Email Elizabeththings to do in Maui
Post Card Perfect Ka’anapali Beach Walk to Royal Lahaina
Makai side of Ka’anapali Golf Course along Ka’anpali Beach Walk.
After studying the terrain around the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, I decided to walk the other direction down the Ka’anapali Beach Walk to see how far I could get. It was unclear as to whether the beach walk connects to the Royal Lahaina from my hotel, so I pulled up the website and entered chat mode with a clerk at the Royal Lahaina.
I asked her if I could walk along the beach to get to the Royal Lahaina and how long would it take. She said we’re right next door to you at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel. Look, I know you live here and everything, and you come to work every day so you can obviously your way around, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but you are NOT next door to the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel.
Much arguing ensued. Perhaps she was confused about the golf course with the same name? Finally she conceded and said yes, it would take me 20 minutes to get there and they are not next door to my hotel.
Royal Ocean Terrace restaurant overlooks pool at Royal Lahaina, Ka’anapali.
That response filled me with great confidence. I set off in the hot sun. Plenty of sunscreen. Upon entering the Sheraton, the Ka’anapali Beach Walk virtually vanished, but I kept heading in the direction that made logical sense and eventually picked up the trail on the other side of the Sheraton. I passed by a beach, a lovely canal, and entered what I hoped was the grounds of the Royal Lahaina.
The cocktail is called Paradise Found, served at the Royal Lahaina Hotel.
By the time I found this pool and noted a restaurant, I really didn’t care if it was the Royal Lahaina or not, this is where I was stopping for lunch. I was hot, sticky and tired of the direct sun beating down on my graying curly mop.
I ordered a “Paradise Found” cocktail made with rum and juices. Yes, I was celebrating, not only finding the restaurant but closing a sale in Sacramento. It was a difficult house to sell, but I managed to do it, sold over list price and without any Request for Repair. Well, there was a request to replace the door hinge in the garage as a loan condition, but we got the buyer to take care of it. I deserved a little rummy paradise.
Baby barred dove joins Elizabeth Weintraub as a dining companion at Royal Lahaina.
My only regret is I did not take a photograph of the ahi green salad with avocado and a delicious wasabi-based dressing. I was so hungry I devoured it immediately and then proceeded to lick the bowl. I would order this again and again!
This little baby barred dove flew down to keep me company. Wasn’t shy at all. Please, Miss, won’t you share your ahi salad? No, it’s not a good idea to make wild birds dependent on humans. Go find your own ahi. And while you’re at it, don’t crap on the plastic bamboo.
Couple on the beach by Ka’anapali Golf Course.
The downside is I had to walk back in the hot sun. Although I did manage to stop along the way to shoot photos of interest. Here is a couple lying on the beach on towels. Most people who go to the beaches here do not lie on towels. They rent cabanas or umbrellas with chairs. Why don’t people object to me shooting photos of them? I have no idea, I’d be screaming at somebody who tried to take my picture without my permission.
Further, check out that guy’s neck. It’s red as a beet. So I guess he decided the best way to deal with that is to expose his back and see if he can sunburn that as well.
This is also where the Maui Eldorado Cabana is located. Which appears to be a private beach building for guests of the Maui Eldorado, but those accommodations do not seem to be near the beach.
Quiet beach between Black Rock and Royal Lahaina in Ka’anapali.
Further up the beach, along the Ka’anpali Beach Walk heading toward Black Rock, I turned around to shoot this photo of the Royal Lahaina in the distance. There were not very many people at the beach, and it was around 2:30 PM. This seems to be a much quieter side of Ka’anapali Beach than where I am located, nestled between the Sheraton and the Westin.
Waves breaking on the other side of Black Rock in Ka’anapali
There is a jetty of sorts, made of lava rock, by the beach, and on the other side is a canal. This side is bordered by all rock, and warning signs were plastered everywhere that read: stay out, go away, this means you, don’t trespass, get off this jetty, danger danger danger, but I ignored them and carefully made my way down the lava.
Signs are meant for those who are likely to turn their backs on the ocean and get swept away in the current, never to be heard of again, until their battered bodies land on a deserted beach somewhere.
Mauka side of Ka’anapali Golf Course from Ka’anapali Beach Walk
Ducking out of the hot sun, I came upon this scene right out of a movie. It seems so picture perfect that it could be an oil painting. If I painted it, I would probably eliminate much of the green plants on the right side and lower the hillside a little, or maybe crop the bottom out.
Who I am kidding? I can’t even draw stick people much less paint. Still, I wanted to share these photos with you of my stroll along the Ka’anapali Beach Walk. I hope you enjoyed my blog for the day. Only 1 day left and I’m back in Sacramento again.
You Wanna Stay Outta Whaler’s Village But You Cannot
Beach walkway from Whaler’s Village toward the Westin.
One of the reasons I wanted to stay at this particular stretch in Ka’anapali was because there are a bunch of other hotels to visit and a big shopping center. I was hoping it would be similar to Wailea, where I stayed with my team member Barbara Dow a couple of years ago. It is not.
Then I thought maybe it would be similar to the Kings Shops at Waikoloa when I stayed at the Marriot for 3 weeks last year. It probably has more in common with that particular resort area on the Big Island with one glaring difference: too many tourists in Maui.
Shops at Whaler’s Village from second floor, Ka’anapali, Maui.
There is also the fact I don’t need to buy anything. I have purchased all the gifts for my friends, family and coworkers at Na Hoku and the Mauna Kea Visitor’s Center on the Big Island. I have no particular need for anything, especially after committing to buy that orchid oil painting from Wayne Keeth. One thing I do not need is MORE STUFF. We all have too much stuff as it is.
I suspect my sister is saying, hey, speak for yourself!
Shops at entrance of Whaler’s Village from Ka’anapali Parkway, Maui.
Still, that did not stop me from hitting every jewelry store in Whaler’s Village. At Na Hoku, the saleswoman placed the most spectacular piece of jewelry around my neck. I should have taken a photo of the octopus. I considered it but then I’d study it for days, maybe months, and I don’t need that kind of temptation. It had tiny bits of sapphires embedded in the legs, and the head was a large white Tahitian pearl.
The octopus was displayed on a white gold necklace, a necklace I happen to own, so my thinking was, hey, at least I don’t have to buy the necklace. But the pendant was $6,200. I am not insane enough to spend that kind of money for a pendant, even if I do LOVE it, which I do. It’s the most beautiful piece I’ve laid eyes upon.
However, if a benefactor out there would like to buy it for me, by all means, go for it. I won’t stop you. Just call any Na Hoku store. It doesn’t have to be the Whaler’s Village and ask about the octopus pendant. Na Hoku is now located in California as well, which is the reason they don’t offer Kama’aina rates, I was informed.
Beach path near Westin at Ka’anapali Beach.
The beach path leads from the Sheraton all the way past Whaler’s Village to a point I have not yet been to. This shows the island of Lanai and the path just past the Westin. It’s a beautiful stroll, and not as suffering hot as the walk from The Fairmont to the Shops at Wailea.
Beautiful pools at the Westin Ka’anapali
I shot this photo just so you could see the pools at the Westin. It’s a beautiful layout at that resort, although the dining area was a bit crowded, this part of is not. Perhaps it’s part of a private residence which is why there are no horrid tourists there? The landscaping is particularly enchanting with lush vegetation, very pleasing to the eye and senses.
Meercats hawk Louis Vuitton at Whaler’s Village
While strolling through Whaler’s Village, I also perused many of the stores such as Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade. I noticed Louis Vuitton was pushing a lot of silver stuff a couple of years ago and seems to have switched to more gold accents. Kate Spade has a Hawaiian collection with a certain slant toward Asian clientele that I found very appealing. Lots of pinks and yellows and happy tones.
Upper gardens of Westin Ka’anapali
I climbed up the steps just to see what was up there. It was very deserted. Without a hotel card, one cannot gain access to the Westin. Which is too bad because I’m sure the Westin has shops and other restaurants to check out. But this view was spectacular, so I grabbed my iPhone and shot it.
The fellow standing there had a camera sitting on a tripod, waiting for the perfect shot, without realizing the perfect shot was of him.
Leaving Whaler’s Village to head toward Leilani’s and the beachwalk.
Walking toward the popular restaurant Leilani’s, where I had dinner last night, is this view of tourists coming off the beachwalk. I keep wondering why nobody ever says anything to me when I take photos of them. This woman looked at me and stopped chatting on her phone, but she didn’t stop to say why are you taking my picture? That’s what I would ask if I were her.
Tropical itch is no longer on the cocktail menu at the Westin Ka’anapali
One of the reasons I wanted to go to Whaler’s Village is because the Westin was right next to it, and I figured I’d go there for lunch. I asked for a Tropical Itch, and the bartender just laughed. Oh, we don’t serve those anymore, he chuckled, you mean the drink with the backscratcher? Yes, how about you keep the backscratcher, I asked. So voila. Here is your tropical drink of the day.
Road to Hana from Wailea
We thought we had the Road to Hana tour from our home base in Wailea all planned out. I set my alarm on the clock radio at The Fairmont Kea. I called for a wakeup call at 5:45, followed by a 2nd wakeup call 15 minutes later. All of this was in addition to relying on my internal clock to wake up by early enough, because the last thing we wanted to do was be late for our 6:45 meeting time scheduled by the Road to Hana tour people.
As luck would have it, we raced out of our top floor suite at 6:30 without any wakeup calls whatsoever, on top of which the alarm clock had malfunctioned. We made it halfway down the hall before Barbara figured out she had left her cellphone on the table. We dashed back to retrieve her cell and continued on our way halfway through the second wing before I realized I had forgotten the tickets for the tour. What a circus. See, there was a reason that we had given ourselves an extra 15 minutes of time to meet the deadline. That’s the kind of real estate agents we are — planners — always on time. Back to the room to retrieve the tickets.
By the time we got to the Terrace level and rounded the corner where we were to meet the van, we discovered all of the other passengers were already on board, and even with being 5 minute early, we were still late. Which is probably why we got the last back corner seats.
617 curves, and 56 single-lane bridges. What part of motion sickness did I not predict? Oy. I could be stoic or I could speak up after 30 minutes of discomfort, and speaking up seemed like the better choice. I asked our cheery tour bus driver from Shakopee who, even though he has lived in Hawaii for 26 years still retained his Minnesota accent (don’t dingle dangle, hey) for a plastic bag. He was so polite he asked me what size. Size? Seriously? He spotted the look of agony in my eyes and quickly ripped off a kitchen-size trash bag. Then, he also handed me a piece of ginger, coupled with a frozen can of pop to alternate holding against my neck, under my ears.
My real life saver, though, was the guy sitting next to Barbara, who hailed from Bentonville, Arkansas, home of Wal*Mart and Tyson Foods, the fame of which I only know because of my agent friend, James Dray at Wise Realty. The dude from Bentonville handed me 2 dramamine. Jennifer, from St. Louis, was also gracious enough to offer us second row seats, which were a tremendous help.
By the time we got to the burial place of Charles Lindbergh, whom they say was buried standing straight up so he can look out to sea, all was right with the world again. On the road to Hana, sometimes you’ve got to rely on the kindness of strangers.
