TRAVEL / Hawaii

AT HOME ON THE ROAD

Maui, Hawaii

I was first introduced to Wesley through his podcast STANDARD H, which he very kindly invited me onto a few months back. We soon realised although from different sides of ‘the pond’, we had quite a lot in common. Yes of course cars, but also watches, travel and the fact I had also lived for several years just up the coast from Wesley in San Diego, first in Vancouver, then gradually south in Seattle and then LA and Hawaii, and in fact still have cousins in all those locations today.

Another thing we have in common is that we both got married in Hawaii. Myself on the island of Lanai and Wesley on Maui, and it was with this in mind I wanted to share Wesley’s recent trip back to Maui, and now without further ado - over to Wesley. Editor / Del

At Home on the Road is back with my recent trip to Maui, Hawaii. My wife and I were married here, and as a 3-year anniversary trip, it was time to return!

The day before our flight out, we went online to check in when my wife noticed our flight had been changed without us being notified. We were originally on a direct flight from San Diego only to be changed to a flight to Las Vegas and then onto Maui. The bright side is our trip started sooner. The downside was we began flying in the wrong direction! However, as an optimist, at least I was able to get this photo from my window seat flying over California en route to the islands. The gradient of the blue sky reaching up to Space was incredible.

We landed late, got our rental car, headed to the hotel, and went to bed effective immediately. Our first full day was spent relaxing on the beach, followed by dinner at our favorite restaurant, Mala Tavern. Mala always supplies a great view and very often gorgeous sunsets in a way only Hawaii can.

It’s tough to photograph, but the Ahi Bruschetta is a famous staple at Mala. We get it every time we’re there for dinner. (Sorry, Mala, your dish is far more delicious than it appears in the photo)

This trip, we finally decided to try Mala’s brunch; something we’ve been meaning to do, but never have. Now we’re kicking ourselves because we’ve been missing out! The service at Mala is awesome, and starting your day here with Ube pancakes alongside the usual of scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns?!...well, it’s a great way to start a day. The brunch deserves absolutely every bit of its popularity. It’s now been added to the “Always” list.

After playing two or three times per year leading into Covid, like many, I got the golf bug over the last couple of years. It’s felt so good to get back out there, and fortunately my game has been going okay as of late! This trip served up Wailea Gold for my first time. I wanted to play here the morning of our wedding, but couldn’t squeeze it in.

I was paired up with a young couple from Long Beach, CA, and a Sophomore from Arizona State who was on Maui with his mother who had a conference. It was all of our first times playing the course and the 20-year-old insisted we play from the tips (the furthest-back tees which amounts to right about 7100 yards total). I was excited for the challenge. The greens were tricky, and I ended up with an 81 for the round, which I was more than pleased with.

Beautiful course. Amazing views and great conditions.

Me just after the round by the 18th green. I par’d the last one, which probably made the smile that much bigger.

The weather this day was nearly identical to our wedding day: sunny throughout the morning and early afternoon only to be greeted by some ominous clouds that never ended up bringing any rain. As a result, we had an incredible sunset while eating dinner.

Historically, our tradition has been to take a morning flight to Maui, allowing us to arrive in Lahaina at lunch time. This wasn’t the case this trip, but tradition was somewhat still alive in that we made it to Hula Grill to grab cocktails, put our feet in the sand and enjoy the ahi poke tacos and a Kalua pork flatbread pizza. Their Mai Tai is one of my favorites on the island.

Later that evening we made it to another staple, Star Noodle. Like Mala, this is a must-go restaurant. It’s down the road from Mala, so the views are similar, and again the sunsets are amazing. The photo was taken out back of the restaurant. When you go, get the Ahi Avocado - it is insanely good, as are the garlic noodles and the Singapore Noodles.

The reasons we love Maui so much is based on how versatile the island is. You can relax as much as you want, or be as active as you want while there are also tons of food options. We love to go on hikes, and this trip we went on two in one day. The photo is from the first hike on the northern side of West Maui - a trail called the Waihee Ridge Trail. It’s incredibly steep at first and though it gets easier, the two miles to the ridge is up-hill nearly the entire time. There are very few switchbacks/flat sections. The weather was OK near the parking lot, and we were able to see the ocean about 1/3 the way up, but then the cloud cover was ever present.

After a swift hike back down to the car, we drove for about 7 minutes to much flatter terrain, yes, but far more technical by way of the rocks you’re constantly navigating. It’s called the Makamakaole Stream Trail, and it was a lot of fun. It was a humid day, and I actually feel like the clouds were helping mitigate the heat if anything. The “13 river crossings” were a ton of fun and there are two waterfalls at the end. The photo is at the base of the second waterfall looking back down the river. You can see there’s very little trail in this section - mostly just rocks. Though we had a great time, it’s not for everyone.

We wrapped up an active day by getting cleaned up and heading into Lahaina for dinner at Kimo’s. We have started grabbing seats at the bar instead of the reservation hassle, and it’s worked out just fine. The bartenders are great and we get there early enough that we can take a stroll after dinner and grab desert elsewhere. Per usual, that usually constitutes Shave Ice from Ululani’s, our favorite.

A couple times per visit, we will head over to The Farmers Market in Kaanapali to grab açai bowls for breakfast. The market is conveniently located next to Big Ass Coffee, so I kill two birds and grab espresso, too. My go-to bowl is the OMG Bowl. It’s topped with raw, organic honey and bee pollen, and it’s delicious. We always walk across the street and eat them by the water.

Our last evening on the island, just before dinner, we stepped out on our balcony where we caught this double rainbow (the second is very faint on the left). I swear our trip couldn’t have been scripted with a better ending.

We have now been home for a while and I can’t believe it. This trip was a blur, but in the best way possible. Since this trip I’ve been to North Carolina to visit my parents for the first time in nearly two and a half years, which just feels crazy as I write this.

I hope all of you are having a great week and stay tuned for more stories, travels & adventures, and new STANDARD H product! Time is indeed flying, I just wish the manufacturing process would exhibit the same pace! There are several pieces coming that I’m incredibly excited to share. I’ve been working hard on making sure the details are just right, and I think you’re really going to like what’s coming. Until then...

Aloha, Wesley

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