Wailea! We made it! We couldn’t have been happier to be back at our old stomping grounds, healthy and 100% waterslide-ready.
We ate dinner poolside, because the thought of trading our swimsuits for real clothes felt entirely unappealing. In this current phase of life, making the most of Maui time means spending as much time as possible in or directly adjacent to water.
On that note, to the beach!
We played a raucous game of tag and splashed in the surf. I just finished reading a memoir written by a woman who talks about the joy she gets from watching her pack of dogs run unleashed in the wide open desert as they all live into the wildest, most free versions of themselves, and I am definitely not comparing my son to a dog, but I mean…
Run, family, run!
Juliette and Shane worked up a sweat in trying to keep up with Isaac, so they dipped in the ocean for a cooldown.
Buddy and I hung back on the shore.
Gosh, he was amped up.
Can we talk about how this place always rolls out the red carpet for us upon arrival? This was the best sunset we saw all week.
We watched the last streaks of pink fade to gray from our favorite hot tub, perched above the pools, and then we called it a day. We’d swam our damn hearts out.
Monday morning started with a stroll through the resort and along the beach path to Island Vintage for coffee and acai.
No one makes a prettier breakfast bowl.
We took our time moseying on back, stopping for some sidewalk air guitar, a few requisite snaps at the Aloha sign, and a quick round of corn hole on the Mariott’s lawn.
And then to the beach, because our daily Wailea ritual goes: breakfast -> beach -> lunch -> pool -> dinner -> beach, and if it ain’t broke, we don’t fix it. We made the short drive down to Po’olenalena and scored a shady spot with plenty of tree coverage to keep us cool through the morning. Money.
From one body of water to the next…
We walked up to Island Market for a simple picnic dinner and I wondered for a moment as Isaac asked for a carry if he’d make until sunset. Buddy was wiped.
Woop! He’s up!
A top notch treat from Honolulu Cookie Company to cap off a top notch day.
And because the beach always seems to be “on the way” back to the room…
Tuesday dawned with an action figure patio duel.
And a vanilla steamer from the hotel cafe.
The beach du jour was Makena Beach, just a couple of miles south of us. This is Shane’s seafront of choice, as we’re always able to land a shady spot and there’s a nice mix of rocky zones for exploring and open zones for swimming.
Isaac spent most of the morning digging a giant hole, scooping and tossing and scooping and tossing.
Then jumping!
When this boy puts his mind to something…this crater was large. I stretched out comfortably at the bottom of it while the kids took turns jumping over me.
Chill, Bud. You earned it.
We lunched at Maui Brewing and then it was straight to Ululani’s for our most treastured island treat. Green tea + passion fruit + guava for me, just like every year. And perfectly sweet + tart + smooth, just like every year.
And then on with the regularly scheduled programming…
We picnicked and sun-setted at Makena Cove and I’m aware of how many times I use the word “favorite” when speaking of Maui, but truly, this tiny little stretch of beach at golden hour is IT.
The kids spun in the sand, arms stretched wide, until they toppled over, dizzy and giggling. Eventually I joined them and we all landed together in one sandy pile of limbs and laughter. It was all so unabashedly delightful…I wanted to bottle it up so I could sip from it later. And maybe I did in fact bring some of that joy back to the mainland; just flipping through these photos now gives me all the warm feels.
Pooped, arms still outstretched… (Also, Buddy, scoot over!).
