West Maui: Napili Bay

I’m so excited to finally share the details of our honeymoon! Maui was such an incredible place with so much to do and see. Plus it didn’t hurt that it was only a five hour non-stop flight from San Jose to Kahului.

Their main airport is located in what’s considered to be the central part of the island which is known for strong winds, acres upon acres of sugar cane, and a beautiful back drop of the western mountains.

Strategically placed only a few miles from the airport is a small hut selling fresh coconuts.

I’m not sure how they determine this, but they gave us the option of a coconut with more flesh or one with more water. We went for water…hydration is key!

That picture should tell you just how windy it was. Look at my pants! It was so strong, it almost blew me and my coconut away.

Our first view of the coast was beautiful but also a little deceiving because it changes drastically as you start to head west.

On the way to the hotel, we stopped at a vegan place called Choice Health Bar {I did my research ahead of time, of course} for a healthy bite to eat.

The food here was awesome {especially the kale salad} but I had to give my wasabi to Brandon because I can’t handle the heat. I’m a wuss.

The hotel we stayed at, Napili Kai Beach Resort, is nestled on Napili Bay in northern Lahaina.

The weather in this part of Lahaina is a little different than the downtown area, which is typically warm and sunny with very little wind. But the benefit is that the occasional clouds and light rain showers make the surroundings feel lush, giving it more of an authentic Hawaiian feel. Plus, there are musical Myna birds to wake you up every morning! I don’t think everyone is as excited about that part but we enjoyed listening to them.

Napili Kai is actually an independently owned resort that’s been in business for over fifty years. Some of their rooms don’t even have air conditioning {you don’t really need it} but ours did.

It was an ocean front studio that had been recently remodeled and it had everything we needed and more, but the main reason I chose this room was for the view.

It was so relaxing to sit on the patio and listen to the ocean. What I wouldn’t give to wake up to that every day!

The room was also only a few steps away from the beach, where they provide complimentary chairs, towels, water, and snorkeling gear.

We rented a few stand-up paddleboards but the wind made it really challenging. If you stopped paddling for even a minute, you immediately started drifting toward the middle of the ocean into a dangerous {Hawaiian translation: gnarly} current.

At one point, I got so frustrated that I sat down and started to whine about the wind. Then all of a sudden this little guy popped his head up!

I’m pretty sure that he said something like, “quitcherbitchin”.

The wind wasn’t ideal but we tried our best to make the most of it. We also snorkeled {this is a great spot for it!}, hung out on the beach and watched a little terror named Killian destroy everyone’s sand castle before going back out on the boards.

Napili Kai also has a restaurant on site called Sea House. It’s fairly casual so we didn’t bother getting out of our swimsuits before eating there.

A little towel action was all it took and we were on the patio, enjoying dinner and taking in a beautiful sunset.

I tried the Monchong which is a native Hawaiian fish that’s similar to Mahi Mahi. I don’t usually eat fish at home because Brandon won’t eat it, but it was hard to pass up while we were there. When in Rome!

Last but not least, the best part about staying at Napili Kai was definitely Mama Cat.

She’s the resident cat and likes to beg everyone for leftovers as they come back to their rooms in the evening. We let her in our room to hang out for a while but once she realized we didn’t have any goods, she was on to the next one. Typical cat for ya!

I have more details of the trip to share with you so stay tuned!

If you’re bored by travel posts then please accept my apologies. The recipes will resume shortly. :)