Relaxing at Wailea Marriott, Maui

We decided to relax on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We had stayed at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa many times and really liked the location.

After we landed at Kahului Airport on Wednesday, November 14, we stopped by Da Kitchen for lunch. Da Kitchen features interesting Hawaiian dishes like Loco Moco. I liked my Teriyaki Chicken, and Inna enjoyed her Loco Moco, but Alex did not like his hamburger.

On the way to our hotel, we stopped by the local Costco to pick up beach chairs, snacks, water, and food, and then drove to the Wailea Beach Marriott. At first, we checked in and relaxed in our room, and then we decided to try out the slides and the nearby beach.

For dinner, we dined at the Mala Restaurant in the Marriott. The food there is average (not exceptional) and a bit expensive. Mala is conveniently located at the Marriott, but better food is available elsewhere.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

For breakfast, we decided to eat at Mala Restaurant in the Marriott. Although it's overpriced and decidedly average, it's very convenient.

After breakfast, we spent most of the day on the beach, enjoying the ocean and the slides.

Some of the other beachgoers built beautiful sandcastles for all to enjoy.

I spent the day enjoying the beautiful sandy beach and the ocean.

Alex enjoyed boogie-boarding and playing on Wailea Beach in front of the Grand Wailea Hotel. It's the best beach nearby.

We walked to the nearby Four Seasons Hotel and ate at Ferraro's Bar and Restaurant for lunch. Ferraro's has some of the best lunch entrees in Wailea. It's expensive but so delicious. Whenever we could afford it, we would always eat here for lunch.

Alex selected the kids' pizza and enjoyed it a lot.

We spent the rest of the day on the beautiful beach across from Grand Wailea Resort & Spa.

For dinner, we drove to Kihei and had dinner at the Cafe O'Lei. Cafe O'Lei serves a variety of dishes, including Sushi. We were not very hungry, so we ordered a few Sushi rolls.

The evening sunsets are so spectacular in Maui. There is no other place on earth!

Friday, November 16, 2012

On Friday, we ate our breakfast at the Mala Restaurant in Wailea. Alex selected his usual pancakes with syrup and a touch of blueberries.

After breakfast, we decided to try parasailing on Kaanapali Beach. We chose West Maui Parasailing as the company supplying the boats and parachutes.

After parasailing, we explored the grounds of the nearby Hyatt Regency Maui. Hyatt Regency Maui is located directly on Kaanapali Beach and has a beautiful swim-up bar, caves, and black swans.

There was a beautiful underground swim-up bar in a cave.

Inna and Alex enjoyed themselves, swinging in the hammock.

We looked at the restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Maui but did not like any. Instead, we decided to go to Whaler's Village and eat lunch at the Hula Grill. At Hula Grill, one sits with feet directly on the sand, feeling like eating on the beach. The food and drinks at Hula Grill were also quite delicious.

After lunch, we spent the rest of our time enjoying the beach and the incredible sunset.

Alex boogie-boarded on Ka'anapali Beach.

We experienced another spectacular sunset.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

The next day, I enrolled Alex in surfing lessons at the Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy in Lahaina, Maui. Alex's instructor, "tanned" Dan, would teach Alex to surf for two hours, from 10:00am to 12:00pm.

Alex had a wonderful time learning to surf. Dan was accommodating in teaching Alex how to pop up and stand on the surfboard. In addition, Dan helped push Alex onto a wave. Alex had a great time and thought that surfing was easy.

After surfing, Alex was rather hungry, and we decided to eat in downtown Lahaina at Kimo's Restaurant. The salads were fresh and yummy, and the dessert was incredibly wonderful.

After lunch, we strolled downtown Lahaina and returned to Kaanapali Beach for more water fun. Alex got to do more boogie-boarding on Kaanapali beach, and we got to relax in the sand, listen to the nearby band play, and enjoy the beautiful Maui sunset.

We made reservations at the Pacific'O Restaurant for dinner. The meals at Pacific'O were delicious, and we enjoyed the ocean view. Nearby, a Luau (the Feast at Lele) was going on, and we could see the dancers gently swaying to Hawaiian music. We would have liked to see the Feast at Lele in person, but it seemed expensive.

We enjoyed the beautiful infinity pools at the Wailea Marriott and the magnificent sunset.

Monday, November 19, 2012

The next day, we spent all day on Grand Wailea Beach. Alex boogie-boarded on the beach and built some sandcastles.

After the beach, we enjoyed the beautiful pools of our Marriott hotel. Sunsets on Maui are fantastic!

We played some ping pong, and Inna beat everyone, including Alex and me!

We decided to go to the Ko Restaurant at the Fairmont Kea Lani for dinner. We had our honeymoon at Kea Lani and wanted to recall our moments there.

Ko Restaurant is very expensive, but its food and presentation were outstanding.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

On Tuesday, I checked the weather forecast and noted that 15-20 knots of wind were expected on Maui's North Shore. I drove to Hi-Tech Sports Surf Sports Maui and rented windsurfing gear, including a Quatro board and a 5.3-square-meter Ezzy wave sail with a skinny Ezzy mast. I drove to Kanaha Beach, rigged the sail, and went windsurfing.

There were a few people out on windsurfing boards and kites. The wind was very up and down. When I got farther out offshore, the wind picked up a lot! The wind was extremely gusty - one minute, it blew 25 knots, and the other, 5 knots. Ocean swells were not very big; they felt like large bumps (aka bump-and-jump) rather than waves. Unfortunately, the wind died after an hour, but I had a few good runs and was happy.

Later, I returned to the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa and made reservations at the famous Mama's Fish House on the North Shore. This was definitely one of the highlights of our Maui vacation, as it was the best restaurant in Maui! All of the dishes were exquisitely prepared, and we enjoyed them immensely.