Overview:
Coincedentally, or maybe not, during the same week in June, three of my closest friends from high school days were all going to be in Hawaii. One was embarking on a new business (involves taking choral students to Oahu to perform, more on that later) and my best friend (bff)is his office manager and assistant. The third friend was running his first triathlon on Maui. Hmmmmmm.......
Decisions, decisions, decisions:
After much thought and consideration (like 1 minute) I decided, in the name of friendship, I HAD to travel to both Maui and Oahu in support of all my friends%26#39; efforts. My friend who was starting the new business made the decision to take an orchestra with him to accompany the choral students and invited me to go play in the percussion section...I play mallot instruments like xylophone, bells, chimes and all the toys you get to bang like cymbals, triangle, woodblock, tambourine So fun!!! I immediately said an enthusiastic ';YES!'; My bff, his assistant, would be going so we would be roommates for the week. More fun!!! More on the Oahu part of this 11-day trip when I post my trip report on the Oahu forum later this week.
Since my bff and I would both be traveling to Oahu in June on ';business';, you can imagine my surprise when our other friend announced at our class reunion that he would be running in his first triathlon in June on Maui 3 days before would be arriving on Oahu. Hmmmmmmmmm....it took me about 2 minutes to decide, ';WE%26#39;RE GOING TO MAUI FIRST!'; She agreed, of course, and I started planning the trip.
Flight surprises:
Our flight was from Tulsa to Dallas to Los Angeles, to Maui was uneventful, except in the Dallas airport. We noticed a lot of excitement coming from all the teeny boppers around our gate, so we went to see what was going on. Jason Castro, of American Idol fame (dreadlock guy) was boarding our plane. OMG, I started giggling like a little girl when we realized he was sitting in the the aisle seat just across the aisle from us! He signed autographs and agreed to post for pictures throughout the entire flight and was gracious to everyone.
As a surprise, I took my DVD player and two sets of Bose headphones, movie candy, plus the entire first season of %26#39;Sex and the City%26#39; which is my bff%26#39;s favorite show. I knew she had missed the first season so now she%26#39;s all caught up. It made the long flight really fun. Twizzlers, Junior Mints, Hot Tamales, and Sex and the City....it just doesn%26#39;t get better than that!
Another surprise was awaiting us at Thrifty car rental when we landed on Maui...a silver, Sebring convertible. We just had to put the top down for our drive to the Maui Prince, but had tons of luggage for our 11-day trip and it wouldn%26#39;t come close to fitting in the trunk so we piled it in the back seat and off we went. WOOHOO!!! We felt like Thelma and Louise!
The third and final surprise for the day was a chilled bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room at the Maui Prince. I had pre-arranged it with their very helpful staff. We were hot, tired and icky from being in airports and planes all day so the cold, crisp bubbly was a fabulous way to end the day.
Maui Prince:
The King%26#39;s Trail Triathlon would be headquarted on the grounds of the Maui Prince and all the contestants would be staying there so I booked a room for us there as well. Wow, what a beautiful place. We got a wonderful oceanfront room with a huge lanai, very comfortable beds, and an amazing view. To read my complete review of the Maui Prince that was just posted, please go to the hotel review section and click on, ';I think I%26#39;m in love with a handsome prince! The Maui Prince that is!!! I have been fortunate to have stayed in some really great hotels all over the world with my husband on his business conferences. Examples are the Adlon in Berlin (were the infamous Michael Jackson holding his child outside the railing incident happened) and most recently last month at the Montreux Palace on the shores of Lake Geneva. Those luxury hotels do a lot of things very well, but the Maui Prince absolutely has it all. Everything I want in a luxury hotel in Hawaii....oceanfront location, clean and spacious rooms with huge lanais, nice beach with great snorkeling, superior service, delicious dining choices on-property and most importantly, a secluded and adult atmosphere, the Maui Prince has it all.
If you want a loud, party atmosphere where you can celebrate your anniversary or honeymoon until dawn with hundreds of perfect strangers, the Maui Prince is definitely NOT for you. If you and your hubby want to bring your 3 kids under the age of 6 for a week of delightful, water park/Disneyland ambiance, the Maui Prince is NOT for you. The Maui Prince is an adult-oriented destination if your purpose is to relax, reflect and reconnect with people you care deeply about.
Activities:
Most of our time was spent with our friend, the triathlete, watching him swim, bicycle and run in the very hot Maui sun. The hotel and staff did a nice job and the triathlon went off without a hitch. The celebration dinner, catered by the Maui Prince, was delicious.
The rest of our 3 days was spent on the beach, snorkeling, and taking drives in our convertible. My bff had never been to Maui, so I wanted to show her all my favorite sights. Our drive along the northern coastline to the blowhole was the most memorable. On our final day, we took the triathlon man to lunch at Mama%26#39;s Fish House. The food, ambiance, and service was amazing. Shortly after, he left for his flight back home, we packed and had a cocktail on our lanai while watching our final sunset, then slept like babies. The next morning we checked out, drove into Kihei and had a delicious breakfast of macadamia nut pancakes at the Kihei Cafe, did a little more sightseeing, dropped off and checked our luggage curbside (a great discovery), took our convertible back to Thrifty, and boarded our Hawaiian Airlines flight for Oahu. Everything went very smoothly.
Retrospect:
I am a %26#39;condo person%26#39;, love the Big Island, and want to be on, in, and under the ocean all the time...really verging on obsession. So this trip to Hawaii was completely %26#39;out of the box%26#39; for me and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Although, I appreciate the opulance of a luxury hotel and the Maui Prince in particular, I am still most comfortable in a small, cheap, oceanfront condo with a lanai so close to the ocean I could throw a rock left handed and hit water. It could be the Okie coming out in me or maybe my conservative, Baptist roots. Or just maybe it%26#39;s that Jekyll %26amp; Hyde thing that lurks from within...
Oahu with 53 college and high school students:
Stay tuned for that trip report coming up soon : )
Trip Report - Maui- Thelma and Louise
What the hell is a bff ??
Trip Report - Maui- Thelma and Louise
Rusty, in the first paragraph I write, ';my best friend (bff)is his office manager...';. Playing off the teeny bopper theme and texting jargon, a bff is your best friend forever.
Fun report! Much smiling and nodding here - sounds wonderful and I thank you for posting! Yes that conservative upbringing plays in when I plan vacations also. However I have discovered that I do love a nice hotel and am very happy to hear you liked the Prince as we will spend a few days there next trip.
Bips!
What a great trip report and so funny too! Love the Thelma %26amp; Louise title! LOL! I wish I had been the first to post after you posted your trip report (so sorry it was Rusty instead).
I’ve passed by the Maui Prince and it looks lovely. I’ve also read about their great buffets.
When you going to finish your Oahu trip report? I was hoping to read it before I leave on my trip, which is in 2 days. I’m taking my laptop so I may be reading it there.
Glad you had such a great time in Maui. You percussionists seem to really have all the fun!
Glad you enjoyed my TR, Lesrose. If you enjoy nice, quiet hotels definitely try the Maui Prince. Did you read my review that just posted today?
We have an old saying in Oklahoma...ya can%26#39;t get away from your raisin%26#39;.
OK, Bips - I went and read your review and saw photos! Lovely! We love the Makena area, like quiet, and look forward to it. Thanks - and the comment on yor raisin%26#39; all too true!
scorchestra- glad you got a few chuckles from my attempt at a humerous presentation instead of a regular TR. Believe me, I wish you had been the first to reply as well : ) Did you read my review of the Maui Prince? I really did fall in love with that hotel....imagine, me a %26#39;condo person%26#39;. I have already written my review of HHV and it is pending. As soon as they release it, I will post my TR with it. Hopefully before you leave [fingers crossed]
LesRose- thank you for your kind words.
I just read your review of the Prince. Haha, yes, you have really been swept off your feet by the Prince! Sounds like you are a former “condo person” now.
It sounds absolutely wonderful! Bet you wish you were there now : )
I can’t imagine your HHV review even coming close to that but hopefully you also liked it. The way you feel about your Prince is the way I feel about my Turtle Bay Resort. I am working today and am having a very difficult time concentrating as I am already packed and just about ready to go.
Your pictures are wonderful and you are really cute. What island is that that you are facing as your wrote the trip report?
Great trip report Bips! Enjoyed your detailed, entertaining writing style. (Goodness sakes I can only imagine what that 53 student trip report is going to contain.)
But I must say you can%26#39;t be either Thelma nor Louise and be Baptist too! :) I know I used to be Baptist (really!), but the preacher wouldn%26#39;t let me wear my speedo to church. (Wink!)
Sounds like a GREAT trip Bips!! Thanx for the report!
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