Sunday, November 9, 2014

Relaxing in Wailea Marriott, Maui

Maui time!

We took the morning, 7:50 a.m., flight from San Jose (aboard Hawaiian Airlines) HA45 to Kahului, Maui (OGG), arriving in Maui at 11:15 a.m. Hawaiian time. The flight lasted four and a half hours and went smoothly. I was surprised that Hawaiian Airlines actually provided breakfast on the plane. Most airlines charge for food and only offer peanuts or crackers.

Once we landed and collected our belongings, we went to pick up our Budget Rental Car. We chose a red Nissan Altima, which has become a much larger vehicle (Inna's older 1997 Nissan Altima was much smaller). The Budget car rental was part of the vacation package we booked at Costco.

Since renting boogie boards and beach chairs can be expensive at Maui resorts, we stopped by the local Costco to pick up a Body Glove boogie board for Alex and two Tommy Bahama beach chairs. We could rent beach chairs and umbrellas cheaper at the Marriott resort, so we returned the unused beach chairs. We did pick up some Hawaiian chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and taro chips to snack on. To save time, we ended up eating a quick lunch at Costco. Alex had a slice of pizza, and I had a giant hot dog.

From there, we drove to the Wailea Marriott Beach Resort and Spa in Wailea, where we made reservations for 7 nights.


When we arrived at Wailea Marriott, our room was not ready, so we changed into swimwear and went to the pools to enjoy the remains of the beautiful day.

After watching the beautiful sunset, we decided to have dinner at Cafe O'Lei in Kihei. I shared a Ceviche appetizer with Inna.


For my entree, I ordered a tomato salad with Buffalo mozzarella.


For entrees, we split an order of Macadamia-crusted Mahi-Mahi.


After dinner, we returned to our Marriott Wailea hotel and went to bed.

Sunday, November 10, 2014

After getting up early in the morning, we walked along the shore for a short walk. Afterward, we ate breakfast at Mala restaurant in Wailea Marriott. Although the waiters and waitresses at Mala were friendly and attentive, I did not like the food's selection or quality. It's acceptable but does not compare favorably against the selections in Duo (Four Seasons) or Fairmont Kea Lani. Since we had the included breakfast package, we ate there for convenience.



After breakfast, we went to the beautiful Wailea Beach and enjoyed swimming and boogie boarding in the waves.


After a few hours, we returned to our room and then walked to our favorite spot for lunch - Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante in Four Seasons.

Ferraro's has delicious pizza and freshly made lemonade. The quality and service are always first-rate, but the prices are also very high.


I had the "Gazpacho" cold tomato soup while Alex enjoyed his pizza.


After lunch, we went to play ping-pong and Foosball in Four Seasons's game room. Inna played really well and beat both Alex and me.


Alex played football with me and won two times. Afterward, he played some PS4 racing games in the next room. After resting a bit, we went back to our hotel room.

Later, we returned to the Marriott pools to enjoy the beautiful sunset.


The sunset was around 5:30 p.m. and was beautifully reflected in the pool and the ocean.


Inna went for a short swim in the Infinity pool and enjoyed the sunset.




After sunset, we walked to the main pool, where Alex and Inna swam and enjoyed the hot tubs.



We decided to try the Tiki Lounge in Kihei for dinner, which was a reasonably decent restaurant with reasonable prices (especially for alcoholic drinks).


Monday, November 11, 2014

We woke up early and strolled to the Fairmont Kea Lani Hotel along the beautiful beachside trail. We reminisced about spending our honeymoon here in October 2001. The Fairmont Hotel has changed a lot and has become more luxurious.


Fairmont Kea Lani has many beautiful fountains, flowers, and gardens, so we stopped there to look closer. These fountains were new to us.




The gardens had many beautiful flowers blooming, and I took a few photos.





After the walk, we had our usual uninspiring breakfast at Mala in Wailea Marriott, and then we rushed to Wailea Beach to enjoy the waves.

After boogie boarding, we went for lunch to Ferraro's Bar e Restaurante in Four Seasons.




After lunch, we spent a relaxing day by the infinity pool in Wailea Marriott and enjoyed another gorgeous Maui sunset.






Tuesday, November 12, 2014

We did our usual routine of going on an early morning walk along the shore. We saw a lot of stand-up paddle-boarders (SUPs) doing yoga on the water.


We enjoyed another beautiful Maui morning and breathed in the humid air. Mornings are the best time to walk or run before the temperature gets too hot in the afternoon.


After breakfast at Mala, we went to the beach for another day. I decided to work out in Wailea Marriott's gym before lunch while Alex and Inna enjoyed boogie boarding and swimming.

The gym in Wailea Marriott is indoor and well-cooled. I worked out for about an hour, doing the elliptical machines and weights. Afterward, I returned to the beach for a quick swim and lunch at Ferraro's.

Alex ordered another pizza - he never got tired of these!


Inna ordered a wrap, which was deliciously prepared, as usual.


I had another bowl of delicious Gazpacho.


After lunch, we played ping pong in Four Season's game room and relaxed by the pools. We stopped by Lappert's Ice Cream in the nearby Shops at Wailea for Maui's favorite ice cream. Our favorite flavors were  Kauai Pie and Heavenly Hana.

I wanted to finish my Coursera Class - Python for Beginners. To get full credit, I had to complete my asteroid game - Ricerocks. It was not too difficult, and I got it working while sitting in Starbucks. You can play it now by clicking on the above link.

We always enjoyed watching the sunsets. After all, how many sunsets does one experience in one's life?


For dinner, we decided to try the local Pita Paradise. It has moved to a new location, and we wanted to try it out.







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