Hello Haleakala!

We woke up at 5am the day after New Year's to watch the sunrise at the highest point in Maui, Haleakala National Park. We arrived at 6 am to see the sunrise a little before 7 am. 

 Did You Know?

The peak of Haleakala volcano, at 10,023 feet (3055 m) above sealevel is the highest point on Maui, the third-highest point in the state and may be the "peak" of your experience at Haleakala National Park.

 It's so beautiful and serene, and the clouds shimmer with many, many colors. 

 I loved all the shades of pink and blue. 

 It was freezing, but fortunately we had bundled up in our puffy coats, mittens, and hats, beforehand!

 There were a lot of people there for the sunrise. Can you see how many people packed into the visitor center?

 Mr. F and I had so much fun!

 If you ever watch the sunrise from Haleakala, remember to dress like you're going skiing!

Did You Know?
You pass through as many ecological zones on a two hour drive to the summit Mt. Haleakala as you would on a journey from Mexico to Canada.

a Foodie vacation in Maui

Mr. F and I love food. One of our favorite things about vacation is going out to eat. While we're on vacation, we never limit ourselves and diets do not exist. As we speak, Mr. F is cooking up something amazing in the kitchen, so I am inspired by the smells of bacon to write about the delicious food we had on Maui! 

Our first night in Maui, we had dinner at Mala, an Ocean Tavern at 7pm, just after sunset. We walked the length of Front Street in Lahaina, thinking 1.1 miles was easy. It was hot and I got several mosquito bites....in December!! It was worth it though, because the food was superb! We enjoyed the roasted beets, panko crusted goat cheese salad, Mahi Mahi ala Planca with Potato Puree, Mojo Verde & Grilled Pita with Romesco (pictured above), and I had the adult macaroni and cheese, with mushrooms and a touch of chili sauce. 

 Friday night was New Year's Eve, so we celebrated with an amazing gourmet dinner at David Paul's Island Grill.  We had a delicious blue cheese, tomato and apple salad, with Ahi tartare to start. The Ahi was so buttery and mouthwatering, I wish I could eat it fresh like this everyday!  

 I had the Chilean Sea Bass on a bed of coconut fried rice, which was utterly divine. 

 Mr. F had pepper crusted Big Eye tuna loin seared rare and served with sautéed fingerling potatoes, Maui onions, artichokes, mushrooms, red wine essence!

 For dessert, we had Dark chocolate Bouchon mousse served in a marbled chocolate cup, with lilikoi cream, fresh raspberries and mint. It was beyond words! 

 We stayed at the Kula Lodge on Haleakala, on New Year's Day.  My favorite dish at the restaurant was the Macademia Nut torte! 

 After watching the sunrise on the highest peak of Maui, we had a Papaya breakfast! I love fresh Papaya!

 A few days later in Napili, we went to Pineapple Grill at Kapalau Resort. I had the almond crusted Mahi Mahi with fingerling potatoes, brussels sprouts, and mushrooms!

 Mr. F had the most mouth-watering ahi and coconut rice with peanut sauce. It was tantalizing! 

 We had the chocolate banana bread pudding with eggnog ice cream for dessert. I had no idea that eggnog ice cream could be soo delicious!

 On January 4th, we went to our favorite breakfast place on the island, Gazebo! I had the short stack of Macadamia Nut and Pineapple pancakes. 

 Mr. F got fried rice!

 Later that day we went to the Sea House for lunch! I had awesome fish tacos! 

 On our last night in Maui, we went to Mala, an Ocean Tavern again! This time we got the Farmer's Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette, Kula Greens, Cucumber, Tomato, Maytag Bleu Cheese & Toasted Walnuts.

I had the Avalon seared sashimi, potato puree, Shiitake Mushroom Ginger Sauce.

Mr. F had the delicious Seafood pasta with crab, mussels, and scallops!

Guess what we had for dessert?

The drool-worthy Carmel Miranda! (Can you believe this is the half order?!)

For our last meal in Maui, on January 6th, we had pizza at Lahaina Pizza Company, formally known as BJ's. We had a huge and doughy Hawaiian pizza. It was very filling...

I also had to get one last lava flow and shave ice! I got guava and passion fruit. Mr. F got Tiger's Blood!

We had very full bellies when we got on the early evening plane back to Seattle. It was wonderful! 

I'm back from Maui!!

 I've edited my 700 + photos and I want to share my most favorite pictures! We arrived in Maui on December 30th. 

We drove to Lahaina, in West Maui, and arrived in time for the sunset. 

 We went snorkeling on New Year's Eve, North of Black Rock at Kahekili Beach Park, the beach in front of the Hyatt.

 I'm pretending to be a mermaid, as Mr. F takes pictures!

 We had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise on Front Street as our first lunch in Maui!

 Here's Mr. F relaxing in the pool at Pioneer Inn! 

 We wandered the shores of Lahaina in the evening. 

 We had our New Year's celebration at David Paul's Island Grill with amazing food, wine and dessert!

 On New Year's Day, we drove to Haleakala and stayed the night to see the sunrise on January 2nd. It was divine and I will post more photos soon. It was totally worth getting up at 5am, and dressing up like we were going to go skiing!

We spent January 3rd and 4th exploring the Hana Highway! We saw lots of waterfalls, lush greenery, rain, and volcanic rock formations. 

 After two days of relaxing in peaceful Hana, we finished the Hana Highway, and drove back to West Maui to Napili!

 We loved Napili Bay! We even saw a giant turtle!

 It was wonderful to be so relaxed and read a lot. I highly recommend reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"!

Mr. F and I had a great vacation. We have the weekend to recover before returning to work on Monday!