Traveling To Magical Maui! 🌴

If you follow me on Instagram, you know we went to Hawaii in January for six days and had a magical time. This was our first adventure for 2023 and it was a good one. We had been before so we did different things this time! There is a lot to do on this small amazing island in paradise.

You can click on most images to enlarge them.

I did not pack a capsule this time, I was too busy beforehand to think it through. So I packed by outfit and tried to wear things more than once. I will say, I trusted the weather app on my iPhone and it was waaaaay off. I remember the last time we were there, I was chilly at night, so I believed it when it said 50’s at night. 🙄

I was not able to wear some of my stuff, and had to go buy some things to wear. Here are some of the outfits that did work…

Travel over and back. I didn’t need the jacket. I put the flips on when we got there.

Pool & Beach - suit from Garnet Hill - so good - I brought it for snorkeling with a rash guard, but we didn’t get to go.

I love this Emerson Fry caftan. I wear it to dinner one night and then as a coverup the next day. I have had it for years! The suit is La Blanca.

For helicopter ride and dinner afterwards. Wore shorts instead.

For dinner…

Whale watching “ensemble”. Took leggings and shorts. Wore the shorts. This top is so great. It’s from Coolibar - a UV protection line. Couldn’t find this one for you - got it on our boat trip last August.

Pool & Lunch - suit and skirt both from J Crew - actually sort of elegant looking when you put them together…Sunnies are bifocals.

This is another great ruched suit - Johnny Was, last year on sale…

For dinner on the beach.

Last dinner. I like to wear dresses if possible when traveling with Chip. Less items to pack and we usually have a nice group dinner.

Here’s what I bought there that was more appropriate than some of what I brought…

I got a shorter kimono version of this. (I could only find this wholesale.)

Loved these jelly sandals with the studs look. They are great for vacay - where with a bathing suit during the day and with a dress at night. I think I need them in black…😬

Rollup, Rollup for the Magical Maui Tour!!

We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea on the west side of the island. Unbelievable sunsets! The hotel was beautiful and the staff was amazing also. We have stayed at the nearby Four Seasons before and this was every bit as nice.

The lobby and views were stunning.

The Private Villas

Our room was great

There is a walk that winds around all of the hotels on this coast. The views are spectacular and there are gorgeous plantings and lots of wildlife. I got my coffee and walked this in the mornings. This coast of the island looks out on Molokini, which is a crescent shaped volcanic crater remnant. It’s great for snorkeling.

The four seasons, where white lotus was filmed…

Nearby there was a little grotto where the green sea turtles come up and sunbath. We went to investigate. We did not see them when we went, but later in the day, my friend Jennifer spied one. Look how big they are!

While we were there, we went whale watching on a catamaran…

We took a helicopter tour of the north half of the island and the south half of nearby Molokai. This was just spectacular. We flew in and out of the clouds with Whitten. Remember the opening scene from Jurassic Park? Yeah… I highly recommend it if you get the chance…

whitten was riding around with us 💙

The northern end of Maui - Kapalua

After our tour, we could not get into Mama’s Fish House for dinner - you need reservations months in advance. Instead, we went to a restaurant in the mill house on an old sugar plantation. The food was fine, but the scenery was gorgeous…

Other great restaurants included Morimoto, located in the beautiful Andaz hotel, and owned by the famous Chef Morimoto from Iron Chef. It was beautiful and delicious.

Our other favorites were Nicks Fishmarket, which was in the hotel…

…and Monkeypod Kitchen, which was nearby and delicious. And hey - any restaurant that has Shumacher Chang Mai on their chairs, can’t be bad! They are known for their fabulous foamy mai tais. And rightly so! Wowsa!