HAWAII – Maui

In Honolulu you can take a flight  to Maui, and get there in less than thirty minutes. Maui has, I think, three airports. I landed in Kahului and rented a car to get to Lahaina, the city where we chose to stay. At the airport I chose a hotel, very practical and new in my experience. There is a wall where you can find the names of the hotels with fees and a direct telephone to each hotel – no phone charges. Usually, they pick you up at the airport. Everything is quick and perfect. I found this system also in Honolulu and Europe.

Maui is absolutely wonderful. We rented a car to drive around the island (about five thousand kilometers), stopping at beautiful beaches and waterfalls – without destination or schedules, in a real paradise - carrying along only water and fruit – eating whenever we felt hungry wherever we found a good restaurant.

Makena (above) is my favorite beach in Maui, where I had a frightening experience. The water was very shallow, about twenty centimeters deep, I was wearing a long dress, and I walked into the ocean for a long time with my camera to take photos of the mountains behind. I turned my back to the ocean to take the photos and at a certain moment I looked back and saw a wall of water behind me. I started running towards the shore, as fast as I could, holding the camera high up. After a long run, the wave took me from my neck to toe, but it was no longer water – it was only foam. In the end I saved my camera, and the foam bath was delicious, unforgettable. But it’s good to remember: do not trust the apparent calm of these waters, and do not let your children go far in the ocean. Later I heard that Makena is the best beach for surfing in Maui.

Lahaina is a small and lovely place, where you can find great shops – the most famous brands from Italy and France, and great restaurants. I especially remember one that was built into, and  had lighting on the floor, onto the water. We had dinner watching the fish swimming near us. I do not remember its name, but it is a very well known restaurant in the main street.

Maui is also famous for the humpback wales that come to the island from December to April. Unfortunaltely I went in August- when the mountains are covered by flowered grass – and couldn’t see them. But… I will come back one day!