Family Trip to Maui, 5/2007

Day 1, we flew with Gerbie (our airplane) to the beautiful Maui island.  As soon as we located our seats aboard the airplane, Han got comfortable right away with her new favorite - the airplane pillow and blanky.  After a lengthy 5 -hour flight, we finally arrived. 

Upon arriving at the resort, a lovely lady greeted us with fresh flower leis and refreshing fruity water.  Han immediately was attracted to the lobby waterfalls and the fish pond filled with giant koi fishes, live flamingos and a couple of friendly gooses. 

This pond turned out to be a major kid attraction every morning during feeding time.Han enjoyed feeding her fish friends so much that we went back there 3 times

We stayed at the Westin Maui Resort in the Kannapali village with beach front access to the Kannapali beach just south of Black Rock.   The lobby and the outdoor pool area definitely live up to its 4-stars rating, but the room did not.  Our room was small and in need of renovation.  The water sprinkler in the bathroom was rusted, the tiles on the floor were scratched and the toilet was LOUD.  But the worst of all, our hair dryer was sticky, yikes!   

Although I have many complains about the room, I was impressed by the pools.  There are 5 pools at the resort (not counting the whirlpool) and 2 water slides.  The lower level opens to everyone but mostly families show up here.  The upper level is adult only with a bar right in the middle.  Nice way to separate the crowd for enjoying different amenities.

That night, we dined at the resort's Tropica restaurant with mostly beach front outdoor seating.  The sunset view of the Pacific Ocean was just breath-taking.  The food was good, one of the best we've had during our vacation.  Romantic?  Absolutely!  But not recommended for families (especially with young kids like my 4-year-old) because after the sun set, we can hardly see our plates and Han was eager to get out of the dark.  Oh, and the food wasn't cheap; we racked up $100 easily on that dinner bill (which mostly paid for the view in my opinion).

For families, I'd recommend the Ono Bar & Grill next door which has a more family-oriented menu (and pricing).  Plus kids eat for free (per each paying adult).  I personally think the food came from the same kitchen anyways...

So there, that was our uneventful first day at Maui .