We've arrived safely in Maui and have enjoyed our first 24 hours at the resort. I haven't been to Maui since I was 14 and boy has it changed. It seems like there are no hotels here anymore just timeshares. But it's still beautiful, the water is crystal blue and about the same temperature as a glass of ice water.
Our trip to Maui required us to take 3 planes through 4 airports. The trip from Okinawa to Narita was the same as always, although Gabriella didn't get a toy this time. She didn't even notice. We had a long layover in Narita and we spent it walking around the terminals, checking out all 50 gates. We had lunch at a little restaurant that overlooked the runway and Gabriella enjoyed watching the planes take off and land. When we finally got on the plane it was delayed for almost an hour. Once we were airborne we had lots of turbulence throughout the entire flight. I didn't sleep because of all the bouncing around but Gabriella managed to nap for about 4 hours. Arriving in Honolulu we took a bus to customs before heading back inside the terminal for our inter-island flight to Maui. My first stop on American soil was Starbucks for an eggnog latte. I suppose I've built it up too much in my head, elevated the deliciousness in my memory to heights the actual beverage could not achieve. In other words it wasn't as good as I remembered and I was disappointed. The good news is that I won't be going to Starbucks everyday for coffee. The flight to Maui was only 30 minutes and Gabriella got a window seat so we spent the fight looking out the window trying to spot migrating whales. We didn't see any. Finally touching down and deplaning in Maui we waited a couple of hours for my parents to arrive.
We rented a mini van because we had so much luggage and 5 people to drive around that the economy car wasn't going to cut it. Our first stop was Costco where we stocked up on everything we could possibly need. I even found my favorite Lobster Bisque. My mom and I are the drivers on the rental contract so I drove to the hotel. It was a lovely drive and I did my best to stay on the right side of the road. I was probably not the best choice for a driver since I was exhausted from 13 hours in planes and use to driving on the left, but we made it safely to our destination. The hotel here is amazing, there are a dozen restaurants, 2 general stores, pools for adults, a pirate ship pool for kids, beautiful beaches, and anything else you may need. We did our best to unpack and eat a quick dinner before settling in for a night in. I explored the general store and got a lot of small items like marinades and half and half. Later in the evening my aunt and I explored the nightlife (nonexistant) at the hotel. I was tucked into bed by 9 pm.
Early to bed means early to rise. This morning I was in the gym by 6 am and used the elliptical machine for 40 minutes. The gym is small but well appointed and I was the only one in there for the first 30 minutes. It even has a steam room and dry sauna which I look forward to trying out later. Our first activity of the morning was a sales breakfast from Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays. We bought tickets to the aquarium and a luau. I hope Gabriella likes the luau especially the dancers. She really wants to drink out of a coconut, perhaps that will happen at the luau. When we returned from our sales pitch Gabriella was already out at the pirate ship pool. I slipped into my bathing suit and joined her for a little bit before we both headed to the bigger pool. We spent the rest of the morning swimming before coming back to the room for lunch.
As I write this she is fast asleep in the chaise lounge chair covered with a blanket and snuggling her Ariel doll. I hope she wakes up in time for dinner.
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