Hawaii Calls
The beautiful Aloha islands of Hawaii beckoned us over 20 years ago now. And we answered the call! Our very first visit as a family was during a Thanksgiving holiday. The kids were young and both our families lived near us in the same city. Each had their long-held traditions for how Thanksgiving was celebrated. Both were constantly pulling and tugging to not make any changes to their traditions. We were expected to forget establishing any traditions of our own even though we had grown in our own right to a family of 5. So, the solution? Leave town.
Easy to Give Thanks on Hawaii Beaches
The Big Kahuna of our little family of 5 evoked that it was surely much easier to give thanks on the beaches of Hawaii with a Mai Tai in hand, than sit around a table (or tables) of a bunch of selfish family members who were intent on doing their own thing with little or no regard for anyone else in the "family." I have to admit, he was right! Our first Hawaii away was celebrated at the grand spread of the Marriott on Kaanapali Beach in Maui at around 4:00 in the afternoon. It was one of our best Thanksgivings ever!
First Visit to Hawaii
Our first visit was on a tour. We visited Honolulu (Waikiki Beach) on the island of Oahu then on to Kauai wrapping our time up in Maui. This was perfect for us at the time since our children were quite young. Return visits saw us ending up in Maui on Kaanapali Beach just about every time when we had our children with us. On Maui, we fell in love with the condo's Kaanapali Alii. We'd stop of at Safeway in Lahaina and shop for breakfast and lunch things. Everyone was on their on for these times but expected to meet up for dinner. Each evening we'd go out for dinner.
We also enjoyed staying at The Grand Wailea right after it first opened. And we've stayed there a bunch of times since. Clearly, there are just so many awesome resorts and places to stay.
We often find ourselves asked about things to do....what our favorite things to do, in addition to hanging out on the beach, have been over the years. Here is a sampling:
- Helicopter Tour of the Island
- Road to Hanna
- Molokini
Our family loves a festive dinner out. Here are some of our most beloved Maui dining spots:
Thus far, I've touched on things to do. All of these are definitely things I/we love to do when visiting beautiful Hawaii. However, what I like best BY FAR is the Aloha spirit that permeates the place. There's just something special about the feel of Hawaii. Sure, sure, I know the history well. After all, I took along Michener's book "Hawaii" to read on my first trip. But put me in the Pacific breezes smelling the fragrant scent of plumeria as I sip a mai tai and I'm telling you, I feel mighty close to heaven.
I'm going to end this post with two awesome videos of music that I love and think you might enjoy also.
Aloha!
Blue Hawaiian Moonlight
Obviously, we love Hawaii!
