"We're moving rooms."
Our big plans for airing out the stinky room had not materialized. Because the air conditioner didn't work properly. And we couldn't really use the ceiling fan to circulate what little air there was because it was too noisy to sleep. So the night was spent fitfully tossing and turning and Ben woke up with his nose burning and a headache.
My husband has a very acute sense of smell which can be both a blessing and a curse. It's pretty amazing. Ben can sniff a glass of wine and tell you whether it has essences of peach or licorice. It's pretty cool.
However, it was not working to his advantage in this case. He insisted he could not sleep there another night. As for me, I have terrible allergies and probably wouldn't be able to smell the room anymore than I did if it was on fire. But there were other issues, like the fact that the shower barely got to lukewarm even with the nozzle turned all the way to scalding. And the carpet was really badly stained too--I didn't want to walk on it in my bare feet. It was all adding up to be an unpleasant overall experience.
So in the end, Ben was able to negotiate an upgrade to what is classified as an "Ocean Prime" room. So by 6:30 pm on Day Two, we now had a view that looked like this:
To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.
So once the negotiations were complete and Ben had gone to the gym (yes, my husband works out on vacation), we were ready to start the day's agenda, which included driving to Iao Valley and having lunch at Mama's Fish House, one of Maui's top restaurants. But first we went downstairs to breakfast at Duo's, which is the only breakfast option at the Four Seasons.
Since it was our first time down there, they explained the setup which included a buffet, a regular menu and a smoothie bar which I was thrilled to see. I cannot eat enough to ever justify the cost of a buffet so we both opted for the regular menu. I got a "Sunrise Quesadilla" and Ben got steak and eggs.
Fully fueled, we are ready to hit the road. I had packed up our beach bag with snacks, water and us each a change of clothes since we would be heading straight to lunch from Iao Valley. Guests of the Four Seasons are provided a beach bag for their stay and it was great. Very roomy with lots of zippers, a place for my iPhone, pockets that perfectly fit a water bottle, etc. The Four Seasons bag was a beach bag to be taken seriously.
I asked Ben before we left if he was wearing his hiking shoes and he said yes. I eyed his shoes suspiciously but he assured me they would be fine.
The drive to Iao Valley was showing to take 35 minutes and we got on the road probably around 7:30 am or so. Iao Valley is a state park "home to one of Maui's most recognizable landmarks, the 1,200-foot Iao Needle."
http://www.gohawaii.com/maui/regions-neighborhoods/central-maui/iao-valley-state-park
I was really excited to see Iao as I have seen beautiful pictures of it taken by others. Ben was happy to go along with whatever I had planned. His only request was not to have to do a ton of driving so I planned the activities that would require driving the furthest early in the trip so we could get them behind us and then do more relaxing. Plus I knew we would be up early the first few days and this way we could get an early start.
So we set our map after being wished well and given more water by the Four Seasons staff. Ben was acting like he was going to have to look at his phone the whole time so I told him to just use Siri--the voice navigation on the iPhone. Which he informed me is through Google, so it's not Siri. Whatever, just use it because we both know how good I am with directions. I can barely back out of my garage without navigation.
We get to Iao and park--there are some cars there but it's not crowded yet. It was probably around 8:00 am and clear so we could see the Iao Needle. When we got there, Ben immediately said how beautiful it was and I could see already he was happy we had come there. We walked around and saw everything and took our pictures. Ben was expecting it to be more of a hike but I said no, it's just an easy walk around. I knew there were trails off the marked path but we stayed on the marked trails like the good little tourists we are and didn't deviate. It was just lush and green and beautiful and we loved it.
So we get done at Iao around 9:00 am or so and we don't have to be at Mama's Fish House until 12:30. So I get this great idea. There is another hike about 15 miles away called the Waihe'e Ridge Trail.
http://mauiguidebook.com/adventures/waihee-ridge-trail/
This is a REAL hike, not just a walk, and I had taken it off the itinerary because I thought it might be a little too strenuous to combine with Iao Valley AND our nice lunch. But I thought, what the heck, I know I will never get Ben to drive this far again later in the trip so I convince Ben we should just go for it. So we set the phone and off we go, taking the long and winding road up the Kahekili Highway. I know to watch for the Mendes Ranch so we don't miss our turn. We turn in and drive up to what looks to be a parking area and I see a gate that is open and thanks to Trip Advisor, I know that we keep driving through that gate for another mile--if you stop and park here, you have to hike that mile to even get to the trail. We see a car stopping there and I hope that they follow us (which they do). Once we get up to the real parking lot, we see many cars already there.
So we get out and head to the gate--which is locked. So we stand there perplexed as to what to do and the couple that was in the car that had followed us came up. And they looked to do some serious hiking with backpacks and hats and all kinds of gear. So we explain we don't know what to do and they say, oh, it's fine and just step over this little area that we missed through all the locks and chains and barbed wire. So we shrug and follow them thinking it all must be fine.
The hike begins on a paved road that is pretty steep. So you think, wow, I'm really hiking this trail, yeah, look at me hiking the trail! And then about a mile up, you see this:
And then of course you realize, you weren't actually ON the trail yet. Gotcha!
The couple that we had followed in was stopping to take pictures and they said hello again, and then noticed that we didn't have any water (having drank it all already at Iao) so they insisted we take one of their bottles. That was really nice of them and we were really grateful.
The trail begins innocently enough, just that nice grassy path you see in my picture. But that soon gives way to exposed tree roots, rocks and mud. Slippery rocks and mud and lots of it. I have no idea what else was even there because I had to look at my feet the whole time. I am behind Ben and I use him as my guide to see both what to do and what not to do. He is plodding up the trail putting one foot in front of the other while I instead do this sort of tiptoe dance hopping from one root and rock to the other so as to hopefully not totally cover myself in mud up to my knees. We must have been quite the comical sight.
So hike, jump, slip we go for a mile. Now I know already we are only going to make it to the first overlook at mile one, but that's fine, I'll be happy with that. I know Ben will be thrilled. He was a great sport about it though--at one point he looked at me and said "This was a huge mistake." But it wasn't in a mean way, just more like informative, like he was simply stating a fact. I couldn't argue with him at that point.
He asks me how will we know when we are there and I assure him it will be obvious and there will also be a park bench to stop and sit on. I am happy I have done my research and can be so knowledgeable about the predicament I have gotten us into.
So we indeed make it to the park bench and the first overlook and we have it all to ourselves so we stop and take in the scenery. It's a small area with only the one small bench to rest. I believe those are the Makamakaole Falls in the distance.
Behind us are beautiful rainbow Eucalyptus trees I remember from our first visit to Maui.
After a short rest, others arrive so we prepare to make our way down. Going down was easier and there were some pretty views from the bottom.
Back at the parking lot, we use the portapotties and assess the situation. I have a little mud on my shoes but not much and a small smudge of mud on one leg. So I made out pretty well and am pleased with myself. Ben on the other hand has mud on the edges of his pants and his Vans are goners. He says he needs new ones anyway and I say that thanks again to Trip Advisor, I know there is a mall between here and Mama's Fish House. So we make a beeline for the Waikulu mall and park outside of a Sears. Sears doesn't have a ton of options so since we have a little time, Ben decides to go explore the mall further and I say ok, I will use the restroom and change into my dress I brought for lunch.
Once I am done, I call Ben and he's on his way back. He found a Vans store on the way to Macy's and said the guy helping him was totally cool and he proudly shows me his new shoes which he likes much better than his other ones. So now he is ready to use the restroom and change and finally we are on our way to our much-anticipated lunch at Mama's Fish House.
We drive through Paia and it's the first time we've seen this little town and it's cute but crowded. We decide not to stop and just drive on through to Mama's for our 12:30 reservation. We check in and wait just a bit and then are shown to a table where an anniversary card is waiting for us.
Our waitress also presents Ben with a flower lei to give to me.
We peruse the menu and decide to start with a cocktail so we both had the Relaxer, which I thought sounded perfect after the morning we had!
I already knew I was having the macadamia nut crusted mahi-mahi stuffed with crab and lobster. Ben had the ahi tuna steak. We had the mahi-mahi spring roll appetizer.
Everything was delicious. I had really been looking forward to this meal and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend it, especially for a special occasion as the prices are steep. We were too full for the famous black pearl dessert--there was no way I was paying $18 more for something I knew I would only have a bite or two of. Next time I would skip the cocktail and get dessert instead.
We went outside after lunch and walked around the grounds and took pictures.
We began making our way back to Wailea, wanting to stop in Paia but again, there didn't look to be any parking. It's a shame it isn't easier to tour this cute little town--we were never able to do so on 3 tries. Back at the Four Seasons we rested and began packing up our room for the move. We called my daughter and checked with her and looked at pictures for while, then went downstairs to tour the pool and beach, which we had not really done yet. At 5:00 the lobby bar opened so we sat there and had a drink, knowing they were going to call us any minute telling us the room was ready. Once they did, we moved and unpacked and spent the evening in our room as we were pooped and ready for bed at 9:00 pm.
Next up: Snorkeling at Kapalua--would we have the nerve to try it?
