Trip to Maui, Part 3

We swam out to the sea turtle cleaning station, and I still don’t know what exactly this means. The tide was starting to come in and it made the swim a little tougher. We swim to the buoy where the cleaning station is supposed to be. After a 30 minute swim, we see nothing. Swim around the area, nothing. Disappointed, we start to head back to the beach.

A couple of minutes later, I practically swim straight into a giant sea turtle. While snorkeling, you have a tenancy to always look mostly down. I was not expecting the turtle to be hanging out at the surface – makes sense, being an air breathing animal like ourselves. The turtle’s moves were slow but deliberate. As the turtle scanned the ocean floor and reefs, dozens of fish emerged. The fish seemed to be inquisitive and checking out the foreign intruders in their environment. Again, like swimming in an aquarium.

We were running out of energy and headed back to shore. We tried to check out the first reef again, but the tide was starting to come in and the wind was picking up. The choppy water made it difficult to breath through the snorkel as the waves frequently washed over the top. The waves started to stir the sandy ocean floor and started to make it difficult to see.

After the snorkeling adventure, it was time for some more relaxation. Miriam headed to the salon to get her nails done. She wanted pretty nails because she would be showing off her hand frequently. I took the time to nap and read, Nap some more…

 Saturday evening we headed to Luau at one of the neighboring resorts. The Luau consisted of basically a buffet dinner and a show with unlimited cocktails – Mai Tai’s for me please. I gave Miriam a Lei to get in the spirit of things. We shared a table with two couples and shared our adventures and a couple of laughs. The buffet dinner and cocktails weren’t all that spectacular. The roast pig was good and with enough Mai Tai’s – you were hydrated and had a little buzz.

We headed back to the hotel and crashed pretty early again. We weren’t making it much past sunset into our evenings, but the early mornings were nice. Sunday would be our last day in paradise.

After checkout, we headed to the mall to grab some trinkets and good coffee. We wandered around the outdoor mall for a bit then decided to explore the northern side of the island. We headed to Kaanapali and Kapalua to see the other side of Maui. Kaanapali was the tourist trap area for lack of better words. Large high-rise hotels, fast food chain restaurants and more traffic were common place. We continued through to Kapalua, which is basically one very large, very beautiful golf resort. We took a short walk to explore the coast and dip our toes in the ocean one last time.

The road between Kapalua and Kahului was a thrill ride. Mostly narrow, single lane roads perched on the side of  a cliff was the norm. We stopped at a few of the scenic overlooks when we could, but the drive was much more challenging than the road to Hana. We wondered what the people did who lived out here other than take in the endless scenery – think Jurassic Park or Lost.

We had a couple of hours to kill before our dinner reservations at Mama’s Fish House and spent the time sitting on the beach watching the wind surfer’s at Hookipa Park. It was a busy trip and we were about to head back to the real world. We needed a few moments for everything to sink and in and enjoy the slower vacation pace of life.

There were many highlights to the trip. Food overall to this point was decent. In the last few days counting down to the trip, 3 different people recommended Mama’s. When we told the Activity Coordinator that we wanted reservations there, she lit up and told us how wonderful the restaurant is and how she and her husband always made it their last stop before getting on the plane. Mention Mama’s on the island, and you will get similar stories.

Valet parking greeted us at the restaurant. After a short walk down the path to the public beach in front of the restaurant, we were rewarded with an storybook view. Palm trees dotted the beach which sat in a small cove. The setting sun painted the sky with pinks, purples, reds and oranges.  The restaurant was mostly open air seating right on the beach. We were fortunate to have a table right next to the beach.

Immediately, I found the cocktail menu with original tropical drinks. There are the juicy Mai Tai’s, then there is the original Vic Bergeron Mai Tai. These delivered! I could have sat there all evening and sampled each one of the cocktails. The service was fantastic – always there when you needed it, but not interrupting us while we enjoyed the food and view. Now what makes this restaurant so spectacular other than great cocktails and the view, is the food.

The menu is basic and updated daily. The fish is not only identified by what is in the dish, but also who caught the fish, where and how. All of the fish is fresh from the ocean and never more than 24 hours old. The sashimi melted in our mouth while the freshly ground wasabi and ginger rounded out the flavors. I am still at a loss for words for the dinner. Look up delicious in the Thesaurus and start listing the words. You won’t go wrong.Miriam has the signature dish of maui maui stuffed with lobster and crab, while I had enjoyed the Ahi with peppercorn sauce. Salivating just thinking about it.

While we waited for desert and real Kona coffee, Miriam and I entertained getting married at Mama’s. There is an Inn, beach and restaurant. Plain. Simple. Perfect.We rounded out the meal with desert which I cannot remember what it named. but it was fantastic and looked like an open clam shell. Vaguely remember chocolate mouse. It was a perfect way to end the trip.

We dropped the Jeep off, checked in for the flight and headed home. I booked red-eye flights  for our return. BIG mistake. I didn’t sleep on the plane and needed to go to work Monday morning. Then again, I just got back from Maui, engaged. Work can suffer.