Travel to Maui, Hawaii - April 6, 2021

We were flying out from different cities in order to meet in Maui, Hawaii.  Helen and Mimi flew out from San Francisco, Alice from Los Angels and Fei from Houston. 

Due to pandemic, travel to Hawaii was not an easy task.  All travelers from the US Mainland need to provide negative COVID test result (tested within 72 hours before departure).  We all passed this requirement with no issues.

Our flights were all smooth and on time.  Alice arrived first and picked up the rental car.  She then picked up Mimi, Helen and Fei according to our arrival schedule. Big thanks to Alice.

On our way to Four Seasons Resort, we stopped and purchased papayas, bananas, apples, instant oatmeals, etc. at Walmart.

It was a breeze to check into Four Seasons Resort. We all had been treated royally due to Helen's status. Thanks to Helen for treating us to stay in this wonderful resort (also the Ritz-Carlton in Honolulu).

After unpacking our luggages, we dined in the Duo Steak and Seafood restaurant inside the resort. We shared dishes, and had the opportunity to taste varieties of Hawaiian dishes. We chatted and laughed during dinner. What a wonderful occasion for us to be together.

We strolled along the hotel lobby and took pictures.

Visit Makawao and Paia - April 7, 2021

We got up early and admired the beautiful Maui scenery from our room's balcony.  You can see the ocean in a close distance. What a wonderful sight!

We chose to have a buffet style breakfast inside the resort. The air was fresh, the sky was blue with white clouds. What a relaxing and beautiful day in Maui. After breakfast, we checked with hotel concierge to find local stores. They suggested to visit Makawao and Paia. 

Thanks to our designated drivers Mimi and Alice for taking turns to do all the driving for us in Hawaii. The road to Makawao is pretty good, with the help of google maps, we arrived at Makawao in over an hour.  It is a small town with shops lined up on both sides of the main street. We checked them out one by one and they are all very interesting.  We have fish tacos and freshly squeezed orange juice for lunch. Around the same time, we heard a rooster crowing near by.  Helen found the rooster next to the restaurant.  Mimi and Helen took pictures and videos of this beautiful rooster. We laughed whenever we heard his crowing from recorded videos on our phones.

We continue our journey to Paia.  The traffic got pretty bad and there was no place to park.  So, we decided to go back to Four Seasons.

We all dressed up for dinner at Spago inside the resort.  This Wolfgang Puck restaurant offers California cuisine with local Hawaiian flavors. We shared all dishes and pre-ordered chocolate soufflé for dessert. 

Shopping at Whalers Village in Lahaina - April 8, 2021

After breakfast, we walked along the beach and passed many other hotels.  The walk was very pleasant.  We took pictures of the ocean and surrounding areas.  

Today, we went to Whalers Village on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina. This is an oceanfront retail center with best brands and one-of-a-kind speciality retailers.  Alice and Helen found easy folding hats just like Mimi's.  We spent quite a lot of time in Lilly Pulitzer trying on their clothes including tops, dresses, pants, etc. What a sunny, bright and comfortable clothing store!  Of course, each one of us came out of this store with bags full of wonderful outfits.

We ate a late lunch at an oceanfront restaurant (Helen remembered this restaurant in her previous visit) with fish tacos and poke bowls. A man was playing Ukulele and singing Hawaiian songs. What a treat!

The time for Sunset was around 6:50pm.  We put on a heavier jack and strolled along the beach. 

Private Half-Way to Hana Tour - April 9, 2021

Before our Hawaii trip, Helen arranged a private 'Half-Way to Hana Tour' for us.  Our driver Taylor from Central Pacific Charters picked us up at 8:30am.

Our first stop was Ho'okipa Lookout. This park is famous for surfing, windsurfing, parasailing and snorkeling. There were a lot of people surfing on that day.  We also got to a chance to see sea turtles coming up on the beach.  Tylor took us to the Black Sand beach next. On the way to our next attraction, Taylor took us to a little store to buy the Maui's Road to Hana Banana bread. Later, we stopped at Haiku and ate the banana bread.  We also stopped at Ko'olau Forest Reserve for a short hike.  We had pictures taking in front of rainbow eucalyptus trees and bamboo trees, Then, we walked up to the waterfalls.  The scenery was just beautiful.

In the afternoon, Taylor took us to a hamburger place for lunch. The burger was delicious with Hawaii sweet onions. Around 3:00pm, we got back to the resort. It was a nicely pre-arranged 6 hours trip with just the right amount of activities for us. Although the road to Hana is winding, Taylor drove skillfully and we did not feel it at all.

After a short rest in our room, we headed to Island Gourmet Markets near the resort because  Alice would like to eat papayas everyday.  Before entering the market, we saw 'Johnny Was' clothing store inside the 'Shops at Wailea'.  Alice carries a beautiful bag with 'Johnny Was' name on it that day.  So, we went in and checked it out.  As usual, it was not hard for us to find bright and colorful clothes there.

We did not forget about papayas and also found souvenirs such as macadamia nuts and candies in the Island Gourmet Market.

Dinner at the Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar which was suggested by Taylor. The food was just okay over there.

Visit Lavender Farm - April 10, 2021

We want to see at least one garden in Maui.  After checking with concierge, we decided to visit Lavender Farm.  After arrival we realized the lavenders were not yet blooming, but they have plenty of other beautiful flowers on site.  From the farm, the views of Maui's Central Valley are spectacular.  We took many pictures. We also visited the gift shop and purchased Organic Kula Calm Tea, jams, dried lavender sachets, etc. Helen ordered lavender tea and scone. Fei had lavender flavored coffee. They all tasted wonderful.

We went back to the resort and had late lunch at poolside Ferraro's Bar (Italian restaurant).

Since we were headed to Honolulu the next day, Alice did the check-in at Southwest and printed boarding passes for all of us.

We went back to our rooms and started packing.

Later, we changed to swimsuits and relaxed in the jacuzzi.  Then, we watched sunset again. What a beautiful sight!

Travel from Maui to Honolulu - April 11, 2021

Today was the traveling day from Maui to Honolulu.  We had a relaxed breakfast. Although it is a less than 30 minutes short flight to Honolulu, we have to return the rental car first. So, we left the resort around noon.  After we got to the terminal we found out that the Southwest flight we booked originally was cancelled, so we had to rebook a flight with Hawaiian Airlines.  What a hassle!

We arrived at Honolulu airport and picked up our rental car.

After checked-in at Ritz-Carlton Residences, we found out the sofa bed was not very comfortable. Helen immediately upgraded our room to an ocean view double rooms suite.  Thanks, Helen!

Dinner was at Wolfgang's Steakhouse inside the Royal Hawaiian Center which is in walking distance from Ritz-Carlton.  We shared mouth-watering steak, fresh fish and their famous Wolfgang salad.  

Walk Waikiki Beach and shopping - April 12, 2021

We had breakfast in the room with coffee, instant oatmeals, and leftover banana bread. Sipping coffee and watching beautiful ocean views from our hotel living room was truly a treat.

Since the Waikiki Beach is in walking distance, we all dressed casual and put on our flip flops and headed out.  It is about 10 minutes walk; we walked slow and took picture of another rooster.  The white beach sand is smooth and beautiful.  Although, it's still in the morning, there were many people at the beach already.  Alice mentioned that she visited Hilton Hawaiian Village (her sister has Timeshare there) before. In the surrounding areas, there are many shops. We were tempted by shopping there, so we had not trouble at all to find the place.

We bought backpacks, travel bags, etc at an outdoor clothing and equipment shop and had 'Rice Role with Spam' for lunch. We also bought souvenirs with Hawaiian designs such as aprons, fanny packs, shoulder bags from a stand operated by a Korean guy. 

We went back to the Royal Hawaiian Center and decided to dine in Doraku Sushi. We ordered Miso Soup, Grilled Hamachi Kama, Hamachi Carpaccio, Chef Special Sushi, Hand Rolls and Vegetable Tempura. What a wonderful meal!

Visit Pearl Harbor National Memorial - April 13, 2021

We visited Pearl Harbor National Memorial today. We thought this would be a very sad & somber place to visit but were surprised to learn how a sad time in our history can also be a place of hope & remembrance. We spent time in the Visitor Center Museum and learned the past histories.  It's a beautiful place with many things to do. Perfect way to spend a day! 

Then, we headed north to North Shore. On our way there, we stopped at Starbucks and had a quick lunch.  North Shore is best known for its massive waves, attracting surfers from all around the globe.  We stopped at an area with shops and restaurants.  The sign of Hawaiis Best Shave Ice attracted us to check it out. We ordered our own shave ice with specific flavors.

After we got back, we took a nap then headed back to that Korean guys shop again for more souvenirs.  There is a Japanese restaurant near by, so we had Tempura Udon and Soba for dinner.

We watched the sunset from our room's large open window, the sun was hidden behind a tall building. But, it was still a beautiful sight.

Lunch at Nordstrom in Ala Moana Center - April 14, 2021

Alice's sister highly recommended us to have lunch at Marketplace Cafe, Nordstrom in the Ala Moana Center.  So, we went there this morning.  We saw UNIQLO first and bought hats, light jackets, light sweaters, etc.  By the time we made to Nordstrom's restaurant, there was a wait time of one hour.  So, we had to wondering around the mall.  Then, we spotted 'Johnny Was'.  They carry different styles of clothes then the one in Maui.  We tried them on and spent more money in this store.

We did went back to the Marketplace Cafe and ordered Ginger Crusted Ahi Tuna Salad, Crispy Panko Chicken salad, etc. They all tasted good.

We want to try eating at Ritz-Carlton for dinner tonight.  But, two of the restaurants were fully booked.  So, we ordered food from their third restaurant - Quiora and had the food delivered to our room.  We had Garlic Shrimp, Braised Pork Meatballs, Porcini Flat Pasta, Charred Broccoli and Roasted Mushrooms.

Visit Hanauma Bay - April 15, 2021

We made reservation to eat breakfast in Ritz-Carlton.  What a relaxing way to start the day.  

We planned to visit Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve today.  Some of us still remembered snorkeling and watching fishes swimming around our legs in previous visits.  By the time we got there around 10:30am, the place was closed with no explanation. We assumed the place was full and not allowing more visitors at that time. We drove a little bit further and stopped at a lookout place to take pictures.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked to 'Dean and Deluca' which is right next to Ritz-Carlton. Helen wants to try their food and finally got the chance. We had tea and macrons and sat at their outdoor table. We also ordered their Mushroom Soup and Angel Hair with Presto Sauce to enjoy them in our hotel room.

For dinner, we went back to Doraku Sushi and ordered our favorite dishes again.

Travel Back to the US Mainland - April 16, 2021

We got up earlier and had everything ready to get to the airport by 7am.  First we have to return the rental car, then we all took the same flight to San Francisco.  Alice and Fei continued their trip to Houston.  It was after midnight when they got back to Houston.  

What a wonderful trip we had. During pandemic, this was not an easy trip but we all managed well.  Thanks to Helen again.