Maui Black Sand Beach found on the road to Hana

By M.Swint

Maui, so lush and peaceful. Take the road to Hana or do the downhill bike tour on Haleakala. Whatever you choose to do on Maui,  “Hang Loose”🤘🏼

Great memories…..

Getting my rental car (convertible) from the Muai airport after taking an inter-island flight from Oahu,  I remember driving  to my resort, the J.W. Marriott in the exclusive area of Wailea, one of the finest Hotel/Resorts on Maui, exactly as the pictures below show.  Marriott

Wailea Beach Marriott formally the JW Marriott 

Upon arrival the hostess warmly greeting my wife and I with the Hawaiian greeting Aloha, placing a Lei around my neck telling us you have made a good choice for your stay on Maui.

If you have ever been to Maui or any of the other Hawaiian islands you will know that everything is open to the weather no windows in the main lobby areas as well as restaurants  and most buildings because of the beautiful tropical climate. As I held a Mia Tia in hand, I took a tour around the resort, I could hear the Hawaiian band playing near the pool and the  Hula girls dancing to the music, poolside…. then I knew for sure 😁 this was a great choice of all the places I could have stayed. This hotel was rated 4 stars, but it is definitely a 5 star resort.

The JW Marriott in Wailea is a resort you do not want to leave, it is designed for you to stay there all Day, with its fine dining and entertainment  located on Wailea Beach and for you shoppers, this resort is within walking  distance to the Wailea shopping mall. This mall carry luxury brands such as:

•  Louis Vuitton
•  Prada
• Gucci and so on…. http://www.theshopsatwailea.com/

Getting away from the resort 

The day after our arrival to Maui, it was time to take a tour. The Sunrise Downhill Bike tour. This tour is highly recommended, but prepare to wake up before sunrise. The tour company will pick you up at your hotel very early (about 4am) and drive you up the crater of Haleakala. Dress warm! You will be going upwards of 10,000 feet above sea level. During this tour you will have many, many photo opportunities and there will be some stops along the way. The majority of this tour you will not have to peddle due to the downward slope of Haleakala, so physical fitness is not a major issue. http://www.bikemaui.com

Haleakala Sunrise Downhill Bike tour

At the end of the tour you will feel invigorated and refreshed, also you will be hungry. Most of these downhill tours include brunch, sharing a meal with the participants and your tour guide at a local small cafe.

Cafe Mambo near Haleakala

Another cool thing we did on Maui is The road to Hana. This particular tour did not cost much, ok it only cost $14.95. To go on the road to Hana only require you to get in your rental car and drive to places of interest. First you buy the CD, I think we purchased it at a gas station ⛽️ pop the Cd in ✋ stop, lol, not anymore, you can download the road to Hana app for free 😆(the guideme travel app- road to Hana GPS) This app will guide you to all of the stops along the way to Hana..

The Road to Hana Highlights:               

* Black sand Beach

*Red sand Beach

*Garden of Eden

*Wailua Overlook

*Twin falls

*Hana Lava Tube

Red Sand Beach on the way to Hana

Various Sites on the road to Hana

For my adventurous travelers….

Want to see an overview of the whole island of Maui? Try a helicopter tour. This was my first helicopter ride, much adrenaline is involved as you fly close to untouched Beach areas and flying high close to  waterfalls. All in all nice  experience, somewhat pricey, things we do before kids come into your life, lol 😃

Helicopter Tour for an overview of Maui

You can’t leave Maui without Snorkeling, one of the world famous spots near Maui is the small crater island of Molokini. Molokini is a Marine Sanctuary, protected by the state of Hawaii. It is believed that Molokini Crater formed over one hundred thousand years ago. The depth of the ocean on the back side of Molokini is about 300 feet.

This island was right across from our hotel. You will have to book an excursion to get to this island, also you will not be able to step foot on this island, but you will have the pleasure of snorkeling around it. You will see lots of Marine life, Large sea turtles and much much more.

For Snorkeling Maui go to: Leilani Tours

Lahaina

Taking one of Maui’s coastal roads S. Kihei from the JW  Marriott, just doing some exploring we found many beach areas, small shops and small cafes and lots of 🌊 surfers.

We went to the city of Lahaina across the water from our resort and discovered more shops and hotels and restaurants which also included the Maui Hard Rock Cafe.

The famous words Hang Loose🤘🏼no doubt have a double meaning, as one of the bell hops  explained to me, Surfer’s are told  to hang loose on the surf board also the laid back and relaxed attitude and personality of the  Hawaiian people is why they will tell you hang loose, no worries.

Cost….

If you are planning a trip to the Hawaiian islands, good choice! Most people who come to Hawaii fly into Honolulu (Hon) which is on Oahu. The going rate when I went to Hawaii was $600.00 RT now flights range from $600.00 to $1000.00 round trip depending upon whom you choose to fly with. Of course Resort cost can be pricey as well, the JW Marriott can range from $250.00 a night to $500.00 a night depends upon the time you go and how dealsavvy you are. But over all the most cost to go to Hawaii is getting there, restaurants are moderate $$, Tour cost is average $$

Staying on Maui for only seven days is just not enough time. My wife and I only covered about let’s say half of the island. We are yet to explore the city of Kapalua or Pa’ia. When I went to Hawaii it was for 14 days, seven of the days was on Oahu which is another story for the future, but the other seven days on Maui was the icing on the cake, yes Maui proved to be my favorite Hawaiian Island and I highly recommend this beautiful island.

By M.Swint

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Meet The Author 

Welcome to Swint Travel Blog! My name is Mark A Swint and I enjoy Traveling or you can say that I have the travel bug. The purpose of this website is to share travel ideas and travel tips that will invite inexperienced travelers as well as those who are well traveled get away and try something new. My family and I have traveled to many places around the United States as well as the Caribbean, Central America, and Europe. My goal is to get viewers and bloggers excited about going to see places you have never been. (Switching Careers) Living in beautiful Michigan all my life, I currently work in the Auto Industry, however it is my goal to switch to the hospitality/travel industry in the near future. There are so many places on my bucket list for travel, please feel free to share your travel experience with me so that we can have an exchange of ideas.

Thank you for visiting my website and I hope that the pictures and the travel tips get you motivated to try some place new!

Happy Travels!

M.Swint