The first installment of events and photos from our INCREDIBLE honeymoon...
Too bad this is the ONLY picture of it... Oops.
After a BEAUTIFUL drive through fields of sugar cane and along the gorgeous coast we arrived at The Hyatt Regency on Maui. We were immediately greeted with a shell lei exchange and a hand crafted picture frame as we checked into our ocean-view suite! Shortly after dropping off our luggage we began exploring the beautiful resort. It's open-air concept even made the view into the lobby breathtaking.
The amazing views from our ocean-view room.
The open-air lobby.
The Pool.
Day 2 - We started the day with an AMAZING breakfast buffet. The buffet is in a beautiful restaraunt that overlooks a pond that is home to 6 swans (2 of them were BLACK... so unique). The Swan Court breakfast buffet was unlike anything we had ever experienced. There were more options than you could ever imagine eating. It was DELICIOUS.
The view from The Swan Court
After exploring the fauna and flora of the surrounding resorts and enjoying some down time laying by the beach we went back to the room to get ready for our first Hawaiian Luau. Upon arriving to the room we found a complementary bottle of champagne and a congratulatory note waiting for us.
Free Champagne.
Our first Hawaiian Luau was an incredible dining experience. With 3 different tasting menus we took an amazing culinary tour through the cultures that shaped Hawaii. The Feast At LeLe offered tastings from Polynesia, Hawaii, and even New Zealand paired with performances of traditional songs and dances. It was an amazing evening. (And the all you can drink bar didn't hurt either!)
Look at how cute we are. What an amazing night.
Mai Tai and Captain's Punch. Yummo.
The single most AMAZING sunset we have and will ever see. It was truly unbelievable.
Some food pictures... it was unlike any other cuisine we had ever tried.
Some hard to see pictures of the incredible dancing. The instruments and movements were so unique.
Day 3 - We decided to do the Road to Hana. If you go to Maui EVERYONE tells you that this is a must do. This barely two lane road full of single lane hairpin turns on cliff sides was definitely an adventure and is not for everyone. After 8 hours in the car I have to tell you that I think we would have both been just as satisfied if we would have only taken the road for an hour or two and turned back around. In the end we saw some AMAZING sites that were once-in-a-lifetime and had some quality US time in the white mustang convertible.
We made it all the way to O'heo Gulch (aka The 7 Sacred Pools). This incredible waterfall that rushes through 7 wading pools and ends up in the ocean was a once-in-a-lifetime site. The beauty of the black rock against the crashing waves and falling water was truly amazing.
One of the most breathtaking sites we have ever seen.
On the trip back we tried to break up the drive by stopping at a beautiful hidden beach. We could only see four other people. Something truly secluded. This beautiful beach was tucked away between two cliffs of red rock and was the perfect way to stretch our legs after a long day in the car.
To end our LONG but beautiful day on the Road To Hana we decided to treat ourselves to a delicious dinner at the nice Japanese restaurant at the hotel, Japengo. The food was delicious and the sunset view was the perfect ending to our day!
Day 4 - We started day four by checking out downtown Lahaina. We walked the city and checked out the harbor. In front of the courthouse on the main drag there is a 137 year-old banyan tree that they boast to be largest in the world. It was an incredible site and a great way start to our day!
Pretty awesome right?
Next we hit up the Lahaina harbor for a "glass bottom" boat tour on the Maui Reef Dancer. Ok... it wasn't really glass bottom but the under water compartment had benches and windows and the company had divers bring up sea creatures to see. It was actually pretty cool.
The harbor
A conch shell and cushion starfish.
On the walk back to the car we stumbled upon a super cute surf shack and Matt decided to sign up for lessons so we called the hotel spa and I booked myself an aromatherapy massage! Matt took me back to the hotel so I could head to the Spa Moana and he headed back to Lahaina Harbor to hit up the surf. We don't have any spa pictures but I assure you that it was incredibly relaxing. However, there are TONS of surfing pictures. Matt did an amazing job and even got up on every attempt. He came back to the hotel in the best mood ever. Check out his killer skills.
After the spa and surfing we walked up the coast to another resort to have dinner under a grass-top umbrella at the Burger Hut. The food was delicious, the live band was hopping, and the sunset view was fantastic. Matt even bought me an beautiful flower lei before dinner.
Dinner at the Burger Hut
The gorgeous sunset
Day 5 - Our last day on Maui was spent basking in the sun and playing in the hotel pool. It was an incredible last day. We ended our time on Maui by attending the Drums of the Pacific Luau. It was a very different experience than our first luau. With large group seating and a big stage production this was quite the show. The perfect ending to our visit on Maui.
Dances
The pig that was cooked underground, the traditional Hawaiian way
The fire dancer
In the end, our visit to Maui was jam-packed with tons of fun and relaxation. I couldn't have asked for a better start to our first week as a married couple. It was truly amazing. I can't wait to share the 2nd half of our trip with you. But for now I leave you with this breathtaking photo from our room balcony. If you ever get the chance to visit Maui I hope you enjoy it 1/2 as much as we did.
<3 The Boilers MJK
