Day 1 – Nov 25, 08 – We arrived to Kahului airport around 12:30 pm, and took a shuttle to Alamo to pick up a rental car. I rented a compact car on Priceline.com at $248 for all our 13-day trip (saved about $70 over the lowest Internet price). When we arrived at Alamo, they said they did not have compact cars available, and gave us a free upgrade to a mid-size. On our way to Kamaole Sands we stopped at Costco as usual. I was pleasantly surprised: I eat a lot of greens and in the past the greens at Costco were always already wilted, but this time they were very fresh and the selection was better then it used to be. I stocked on fresh local Kula salads, and they kept extremely well in the refrigerator.

Day 2 – Nov 26, 08 – This is our first full day in Maui. We decided to take it easy and spend the morning at the closest beach – Kamaole Park III, and the afternoon – at the pool. It’s Wednesday, and there is Mai Tai party coming in the afternoon! I believe, Kamaole Sands is the only resort in Kihei, where Mai Tai party is a tradition. A complimentary weekly Mai Tai party is hosted every Wednesday from 3 to 5 pm by the pool. Real mai tai’s are served for adults and juice – for kids. There is live Hawaiian music and dances — we never miss the fun!

Day 3 – Nov 27, 08 – My son’s birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year. He received presents in the morning and was so busy with putting together his new Lego, that we could sleep a bit longer this morning. Another peaceful day on Kamaole III beach and at the pool. I started to do some deep cleaning in our condo (that’s a bonus for the owner) and we noticed that our dishwasher leaks.

Day 4 – Nov 28, 08 – We went to Makena Beach (or Big Beach) in the morning. It is a pleasant 20 min drive south from Kamaole Sands. The beach is gorgeous, the sand is bright yellow and bigger than on Kamaole beaches. The ocean was very calm and the surf unusually low for Makena. After dining and resting at home we headed to Maui Tropical Plantation. We love the place and we take a tram tour there every time we are in Maui. This time, our visit was a bit different than usual. There were few people on the tour, they did not serve a pineapple before the tour as they used to. The Plantation Store did not have as many interesting things as it used to. They even stopped selling taffy – soft candies made locally on Maui in Lahaina. The taffy are made in many tropical flavors and we always buy some for presents. On the positive note, they still sell their wonderful locally grown produce at unbelievable prices. I bought over 10 lb. of apple bananas at 49 cents per pound, and paid $4 for an avocado the size of my three fists! I highly recommend visiting the Plantation and doing the tour. It’s still very good, we just have too many wonderful memories about it to compare with. I hope the things will get better when the travel industry recovers.
When we were back to the condo, our wonderful contractor Joel came to see what happened with the dishwasher and his verdict was – replace. Well, I hope washing dishes by hand for the next week will allow me more time to think and feel closer to nature.

Day 5 – Nov 29, 08 – Another sunny morning in Kihei, and we decided to spend it again on Makena beach. But… surprise! as we arrived to the Big beach, the clouds started to move over, and after a while it started to rain. It was pouring, so we hid in the ocean. After 20 min in the ocean, we started to feel chilly without the sun, and decided to leave. Grabbed our staff, and ran to the car. As soon as we arrived to the car the rain stopped, and when we started home the sun was shining again! Amazing tropical rains! And all that time it was dry and sunny in Kihei! We continued in the pool, then drove to Lowe’s in Kahului and ordered a new dishwasher. At the end of the day I washed the walls and touched up paint. Looks much cleaner now!