Maui Travel Diary

Aloha! Welcome to my Maui Travel Diary –

Jeff and I just returned from a wonderful whirlwind trip to celebrate the beginning of our 30th Anniversary year. Yes, you read that right.. we have been married for 30 years this December 18th! We are so thankful to have been together for 3 decades and wanted to enjoy new experiences and adventures throughout the next year to help celebrate our time together. Jeff and I have planned a few trips already and they span from little California weekend getaways to overseas excursions.. I can’t wait to share more!

To kick-off our 30th anniversary year, we decided to head back to Maui, Hawaii – one of our all-time favorite tropical destinations. We have been to Maui many times over the years and have stayed at any of the island’s top resorts. With this visit, we chose to stay at the Four Seasons Maui.. a beautiful and relaxing resort full of beauty, incredible food, and amazing service.

For us, Maui holds so many wonderful memories… the people, the food, and culture always inspires us. Even though we have been to Maui many times before.. I have to say this special visit topped all.

The Four Seasons Maui truly made this trip the best ever. I can’t say enough about the experience – the quality of service, the kindness of the staff, and the beauty of the grounds left us speechless. Even upon arrival, the staff greeted us warmly and delivered a specialty drink & plate of fruit. It was such a nice touch..

Our room was absolutely beautiful.. If you follow me on Instagram, then you may remember me sharing a tour on Instagram stories. We stayed in an Ocean-View room in a corner spot with a large lanai – it was so nice and private. The bathroom was larger than Emma’s apartment. ;) When we walked in, relaxing Hawaiian music was playing and I was immediately reminded that I was in paradise. We found a welcome fruit platter and a personalized note on the table wishing us a happy anniversary and a beautiful stay. So sweet.

Our room had a view of the Ocean and the grounds.

Via Four Seasons Maui

The pools and the beach are beautiful at the Four Seasons. The best part about this hotel is that you don’t have to pay extra for a nice cabana at the pool.. Jeff and I chose cabanas that overlooked the ocean almost every day except for the last.. that day we decided to sit by the pool with the large beautiful fountain. It’s always nice to mix it up.

This resort is known for their infinity pool, Serenity which has a swim-up bar.. it’s gorgeous with views of both the ocean and beach. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a little peace & quiet… adult style. (No kids under 18!) One of the nicest amenities was the high level of service here. The staff was always so helpful. They dressed your chairs with fitted towels every day and offered complimentary water, fresh fruit, popsicles, and baked goods throughout the day as well.. You couldn’t help but feel special. The staff also offer complimentary sunscreen and chilled towels! The attention to detail was really appreciated.

We loved the swim-up bar.. It has the most gorgeous views.

The first day as we were walking around checking out the pools – we were fortunate enough to meet one of the sweetest pool staff members, Rowena. She stopped us and asked if we would like to have a picture taken together. She took the picture below that I posted on Instagram. Once she found out that it was our Anniversary she even hand-delivered a gorgeous fruit platter to us at the pool with a Happy anniversary message. Thanks Rowena for the smiles and hugs. :)

The shot Rowena took of us.. so sweet of her!

The beach in Wailea is huge and gorgeous. Most of the time you’ll see people paddle-boarding and canoeing in the morning, and enjoying the larger waves in the afternoon. One of their complimentary activities includes their Outrigger Canoe Program – a nod to the Hawaiian culture and a different way to see turtles and the island from the water. Another amazing amenity that Jeff and I had hoped to experience but ran out of time.. was to try their complimentary introductory scuba lessons. When Jeff and I were laying by the pool we watched as 8 hopeful scuba divers ran through different training sessions with an expert right in front of us. SO fun!

To take this vacation up another level, Jeff and I took part in a couple of special experiences for our 30th celebration.

The first being a couple’s massage while overlooking the ocean in a traditional thatched Hawaiian Hale. (Hale is a Hawaiian word meaning house or home!) Something I love experiencing more than anything while in Hawaii is learning more about the culture. An article I found in Maui Magazine quoted the 19th century Hawaiian historian David Malo explaining the traditional significance of the Hawaiian hale: “Three things were important for the well-being of the kanaka maoli [original Hawaiian people]: The canoe for travel, fishing and warfare, the ‘aina [land] for planting taro, and the hale that provided the place to rest.”

Our massages were so relaxing and it was incredible hearing the ocean just outside the thatched hale. Click here to learn more about this experience.

This is the traditional Hawaiian Hale! Such a cool experience.

The highlight of the trip has to be the Ultimate Dinner Experience on our last night. It’s a private & personalized dinner made just for you in a beautiful location on the property. Jeff obviously was so excited about this because he is such a foodie. The night before our dinner, we met with Chef Hyrin Salaguinto and their expert Sommelier from the Four Season’s DUO steakhouse to plan our menu. Both were so sweet and the attention-to-detail was amazing. They created a custom 7-course meal specifically for both Jeff and I made to our likings.

The following night we were guided to our special table from our room by our personal server, Mark. The minute we saw the beautiful tablescape overlooking the ocean.. our jaws dropped. It was a magical night that we neither of us will ever forget. Click here to learn more about the Ultimate Dinner Experience.

One thing I need to mention was that Mark, our greeter, server and overall head of the Ultimate Dinner experience, was so kind-hearted and brilliant at his job. We told him that we wished we had a third chair so that he could join us for the meal. Our night lasted almost 6 hours long.. we talked about family, travel, marriage and more. Thanks for the great conversation and service Mark!

One of Jeff’s favorite things to do each afternoon was fall asleep in the popular swinging hammock. He made sure to find time for it no matter what…

Before we left the Four Seasons Maui we had our last brunch at one of our favorite restaurants on the property.. DUO. The breakfast buffet at DUO is huge and full of every kind of breakfast item one can imagine. We ate breakfast there every single morning it was that good. :) Friends told me to try the banana macadamia nut pancakes with Tahitian vanilla syrup… and I have to say that it was beyond delicious. Of course Jeff loved their waffles, and the chocolate crepe was to die for.

This trip to Maui was one that Jeff and I will never forget.. Not only were the views and property outstanding, but having the opportunity to meet new friends at the pool (Hi Bryant and Kirsti!) and spend time getting to know the incredible members of the staff made this entire stay the best trip to Maui we have ever had. Can’t wait to return one day..

xo,
Kristy

Thanks to the Four Seasons Maui for hosting this trip. All opinions expressed are my own.