We stayed at Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa - five star resort + excellent Kobe beef burger!

My fiancée and I went to Maui last fall in attempt to escape from our daily routine.  It was my first time visiting Hawaii (my fiancée had been to Honolulu before), so I did tons of research on each island and decided that Maui was the perfect place for ultimate getaway.  The vacation actually turned out not only extraordinary, but now I have a dream that I want to work towards: to retire and own a boutique restaurant in Maui.

What we loved the most about the place, besides its beautiful beaches and mild climate, was everyone’s chilled attitude.  Maui takes the phrase “laid back” to whole different level; if California is a BMW, then Maui is a Porsche.  Anyone you interact with, whether they are owners of coffee shops or neighbors at your resort, all have one goal in mind, and that is to relax.  If you ever strike up a conversation with them, you’ll find out that most people are frequent tourist to the island; even the “locals” were once tourists who decided to stick around and build their lives by the ocean.

Hawaiin Local Cuisine

Being a food lover, I was super excited to research local eateries.  Yelp was a good resource, but restaurants reviews are scarce and it was hard to gauge the quality of their food.  Where we ended up eating was a combination of online research and local recommendations - list of restaurants can be found in my duffel here.

Top left, clockwise: Breakfast at resort.  Kehei Cafe special.  Wokstar’s surfboard sign.  Daiquiri by the pool.  Wokstar’s refreshing brunch.

My Personal Favorite - Spa Grande

Since our primary objective was to relax and do nothing for five days, my favorite activity, surprisingly, turned out to be the “couple spa” at our neighboring resort, Grand Wailiea Resort and Spa.  (My fiancée probably doesn’t agree with me because I was talking throughout the spa session and disturbing her “inner peace”.)  Being a Waldorf Astoria Collection, you can imagine the faciness of this resort.  I didn’t know this before, but Spa Grande is actually named “Top 10 Spas in United States” by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure magazines.  Don’t get me wrong, the kayak / snorkeling tour was beyond awesome (we got to see five-foot long sea turtles within arm reach), but spa was a novel concept to me, and I had absolutely no expectations going in.  What was so special about the spa, you may wonder.  Well, I’m not going to go into the details, but I just have to say that if I go back to Maui again, I will go back to Spa Grande.  I strongly recommend every man (yes, man) to try it out.

Luau & West Maui

First time to Hawaii, I have to try out their famous luau.  My word of advice on this is go with one that is most popular on the internet.  Every single resort has their own luau, so carefully pick one that has good ratings, because they’re not cheap!  Our luau was at west Maui in Lahaina, a more touristy part of the island.  Every resort there has a stretch of sandy beach (pictured on right) - very nice, but I wondered why there weren’t that many people on the beach that day.  The main difference between Wailea and Lahaina, I felt (and I’ve never stayed at Lahaina), was the audience: Wailea attracts more mature, non-family visitors, because it is quieter and costs a little more to stay, while Lahaina is more family and spring breakers oriented.  Where you want to stay depends on what you’re looking to get out of your Maui trip.  Maui is one of those places that won’t let you feel bad for staying in your resort all day long.  In any case, hang loose, my friends.