I guess it’s finally time to share our trip to Hawaii. It’s been almost a year.
We got back from Hawaii at the end of January 2020. What would be the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Hawaii was brought by a tourist who arrived in Maui the day we left. People were wearing masks in the airport, but we didn’t really think too much about it. We were riding high from our vacation and blissfully unaware of what 2020 had in store for us.
Besides, we were a little distracted. Once our plane landed in Baltimore, we had a lot to do. While we were on vacation, we had terminated our lease and found a house in a different state. Oh and that lease we terminated ended 13 days later, and not a single thing in our apartment was packed. I don’t know why we keep planning trips close to big moves, but our honeymoon was the same way. Moved from Durham to Charlotte, and 15 days later, we were off to Croatia.
I never thought I would run a marathon. Really, I never thought I would run a half-marathon or a 10k. But when my husband said we could go to Hawaii for 15 days in the middle of winter, and the only catch was running 26.2+ miles… I was sold.
The marathon he chose was the Maui Oceanfront Marathon, so that is where we started our trip. We stayed at The Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, right by the start of the race. My qualifier for hotels is that they must be able to bring me a drink while I sit on the beach or by the pool. That’s all I want. My husband just wants activities. Luckily, we both want amazing food and thats where we can find a compromise. We hadn’t stayed at a Four Season in a while, because there are so many amazing hotels that aren’t so exorbitantly priced; but, after Hawaii, I remember why they are able to charge so much.
FS Maui was fantastic. It is a family-friendly resort so they have a regular pool and an adults-only pool. We spent almost every day at the latter. The adults-only pool had an infinity edge overlooking the ocean, a swim up bar, and two hot tubs. On our first day there, we sat in the hot tub with drinks served in coconuts, watching a pod of whales jumping in the ocean at sunset. It was the perfect way to start our trip. They also have a fantastic spa that is basically the only reason I could walk after the marathon literally broke me.
If I do another marathon, a nearby spa, or a place with cryotherapy and compression, will definitely be a qualifier. A fun “day before” activity will also be required.
They say the biggest mistake you can make before a destination marathon is exploring your destination. Not because you shouldn’t sightsee, but when you’re in good enough shape to run a marathon, the best way to explore is by walking around the city. And boom, there goes your well rested legs. Luckily, I was able to find the perfect way to explore Hawaii.
I discovered the Maui Flight Academy through FS Lanai, our post-marathon destination. My husband has always wanted to take flying lessons, and this was the perfect early-birthday present. Weather was a bit dreary, so we weren’t able to go on our original volcano-spotting tour. Instead, we flew over Molokai, Kaui, and Oahu.
My husband was taught how to do a touch-and-go on Molokai and full landing and take off on Kaui, where we stopped for lunch. Kaui and Oahu were the two islands we weren’t visiting on our trip so it felt very cool having my husband fly us to Kaui to get poke and guava cake and then fly us over Pearl Harbor and Honalulu.
The resort has some wonderful restaurants on the property, but none of them can rival their Ultimate Dinner experience.
To celebrate finishing the marathon, we booked our dream private dinner that consisted of a custom six-course menu with wine or cocktail pairing, a personal waiter for the evening, and a flower crown for me. And it all took place at a custom, private, oceanfront setting.
After this, it was off to Lanai. Lanai was previously the world’s largest pineapple plantation, and 98% island was privately owned by James Dole… yeah, that Dole. Later, it was under the control of David Murdock until Larry Ellison purchased the island, minus the harbor and private homes constituting the remaining 2% not owned by Dole.
Larry Ellison has actually done some pretty cool things. He originally stated his intention to invest $500 million in sustainable energy and farming on the island, and actually created solar-powered hydroponic farming system. There are two 20,000 square foot greenhouses currently in use and there are plans to create four more. Besides renovating the existing Resort Lanai and building the Sensei Lanai, Ellison built a new water filtration system, refurbished the 1920’s movie theatre, and built a resort-style olympic-size public pool for the ~3100 locals who live on the island. All of this is just to say that there has been a conscious effort to not spoil the island or make it too touristy.
Even FS Maui, as nice and beautiful as it was, seemed very resort-y. A lot of Hawaii felt that way to me - like you weren’t really on an island or in a remote destination, but on a very americanized luau themed beach vacation. Lanai didn’t have that vibe. It was such a calming experience that felt miles and miles away from home.
For our stay, we were lucky enough to choose between the two Four Seasons - Resort Lanai and Sensei Lanai. Sensei Lanai is an adults-only “wellness enclave” that offers private wellness consultation and personalized itineraries featuring spa treatments, fitness classes, and island activities. Basically my ideal vacation… my husband, not so much. Resort Lanai was an absolute dream for both of us. It had a bit more energy, plenty of actives, a great choice of dining experiences, and it’s own spa.
Everything about it was just completely relaxing, even the activities. Both activities we opted for took place on a boat. First, we went on their “Snorkel Sail” on a 50 ft catamaran.
It was the first time we went snorkeling since our honeymoon, where I had a minor freak out in a cave while snorkeling on our honeymoon, so I was a little nervous about this one. But, it went great! It wasn’t a private experience, which definitely helped me calm down since there were more people in the water, but it was still a small group so nothing felt over crowded. In fact, I was the only person at the front of the catamaran on the sail back to the resort (every one else was watching the sunset behind us, but I get seasick if I don’t look forward).
The second activity was deep sea fishing, and well… it was more like deep sea cruising. We got to watch the sunrise from a 45’ high speed boat, but we didn’t catch a dang thing. If you do catch something, the chefs at Nobu will make a couple different preparations for you that night. But, again, we caught nothing. It was still really beautiful and a fun experience so I’m not upset about it. Besides, we had to check out and fly to the Big Island that same day.
Lanai was definitely the highlight of the trip for me and the one place I would love to visit again.
After Lanai, we spent a few days on The Big Island before heading home and started packing for our big move!
Maybe by this time next year, we’ll be able to take another vacation…
xo,
Megan