The ultimate summer vacation
Julianna Chen (right) stands with her sister, Maple; father, Daniel; and mother, Shuping, at the Royal Lahaina Luau.
A stunning view of the ocean cliffs in Hawaii.
Sisters Maple and Julianna Chen having fun on the beach.
Aloha! My family and I recently had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Maui, Hawaii. From the crystal-blue waters of the ocean to the fire dances performed at the Old Lahaina Luau, every part of the trip was unforgettable.
The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort and Villas, located in Ka’anapali, a town on the west side of Maui, was our home away from home for this vacation. Our rooms were clean and well-kept, and each had a large granite counter, small kitchen table, comfortable king-sized bed, bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi bathtub, living room with flat screen television and a balcony offering a prime view of the ocean. The resort offers a meditation garden and spa, and also has five swimming pools with slides and a pirate ship water playground, as well as a hot tub. Next to the pirate ship, there’s a park with swings, rope-climbing obstacles and bridges. Just across from the pools, a buffet bar and restaurant serves everything from bagels to bacon.
The main aspect of the resort, however, is the beach, which is well-maintained and clean and less than a hundred feet away. The ocean is three shades of blue, ranging from a deep navy to a light turquoise, and is a perfect place to snorkel or swim. While snorkeling, I saw bright green and pink coral, zebra and rainbow fish, eels and even a sea turtle.
Outside the resort, one of the main highlights of our journeys in Maui was the long visit to Haleakala National Park. Upon arrival, the visitor’s center offers items from postcards to jackets. From there on, it’s an uphill trek to the peak. However, there are no bathrooms or gas in the park past the visitor’s center.
The entire drive up to the top, from start to finish, lasted about two hours. Halfway up, we spotted a young man walking along the side of the road to the top. We left the park to find dinner, drove the two hours back up, and the man was still walking, trying to get up to the peak. In total, the man had been walking for almost five hours, yet he still hadn’t made it.
The highest point, at 10,023 feet, is rocky and has little greenery, except for the occasional silversword plant. Other parts of the park feature bridges and walkways through the forests to see waterfalls and streams. The world-famous Haleakala Observatory is also up here, one of only a few of its kind in the world.
Watching the sun set in Haleakala from the peak, like we did, is stunning and breathtaking. It seems to slip down into the earth until there’s only a sliver of light left at the top, creating amazing shapes and shadows in the sky.
The setting of the sun only lasts about forty seconds, but it’s well worth the trip.
The Old Lahaina Luau was an exciting part of the vacation that I’ll always remember. For dinner, the buffet served Hawaiian roast pig, fresh pineapple, macaroni and cheese, chicken, fried rice, vegetable noodles and guava cake. For any of those who want to learn to hula dance, there is an opportunity to at the Old Lahaina Luau. We were taught on stage by two of the dancers that performed that night.
Each dance at the Luau tells a different story. A group of girls act out the volcano goddess erupting in anger and forming the Hawaiian Islands. Men portray the beginning of life in Maui. The fire knife dance is a hand-clenching, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The men performing in this dance swing knives set on fire around their heads, then bring them to their lips and run them over their hands and feet. Midway through the dance, women swinging chains with fiery wooden sticks hop across the stage, whirling the sticks around the men’s heads and just barely missing each time.
The Roads Near Nakalele Blowhole and Olivine Pools are not for the faint of heart. We could see some pretty stunning scenery from our spot in our car, on the cliff drive, such as the Nakalele Blowhole, similar to a geyser, which shoots up powerful streams of water several times a day. Near the Blowhole are the gorgeous Olivine Pools, each a different shade of blue. Along the drive, there are many scenic overlooks to view each natural attraction.
The higher up the cliff, the thinner the road gets. By the time we reached the top, there was only enough room for one tiny car alone. There’s also no guardrail on this extremely narrow, extremely high-up road, so one wrong turn and you’ll go tumbling down the steep sides.
The Hula Grill is inside the Whalers Village Mall located in Lahaina. You can choose to eat inside or out – we opted for outside, so we could enjoy the beach. There’s a reason it’s known as the Barefoot Bar, as guests are encouraged to take off their shoes and dig their toes in the sand while dining.
The foods available are sectioned: Pupu and Raw, Farm Greens and Soup, and Fresh Hawaiian Fish and Seafood. There are sandwiches, fruit bowls, fish burgers, guacamole dips and barbecued ribs to satisfy every taste. Plus, the dessert menu features cakes, ice cream sandwiches and sorbets.
Everywhere I visited on this journey – the cliff drive, the Hula Grill, the National Park, the resort and the Old Lahaina Luau – came together to create the perfect summer experience. And for that, I say Mahalo – thank you!
Julianna Chen is a sixth grade student at McMurray Elementary School.
Sidebar:
Things to know if you go:
• The sun sets around 7 p.m. in the Maui summertime.
• Food and gas are expensive: $9 for a cup of ice cream, and $9 for a box of plain Cheerios. Gas is almost $5 a gallon.
• Bring a blanket to Haleakala if you plan on sitting to watch the sun set. It’s so rocky that there’s nowhere soft to sit.
• Haleakala temperatures drop to about 30 degrees in the evening, so bring a jacket.
• There are no seashells in this ocean, only coral bits.
• Watch out for rare Hawaiian birds, nene, in Haleakala. There are only 1,000 left in the wild, and they exist only on that part of Maui.
• Be cautious when swimming or snorkeling. Coral is abundant and really hurts if you bump into it (imagine hitting your foot against a brick wall repeatedly) and there are some anemone that you should never touch.
• If you encounter a sea turtle (like I did while snorkeling), it’s ok to follow it, but you shouldn’t touch it.