Still Mixing Business With Pleasure In Maui

Renting a car was a wonderful way to explore Maui.  Driving around with no "particular place to go" was quite an adventure since most of the roads have breathtaking views of the ocean, mountains and other islands that make up the beautiful state of Hawaii.

We drove to the fishing village of Lahaina, located about 30 minutes from Wailea.  This quaint town’s Front Street is its main drag with fantastic shopping and restaurants on the water.  We spent the afternoon shopping and enjoyed lunch at the Lahaina Fish Company, where our waitress was from … low and behold … North Carolina!  Great food, views and service!

We were fortunate to enjoy many wonderful meals while on the island as well and one to note was at Pita Paradise... a definite hidden gem.  I stumbled upon this great little Mediterranean spot on Yelp as it had fantastic reviews.  The ahi tuna salad, fresh catch and kabobs are all worth trying – they were delicious!  The meal at Pita Paradise was one of the best of our entire trip! 

Pearl Harbor was a highlight.  After the business meeting ended, we took a puddle jumper from Maui to Oahu and spent the day seeing the memorial.  We bought a package through a tour company, which was a fantastic decision since the APEC conference was in town and navigating the streets, detours and road closures would have been a nightmare on our own.  My Grandmother was stationed at Pearl Harbor when she was in the Air Force.  This was particularly special for Mom and me to see together.  Pictures and images seen online, on TV and in magazines are nothing compared to actually being there and seeing the devastation that took place that day in December.  It was somber experience.

Maui, the Fairmont and Hawaii in general are breathtaking.  It really felt like “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”.    SD