Maui Memories :)

If you ever have the opportunity to take a trip to Maui, DO IT!!!

Again, in case you guys didn't catch my last post, I'm deviating a little from my usual blog theme of fitness and health to share some of my vacation with you all... However, I'd argue that a good vacation is healthy in its own way!

Anyway, Maui is such a scenic, lush, breathtaking place - incredible coastline, perfect beaches, vibrant blue water, fragrant flowers and tropical plants everywhere, and teeming with natural wonders. It truly embodies the textbook definition of paradise!

There is so much beauty everywhere you look, that it’s almost overwhelming - but in the best way. We spent a lot of our time exploring and adventuring, but also devoted plenty of hours to relaxing and enjoying where we stayed, which was an amazing resort that was right on the beach complete with magnificent gardens and countless gorgeous details.

The grounds of the resort had a ton of fun pools to and hot tubs to swim in, that were all connected by a network of slides and “rivers” so you could cruise around without ever leaving the refreshing water. It even had a water elevator, that filled up with 18,000 gallons of water to push you to the top level of the pools, I’d never seen anything like it - which makes sense, because apparently it’s the only one in the world!

The beach right outside of our hotel was also incredible - the sand and water were both pristine, and all throughout the day large sea turtles would swim by along the shore! One actually brushed up against my legs when I wasn’t paying attention, it was so cool!

Some of our favorite places we visited outside of where we stayed, that I would highly recommend, took us all over the island…

One of our first destinations was the Banyan tree in Lahaina - this giant tree has sprawling branches that send down roots from above, that eventually intertwine and turn into additional trunks when they reach the ground... It's the most interesting thing to see so many interconnected branches and roots! Its canopy of leaves covers a huge amount of space, shading what has become a little park of sorts. It was so interesting!

We went to Black Rock (also in Lahaina), where we snorkeled with colorful tropical fish and jumped off the iconic black lava rock cliff… I am SUPER afraid of heights, and even I seized the opportunity to jump from the edge into the clear water below - I had to have Chris hold my hand when I was close to the edge, but I finally took the leap and I’m glad I did!

I loved going to Twin Falls along the road to Hana, where we hiked back through thick tropical woods and across streams to arrive at a huge watering hole with a cave extending behind a tall, flowing waterfall… It was AMAZING. The water cascading down from the cliff was so beautiful, and made the most relaxing sounds. I could’ve stayed there all day!

We also left one night around 2:30am to make the long drive up to the top of Haleakala crater, a huge volcano that makes up most of Maui, to watch the sun rise over the clouds. It was super windy up there and absolutely freezing, but the sunrise was one of the best I’ve ever seen… Being up there above the puffy clouds was just heavenly. Like nothing else I’d ever experienced!

These were just a few of the highlights of our trip, of which there were too many to count!

Just spending time with Chris and his family relaxing and enjoying downtime was special in and of itself. They are such a fun, hilarious, kind and loving group of people - I feel so lucky to be included in their family activities!

We found ourselves saying to each other every single day how fabulous and perfect our time had been, which to me is the mark of a very successful vacation indeed :)

Thanks for coming along and reliving some treasured memories with me - there’s even more to come!

Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you’d like :)