Paper Punch Flowers

I first traveled to Hawaii and the island of Maui in 2004. The U.S.'s 50th state was my own personal 50th state that I had visited. I stayed at the Aston Maui Hill in Kihei, a condo with plenty of room to stretch out. I loved the property's lush landscaping as well as its peace and quiet. Kihei can be properly referred to as pedestrian, but I loved its proximity to fabulous Wailea. Wailea has some of Maui's finest hotels, the Four Seasons, Fairmont Kea Lani and Grand Wailea Resort.

Maui is the Hawaiian island known for its sports activities--scuba diving, parasailing, fishing, golf, tennis, hiking, horseback riding--you name it. I am not known for my athletic ability but decided to make adventure my first Maui activity. I had мейд a reservation to see the sunrise from the top of Haleakala, the famed volcano, and then bicycle to Haleakala's base.

I arrived at my accommodations around 8:30PM but was to be picked up by Maui Downhill at 1:30AM, a small inconvenience but worth it. The van transported the visitors staying in the neighborhood to Kahului, where we joined the other tour takers for a continental breakfast at an ungodly hour of the morning. Soon we were part of the caravan to the peak of the volcano. We arrived in the predawn darkness at about 4:30.

The Haleakala summit was as cold as advertised. We all stood there and froze, but the wait was worthwhile- we watched what Mark Twain described as "the sublimest spectacle" of his life. The ride down Haleakala was exhilarating and breathtaking but slightly scary. I consider myself a good biker, but many of the turns around the volcano were both very sharp and significantly down hill. At times, I had to quickly slow down and hold on tight. But it was a great ride.

We stopped for a picnic-style lunch at Sunrise Market & Protea Flower Farm in Kula toward the bottom of our journey. As instructed, I had dressed in layers, anticipating the Haleakala chill to evolve into uncomfortable heat as we traveled down. However, the air in Kula was nowhere near hot and humid on that morning. From Kula, we re-boarded the vans for the trip's last leg.

My objective on this vacation was to see virtually all areas of Maui. In addition to Kahului, home to Maui's airport, and Wailea, near where I stayed, I drove to Kapalua, a dreamy destination where the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Bay Hotel and possibly the island's best beaches are situated. I also took a bus tour east to Hana, where the scenery is dramatically different from Kapalua and Wailea. And I spent my last day in Lahaina on Maui's west coast, a modest town with lots of hustle and bustle.

In the mornings, I took the short drive to breakfast at Longhi's in The Shops at Wailea, a tony little mall. Longhi's is best known for their fresh baked cinnamon rolls, but they also do a great job with eggs Benedict and Florentine, and other breakfast specialties.

Speaking of food, Maui has some fabulous dining. My first Maui dinner was at a restaurant recommended by several friends, Mama's Fish House on the North Shore. Another of my dining spots was Nick's Fishmarket in the Fairmont Hotel, with its visual sizzle and memorable food. On another evening, my choice was The Waterfront at Maalaea. Located in a modest condo building, I would have to call this a hidden gem. The Waterfront offers excellently prepared Hawaiian fish, its signature lobster chowder and an excellent Caesar salad along with a great view of Maalaea Harbor.

For lunch, I visited another recommended spot right in the heart of Kihei, Alexander's Fish & Chicken & Chips. Alexander's serves fast food Hawaiian style, and you take your ono, mahi mahi, ahi, shrimp, chicken, oysters or ribs to the outside seating on the patio. I enjoyed another lunch at the Plantation House Restaurant on a golf course in Kapalua. The view from the Plantation House could be Maui's best. The ocean, the rolling fairways and greens, and the West Maui Mountains are all within view. Another good feature of Maui is its relaxed dress code. While swimsuits, tank tops and cutoffs are not appropriate, shorts and a dressy casual shirt or top are perfectly acceptable for dinner in the finest restaurants.

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Roddy Freeman is a travel expert and writer. He has visited all 50 U.S. states and traveled extensively around the world. Roddy operates a travel business in Atlanta. He also owns a website, which is a full-service booking engine offering virtually every travel option at the lowest prices. The website, GoRoddy, is a franchise of the #25 seller of travel in North America.