The Maui Report: Part 1

Wow!  Maui was a gas!  I must apologize for not posting.  The first two nights we slept for something like 12 hours a night.  So I just wasn't going online much.   We stayed here for three nights in a luxurious Deluxe Ocean View Room: Sheraton Maui.  Then we moved to the Hyatt Maui in to a Partial Ocean View room for 3 nights.  (remember, this was all complimentary due to my day job.)

SNORKEL GEAR
Bam and I are BIG into snorkeling.  We'd both rather be in the water than in our room or getting a suntan.  We went with Snorkel Bob for our gear cuz they do nice deals and include a little pictorial fish guide along with snorkel maps for the island.  Plus, their gear is designed so when you are breathing through it, you are getting more of the good oxygen instead of the poisonous recycled air kind.  (i have no idea what i'm talking about and am just badly quoting from their info!!! )  Anyway, their prices are like half of the resort rental rates!

I will be uploading photos tomorrow........but for now........here's my breakdown of those hotels for any of you who might be interested.

SHERATON MAUI
The 130 acre resort sits on a fantastic snorkeling beach right at Black Rock.  We saw a family of Sea Turtles and tons of tropical fish.  The beach is nice and big and the surf is not overwhelming at all.  As far as staff, the Sheraton was tops for greeting us by name and just about everyone had a smile on their faces.  Amazing.

The Sheraton gave us an outstanding room in the Deluxe Ocean View category.  This is off to the side of the rest of the property.  Away from the pool and VERY VERY QUIET. 

However, the food prices at the Sheraton nearly gave us both a heart attack.  An omelette is $18.  Yes, $18.  I wanted to know if the eggs were golden?  So eating became a bit of sport.  We went to the nearest health food shop and bought fruit, granola and yogurt and had that everyday for breakfast.  The health food shop also had a hot bar so we ate there for lunch quite a bit, too. 

HYATT MAUI
Changing up to a 5 star from the 4 star Sheraton, we were excited and thought, okay, this will be even more amazing.  The disappointment started straight away... the queue for check-in was a 20 minute wait.  Not a good start.  We had a "Partial Ocean View" room.  At the Hyatt and most properties on Maui this means, if you stand on your lanai (balcony) you can see a bit of the ocean.  Indeed, in all honesty, we had a view of the parking lot.  But hey, this was a free trip so we're not complaining.  Nevertheless, it's worth noting.

The Hyatt's furniture was made of real wood and the room had gorgeous crown molding.  The only questionable aspect of the decor was why they used a textured cottage cheese ceiling when they went all the way on their furnishings?

But onto the beach..............

The beach at the Hyatt is .......er.......hmmmmm........kinda useless.  This is a resort for 'pool posers'.  It's also cool for kids who are in to the 150 foot water slide in the pool.  The hotel is built on 140 acres but manages to be on the south end of Ka'anapali where the surf is pretty intense and there are no reefs here for good snorkeling.  We ended up walking to Black Rock (Sheraton) and then pulling out our Snorkel Bob map and driving to Honolua Bay for snorkeling. 

Oh, the 'pool posers' are worth talking about in a bitchy sort of way.  These chicks go to a tanning salon at least twice a week, they wear high heels with their bikinis, and the amount of lip gloss was enough to make the whole pool slippery and greasy!!!!  Cah-razy!!  We're talkin' perfect nails, perfect hair and those super cosmetically enhanced shiny lips!  Wow!!!!  I guess some people's idea of a vacation is VERY different to mine.  Cuz ya never see those babes anywhere near the ocean.  Wow. 

Maui overall...........a bit corporate in that Ka'anapali area.  When we drove up to Honolua Bay it was like a different world with evergreens and very lush vegetation.  The town of Lahaina reminded me of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica complete with parking problems.  Just a cute albeit very busy tourist shoppers' haven on the waterfront.  We never made it to the east side of the island as it just involved too much driving and that didn't sound appealing to us.  But I know the east side and area of Haiku are much more artisty and less touristy.

MAHALO
The heart of the matter is that you forget about the tourists, the overpriced mediocre food, the long lines at LAX security, the parking problems in Maui........gone when you're swimming in that gigantic crystal clear aquarium with the moray eel, the sea turtles, the chubs, the jacks and all the rest of them.....
Yeah.  You just have to remember to come up for air!

Comments

[Jennifer]

Sounds like you had a blast in Maui...very glad to hear it. My husband and I stayed at the Sheraton Maui when we were there, and loved it. We like how there were no doors or windows in the lobby and throughout the hotel (except the rooms of course), and it made everything feel so open. We loved the pool there as well.
Can't wait to see the pics! Hope all is well with you and Bam and your family. :)

[Susan]

When I was a kid we used to always stay at the Sheraton Maui at Black Rock and I loved it. To be honest, I thought all the rooms had an ocean view there. They gutted the place about 9 years ago and totally redid it -- last time I was there it was down to bare concrete with no windows.

Did you see the giant parrots in the Hyatt? We used to love to go visit them and see the enormous pool. Never stayed there, though, and I think I'd do the Sheraton again if (when!) we go back, based on your recommendation.

I can't wait to see the photos!

[Christine]

Loved reading about Maui. I'm very lucky in that if I DO ever make it out to Hawaii my sister has very, very good friends that live there that offered me a place to stay!! Anyway, I loved hearing about the "pool posers" ... last weekend I was down in the Florida Keys at a hotel and saw a lot of the same thing. Can't understand with beautiful water to explore why so many women just sit around the pool trying to look like models. If you REALLY want a taste of that type of scene, take a trip to South Beach!!

[Lolly]

Wow, what a great trip! The snorkeling sounds like a blast... I want to try that! We are headed to Oahu in October, and I can barely contain my excitement!

[Lora]

Sounds like you had a much needed BLAST! I am SOOOO envious! Please, post pics so we can see what we missed out on ;o)

[Shanti]

It sounds like you had a great time! If you get the chance though, you should really take the drive east, even if you don't go all the way to Hana. It's much more old-school Hawaii and the water there is incredible at the right tim of the year.

[jessica~]

I so love your Hawaii report! Sounds like such a fantastic time!! I've never been to Hawaii but have always wanted to. Now more than ever.
And just like everyone else -- I can't wait to see the photos! Lot's of exlamation points today!! Yeaaaaa! Share's back!

[Toni]

Sounds like you had a great time! I've always wanted to try snorkling.

One question though: How does one even begin to justify heels at the pool?

[Snorkeler]

I am so glad that you got to snorkel in Maui, that is one of my favorite places in the world to visit and snorkel. Hopefully I can make it back soon, your entry made me want to go back!