The new room was great although it still had the very slightest musty smell and it also had filthy carpets. The water in the shower though was nice and hot which was great and the A/C and fan worked much better. And of course that lovely view was great.
Even getting up at 5:00 am, we still didn't get out the door until 7:30 am which concerned me a little. Today we were driving the hour from South Maui to West Maui to Kapalua where we spent our honeymoon. We were going to try snorkeling at Kapalua Bay which is supposed to be very calm, shallow and good for beginners, which definitely describes us. Ben snorkeled once about 10 years ago in Jamaica but the only snorkeling I had done so far was when we practiced in my boss' pool a month or two before our trip. I was really excited to try it though, while Ben was a little more cautious. I knew the parking situation in Kapalua was going to be tricky and I also knew that the earlier we got in the water, the better the conditions would be so I was anxious to get moving.
Our first stop was going to be the Sea House at the Napili Kai resort in Napili. I had heard it was good and I was excited to see Napili Bay. I then wanted to go to Kapalua Beach for snorkeling and then walk the Kapalua coastal trail. You might be wondering why we didn't do any of these things on our honeymoon when we stayed in Kapalua. That's because we didn't know about them. We had no idea we had some of the most beautiful beaches and scenic views right next door to our hotel!
We enjoyed the drive to West Maui, it brought back memories for both of us. Kapalua is a very special place to me and I think it's one of my favorite places I've ever been. We made it to the Sea House around 8:30 am and got a nice table.
For breakfast I had a traditional American breakfast which is what I almost always get for breakfast on vacation. It came with a pineapple link sausage that was delicious.
Ben got something called Da Kitchen Sink Fried Rice and he loved it.
Right down the road was Snorkel Bob's which is where we went to rent our snorkeling gear. I can't say enough good things about them. They were so helpful and nice and put us at ease when we explained we didn't have the foggiest idea what we were doing. I ended up with the "Little Mo" snorkel set which I believe is actually for kids. But it fit me comfortably. All the gear goes into a cute little bag and they rent the Tommy Bahama chairs which were nice and surprisingly easy to carry.
So we load up the trunk and are ready to go to the beach. We drive down to the main parking lot and as I expected it is completely full. There is street parking but it is also taken save for one little spot that Ben didn't think he could wedge our Fusion into. So he is getting frustrated fast. We drive up and down these tight little roads not knowing really what to do until finally we see a car across from Snorkel Bob's and park behind it. I go in and ask the girl if it is ok to park there and she says yeah, it's fine so we are good to go, we are just going to have to walk the .40 miles to the beach.
So we make it and immediately we love it and find a shady spot to get settled.
We just enjoy the beach for awhile until we've worked up the courage to try snorkeling. We get all fitted and get in, there are plenty of people snorkeling and the water is indeed calm. But I end up being the one who is nervous while Ben glides right in like a pro. He assures me it's fine and I finally timidly go in as close to the shore as possible. I see fish! So I glide along some by myself and at one point I think Ben and I went out hand in hand but I was just not very comfortable going too far from shore.
A nice lady came up to us then and offered me her boogie board so that I could relax and not worry about drowning. I had originally thought of doing this but didn't realize I would be so nervous. I thanked her profusely for her kindness.
With the boogie board I was more relaxed except I worried about Ben having to drag me along and me getting in his way. But we went back out again and he pulled me and I did enjoy it more. When we got back to shore, Ben was all excited because he saw a honu (sea turtle)! And he was talking all about it thinking I had seen it but I hadn't. So then he was so disappointed but I told him not to worry, I was just happy he had seen it.
We snorkeled a little more by ourselves until we were ready for a rest so we went back to our chairs and enjoyed the beach until we were ready to walk the coastal trail. We just left everything on the beach since our car was so far away (we had not brought any valuables other than my Canon which I was bringing with me) and the trail was just right there. So we walked and I took my pictures until it got too hot and we had to turn back.
I can't remember how far we went. It wasn't as far down the trail as I wanted to go but I was happy.
Back to the beach, we load up our stuff and bid Kapalua Bay goodbye vowing to return.
Ben is ready for lunch so we try to decide between Pineapple Grill and Plantation House--I know we ate at one of them on our honeymoon but I can't remember which and I want to eat at the other one. But our internet isn't working and we know where Pineapple Grill is so we head there. (I realize once we get there that this is where we ate on our honeymoon.) Ben gets a turkey sandwich but I'm not hungry so I just have a peach bellini for lunch. Hey, I'm on vacation.
So now it's around 2:00 pm and I want to drive to the Nakalele Blowhole.
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/nakalele-blow-hole.html
Ben, however, isn't too keen on the idea. He knows we still have another hour of driving to Wailea ahead of us and this would add almost another hour there and back, and on a winding coastal road at that. I'm disappointed but it's his vacation too so I understand. So I say let's just go back to the hotel and see our own beach and watch the sunset. So back to Wailea we go and we head straight for the pool and get set up in a lounger. I'm still pouting a bit but I order this which makes me feel much better.
I can't believe it's Day 3 and I'm just now having my first lava flow! We stay at the pool and hot tub until it's time to go down to Wailea beach for our first real sunset of the trip!
After sunset, we go up to the room to clean up and discuss dinner plans. Neither of us is hungry for a big meal so we decide to just go over to Cheeseburger Island Style at the Shops at Wailea for a burger. It was by no means great but we didn't really expect it to be, we just wanted something simple and cheap.
After dinner, we walked around the Shops a little and I looked for the macadamia nut Hershey's kisses I wanted to buy but didn't find them there.
We wanted one more nightcap so we stopped at Tommy Bahama for a last yummy cocktail. Mine was a pineapple martini and it was delicious. Ben got a pina colada.
Back in the room, housekeeping had arranged my leis for me.
On Day 4 we would finally have a lazy day!
