This trip was taken in January 2020. I remember I was at a friend’s birthday party a week before this trip and mentioned that Carolyn didn’t go because she didn’t want to get sick. She had just gotten over the flu and this was our first time in Hawaii, so neither of us didn’t want to get sick. Little did we know what was about to happen in few months… Some of the information here is outdated. Most of the pictures have been lost (back up your files!) so all the pictures here are from the GoPro.
When I think of visiting Hawaii, I would have never thought that I would be hiking above the clouds, on top of a barren volcano, then get wet in a lush and muddy jungle the very next day. And then nearly drown in the middle of the ocean on the third day. But Maui made me experience all of those in one trip.
Initially used Southwest (WN) Rapid Rewards to take advantage of the Companion Pass but cancelled that ticket and ended up using American Airlines Aadvantage (AA) to fly direct on Alaska Airlines (AS). Too bad direct WN flights to OGG isn’t yet available from SAN. Our return flight was also on AS but used Singapore Air (SQ) points to purchase.
We stayed the first two nights at the Marriott Courtyard Kahului. It was 35k Bonvoy points per night. It’s very conveniently located close to the airport. Nothing else spectacular about this hotel.
We woke around 3am to drive to Haleakalā National Park for the sunrise. Waking up early and driving to the top is totally worth viewing this sunrise.
We then hiked the Keonehe‘ehe‘e (Sliding Sands) Trail. This was a beautiful trail and one that I did not expect to see in Maui. I assumed the island was all beachy paradise, not a replica of Mars. The trail took most of the day to complete. On the drive back, we were awarded with gorgeous sunset.
On the next day we visited ʻĪao Valley State Monument. We hiked the “secret trail” and got to experience the typical Hawaii lush jungle. It rained on us, as expected, but we when reached the end of the trail the valley was covered in rain and we couldn’t see through the clouds. We weren’t disappointed because the hike was really fun and exciting. Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to hike the trail anymore. Or maybe you can but know the risks (rolled ankles and possible citation).
We decided to next drive to Waihee Ridge Trail to time a sunset hike. This was highly recommended on AllTrails and we, well mainly I, was determined to finish this hike. The trailhead was about 30 minutes away and it was only 4mi round trip. Should be easy. We started the hike at around 430p and noticed the rain cloud at around 530p. We still pushed through thought, determined to finish. at around 605p and only a quarter mile to the end- we decided to head back. The clouds looked intimidating and it was getting dark fast. It started raining on us and we had to use our phones for light on the way back. It was pitch black when we got to the trailhead head. In addition to that, we needed to drive to Grand Wailea, nearly an hour away!
We learned how fast it gets dark in Hawaii and how quickly it can get wet.
The last two nights we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea. It costs 95k Hilton Honors points per night. I used a free night certificate for one of the nights. We were upgraded to the Napua tower because they did not have any rooms with a king size bed. Wow. This has got to be the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at. We definitely saved some money with access to the complimentary happy hour.
The following day we had a Molokini Crater snorkeling trip through Redline Rafting. There were a fun group and on the way to the snorkel spot we saw a humpback whale with her calf. I lost the pictures and videos we took at Molokini Crater, but trust me the reef was beautiful. Though the highlight of the trip was seeing a manta ray. Carolyn was the first in the group to spot this manta ray come out. The guide was surprised because it was rare to see them during this time.
We learned so much from this first trip. Since then we have visited the other Hawaiian islands but have yet to return to Maui. Really hoping to make it back out here soon.
I wasn’t able to find the points vs cash rates. So award travel comparison isn’t here :(:(.
Kicking Twigs 
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