Maui is a total Island Paradise and perfect for doing nothing, however, with so many things to see and do on the Island, it can be hard to actually just do nothing. It can also be really easy to do things too. Our first full day on Maui was scheduled to be a complete rest day. So what could we possibly Blog about?
We had recently realized that we haven’t had a holiday in quite a few years. Don’t feel bad for us we have been traveling LOTS and covered huge parts of the USA and done and seen some incredible things, but we always come back more tired than when we left. Like our L.A trip earlier this week we cram so much into them it is pretty exhausting.
This trip to Maui was intended to be a proper rest, and as such large parts of the trip, we had planned nothing at all. This didn’t stop us ticking bucket list items off without doing anything at all!
Jet Lag
After a very early night, My body clock decided the correct hour to wake up was 3:30. Ughhh. Kate managed a few more hours but was still up really early and we sat watching the news and waiting for sunrise. One thing was pretty clear at this point the forecast of Cloud and rain was to be completely incorrect!
We sat on the Lanai drinking Maui Coffee as the day broke and there was not a cloud in the Sky. At around 6:30 am the first people started arriving at the Gazeebo Restaurant that our Condo overlooks. It doesn’t open until 7:30 am!
The Gazebo, Napili, Maui
The Gazebo is a small structure beside one of the pools at Napili Shores and serves breakfast and lunch items at a pretty decent price. It is insanely popular and queues form really early and people can stand in line for over an hour to sample the food and the view. Having stayed multiple times at Napili shores we have never eaten at the Gazebo. And never will when we stay here.
Why? well as Guests we can simply dial up a takeout order and smugly sit on our Lanai watching the rest queue in the burning sun. It’s very satisfying. And while non-residents are free to order takeout too They will have to wait for it to be cooked and then eat on the beach which is just not as civilized.
The Food is very good but it’s not fine dining, We love the Breakfast Burrito, and the Pancakes are huge and very good. Almost everything here is a massive portion and we tend to order one portion and share it and it’s more than enough for us.
Is it worth an hour+ wait in line? For the food absolutely not. It’s not something you couldn’t get elsewhere the Draw is the location. The Gazebo has an unparalleled view and very few people are disappointed. Being Residents we are treated to this view all day every day (of our trip) and as such it would be crazy to queue. It’s why we love Napili Shores as it is just so beautiful.
Cloudy and Rain showers all day
The forecast was very poor for the day. With Cloud or Mostly Cloudy being forecast all day with Rain Showers starting Mid Morning and lasting all day. One thing we have learned about Maui Forecasts is to ignore them. The Tropical Nature of the Islands means most days are forecast to have showers, The Cloud that builds upon the Mountains also has the potential to spill over and cause rain. The reality is often this doesn’t happen in your area or if it does then it’s brief. The below pic is a typical Cloudy with Rain Showers type of day, Taken this morning…
Cloudy With Rain…errr
Weather in Maui is mainly controlled by wind direction and we were currently getting Kona Winds which mean hot dryish weather despite what the forecast says. More worrying is the return to trade winds forecast for the weekend, Sunny and dry according to the forecasts. We will see.
More Whales…And Turtles
Our morning was spent out on the grassy area overlooking the Ocean, Watching Whales play in the Distance and Turtles ride in the Surf just in front of us. The Hotel has A “whale bell” Which can be rung whenever a Whale is spotted out to sea. The bell was hardly quiet throughout the morning as we had pods of Humpbacks Blowing, Surfacing, Breaching, and Tail slapping all morning. We were trying to relax in the sun while reading but this was near impossible as we could barely take our eyes of the Wildlife! It’s a hard life!
Before lunch, we walked around (2mins) to Honokeana Bay for a Snorkel. This bay is usually rammed with turtles along with a huge array of sea life. Today the Turtles were pretty light. but we still saw several along with the usual Hawaii Reef Fish.
Just before getting out, we were treated to a visit from a large Eagle ray at the edge of the bay, he cruised around while we floated about in the calm waters of the Bay.
The Seahouse Restaurant – Happy Hour
Mai Tais
After Drying off in the sun we realized it was getting very hot and the Sun was very strong. We were in great danger of becoming those people…you know the ones…Bright white AND bright red! It’s not a great look and we are far too experienced to fall for that. So we headed inside. We were not fully stocked up and didn’t really fancy anything we had for lunch. We decided to head over to the other side of the bay to the Seahouse, as it was HAPPY HOUR!
We really like the Sea House restaurant but the Prices do tend to sting a bit but we find hitting happy hours is a great way to try some of the best places on the island without racking up enormous bills. So we enjoyed some great Pupus and some cocktails out on the deck while enjoying the amazing view of the bay. There are not many better ways to spend an hour or two.
Supposed to be 4 Beach Balls…we were hungry!
The Pupus is really quite good it’s small portions but that’s the idea but the cost can soon rack up. We had the Calamari Tacos, Poke Nachos, Beach Balls, and some Garlic fries along with Mai Tais, a Lava Flow, and a Napili Sunset.
Relax
We then just finished off the afternoon relaxing on the lawn with our own Mai Tai’s watching the sun slip away to end a perfect day. Without really trying we had ticked off multiple Maui Must-Dos without even leaving our resort area. Tonight we headed to bead intentionally early as tomorrow morning we intended to put out Jet Lag to good use and get up Extra early to head up Haleakala for sunrise.
