Trip Report 10.24-11.2 part 2

Question

Checkout of the Napili Kai was 11am, so after our daily dose of coffee in the lobby we walked over to Island Vibes for one last visit. We shared another açaí bowl, bought some stickers for our water bottles and said goodbye to the wonderful staff. If you are on the west side of the island, I highly recommend checking out this great coffee shop!

We had done most of our packing the night before, so we could spend one more morning bobbing in the ocean. We grabbed our floaties and headed out to the bay. The first 5 days of our trip had been so perfect, I was honestly sad to leave our little bit of paradise found at Napili Kai, but I was excited to bring my DH to the Fairmont.

After about an hour, we headed back to the room, freshened up and made our way to the lobby to check out. We took a few more pics of the property, loaded up the car and started our journey down south.

We stopped at Leoda's for lunch and to grab some pies to bring to our hotel. We ordered the veggie sandwich and added turkey with a side of potato salad and it was all delicious! The sandwich was huge and definitely big enough to share. I wanted one of each of the pies, but we settled on the chocolate Mac nut pie and the coconut cream. I had a small insulated reusable bag and after stealing a few bites, we packed up our pies and continued our drive.

My DH and I both love Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, so I wanted to see the clubhouse at King Kamehameha where my husband had golfed on Monday. The drive up to the course was beautiful and the views from the course were amazing! We walked the property and got lots of great pics. If you like architecture, definitely worth a visit!

After our small detour, we continued on to Wailea. It was a beautiful day and we arrived at the hotel around 1:45. I had stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani with my best friend last year and I was so excited to share it with my husband. He was in awe of the property, the welcome Leis from the valet and the massive lobby with its amazing view out to the ocean. Check-in wasn't until 4pm, but the lovely front desk associate took my cell number and said she would text me when our room was ready. I started to give my husband a tour of the property, but it was cut short by a text saying our room was ready!! It was 2pm!

We got to our room just as our luggage was being delivered, so we were able to unpack, change into our suits and we were poolside with a drink in our hands by 2:30. We brought our cribbage board with us and played crib, shot the basketball, rode the waterslide and just enjoyed the sunshine. It was not busy and we had no trouble finding a chaise lounge during our entire stay.

Around 4:30, we headed down to the beach and the waves were perfect to bob around in. We had a ball that we got at the ABC store that skips on top of the water, so we played with that making up different games. As I'm sure you've noticed from my reports, we are just big kids at heart that love the ocean! Around 5:50 we were treated to a gorgeous sunset and we watched it from the beach while playing in the waves.

We were getting hungry for dinner, so we headed back to our room, got cleaned up and made our way to the shops at Wailea for some food. My DH had won a Ruth's Chris gift card at a golf tournament this summer so we decided to eat there. We grabbed a seat at the bar and shared crab cakes, a salad and their bbq prawns over mashed potatoes. Everything was so good and we enjoyed talking to the bartenders. We told her we were in Maui celebrating our 20th anniversary and she surprised us at the end of the meal with strawberries flambéed table-side. Such a nice treat!

We went back to the hotel and when we entered our room we were surprised by a beautiful card wishing us a Happy Anniversary, a bottle of wine, a bottle of champagne and a loaf of banana bread wrapped in a banana leaf with a small dish of lilikoi butter! Turndown service had been done and the curtains were shut, bed turned down and a bottle of water with two glasses was on the bed side table. We were definitely feeling all the anniversary love!!

We crashed after our busy day in the most heavenly bed!l

Answer

Checkout at Napili Kai was at 11am, so after enjoying coffee in the lobby, we made a final visit to Island Vibes for one last açaí bowl and to pick up some stickers for our water bottles. The staff were wonderful, and this coffee shop is highly recommended if you’re on the west side of Maui.

We had packed most of our belongings the night before, allowing us one more morning to enjoy the ocean with floaties at the bay. It was bittersweet to leave Napili Kai after five perfect days, but we were excited to head to the Fairmont Kea Lani.

After returning to the room to freshen up, we checked out and loaded the car. We made a stop at Leoda’s for lunch and to pick up some pies to bring to our hotel. We shared a veggie sandwich with turkey and a side of potato salad, which was more than enough to share. For dessert, we chose the chocolate macadamia nut pie and coconut cream pie, enjoying a few bites before packing the rest for later.

Since my husband enjoys Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, we detoured to the King Kamehameha Clubhouse. The drive was beautiful, and the views from the golf course were stunning. We walked the property and took lots of photos, making it a worthwhile stop for architecture enthusiasts.

Continuing on to Wailea, we arrived at the Fairmont Kea Lani around 1:45pm. Although check-in wasn’t until 4pm, the front desk associate offered to text us when our room was ready. Within minutes, our room was prepared. We unpacked, changed into swimsuits, and were poolside by 2:30pm, enjoying the sun, playing cribbage, shooting basketball, riding the waterslide, and relaxing in a quiet, uncrowded pool area.

By 4:30pm, we headed to the beach, where the waves were perfect for bobbing around. We played with a skipping ball and enjoyed the ocean. The sunset at 5:50pm was breathtaking, watched from the water while still having fun in the waves.

For dinner, we visited the Shops at Wailea and used a Ruth’s Chris gift card. Sitting at the bar, we shared crab cakes, a salad, and BBQ prawns over mashed potatoes. The meal was excellent, and we were pleasantly surprised at the end of the dinner with a table-side strawberries flambé to celebrate our 20th anniversary.

Returning to our room, we discovered a lovely turndown service with a card wishing us a Happy Anniversary, bottles of wine and champagne, a loaf of banana bread with lilikoi butter, and water with glasses on the bedside table. We ended the day exhausted but delighted in the thoughtful touches and fell asleep in the heavenly bed.