Maui Remembered

We have mixed feeling about Maui. It is a beautiful place but not sure when we will rush back for another visit.  Here is why.

Highlights:

• Stayed in beautiful 1-bedroom condo in Wailea
• The Marriott pool at Wailea - they have 5 pools (one with slides and one by the ocean) - We spent a day by the pool since our friends stayed there.
• Lahaina (30 min drive from us) love the front st shops and views.  They had a fresh gelato shop making passion fruit gelato fresh from the fruit and a porch in the back right on the water.  Had a later lunch at Kimu right on the ocean - beautiful view.  We also bought great souvenirs for Agnes and Isabel and Jaime got the world's most comfortable black leather shoes from Crocs of all places.  If we ever go back to Maui, we would stay in Kaanapali (maybe the Westin) - 5 min north of Lahaina.  They also have a Whalers Village that suppose to have nice shops on the ocean.
• Sunset on Ulua beach - only 5 minutes from our condo.  We easily drove there and got on the beach.  It also is a great snorkeling spot for beginners although we didn't get to try it.
• Kihei Caffe - good breakfast and lunch place in Kihei
• Matteo in Wailea - the only decent restaurant at Wailea
• Wedding for Don and Christina was beautiful - Reason we went to Maui. 

Low lights

• Much more rural and underdeveloped than I thought.  
• Wailea is sterile and way over priced.  Food sucks and the services quality is even worse.  We went to two restaurants in two nights that sucked.
• Kai - Japanese restaurant - Udon for $20 - really small bowl nothing special.  We had 15 people and two people order Udon.  One got it and the other didn't even after an hour.  The waiter was an idiot - after we asked for the Udon 2 more times, he came to explain about lack of burners and asked if we still want it.  duh... we said yes and ask him to comp it.  he was confused and brought out his manager.  We asked him to comp it and he looked confused too.  That Udon probably cost $2 to make.   Well, they did comp it but the waiter told us it will come out of his tip (so tacky!) .  
• Monkey Pod with 17 people the next night.  The Fresh Gnocchi was super spicy and it didn't say that on the menu.  One of the kids at the table and a grandma at our table ordered it.  Both couldn't eat it.  Had to return it and wait forever for replacement food.  Also they claim to have Asian noodle dishes - horrible.  We also ordered a mushroom pizza that barely had any mushroom in it.  Again, expensive and not worth it.  Avoid
• Jaime came home with a stomach bug - two days of discomfort.  Now Isabel has a stomach bug possibly from Jaime or from school.  Doctor say it's diarrhea season - who knew?

Anyway for $600+ per person per flight, Maui is expensive to get to, expensive to stay, and food sucks in Wailea.  We won't be back anytime soon.  We much more prefer Miami, Mexico, Puerto Rico, even Oahu.  We are happy to be back in SF!

Lei