I’m Back!!!!!!! My Hawaii Post!

I have so many things I want to tell you about!! So many photo’s that I want to share!! I will be adding photo’s to posts for the next few weeks don’t worry. Y’all won’t be looking at a million photo’s right now!!! With the exception of the Moshi Keyboard and the Abco Charger I have not been compensated for anything else I am sharing with you in this post. These are just my personal recommendations from Hawaii.

First and foremost, I will never ever travel without my Moshi Keyboard for my iPad Air. GREATEST invention EVER for iPad owners!!! I charged my keyboard before I left California and it’s still going strong 8 days later! BRILLIANT for working on the plane. Or in any small space. The origami style stand is amazing. Again I very comfortably worked on the plane all the way home. Read my full review here.

Abco Tech makes THE PERFECT travel charger. WOW couldn’t have been easier and more convenient for travel. Hawaiian Airlines charges $25 per checked piece of luggage. Not just $25 per bag, but your luggage has to weigh in at 50 pounds or less. Needless to say, space was at a premium. This charger is small!! As in 2.8″ x 2.3″ x 1.2″ in dimensions. The USB Wall Charger from Abco Tech charger only weighs in at just 8 ounces. PERFECTION in size and weight! This charger is also very durable! 2 plane trips…… a full weeks vacation, it’s still perfect!! Read my full review here

Things YOU MUST DO in Hawaii!!

Take the road to Hana. Trust me take the camera and go!! Take your nerves of steel and do IT!!! I highly recommend The Road to Hana CD Guide for Maui: Experiencing the Road to Hana… and Beyond!

If you are driving yourself. This CD is AMAZING!! It’s like having a tour guide in your car. The CD tells you which mile markers you should NOT MISS!!! Also the best food stops too!! We had the BEST Chili dog and shaved ice EVER were at Auntie Sandy’s. Stop there!! OH MY GOODNESS they were HUGE portions and deeeeelicious!!!! Be sure to grab a loaf of Banana Nut Bread too!! The entire CD is awesome. The narrators voice is easy to listen too. The cd is accompanied with Hawaiian music. We all LOVED this CD!!

SHOPPING!!

I highly recommend your first stop in Hawaii is Costco for water and snacks and what you don’t eat or drink donate to the bell boys! Alcohol is super expensive everywhere you go in Hawaii. Sooooo again….. Costco!! We bought our case of water, snacks for the group. A huge bottle of Vodka and Hawaiian juice and insulated cups too. It’s HOT in Hawaii!! Contigo mugs even kept the ice frozen all day!! As long as the mugs are empty you can take them through security at the airport!! AWESOME!!!

Next stop Walmart. They have the largest souvenir selection I’ve ever seen and at prices that are even lower than the ABC stores!! I highly recommend!!

WHERE TO STAY!!

We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel which has been voted the MOST Hawaiian Hotel and for great reason. The staff is amazingly helpful. The hotel is quaint. The first day of your stay you get a complimentary breakfast that is soooo delicious!! The potatoes are to die for. The fruit, local grown is PERFECTION!! The information that they give you is awesome!! Places to go. Things to see. Places to eat. This is just an added bonus for being a guest of the hotel. AWESOME!!! HOWEVER!!! With the thoughts of those wonderful potatoes in my head we went to the restaurant for breakfast …. very disappointing. The food was horrible. All four of us ordered different breakfasts and all four of us were disappointed. Not willing to be quiters….. we tried dinner at the hotel a pizza. Seemed a safe bet. Ummmmmm we would be WRONG!!! The pizza tasted like dollar store pizza cooked in a micro=wave. HOWEVER the Kaanapali Tiki Bars drinks were delicious…. So, my recommendation is skip the food at the hotel. ALL TOGETHER!!!

The Kaanapali Beach Hotel even has kids club for the kids to earn prizes. Alice being only 3 received her prizes up front, a heavy duty sand pail and shovel, sunglasses, and other awesome items. VERY nice touch!!!  They even made sure that Alice received her Hawaiian Name. Kaanapali really made Alice feel special! Also be aware, the older wings have no elevators.  We were on the 3rd floor. So, instead of gaining 40 pounds I probably only gained 39. Those stairs were killers!!! HOLY MOLY!!!

100% worth the stairs just to have my coffee with this view!!

FOOD

I highly recommend a trip to Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop!! OH HOLY MOLY!!! Banana Cream pie that rivals my grandma’s. YUMMMMM Sandwiches that are mouthwatering. The Lahaina Dog is a gourmet Eisenberg all beef hot dog. Made with Maui God Pineapple Chutney, Poha Berry Mustard. SO GOOD!!!!!! Prices are great too!!

Snorkeling

The Snorkel Store. The friendliest staff on the entire island of Maui!!! These people go out of their way to be helpful! With two locations dropping off and picking up your equipment is super easy!!  Check out the coupons they provide on line for an even better deal on rentals!!

 SNORKEL TOURS

The scuba boat FOUR WINDS II!!  WOW!!! NOW this was a FUN, FUN cruise!!!! Out to the Molokini Crater for snorkeling and lunch. The staff obviously adores their jobs!! They have huge smiles all day long. They are helpful. AND SO MUCH FUN!! Alice got to use the kids craft called a port boards; it’s like a boogie board but with a glass port built in so you can see what is below without even getting your head wet!!! As far as my snorkeling experience, I admit I was FREAKED OUT and had to learn to CALM down and not hyperventilate. I don’t swim well; at ALL!! I am pretty sure I could easily drown if I can’t touch the bottom of the pool, so imagine me in the OCEAN!!! Where in some spots I can’t even SEE the bottom. OHMYGOSH my heart is racing right now and I’m in the PLANE!!!! Okay, so to say I had to really calm my mind is an understatement. SOooooo AFTER I stopped freakin’ out, I had a great time!!!! Well, up until another scuba person went in front of me and his ummmmmm franks and beans were out of his swim trunks!! HELLO how do I reverse with these fins!?!?!??!!?? Some things you just can’t unsee!! I have a feeling it’s on my video movie! I also had no idea how to STOP swimming with fins on!!! So, I just kept getting closer!! After that ummmmm experience,  I had to learn to sit up, I finally just figured out I had to roll over on my back and I could sort of sit up. That helped when I started to panic; just roll over and float awhile. When I was calm again, I rolled back into the water………then these little black fish would dart in front of me…. well the first one that did that ….. almost gave me a heart attack. I almost introduced some new organics into the ocean!!!

BTW, the pulled pork  sandwich we had for lunch was probably the best I’ve EVER HAD!!! Delicious!! The Four Winds II was designed especially for Molokini snorkeling and built with family fun in mind.

I got some awesome photos too; because you can rent an underwater camera, I highly recommend doing just that.

 

MAKE-UP or NOT

HUMID and HOT!! Helllo!!! I recommend that you just leave your make up at home. I was a hot sweat mess within seconds of leaving the hotel room! Before the trip, I was determined to find a shine absorbing lotion or serum to use. I purchased 2 products to try. Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray, Oil Control was not it. Neither was NYX Cosmetics Shine Killer I had a shiny face the entire trip. Oh well, I was mostly behind the camera anyway. Which truthfully, is where I love to be the most anyway!!  So for my oily friends I recommend skipping these two products!

PLACES that you SHOULD NOT MISS!!!

The next absolutely MUST see is the sunrise on Haleakala OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have never seen such a miraculous site in my life. BREATH TAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL!! These are sunrises worthy of Heaven!! I can’t even describe how your heart will swell when you see the sunrise. A million times worth getting up at 2 am to get on the bus! I PROMISE!!!! Worth the trip to Hawaii for this alone!!! The park rangers even chant as the sun peaks over the crest. It’s a powerful way too start your day. I recommend NOT hitting the potty first. GRAB a spot along the rail. Or you will have the tops of heads in some of your photo’s like I do. Even though I didn’t get a spot at the rail it didn’t detract from the view. I can’t recommend this trip enough. This pictures deserve to be on canvas! If you take no other recommendation from me THIS is one you should. Also it’s FREEZING!!! Pack your coat!! Wear layers!! Trust me!! I forgot to pack gloves. My hands were ice cubes!!

Hawaiian Secrets

Found in Hawaii The local suntan lotion that is to die for. The after tan lotion is equally amazing. A small amount goes a long way. If my suitcase wasn’t bulging at the seams I would have bought extra. So your next trip to Hawaii. GET THIS!! Now after a search on the wonderful Internet I see it’s available in tons of places! Even Maui Babe!!  YEAH ME!!!!!