Maui
We decided to go back to Maui. United now has a non stop flight from Newark to Kahului. Great scheduled times both ways. The airport in Maui has improved its rental car area and they have built a huge enclosed garage for the rental companies. The garage is connected to the airport by a short tram or you can walk. We had no problem with a rental car. We used National and car was great and it was the same price as always.
We needed to be tested before we left NJ but they have now waived the testing if you are vaccinated. United handled everything very well and they checked our test results in Newark and gave us a wrist band which allowed us to enter Maui without an issue.
We divided our stay between Wailea(5 nights) and Hana(3 nights). In Wailea we stayed at the Ekahi village condos through Destination by Hyatt. We had a beautiful 2 bedroom ocean view condo with full kitchen and a 3 minute walk to Keawakapu Beach, one of our favorite beaches. I love the Ekahi condos. They are not fancy but the location is great and the units are spread out over beautiful grounds. The prices are not bad either especially when compared to the hotels.
In Hana we stayed in the owner's suite condo in the Hana Maui Hotel but we booked through AirBnB.
Everything looked beautiful a s always but then things got real. Restaurants are at reduced capacity and so there were crazy long waits at our favorite places Monkeypod, Wailea and Paia Fish Market, Kihei. Monkeypod took our name for there waiting list and told us it would be an hour and 45 minutes. They did not take reservations. Paia Fish Market had a wait of 45 minutes to over an hour for eat-in or take out.
The wait at Ululani's Shaved Ice in Kihei was over an hour, ouch. Luckily they have other locations like in Kahului where there was no wait.
We did eat twice at the Maui Brewing Company in Kihei.https://www.mbcrestaurants.com/kihei/ They have a huge restaurant with very spread-out tables outside. They had live entertainment and and a very efficient method of ordering. They had a 20 minute wait one night but the wait list is very efficient as well.
We went to the upcountry farmers' market on Saturday. It is pretty good with about 30 vendors. Parking can be tough but there are spots available a few blocks away. Saturday mornings from 7am to 11am.http://www.upcountryfarmersmarket.com/
Wailea now has a farmers market https://mauifamilymagazine.com/event/wailea-village-farmers-market/2021-07-06/ every Tuesday and it is very good. It is small but has some great vendors. We got local fish and some top notch fruit and veggies.
Luckily we had a kitchen so we were not dependent on restaurants. The supermarkets are doing fine and Costco was good as always. Their wine selection is great and don't forget to use their gas station as it is around $.50 less than other gas stations.
We went up Haleakala and had a great time. Perfect weather and it was not very crowded. It is about a 2 hour drive from Wailea depending on stops. It is part of the Haleakala National Park. https://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm If you want to go up for sunrise, you need to make a reservation.
Makawao is still the same. It is upcountry and is about 40 minutes from Wailea. Komoda's bakery is same as always except for the line outside. We got our Monkeybread and malasadas. closed Wednesday and Sunday.
Hana is the same as always but a bit depressing. Locals are not to pleased with tourists. There were some nasty signs. The Hana Maui Hotel https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/hawaii/hana-maui-resort/oggal?src=adm_sem_agn_360i_crp_ppc__google__e_hana%20maui%20hotel_TwoRoadProp&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvO2IBhCzARIsALw3ASqgAHVu7RnHw1PguBYlQNraXzKr_a1WOBkUSeUgR322RAL2xJ307wgaAqazEALw_wcB has been taken over by Hyatt. We saw nothing positive about the change except they added a bar to one of the pools. The usually delightful staff was rude and un-helpful. The restaurant was closed. There are basically no activities and worst of all they have made no attempt to rebuild their house on Hamoa Beach. They give you 2 ratty chairs at the front desk and they a have shuttle to the beach every 2 hours. Wow! They could have a person at the beach with chairs, towels and umbrellas. Check out the hotel prices and you can see why you might expect more.
Good news from Hana, Hana Farms https://www.hanafarms.com/ has opened up a new restaurant with pizza in the jungle. The restaurant is nicely laid out and they have singers on some nights. The pizza is great; we took out. But it can get busy and check days and times when it is open. Dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Best place in Hana by far. Good banana bread at their stand.
Hana has a farmers market once a week. They had a stand that sold taro hummus. It was a great. The guy grows the best taro on the island. He also is Israeli so he knows his hummus.
Past Hana is the other part of the Haleakala National Park where the 7 pools are located. This park also has the Pipiwai Trail which is a great hike. It is about 4 miles round trip and you walk through a bamboo forest and end up at a 400 ft waterfall. The trail has been discovered but it is not that crowded and the hike is lots of fun. Bring water and wear hiking shoes.
Shakespeare in Central Park
The NY Public Theater has produced the Merry Wives in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park,https://publictheater.org/ NYC. It is a updated version of the Merry Wives of Windsor. Plays at the Delacorte are always a delight and we had great weather the night we attended. The play is entertaining and tickets are free through a lottery system on Goldstar.https://www.goldstar.com/events/new-york-ny/free-shakespeare-in-the-park-lottery-merry-wives-tickets A great experience and bargain in NYC.
We ate dinner before the play at Sarabeth's Kitchen on Amsterdam Ave. We had a hamburger and chicken sandwich but everything was very good and service was great. We ate outside in one of the new street kiosks and it was very comfy. Their Happy Hour extends to 7pm and food is part of the deal.
End of the Pipawai Trail.
Enjoy.
