BEST PACIFIC ISLAND - MAUI

HALEAKALA AND WAILEA - AUGUST 1996

The CONDE NAST TRAVELER magazine organizes an annual Readers’ Choice Awards Poll. 2006 was the nineteenth year of the contest and Maui, for the sixteenth straight year, was voted «Best Pacific Island». With a score of 90.2, Maui captured the «Top Pacific Rim Island» category scoring higher than runner-up Kauai (88.4) and third place Moorea (84.7), two other fantastic spots. The title of «Best Island in the World» went to the Maldives this year (have to go there to check why), and it was the first time that Maui has not captured that title since the awards began.
Anyhow, there were many good reasons to love Maui when we went there, and it seems that many of them still remain...

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HALEAKALA




"HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK - One possibility is to wake up in the middle of the night and drive uphill to see the sun rising. However, that would require a bit too much stamina, so we decided to get there a bit later..."


"THE PEAK of Haleakala volcano, at 3055 m above sea level, is the highest point on Maui, the third-highest point in the state of Hawaii"



"VOLCANO - The easily-accessible summit of the Haleakala volcano is a terrific experience. The landscape is deeply sculpted and richly coloured, and there are lots of alternative programmes to enjoy: from a few minutes looking for native birds in the bush land to hours hiking in the ashes desert, always surrounded by native Hawaiian plants and animals""


"NATIONAL PARK HEADQUARTER stop, on the way down..."


"TEDESCHI VINEYARDS at Ulupalakua Ranch: Fine wines grown in the tropics, so they say..."

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WAILEA





"WAILEA BEACH, located on Maui’s sunny South Shore, is a large and wide golden sand beach. The relatively flat beach is great for sunbathing and, being protected on both ends, the calm waters are ideal for swimming. It's the finest beach and has the driest and sunniest weather in Maui. It seems to provide an exceptional whale watching vantage point from December through April, though I've never been there during the season! Anyhow, it does not match the best Algarve's beaches..."



"THE FOUR SEASONS - Wailea is full of resorts, maybe a bit too much crowded. The Four Seasons, however, is a superb spot. They say they have «the Island’s most spacious guest rooms» and the most «gracious service» and it's probably true. As far as the «luxuriant gardens», that can be easily confirmed. And Wailea’s crescent of Pacific blue is just nearby: «fresh water? cool towel? Evian spritz? Miss»"



"PASHA STYLE at the poolside cabanas"



"SUNSET"

TROPICAL PARADISE - MAUI

THE ROAD TO HANA - AUGUST 1996

The Road to Hana is a classic of Maui's visit. It is said to be a trip back in time to the old style Hawaii and the way to see the most spectacular scenery found anywhere in the Hawaiian islands, as well as some of the most beautiful tropical rainforests available on Earth. However, it is not a piece of cake to get there, as one has to face a long and winding 53 miles road from Kahului Airport, with over 600 bumpy twisting turns and 50 one-lane bridges... So, be prepared to take your time, as it usually takes about three hours to make the drive, depending on how often you stop. There are also some tips for drivers: leave as early as you can, with a full tank of gas; bring some food and plenty of film; plan a whole day trip, and there you are; unless the reconstruction, which seems to have started in 1999, just ended with the thrill...


"PUOHOKAMOA FALLS - One compulsory stop is for the Puohokamoa (what a name) Falls. The visit to the botanical Garden of Eden is a matter of choice..."


"BEACH - I love this photo!"


"HANA HIGHWAY - Further to the blue sea and the lovely girls, one can see the curves of the Hana Highway on the other side of the sea..."


"FIELS - Farming is still important for many people on Maui, so we'll find on our way the pineapple fields of Haiku, and the taro (or kalo as it is called in Hawaiian) fields of Keanae. Taro is a starchy root vegetable, and is used to make poi which one usually gets at a luau"


"NEAR WAILUA - Lush tropical rain forests with an astounding variety of exotic flora meets you on the way"


"POOL - We have seen many beautiful waterfalls, and fresh water pools, so we took a swim in, and it was delicious..."



"SEVEN SACRED POOLS - Some 45 minutes from Hana down the road one reaches Oheo Gulch, better known as the "Seven Sacred Pools". It's definitely worth going there. The pools are located in Haleakala National Park, which means that we are almost on the other side, close to Makena and Wailea. The point is that the connection, if any, was not an easy one, so the return had to be made the same way. Anyhow, it was a great swim..."


"OHEO BRIDGE - Upstream, over the ravine"



"WAIANAPANAPA - Just after Hana town, on the way back, is the Wainapanapa State Park with its wonderful black sand beach and some small caves. Swimming here, however, is not recommended for the average swimmers, as the currents are very strong"



"RETURN at sunset"

HAWAII, FIRST TIME!

BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS - AUGUST 1996

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OAHU

Two months later, I was back to New York, this time with Guida and Di. We stayed one night at the Marriot, Newark Airport, and early next morning we're flying to Honolulu, via Los Angeles. The first stop was at Waikiki, and we stayed at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, a very nice hotel that is said to have introduced the world to Hawaiian hospitality in 1901. We practically have no photos, since we were using the video camera to capture the beach, the Dole plantations, Iolani Palace and the rest... The only survival was this one taken to greet us at the arrival...


"ALOHA"



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BIG ISLAND

Then, we flew to the Big Island. As the video camera was operating, no photos were taken. Unfortunately, after the visit to the Kilauea Volcano the camera broke down until today, and everything was lost... Well, there is one exception:


"KING KAMEHAMEHA'S HOTEL at Kona Beach is on one of the most historic sites in all of Hawaii, as King Kamehameha the Great had his royal residence adjacent to the current site of the hotel. When we arrived the Hotel was extremely busy with the Big Fish Contest, but anyhow we managed to survive... and saw everything that was to be seen: Kailua-Kona, Kohala Coast Resorts, Waimea, Hilo, Lava Tree State Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (one video camera out of order for ever...), and back to Kailua-Kona!"

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MAUI

The third Island to be visited was Maui, and for us it was the best of all three. Furthermore, the Four Seasons at Wailea is superb!



"IAO VALLEY is a beautiful site. Furthermore, it is also the place where occurred in 1790 one of the most famous battles that changed Hawaii history forever. By then, King Kamehameha the First destroyed the Maui army in an effort to unite the Hawaiian Islands. It's better to bring mosquito repellent...


"IAO NEEDLE is a natural rock pinnacle presiding over the Iao stream and surrounded by the walls of the Pu'u Kukui Crater"


"WAIHEE-HONOKAHUA. The road from Waihee to Lahaina via Honokahua and Kaanapali was impressive. You should pray not to get a car coming in the opposite direction, at least in some of the sections of the road. Some years ago there were recommendations not to bring rented cars to this road, but the views by the sea were superb..."


"LAHAINA - After the thrilling experience of the Honokahua road, we got to Lahaina, the so called «jewel in the crown of Maui». Lahaina town seems to be the second most visited spot on Maui after the beaches, and has an excellent restaurant: David Paul's Lahaina Grill. We managed to get three seats at the bar - tables were completely full - and had a superb meal cooked by David Paul Johnson. It was a remarkable experience"


"SHOPPING - After dinner we went shopping, which is one of the top sports in Lahaina. Crazy Shirt T-shirts and Aloha shirts were some of the buys. We also saved the Planet with Di's Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt, and then we returned home, to sleep at the Four Seasons in Wailea"