Getting the lay of the land on the first full day in Maui after a late arrival. Did some exploring of the resort and then attended an orientation session put on by the concierge. He did a great job and of course managed to sell us all kinds of stuff as the result of his pitch so we’ve got activities lined up for the next few days. He also got us to go to a timeshare presentation to obtain a discount on some stuff. I hope that won’t be too much of a mistake, I’m not too keen on these kinds of “deals”.
The Aston Kaanapali Shores is a great resort with wonderful grounds and a nice beach and a great view if the ocean with the island of Lanai in the distance. Just looking at the ocean for a few minutes any we spot multiple Humpback whales either breaching, waving a dorsal fin, flashing a tail in the air, or spraying up some water as they surface to breath through their blowhole
Our original room, while OK, had a queen size bed. Shirley checked with the front desk and managed to change rooms to get a king bed and as it turns out quite a nice too upgrade. We’re now on the “penthouse” floor and the room, while the same size, is much more nicely decorated, better appliances, bathroom fixtures and an awesome view. We think the lady at the front desk really decided to bless us, because this is a primo room in the resourt.
With al that done we headed over to the Beaches Club and enjoyed a great breakfast while overlooking the pool and ocean and then hit the road for a little sightseeing.
Considering where we are we managed to see a lot of shopping centres, grocery stores and the Costco. Hopefully, that’s the end of that, and we’ll be on to seeing the real sights for the rest of the vacation.
The one major attraction that we manage to get to is the Iao Needle, in Iao Park, in the Iao Valley, this is kind of an Iao thing. Anyway, the main claim to fame is the “needle” a large lava formation that from the park vantage point does indeed look like a needle. Later in the vacation we fly by in a helicopter and learn that it’s actually the end of a long narrow ridge. The park is nice with several short hiking trails and gardens as well as architectural heritage area featuring Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and New England style houses.
Not sure what the deal is but there are lots of chickens and roosters roaming the island and we’ll hear lots of “cock a doodle doo” during the vacation.
After being out and about for the afternoon we return to the condo and get a pleasant surprise as we pick up the keys to our new room, which is very nice. We unpack and settle in for the rest of the vacation.