The Maui 2025 roundup! Three months after the fact, but no matter – this trip was particularly good and I’m still able to summon all those good Maui feels.
I love that early morning flight to Maui – such promise on the horizon (now that we’ve recovered from the trauma of Juliette’s in-flight puke-fest during our 2023 trip).
Smiles all around.
We arrived at the hotel before our room was ready, but I’ve learned to keep swimsuits and goggles easily accessible, as pool time is priority numero uno, so we traded our travel clothes for our swim gear, stowed our bags, and set up shop down at the main pool. Isaac and Juliette wasted no time staying dry.
Isaac quickly became enamored with the slides, wanting to do one circuit after another. This year, with his floaties on, he was able to go alone, so I found a little ledge in the pool to lounge on and watch while he went again and again.
And again.
For the record, she loves the slides, too.
Finally, hunger trumped swimming and we settled into our lounge chairs to wolf down our poolside salads and chicken strips. There’s happy Isaac and there’s tired Isaac and rarely do the two identities converge, but here, they did…
We eventually made it up to our room to settle in and change our clothes, but then golden hour beckoned and we were back out the door to head to the beach.
Soak it in, Bud. This is as good a playground as you’ll ever find.
Isaac held up his little red sand shovel and told me it was a stop sign – that he was telling the water to quit chasing him. Truly, that boy thinks he’s master of the universe.
Hotel room dinner, moon-gazing, and sweet dreams. We had arrived.
Friday! On our first morning in Maui, we sought out our favorite island treat. A new açaí place had opened in the shops near our hotel, so we sauntered over there at daybreak. Of course, I would love it if our toddler slept in on vacation, but being up and at ’em at 5:30am means you catch those 6am pastel skies.
It was as good as it looked…
On the way back, we stopped for a short romp at the Marriott lawn, which I don’t think we were technically supposed to play at as we weren’t hotel guests, but this chair swing beckoned. We’ve had a handful of happy reunions here with the Chens, as this was their place, but we missed them this year.
We walk this path from the market to the hotel a couple of times a day and I never stop marveling at the colors and the sparkle. The long morning shadows and the squish of grass under our feet. It’s life in technicolor.
Our hotel changed things up this year and started charging for beach chairs, which initially bummed us out a bit, but we made lemonade out of lemons (margaritas out of limes?) and let this be our reason to explore some new beaches in the vicinity. We found a shady little stretch of sand at Makena Beach, just down the road, and wandered back and forth from beach towels to surf.
Isaac dipped too far into the surf too fast and spent 15 minutes running up and down the beach crying for Shane to come out of the water and hold him, but he soon got over it.
Sister eased him back in.
Isaac’s early wakeup caught up with him mid-morning and he fell asleep on the beach towel, his floatie a makeshift pillow, and Juliette and I went for a stroll further down the beach.
We climbed a small bluff and took in the view of Makena, then scampered down to the small cove on the other side.
“Little Beach”, as it’s called, was pristine and quiet, but also…it was a nude beach. A few people waded in the surf or stretched out on their towels, buns to the sun, and it all looked very chill, but also…this was not our scene. We quickly about-faced and had a good laugh as we trekked back toward our boys.
Isaac woke shortly after we returned and marveled at the in-ground beach chair Shane had dug while he was sleeping.
We grabbed lunch at a taco stand and then zipped up to Kihei for shave ice at Ulilani’s. This place. Always a wait. And it’s fine for the first couple of minutes, the kids giddy with anticipation.
Patience grows thin…
But then they call your name and any inconvenience is forgotten. Fluffy and freezy and fruity – it’s perfect.
We spent the hottest hours of the afternoon relaxing in our room, reading and vegging and dozing, then succumbed to Isaac’s incessant requests to go the “swimming cool” – it was slide o’clock.
Early evening at the pool is where it’s at – most families have had their fill of sun and have headed out for dinner, so it’s quiet. Still warm.
And it’s so easy to walk down to the beach for a sunset splash.
Beautiful bow on a beautiful day.
Shane went for an early run on Saturday and then we all walked down the beach path to Fairmont to check out their cafe’s breakfast offerings.
We took our acai to go and found another idyllic little stretch of beach nearby, this time at Po’olenalena.
This little beach was my favorite. Small and uncrowded, rocky on one side, lined with palm trees on the other.
We did our exploring as the sun fully rose, wanting to get good and hot before we dipped in the ocean.
We’re getting warmerrrr…
Isaac was still feeling a little timid after the prior day’s surprise wave, so he didn’t want to venture too far into the water without being held. In Shane’s arms, though, he was in full bring-it-on mode.
Beach: CHECK.
Both kids were itching to really get their swim on, so we lunched poolside while they did their thing. Shane will take ocean swimming over pool swimming any day, but Isaac? This is his happy place.
The afternoon crash…
And then dinner at Monkey Pod, where the food is so-so, but the Mai Tai’s are perfection. That lilikoi foam… Next time we’ll go just for drinks.
Back in time for an evening swim…
Isaac Henry…photobombing since 2021.
Shenanigans.
The pool area was so wonderfully deserted that we decided to take in sunset from the hot tub.
It’s nice to take in the sunset with the tide lapping at your toes, but also…this water was warm. We’re such lucky ducks.
Ahhh…we were finding our groove.
