Hawaii - September 2021
We were supposed to get married in Hawaii.
After we had been to our friends’ destination wedding in Santorini, we thought a destination wedding would be perfect for us! We had planned our wedding in Hawaii, at the Hyatt Regency Maui on October 1, 2020. We had started planning early because 1) me, 2) we wanted to give our guests enough time to plan so they would be able to come. We had locked down our venue in May 2019. We had paid deposits for our photographer and hair/makeup, our flights were booked, our invitations had gone out (on March 2nd!), we were in regularly communication with our wedding planner to work on the details. And then covid hit. Everything was put on hold. Hawaii was shut down to travelers. We’d check in every now and then with our wedding planner, holding out hope. In June, we cancelled our wedding.
The world healed and we got to go to Hawaii - a year later than we had originally planned, but we used the opportunity to go as our honeymoon and one year anniversary. Because of my job, it’s hard to take off a long period of time. I made an exception for this trip (still felt a little guilty about it) and we spent two weeks in Hawaii - one week in Maui and one week in Kauai.
When we paid for our wedding, because we had spent a certain amount, we earned a corresponding number of Hyatt points. When we had to cancel our wedding, we got all our money back but they did not take away the points - whether this was intentional or an oversight, I’m not sure, but because of it, they’ve locked us in as Hyatt members for life. As a result, we were basically able to stay at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai for free.
Since we had paid deposits for a photographer and hair/makeup artist, they graciously allowed us to use our credit toward a photo session while we were on vacation. It was a great way to commemorate and celebrate our marriage.
There are direct flights between Newark and Maui (OGG)! This is also new since covid, but worked out in our favor. It’s 11 hours going there and nine and a half coming back.
We had plenty of time to plan for this trip - really, I had started planning prior to even booking the wedding. I had looked into activities for guests to do either on their own or with us. Because we had been planning Hawaii for so long, we really knew what we wanted to do and see, and built a well-rounded and well-paced itinerary. When we research places, I will generally read blogs, and we’ll watch videos on YouTube together. Some of the travel channels we watched consistently were The Hawaii Vacation Guide and On Hawaii Time.
We used the GyPSy app, which narrates and gives history and information as you drive. We used it in Haleakala and the Road to Hana - it would tell you to prepare for an upcoming stop, if the stop was worth it, if it would be better to stop coming back instead.
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, 9/18
We took advantage of the new direct flight. Our flight left EWR at 10:30 and got to Maui at 15:25. Of course, during the flight, we got into the island vibes by watching none other than 1) Moana and 2) Lilo and Stitch!
When we landed, we picked up our rental car - a Jeep Wrangler - and headed directly for the food trucks. Food trucks are really big in Hawaii and there are several food truck parks, one of which is by the Costco, just outside the airport. We went to Thai Mee Up, which we had seen multiple videos about, and ordered the crispy garlic shrimp. Literally, the best shrimp I’ve eaten in my entire life. Also, it’s like all of my favorite things - crispy, fresh seafood and garlic. I mean, what more could you want from life? Anyway, I digress. But get the shrimp.
It is important to use reef-safe sunscreen, and we had heard that the best place to get it is at Costco. We went in search of sunscreen, but couldn’t find it. Instead, we went to Foodland, a grocery store. We had heard that Foodland has really good poke in the the “deli” area, like where we would order macaroni salad here.
We drove to the Hyatt Regency Maui, about a forty minute drive from the airport. It’s a really nice, chill ride, and we found an island reggae radio station to complete the vibe. Upon checking in, we received fresh orchid leis. By this time, it was about 6PM. We explored the resort a little bit and ate at one of the restaurants on the property, Japengo. It was dark and the moon was shining brightly above us, and I was so tired. Hawaii time is six hours behind Eastern time, so it felt like it was past midnight and we had had a long day of travel.
Day 2: Sunday, 9/19
Given the time difference, I planned to see the sunrise at Haleakalā our first morning. I figured that we’d be jetlagged and would wake up early anyway (like Japan), since waking up at 2:30AM in Hawaii would really be like waking up at 8:30AM at home. So that’s what we did! We woke up at 2:30 and headed to Haleakalā National Park - National Park #12 for me! The drive was about an hour and a half long. Once in the park, we drove up switchbacks in the dark, careful of cows that graze along the side of the mountain.
Haleakalā National Park is on the eastern side of the island and extends from the summit of Haleakalā to the coast in Kīpahulu. Haleakalā is an active volcano, at 10,023 feet, whose most recent eruption was sometime between 1480 and 1600. The Hawaiian people have a sacred relationship with their land, and the NP helps embodies that. The story of Māui, the demi-god, climbing to the top of the Haleakalā volcano, which translates to House of the Sun, capturing the sun as it rises and made the sun promise to slow down its journey across the sky and create more day light. Because it was one of the most geographically isolated areas of the world, developed by volcanic activity and never having been part of continental landmass, Hawaii is full of unique species. There are some endangered species of plants and animals that only exist now in Haleakalā, such as the nēnē (Hawaiian goose). We got to see nēnē inadvertently on our way down! We stopped at a trailhead to use the restroom (ya know, altitude) and there were several nēnē roaming around the parking lot!
Reservations are required to enter the park for sunrise, and can be made 60 days in advance. The summit is over 10,000 feet high, so the altitude may affect you. Also keep in mind that temperatures can be more than twenty degrees cooler at the summit than at sea level. We were one of the first people to the summit and had a great view of the vibrancy of the stars. We didn’t know where to position ourselves in the dark - it was hard to get our bearings. We chose the right place, though! It soon got very crowded, and it was very cold. We were wearing our packable down coats. Sunrise was at 6:07, but it gets getting light out over half an hour before sunrise. As seasoned sunrise chasers, we knew this and got to the park at 4:40AM. After sunrise, we explored the Summit District a little bit, but it was cold and we were getting hungry.
We left the park and stopped at the Kula Lodge for breakfast. It was 7:30 and perfect timing. We were able to choose a table on their Garden Terrace overlooking the mountains and ocean. We tried loco moco for breakfast with our coffee. Loco moco is a Hawaiian dish of rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg (usually with a runny yolk) all smothered in gravy - in other words, what Kevin dreams of. It really is quite tasty, and also quite easy to make! We’ve made it several time since returning home, it’s a nice easy meal that requires little preparation.
After breakfast, we drove through the town of Makawao. It’s got a western cowboy kind of feel to it. It was still early, so not a lot was open. We spent the day at the pool at our resort and took a stroll through Whaler’s Village. We had booked the Drums of the Pacific luau for our first evening. This was one of the events I had looked into as a wedding activity. It’s held nightly at the Hyatt with dinner, traditionally a feast, inclusive of poi bread and kālua pig. Luaus are impressive, stories of legends, myths and historical fact are told through music, dancing and fire dancing. It is outdoors and got chilly once the sun set.
Day 3: Monday, 9/20
The next morning, we went to snorkel at Honolua Bay, northwest of Kā’anapali. We had brought our own snorkel gear with us. There was a short trail through the forest before reaching the bay. We got lucky enough to see a couple of sea turtles! We were unlucky in that we got a little motion sick from letting the water carry us as we floated. We went back to the resort, hung out at the pool for a bit, until it was time to get ready. The resort has penguins and birds like a parrot and macaw. We got to see a penguin feeding right there at the hotel!
We had booked our photo shoot for this day! Hair and makeup came to our room at 13:15, and we met our photographer at the Honolua General Store at 16:15. The food we had this day was mediocre. Kevin had picked up food from Monkeypod Kitchen for lunch while I was getting my hair and makeup done, and we went to Joey’s Kitchen on our way home for dinner. I was disappointed because both were recommended by locals (our wedding planner and photographer, respectively) so I had high expectations. Granted, we ordered crispy pork belly from Joey’s Kitchen and have high expectations for crispy pork belly because we are Cantonese (siu yuk).
Day 4: Tuesday, 9/21
We watched sunrise on Kāʻanapali Beach and spent most of the morning enjoying the resort. Hyatt Regency and the Hyatt Residence Club share the property, with one on one side and one on the other, but you have access to both sides. The Hyatt Residence Club has a nice adults only pool, and in general is less crowded than the Regency pool.
After we checked out of the hotel, we drove to Lahaina Town. I wish we had spent more time there, especially considering it’ll never be the same since the wildfire destroyed the town less than two months ago. We walked around some of the shops and past the banyan tree, before continuing north to Mama’s Fish House. This is the place to eat on Maui. I had booked our reservation way in advance, and you definitely need a reservation. The restaurant is on the north shore of the western side of the island, in Paia. The “front yard” of the restaurant has fun decorations and there is even a little beach too. The food here did not disappoint. My “not a sweets guy” husband insisted on getting dessert - Kula pie - to try and ate the whole thing - I think I had like three bites!
We backtracked a little into Kahului to go to Foodland and pick up some poke and then getting gas at Costco before beginning our journey on the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana is one of the top activities to do on Maui. It is literally a road - the Hana Highway - from Paia at the north to Hana town on the eastern side of the island. It is a scenic drive that winds along the coast, passing by waterfalls and the Garden of Eden, the Ke’anae Arboretum, more waterfalls, beaches. We had decided to stay a couple nights in Hana to be able to take our time and enjoy the stops we made along the way. Most people do the Road to Hana as a day trip, and it’s entirely possible to do it that way. We got to our vacation rental at about 17:30. There are four units in the “backhouse” of the owner’s property, and you walk on a path with ginger flowers (I was going to have ginger flowers in my bouquet for my Hawaiian wedding)! The room wasn’t much but had everything we needed - a small dining table, mini fridge and microwave (which we didn’t need), a bed, fan, and bathroom. We ate our Foodland poke for dinner.
Day 5: Wednesday, 9/22
I was hoping for an early start to see sunrise somewhere, but the earliest any place opened in Hana Town was 7AM - the Hasagawa General Store. We picked up spam musubi and headed straight to Wai'anapanapa State Park. At the time - it may still - reservations were required to enter the park. Wai'anapanapa is known for its black sand beach and blue blue waters. There are caves here, but we did not explore them. We spent a couple hours here, on Pa’iloa Beach and hiking on the cliffs to the north of the beach.
Our research taught us that we should get Huli Huli chicken while on the eastern shore, and to get there early. There is apparently no precise time they open, but we got there - and by “there,” I mean a dirt parking lot on the side of the road - at like 10:30. I think we probably waited 30-40 minutes and shared a “plate lunch” on Koki Beach. It is worth it. The chicken was so tender, we should have gotten our own instead of sharing.
With full, happy bellies, we continued south to Wailua Falls, one of the main attractions on the Road to Hana and you could tell because it was so crowded. It was hard to get a parking space, and there were people everywhere. It wasn’t great. You can see the waterfall from the road itself.
Even further south from there, we finally reached the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park. We hiked the Kūloa Point Trail to ‘Ohe’o Gulch.
It started to rain so we headed back toward our vacation rental. We stopped to get food for an early dinner, knowing that things close early. There’s a little food truck park, and we went to Troy’s Plate Lunch. We went back to Wai'anapanapa State Park and it was much less crowded in the late afternoon. To enjoy sunset, we went to Hamoa Beach. We were the only ones there. I think it’s more of a locals beach, because there’s nowhere to park - we parked on the side of the road.
Day 6: Thursday, 9/23
We repeated our morning ritual - spam musubi from Hasagawa General Store - to start our day. One of the off the beaten path things I wanted to see was Alelele Falls. We parked on the side of the road and followed the unmarked trail to the falls. There were only a couple other groups of people on the trail, and they were all on their way out as we were on our way in, so we had the falls to ourselves. It was a perfect, peaceful place to enjoy our spam musubi. Our big hike for the day was the Pīpīwai trail, four miles round trip, that takes you through a bamboo forest to the 400-foot Waimoku Falls. You can’t get up close and personal with this waterfall.
On our way back to central Maui, we stopped at Hana Farms. We bought banana bread - supposedly one of the best banana breads ever (I make a pretty good banana bread so I wasn’t so sure, but it was really good), some hot sauce. There is a café in the back and we had a little snack before hitting the road again.
Once we made it back to Kahului, we got Ululani Shave Ice (how could we not?) and picked up more shrimp from the food trucks. This time, we tried the Hawaiian Scampi from Geste Shrimp - also really good.
I had read online that seeing the sunset from Haleakalā is better than sunrise. It’s not that I didn’t believe them, but we had to do sunrise too because that’s the thing to do. So we did them both! It is much easier to navigate the park when it’s daylight out. Some (smart) people brought beach chairs and blankets. We met a couple who did exactly this, and had a cooler for snacks and beverages to enjoy while they watched the sunset. Genius!
We checked into our accommodation for our last night, which was someone’s back house in Wailuku - and really nice.
Day 7: Friday, 9/24
It was somehow already our last day on Maui.
We packed everything up for our afternoon flight, and were determined to soak up the last remaining hours on the island. We made a stop at Kraken Coffee (a food truck) - I got a macadamia nut latte - on our way to a random beach we found on Google Maps that would keep us in the area of the airport. We drove through Wailea, past the Four Seasons and the Waldorf Astoria and Fairmont and Andaz - you know, the places we can’t afford. We found ourselves on Maluaka Beach. We laid out a blanket (where did we get this from?) and enjoyed our coffees and the banana bread we had purchased at Hana Farms. It was the perfect morning. The beach was small but quiet and it wasn’t busy. We spent three and a half hours here and it was the best three and a half hours.
It was 11:30 and we figured we should probably get lunch before our flight at 15:45. Where did we go? Back to the shrimp trucks! We learned our lesson by now and got the crispy garlic shrimp from Thai Mee Up and the Hawaiian scampi from Geste Shrimp. It was our last opportunity and you could be sure we weren’t going to miss it!
After lunch, we still had some time to kill before we had to head to the airport. There is a beach on the north shore, just north of the airport, not even 10 minutes away, called Kanaha Beach Park. I had read about this place because it’s known for kite surfers. I thought it’d be cool to go check out since we had some time to kill, and it was. There were so many kite surfers, and they do tricks and it was really inspiring and impressive to watch. We probably spent 30-40 minutes watching those guys.
Then, it was time to head to the airport for the next leg of our adventure.
The flight to Kauai was like nothing - 45 minutes. We picked up our rental car, this time a Jeep Gladiator that I named Gannon. We went to Duke’s Kauai for dinner, a place I had read about and it was good not great. I remember the POG slushie more than anything - that was good! POG is passionfruit, orange and guava juice and is delightful! So refreshing on a hot day.
We drove to Princeville on the northern shore of Kauai and made a stop at Foodland before going to our vacation rental. I remember when we got to the development of the condo, we had a really hard time finding it because it was dark, the buildings weren’t numbered well and customer service was no help. Somehow, we managed to find it, and it was so cute! The main area had a full kitchen and a nice living area, a big bedroom and nice bathroom with laundry, and there was a loft upstairs with another bathroom.
Day 8: Saturday: 9/25
Mornings are supposed to be the best time to snorkel because the waters are calmer. We went snorkeling at Anini Beach this morning. We weren’t sure about it, because it was a little rainy, but we stuck to the plan anyway. The water was cold and maybe a little cloudier than what it normally would have been, but we still had a great time. We were getting slowly pushed out, away from the beach, which made me a little nervous. We got to see one really big sea turtle! At one point, I was swimming trying to get back toward shore, and I happened to put my face in the water and he (she?) was directly below me! You are supposed to stay at least 10 feet away from sea turtles and it is illegal to touch them because the green sea turtle is a threatened species. I was maybe six feet away from this honu, and swam away to keep distance once I realized he was there.
We went home and showered, and on our way, we learned there was the Princeville Farmers Market going on. We stopped by and bought Sugarloaf Pineapple (it’s white), guava and a mango. I also bought a bunch of stickers from a local artist. Then we went to the Kauai Community Market near Lihue. This one is much bigger. We got coconut water in the coconut and the best churros ever. She fried them right there and they were so light and fluffy. We got a plate lunch and ate it on the tailgate.
We enjoyed the afternoon by the pool, then took a drive to Hanalei. My Timeline says we went to the Hanalei Dolphin Fish Market, but then we also went to Foodland. I don’t actually remember what we ate that night and there are no photos to jog my memory, but it looks like it was probably for poke.
Day 9: Sunday, 9/26
We had breakfast at Trucking Delicious in Hanalei on our way to Hā’ena Beach Park. At the time, there were alternating road closures as crews worked to repair the road in Hanalei from the landslide. You also had to make a reservation for Hā’ena State Park. You’d park your car at the Waipa Park and Ride and they’d shuttle you to the park. One of the most popular hikes is a four mile round trip hike to Hanakāpī’ai Falls from Ke’e Beach in Hāʻ’na State Park. I wanted to do this, but we decided to take it easy instead. This is also the beginning section of the Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile (one way) backpacking trail I also hope to someday do.
We spent the day at in Hā’ena State Park and at Tunnels Beach. We saw more sea turtles here! We also met another young couple - the girl was floating in the water observing the turtles the entire time we were talking to the guy, who said he works for Aman, the luxury hotel company. We had picked up poke the night before to bring for lunch on the beach.
That night we went to Pink’s Ice Creamery for ice cream and a grilled cheese.
Day 10: Monday, 9/27
If you go early enough, you don’t have to take the shuttle into Hā’ena State Park. We got there at 6AM to snorkel at Tunnels Beach. I remember we were both in the water when I lifted my head and saw the most brilliant rainbow over us. We swam as quickly as we could to shore, but it faded significantly before we were able to take a photo of it. Even so, it was so tranquil being on the beach early by ourselves with cotton candy clouds for our last morning in Princeville.
We went home and showered, packed up and headed out. In Kapa’a, we got coffee at Java Kai - mac nut latte - on our way to the Grand Hyatt Kauai. Driving this route, you go through a tree tunnel that feels magical. When we got to the hotel, we were greeted with fresh orchid leis again and a bottle of champagne - really VIP treatment! (But I think they do this for everyone).
One of the big adventures we had booked for Kauai was a boat tour of the Nā Pali Coast. We had to be at the tour company at 14:15. We used Blue Dolphin Charters and they were fantastic. It was a six hour excursion and not long enough. The crew was amazing. They played great music and kept energy high. The Nā Pali Coast is absolutely stunning. We were lucky enough to have good weather to be able to see it, and we were even rewarded with a rainbow! And not just any rainbow, but from the boat, you could see the full rainbow. As I was exploring the boat, someone was apparently suffering badly from seasickness, but the crew was attending to them quietly. We also apparently had an engine problem on our way back, but they handled it quietly and calmly. The food was okay - I didn’t expect a gourmet meal. We watched sunset from the boat, and it started raining in the dark, but even so, we had such a good time. The overall experience was just incredible.
When we got back to the hotel, the stars were so bright that I had to try to photograph them. Hawaii is good about preventing light pollution and noise pollution, I think they implemented these regulations for the sake of the wildlife but helps us humans too.
Day 11: Tuesday, 9/28
The excitement and adventure continued right into the next morning. To start off our first anniversary, we were going on a helicopter tour! Neither of us had been in a helicopter prior to this and we were probably most excited for this excursion. We had to check in at 8:40, but stopped at a food truck just outside, called Aloha Liege Waffles. After checking in, we drove to the airfield.
We had booked our doors off helicopter tour with Mauna Loa. We were only in the air for an hour, but it was one spectacular hour. We flew all over the island. We saw the “Jurassic Park” waterfalls as well as a bunch of other waterfalls. We flew over Waimea Canyon and the Nā Pali Coast, Kalalau Beach (the one I want to backpack to). We just couldn’t get enough. I felt inspired to learn to fly - not that I have the time or money or serious motivation to - but I really enjoyed it.
After all that excitement in the morning and the evening the day prior, we took it easy and enjoyed the resort for the day. At 17:30, we went to dinner at the Beach House Kauai. I had a mac nut crusted fish and Kevin had ahi.
Day 12: Wednesday, 9/29
They say the Nā Pali Coast should be experienced from the sea, from the air and by foot. We had done the first two and today we were tackling the last one.
I wanted to see Waimea Canyon at sunrise. But having never been there before, I didn’t know where to go, so I chose the Waimea Canyon Lookout, which I wanted to see anyway. It wasn’t as magical as I had hoped it would be, but it was still nice. Plus, we got an early start to beat the crowds!
We continued up the road into Koke’e State Park, to the Kalalau Lookout. Hiking Kalepa Ridge looks cool when you see it on Instagram, but it’s an unofficial trail because it’s dangerous. The park has made efforts to limit people from hiking it by erecting a fence around the “trailhead” but I still saw quite a few people jumping the fence. I’m all about the views and “doing it for the gram,” but safety first! A mile more up the road, I actually quite liked the Pu’u o Kila Lookout - it gave Kalepa Ridge vibes while being on an actual trail. Both allow you to see the Kalalau Valley from above. Another hike I wanted to do, but honestly just didn’t want to put in the time or effort, was the Awa'awapuhi Trail (six miles), also in Koke’e SP.
We went back down into town to get food then went right back up. We stopped at the Red Dirt Waterfall (aka Mars) on the side of the road on our way back to the parks. It’s a nice quick stop but more than just a lookout.
In Waimea Canyon State Park, we hiked the Canyon Trail to Waipo’o Falls (3.6 miles) to the top of the falls, and admired the canyon from Pu’u Hinahina Lookout.
In the afternoon, we visited the Kauai Coffee Company, toured the coffee fields and Kevin had a mac nut affogado.
We enjoyed the pool at the resort for a while before we had dinner at Tidepools, at the resort. The poi bread was so soft and scrumptous, and there was a crab and ahi dynamite dish that was really good too. Tidepools was one of our favorite meals on Kauai.
Day 13: Thursday, 9/30
One more big adventure! Check-in for this excursion was at 6:15AM with Kauai ATV in Koloa. We were riding ATV’s! They were more like dune buggies. We rode through what used to be the Koloa Sugar Mill including a tunnel, there was a WWII bunker, and where scenes from Jurassic Park and Hobbs & Shaw were filmed. We rode to a waterfall and through lots of puddles. We were the only ones who wanted to get muddy though - everyone else slowed down and drove over the puddles cautiously - weird. We were definitely the muddiest people at the end.
For lunch, we got poke from the Koloa Fish Market and ate it on Poipu Beach. This was one of the best poke we had all trip. We snorkeled here and saw humuhumunukunukuāpua’a, the Hawaiian state fish, and parrotfish (the rainbow ones).
We spent the afternoon at the pool at the resort and went to dinner at Merriman’s Kauai. This was another place recommended by locals (well, really, the one on Maui, so I’m not sure if maybe that’s why), but we were disappointed again. I had scallops, and while they were tender, they were small and not well seared.
Day 14: Friday, 10/1
We went on a much smaller morning adventure, this time to Java Kai for more mac nut lattes and to try malasadas. We went to VIP Malasada in Kapa’a since we were there for Java Kai anyway. Malasadas are the Hawaiian version of a donut - originally Portuguese, they’re fried balls of dough coated in sugar. Ya have to have them fresh, and they are hot! We ate them just outside the shop, and there were lots of chickens running around in the parking lot. Kauai is known for wild chickens. Some blogs I read even recommended bringing ear plugs so the roosters don’t wake you up in the morning.
We soaked in our last day in Hawaii at our resort. Even though we had to check out that morning, we were still able to enjoy the pool and amenities for the day. They have a lounge (a separate building) with showers for us to use before we left. At one point when we were at the pool, loud sirens went off. None of the workers seemed concerned - they continued walking around and serving drinks as if they didn’t even hear it. Someone finally came around to inform us that on the first of every month, they test their tsunami warning system.
I wanted to get the full Gannon experience, so we rode to the airport with the top down. It started raining when we were almost at the car rental center - almost made it! But we pulled over to close the roof for the last half mile or so. Coming home is a full day of travel. Our flight left Lihue at 8PM. We had a layover in Denver, arrived at 7AM (mountain time) the next morning and our last leg departed Denver at 9:45AM and we landed home at 15:30.
Concluding Thoughts
Hana closes at 17:00 and most things don’t open until 8AM, because most people see Hana as a day trip. It was difficult for us to find food for dinner because most places had already closed. Even to find something to eat in the morning - I had wanted to get an earlier start, but we were limited by when the General Store opened.
Things I eventually want to still do in Hawaii: Awa'awapuhi Trail, Kalalau Trail including Hanakāpī’ai Falls, visit the island of Hawaii and Hawaii Volcanoes NP, visit Pearl Harbor.
I hope that everyone has the opportunity to visit Hawaii at least once in their lives. Not only is it beautiful, but the culture inspires you to do better with nature and makes you appreciate a simpler life.