PM. \240I know first world problems but I want to remember to always schedule a pick up! \240Aloha.

KIMO’S ORIGINAL HULA PIE

chocolate cookie crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, toasted mac nuts, whipped cream

This morning we are going on a catamaran and going snorkeling! \240We are very excited. It’s Ella’s favorite thing thing to do. I really love it too!

Our meeting place is just a short 12 minute walk down the beach sidewalk. We meet at 8AM. We are going on the newest boat on Maui. The Terrafina 5. The concierge here at the the Ocean Club set it up for us. We get breakfast and lunch on board. We depart at 8:30AM.

It was very easy to get on the boast. You had to be barefoot but they were pretty much full steps. \240The tide is strong here so we had to hurry once we waded ankle deep.

We were lucky enough to grab some seats on the front of the cat. Ella later moved to the nets to lay down. They served us pineapple juice or water. The cups had that funny recycled smell which I can’t take. Luckily, I \240brought my own water. They served croissants with scrambled eggs and cheese. They were delicious. Mike and I are trying to figure out if it’s that they are that good or is it because we rarely eat bread at home. They also serve warm cinnamon rolls. I passed but had a taste of Mike’s, very yummy. I didn’t want to fall asleep on the tour. Weston went for a 2nd croissant. The boy is eating a lot! \240He is also doing 100 pushups a day. I’m glad the kids are learning about the importance of being active while they are young.

The crew is great, they are friendly and they wait on you hand and foot. There about 50 of us on the tour but you would never know it. The bathrooms are really nice too! We head to one spot but it’s too rough to tie up. We got to the next at Manele Bay. This is right next to the Four Seasons Lanai. Talk about secluded! The cheapest night I could find was a little over $8,000. Yep, a night but hey that includes airfare for 4 from Honolulu. Maybe next time!

The equipment is good, and I watched her clean it so I feel pretty comfortable using it. The conditions were not great. A little merky with sand because of the strong tides. Ella and I partnered up and Mike and Weston were partners.

I have some exciting news! \240Ella and I found Dory! \240A lot of Dory’s! \240Blue tang fish, they were beautiful. We saw some gorgeous parrot fish. There were a lot of beautiful yellow lemon butterfly fish. We saw a big needle fish. We also saw some really cool Achilles Tang fish. They are black with what looks like orange bows on the back. We saw some moorish idol fish, also in “Finding Dory” they are stripes. Really the most beautiful are the giant parrot fish. We only stayed at this location because of the swells. I’m sure there are better place to snorkel on Hawaii. This was probably ranked number 4 or 5 on our snorkeling list. The best by far is St Maarten with Mom and Dad.

When we get back on the cat they have lunch ready. Lunch is chicken wings, skin on sort of gooey, rice and pasta salad. Not our thing but we had a little rice. The bar opened but with the cup thing, I passed.

Since we didn’t get to go anywhere else he did take us to do some site seeing. We got to see the Four Seasons beach area on Lanai.

Lanai is owned by Larry Ellison, the guy who owns Oracle. He bought it for a deal. Dole used to own it until they had financial difficulties. 100% of the beaches here are public and owned by the state. \240So you can swim up to anywhere or kayak and no one can tell you to leave. Lanai has about 3,000 residents and most work for the four seasons. There is a Jack Nicklaus course on the island. It looked scary to drive a cart on! \240They are just now reopening Lanai. Apparently someone had a party and about 100 came down with Covid. Hawaii is super careful about Covid. We learned that only 1 out of 10 Hawaiians survived after smallpox and other diseases that were brought in by missionaries. No wonder they are paranoid, that’s 90% of the population. They had no immunity to these diseases. We have also learned from the drivers we’ve had that they are very reluctant to get vaccinated here which we \240found interesting and ironic.

Our captain showed us sweetheart rock.

The story goes that a ravishing young princess from Maui was captured by a young warrior from Lanai. He took her as his wife and brought her back to his home island. He was so stricken with her beauty that he was afraid to let other men see her, and thus he confined the princess to a sea cave near the rock.

One day, as the warrior was away, the weather suddenly changed drastically, and the raging surf began to pound this side of the island. The warrior rushed back to the cave, but it was too late: His beloved Puu Pehe had drowned. Heartbroken, he retrieved her body and, with the help of the gods, climbed the steep rock island, where he buried her in a tomb. Overcome with grief, the warrior then leaped off the rock to his death.

Puu Pehe is situated about 150 feet offshore between Manele Bay and Hulopoe Bay along the island’s southern coastline. A closer look at this picturesque sea stack reveals, indeed, a tomb-like structure resting at the summit. Archeologists who have studied the rock will tell you that there are no human remains in this “tomb.” The tomb, in fact, may actually be a bird heiau constructed by the ancient Hawaiians, as numerous bones from sea birds have been found near the heiau.

It was cool and it does look like a burial site.

The ride back is very up and down! \240I attached a video. One lady got sick and I wouldn’t be surprised if others did in the back. Mike felt a little off but the rest of us were fine. Ella slept. We got see a huge pod of dolphins on the way back. I’ve never seen so many together. They were smaller than the ones we see in Florida.

We get back at 2:30PM. We were all pretty tired after kicking those fins in the strong current. We go back to the hotel and swim a bit. We showered and decide to grab carry out somewhere in Whaler’s Village. It’s a little past where we caught the catamaran. We decide on pizza, sandwiches and a calzone. We all split things up. It was delicious and we were all starving after the long day. Ella and Weston go hang with friends they met and Mike and I watch an episode of Virgin River. We can barely keep our eyes open but won’t sleep until the kids are back. They came back at 10 and I was so happy to sleep!

Today we plan to hang in our favorite spot under a thatch umbrella by a quiet pool. Mike is kind enough to go down and reserve the spot while I have my coffee.

The weather here is just perfect. We have only felt a few raindrops here and there. We’ve really had no rain. Not what I expected. \240I just can’t get over how low the humidity is, it’s just so nice.

The kids have made friends here. A lot of friends while playing pool volleyball. The kids are mostly from California and I think one or two from Utah and Ohio. This place is really family friendly. There are a lot of kids. There are 2 smaller pools and 2 big ones. One has a ship for kids to play on. A lot of honeymooners here too. Many grandparents bringing there kids and grandkids also.

We have dinner tonight at The Hula Grill. It’s right past where we caught the catamaran. This is the place that Darrel said was his favorite. We get there about 10 minutes early. Of course, we forgot our flipping masks! \240The restaurant is outside but we need them according to our cheery hostess. They do not have any to sell or give you either. \240This place is packed and there are people waiting everywhere. It’s at least 20 to 25 minutes to go back and get masks. Mike and Ella run to the mall that’s right here. We are told the ABC liquor store has them. . They buy 3, they give Mike a disposable because he had to have one to go in. Crisis diverted they are back in time for a reservation.

We get a great table near the singer, he’s good. Our table is actually in the sand. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this but the sand is like Velcro here. \240You really have to run your feet while rinsing off. It’s fine though, it makes it special. We are there at sunset and this one is just spectacular, so many changes! We have a great waiter and I read on Yelp about the dipping sauces for the focaccia bread. We ask about it and he says they bring it free if you ask about it. The sauces were an olive oil garlic and a sweet chili oil, yum! Mike and I order a fun cocktail. Mike got the Hibiscus HU’A and I had the Akamai Tai. Both were delicious. We ordered the flat bread which I had read about on Yelp for our app. It did not disappoint. Weston was even saying yin have to have a tomato, he doesn’t even like tomatoes, hopefully that’s changed.