blue skies

Aloha, friends! We've just returned from a fabulous stay in Paia, Maui, our first time to the South Pacific. I stumbled upon a NY Times article a while back recommending the small, hippie town of Paia and the local boutique hotel, Paia Inn, and knew the island was calling. As a self-admitted hotel snob (or germaphobe depending on how you spin it), I have to say the Inn was one of my favorite things about our trip…super cute rooms, local art on the walls, just off the beach, friendly (and gorgeous) staff, killer outdoor patio and in a fairly non-touristy location. If you go to Maui, stay there, you're welcome.

Other favs:

Our cabbie Trung: Formerly of Minnesota, he entertained us on the drive to Hana and bought us coconuts for a snack.

Cafe Des Amis: Best crepes ever. Excellent Indian curry too. (We went 3 times)

Joe Conti: A chapman board player who serenaded us at the cafe. He took J's request for Phil Collins but sadly, didn't know Toto's Africa…next time.

Tina: The friendly desk girl at the Inn who kept pouring me wine.

Penguini: Yummy turkey panini with local avocados, to be taken to go and eaten on the beach.

African tulips: These trees are everywhere on the road to Hana and bloom a brilliant orange.

Cement work: Amazing, amazing cinder brick designs. Very geometric and simple but they add so much to all the retaining walls in the neighborhoods. The best is when they are painted bright colors like mint green or watermelon pink.

Kona Brewery and Maui Brewery: Delicious brews, wish we could have toured the plants.

Alain De Botton's The Art of Travel: First off, I love all of his books (I'm on the 4th currently). Secondly, reading this book on the beach and in the adventure mindset totally heightened the experience. The man is brilliant.

Whales: We skipped the boat tour, but had great fun drinking wine on the beach at dusk and watching them jump in the distance. (insert whale call)

Germans: Accidentally sneaking up on a fellow hotel guest changing into his swim shorts in the common area outside our room who exclaimed, "Aah! Das iz te size of yur schnitzel after vred eye flaight."

A lot of fun and a lot of time to decompress, just what I was hoping for. Such a great experience to share with Jamie. Totally knocked the socks off our road trip to Michigan a few summers ago. Totally.