Snorkelling at Molokini

Day 6 Maui Study Tour -
Today is our easiest day so far on the busy itinerary.  After a hearty breakfast at the Fairmont's Cane and Canoe buffet, we departed for the Makena Golf and Beach resort to board the Kai Kanana snorkel boat for some amazing snorkelling and sea turtle sightings near the Molokina crater.

The bonus was the school of spinner dolphins who put on a show around our boat as we returned to shore.

The Kai Kanani Charter provided a great breakfast of muffins and fruit as well as a lovely lunch and alchoholic drinks after snorkelling.  This is a great excursion for anyone wanting to do some snorkelling on the island.  The variety and number of unique fish was amazing!

We spent a leisurely afternoon around the pools and on the beach at the Fairmont to work on our tans.  Dinner at the Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea was hosted by the Maui Visitors Convention.

The beach at Fairmont Kea Lani

Lots of families - kids all having fun at the resort

One of the many pools at Fairmont Kea Lani

casual dining at Fairmont Kea Lani

Fairmont pools at night

It's hard to believe that our week is quickly coming to an end - only one more day of organized activities and then one free day at the end before taking red eye flights home on Tuesday evening.

Another early morning, day trip to Moloka'i

An early morning checkout from the beautiful Montage at 5:45 am and off to Lahaina Harbour to catch the ferry over to Molokia, the home of one of our beautiful hosts, Julie Bicoy.  The Saturday market in Kaunakakai was in full swing and we enjoyed shopping the local vendors, choosing our creative jewellry piece which would be hand made by a local artist while we toured the island.

hand painted coconut art

We enjoyed a leisurely hike in the Pala'au State Park where we enjoyed striking views of Moloka'i's North Shore and Kalaupapa Peninsula, where the Leprosy colony is located.  Another trail took us to Phallic Rock where legend has it that young girls would go and sit on a certain "rock" to become pregnant...

Phallic Rock

Above the Kalaupapa Lookout (where the Leprosy Colony is located)

After a delicious lunch and Iced Mocha from Essence of 'Ohana, we found our way to a couple of beautiful beaches almost untouched by the public, Kapukahehu Beach and Papohaku Beach Park - 3 miles long and 100 metres wide ...only a few locals here enjoying the surf....well that was until 9 Aloha Agents and their guides invaded!  This island would be a great place to go and "unplug" for a day or two.

quiet beach on Moloka'i

Late afternoon we checked in at the Moloka'i airport for our short island hopper flight on Molekule Air for a picturesque 25 minute flight back over to Maui where would would check into our 3rd host hotel, the Fairmont Kea Lani for the next 3 nights.

Advertised specials at the Moloka'i airport

Fairmont Kea Lani

Beautiful gardens at the Fairmont Kea Lani

A lovely dinner was hosted by the Fairmont and enjoyed under the stars in the Ko restaurant.  A great end to a lovely day of touring and exploring more of Hawaii's hidden treasures.

Zip & Dip on Maui

Today was all about activities and culture on Maui.  First stop Skyline Eco Adventures, voted #1 Maui adventure tour, for some ziplining.  Nine scenic ziplines, with the final one being at the pond for a cool dip at the end of the tour.  Check it out at www.zipline.com for more info.

The evening was spent at the Maui Theatre enjoying the fantastic live production of Ulalena, an amazing theatrical experience for all ages presented in a multi-million dollar state of the art theatre unlike any in Hawai'i.

If you're looking for a casual dining experience with a beautiful ocean view check out Pi Artisan Pizzeria where we enjoyed some great appetizers and pizzas for dinner to finish Day 4 of our study tour.

Lana'i - Hawaii's most enticing Island/the Pineapple Island

Thursday March 26/15 - an early check out from our first hotel, Westin Maui - at 5:30 am and off to the Ferry Expedition dock for our 6:15 am ferry over to Lana'i - the pineapple island.

We were greeted at the ferry dock by the staff of the Four Season and were whisked away for a hearty breakfast hosted by Four Season Resort Lana'i at Manele Bay, followed by a brief site inspection...wow, just check out the spread that is part of their daily buffet breakfast (complimentary when booked through a Virtuoso affiliated travel agent).

What a lovely resort, quiet and tranquil with stunning newly renovated rooms.  Further enhancements to the main pool will completely transform this already stunning property.

Next on our itinerary was a fun morning of off-roading in our 4 colourful rented jeeps which we wound our way into the back country to Shipwreck Beach.  This windy 8-mile stretch of beach has wrecked numerous ships along it's shallow, rocky channel.  Beyond the beach about 200 yards up a trail past the Shipwreck Beach are the Kukui Point petroglyphs marked by reddish-brown boulders.

off-roading on Lana'i

A delicious boxed lunch from Pele's Other Garden in Dole Square where we were also free to visit the local boutiques, shops and galleries before returning our jeeps and heading back over to Maui via Ferry...a 45 minute ride one way and plenty of time to view the numerous whales that are moving through the area.

Our new accommodations for the next 2 nights are Montage Kapalua Bay where were accommodated in 2, 3 and even 4 bedroom luxury units.  The sales and marketing staff of Montage hosted a lovely cocktail and appetizer party on the breathtakingly beautiful Cliff House restaurant...truly spectacular end to an amazing day!

cocktail and appetizer party at Montage

View from the lobby at Montage

bedroom in the 3 bedroom unit at Montage Kapalua Bay

Hotel inspections, Hawaii History 101, Submarine expedition, shopping and food....

Day 2 of our Maui Specialist Study Tour was fun-filled, educational and busy....starting with a brief hotel site inspection of the Westin Maui Resort & Spa...families are accommodated easily in the Beach Tower's one and 2 bedroom suites which offer breathtaking ocean views.  The Westin is the ONLY resort offering an adults only pool as one of their 5 pools spread through lush tropical surrounds and numerous waterfalls.

One bedroom suite, main living space

View from the Beach Tower rooms at Westin

Next stop we visited Lahaina Town where we were led through a very informative walking tour and history lesson provided by Maui Nei Native Expeditions, who are  dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the site of Moku‘ula located within the historic district of Lāhainā, Maui...plans are currently in place to restore the space across from the huge Banyan tree back to it's original state when Hawaii's royalty inhabited the space known as Mokuhinia pond and Moku‘ula island.  The locals are very excited about this restoration project.  You can learn more about this project here...

Following a delicious lunch at the ocean front Pacific O Restaurant we set off for a "deep dive" onboard the Atlantis submarine where we were able to view an incredible display of underwater life, and a sunken ship teeming with sea life creatures.  Incredible - a must do activity in Maui!

The bonus of the submarine tour was the sighting of several hump back whales on our way back to shore! 

Some free time to explore the many shops on Front Street in Lahaina Town and then off to Star Noodle for a fantastic Asian Fusion dinner.

Back to the room for our last night stay at the Westin, Catching up on a few client e-mails, updating my blog and packing up and checking out by 5:30 am next morning with an early start to our day trip expedition to the island of \Lana'i.  

Maholo!  Excited to see what treasures we discover tomorrow on Lana'i.....stay tuned for more!

Maui, beautiful Maui!

I arrived safe and sound yesterday to Maui after a long day of travel on Air Canada via Calgary.  The direct flight from Calgary made so much more enjoyable with an upgrade to Business Class....my first time travelling business class!  An impromptu decision during the online check in process and decided to check out how my business clients travel...after all - this IS a business trip!

Well, I have to admit I LOVED it...what's not to love?  Great service, complimentary hot meals and drinks, snacks and best of all the 180 degree fully reclining pods!  It will be hard to go back to economy after a fabulous experience like that!  Did you know that during the online check in process you can upgrade to Business class if there is space still left and at a fraction of the cost of booking business class from the outset...remember that next time you're doing your online check in!

So I met my room mate Michelle from Atlanta, Georgia at the Kahului airport and we shared the 40 minute shuttle ride over to our first host hotel, Maui Westin Resort & Spa.  One minor hiccup in that the shuttle driver somehow neglected to load one of Michelle's suitcases and we didn't realize until unloading at the hotel...so 1 1/2 hours later and 2 tired ladies finally hit the hay for the evening at 4:30 am and 6:30 am on their respective internal time clocks.  Two lessons learned on day 1...be sure to watch the shuttle driver actually LOAD the suitcase on the shuttle... AND....TRY to stay up as late as you can the first night upon arriving to destination that is 4 hours behind your home time zone...today we're right on track already...

Spent the day lounging around the beautiful pool waiting for the other participants from across Canada and USA to arrive for the welcome dinner hosted by the Hula Grill at Whaler's Village...the table was a beehive of chatting as we all got to know each other.   It's going to be a great week of learning and touring!  Stay tuned!

View from my room

beautiful lush grounds with waterfalls everywhere!

Sunset Day 1