The Beckers Visit Mau’i and Oah’u

First-hand visitors who blog can often provide the most valid information on renown sites anywhere in the world. Such is the case for your senior travel writer and his wife. We just returned from a week-long visit to Hawai’i.

We first spent three days on Mau’i (The Magic Isle) and then flew to Oah’u for an additional three days, celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. We were so pleased that we started off with Mau’i, voted “Best Island” by Condé Nast Traveler for more than a dozen years and now we know why.

The “Official Mau’i Visitor Site“

Senior travelers will find lots of information on this site about the island but we wish to share from our own experiences. First of all, we rented a car… the best way to see the island at our own pace and leisure. So what did we do on Mau’i?

We stayed at the Sheraton Mau’i Resort, on West Mau’i.  It’s on a famous beach called Kaanapali. Four miles long, Kaanapali Beach stands out as one of Mau’i’s best, with grainy gold sand as far as the eye can see. Summertime swimming is excellent and the best snorkeling is around Black Rock in front of the Sheraton.

The water is clear, calm, and populated with brilliant tropical fish. We spent one evening sitting on the beach waiting to watch a diver dive from Black Rock, something which has been done since the last chief of Mau’i started the ritual.

These Seniors Loved the Landscape,

Mau’i’s diverse landscapes are the result of a unique combination of geology, topography, and climate. We enjoyed our drive up into Iao Valley, which was amazingly beautiful. Another highlight was a Blue Hawai’i helicopter tour of both Mau’i and Moloka’i. We hovered closeup to dozens of plush valleys, long flowing waterfalls and cliffs thickly covered in green foliage. The many steep cliff coastlines were an awesome site.

We chose not to take the drive to Hana, with its 600 curves, rather, we drove around the northern coast of Mau’i where we saw the famed Halona Blowhole.  Quality time in Lahaina, the principal city of West Mau’i, included art galleries and great restaurants, the Banyan Tree and the wharf. The Banyan Tree fills up one entire block (.66 acres) with an extensive trunk and multiple root system.

 …the Banyan Tree and the Lū’au

Historically Lahaina was the center of the whaling industry with many whaling ships anchored in its waterfront. The Pioneer Inn, the oldest hotel in Lahaina, sits across the street from the wharf and served a great breakfast that included macadamia pancakes.

The Old Lahaina Lū’au, a highlight for us with hula dancers, music and food, presented a traditional Lū’au and feast. We discovered that the Hawaiian language is a little tough to read with only 13 letters. We learned to say Aloha and Mahalo (thank you) and used them often. Stick with us as we’ll fly on to Oah’u tomorrow. jeb