Beautiful Hana

We were fortunate enough to spend a night in beautiful Hana this week. For those of you familiar with the infamous Road to Hana on Maui, you know it is breathtaking scenery and very dramatic driving. It is constant switchbacks reduced to one lane in some parts. Couple that with often impatient, or extremely slow, tourists, and you can see why a relaxing night in Hana might be just the ticket. No need to do that road twice in one day!

We booked spa treatments at the Travass Hotel and proceeded to take our time getting there. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from Paia Town to the little hamlet of Hana. It certainly is reminiscent of "old Hawaii." It is small and sleepy, warm-hearted, and welcoming. The only place to eat, however, is at the hotel or one of the many vendors along the highway that may serve fruit smoothies or BBQ from their little road-side stands. The only restaurant in town was closed for renovation. 

Not to worry, the hotel had everything we needed - and then some. The Travel Channel was there filming the hotel, so watch for it to come up if you're interested in Hana.

I came away with three little shell and gemstone necklaces, two of which will make perfect gifts, and my husband was able to have his first lesson on his new ukulele that was his Christmas gift from Santa. I had a wonderful deep moisturizing facial (to help prepare me for my trip home to the "land of dry" on Saturday.) My husband had a massage, and came away happy as a clam, and relaxed for the next leg of our journey.

We proceeded around the back side of the island and found the most beautiful pools and waterfalls right next to the road! The journey ended in very dry country covered in lava. From desert to rain forest - that's Maui.

It was the perfect little get-a-way. We'll miss the ocean and the warm gentle breezes, that's for sure. My husband will miss the kayack.

But Lucy's sweet little furry face has been missed, so there's reason to go home. That is the only bad part about coming to Maui - we can't stuff our lab under the seat to bring along with us.

Out of the ocean and back to the snow!

What is it about sleeping in your own bed after being away? It just never feels so good. The sheets are perfect and the pillows fit in all the right ways. I'm happy to be home although I will miss the ocean, sand, and sea creatures of all kinds. We were lucky enough to see a few humpback whales, one with her baby, still in the protected bay where they have their calves before the long trek to Alaska. April is the end of the season with December through March being the best time to see them. My husband managed to see two sea turtles, but I had a leaking snorkel and missed that highlight.

Spending time near the ocean reminds me of all the reasons we have to fight to save them. Starting with using less plastic, which always seems to make it into our oceans, turn off our lights to help alleviate coal accidents on protected reefs, make sure we don't use chemicals on our lawns that eventually wash into the sea, and since there are many more, I'll save that for tomorrows post.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to catching up with all of you. I know I've missed a ton!

Mahalo