I never thought we'd repeat a vacation location in such little time but my sweet boy loves the ocean and there is something magical about Maui that calls you back. For us, it's a combination of sun, surf, island culture and, of course, the delicious food.
If you follow us on instagram, you know we arrived just in time for Hurricane Lane. Luckily for us, the hurricane never hit and was eventually downgraded to a tropical storm. Unluckily for us, our hotel the Grand Wailea and pretty much all the local business boarded up mid-vacation to prepare for the storm. We made the most of our trip despite the inclement weather and managed to be in either the ocean or pool every single daym rain or shine. Here are some of my favorite vacation snaps and the stories behind them. I hope everyone had a fun-filled summer! Where did you travel?
Vacation stats
Beaches visited: 4 (Makena Beach, Baby Beach, Sprecklesville Beach, beach in front of the Grand Wailea). We attempted to visit Ho'okipa but it was closed due to the storm.
Shaved ices consumed: 5
Sea turtles spotted: 1
Sunburns: ZERO woo hoo
Hours spent in the pool: too many to count
Hours spent playing Pokemon Go: too many to count
Cloudy days: 5/6
[You know your kid has been forced to take too many pictures when he starts posing like this.]
Off to our first dinner on the island! We really wanted to try Mama's Fish House on our last trip but were not able to get a reservation. This time around, we booked a reservation far in advance and Mama's did not disappoint. The food was fantastic, the service was impeccable and the sight and sound of waves crashing onto shore could not be beat. If you have a chance to dine here, do it and try not to cringe when you pay $25 for a kids meal. Totally worth it, I promise.
The main reason for this trip was to celebrate Tuan's 35th birthday but he was weird about telling people it was his birthday and made up other reasons for why we were celebrating the whole trip. Happy Anniversary to us?
[Look Mama, I'm a tiki man!]
Here's the thing about traveling west. We're on vacation and we want to sleep in, right? But P is on west coast time and used to waking up at 7 AM everyday. So even when he "slept in," we were up by 5 or 6 AM every single day and in the pool or at the beach before the the crowd arrived.
I didn't plan a full itinerary for this trip but I did make a food list (duh) and one of the spots I bookmarked was Coconuts Fish Cafe. Lucky for us, it stayed open during the storm and I was able to eat their delicious coconut shrimp and chips when all the restaurants at the hotel were closed. This casual restaurant is super kid friendly. Parker couldn't resist standing up on the surfboard shaped benches. On our way out, the owner gave out apple bananas given to her by another restaurant that boarded up early!
Thank you to all our friends, family and followers who reached out to check in on us! News coverage of the storm was panic-inducing but thank goodness it never hit as hard as what was predicted. Even if it had, the Grand Wailea did a fantastic job of communicating with guests and did the best they could to provide Waldorf Astoria service. All the restaurants at the resort were closed and complimentary meals were provided in the ballroom. The pool and beach were closed, though I still saw plenty of guests swimming, but the spa, gym and kids center stayed open. The storm was not that severe in Wailea but other parts of Maui were affected by power outages, wild fires and road closures. Some resort employees were not able to make it to work. Mahalo to the staff who continued to serve guests when staffing was short-handed.
We spent an embarrassing amount of time playing Pokemon Go on this trip. We are in so deep you guys. With everything being closed and limited kids activities available, Poke-walks became a daily thing. The resort has great amount of gyms and pokestops, we made friends with other players and even managed to gather enough people for a Regirock raid in the middle of a rain storm. That, my friends, is dedication.
[Parker and Tuan at Sprecklesville Beach]
Before the trip, I online shopped for maternity bikinis only to realize that they are basically regular bikinis worn by pregnant people. Ha! I'm determined to embrace my body for this last pregnancy and rocked a two piece almost the entire trip. Weird skin discoloration, stretch marks and backne did not stop me from giving this bump some sunshine. It really helps to have a hubby in love with my curves as much as I am. Thanks for all the love for my belly pics on insta!
[Just the three of us after dinner at Humuhumu]
We treasured every day of this last trip as a family of three. In just two short months, baby Harrison will be here. We'll be that family schlepping a stroller and car seat through the airport, boarding early because we need the extra time, getting those "I hope that baby doesn't cry the whole flight" look from strangers. It's been so nice traveling with a (mostly) independent 5 year old. No diapers, no carriers, no extra baby gear. I saw a mama carry on her breast feeding pillow in the Maui airport and I'm like whyyyy mama, whyyyy. Fingers crossed that Harrison will be as good a traveler as is brother is. Aloha, Maui! We will see you again soon.
