Magical Maui

By Mitchell Sacharoff
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Magical Maui

It has been ten long years since I visited Maui and I was thrilled to return. The good news is once you are there the prices are quite reasonable. The bad news is even after summer had ended, I couldn't find a flight out of Los Angeles or Vegas for less than $650. Add another $60 to check one bag and have lunch, and you are now over $700.

Maui is an island of condos, and that is a great way to go. We stayed at The Palms at Wailea which offers a beautiful oceanview two bedroom, with slate and granite floors, central air, and as nice as any high end hotel room; all for $220 a night. I say save your money for great restaurants and activities. Maui has both.

The warm turquoise water of Maui is amazing. I am a snorkel buff, and Maui has some of the most beautiful and colorful fish in the world. My advice is to to buy yourself a good mask and snorkel. You might enjoy a digital underwater camera. Olympus makes a great one.

First day there we took the Seafire Snorkeling Adventure to Molokini. Seafire leaves at 7:30 AM out of Kehei, just two minutes from Wailea. Captain Don and his crew are great guides to the undersea world. After a quick ten minute boat ride we were snorkeling off the crystal clear waters of Molokini. A majestic pair of orange and yellow butterfly fish swam just feet away. You never know what you will see dolphins, eagle rays, even an occasional reef shark.

Suddenly twenty feet below along the bottom I spotted a four foot yellow eel scurrying for a new rock home. Later Captain Don took us to turtle town, an area just off the coast in viewing distance of Clint Eastwood's home where we swam with a dozen turtles. It was a great kickoff to our Maui trip priced at $55 - drinks and snacks included. The rest of the week I snorkeled every day off the beaches.

There are six great snorkel beaches in the Wailea area. Makena, just minutes away, has an underwater nature preserve. There I saw another large eel out swimming clear from his rock home. I quickly snapped off some great photos. A local couple took us to white rock beach to enjoy a sunset. After snorkeling, we were wading in the water sipping Hinano beer when two spotted eagle rays swam by just feet away with the edge of their fins clipping the surface as they moved. These are the sights that make Maui so special for me.

Maui has legendary restaurants that are a must. First night we ate at Mama's Fish House. Mahi Mahi with a white macadamia nut crust stuffed with lobster and crab. We also loved the seafood panang curry. It might be the best curry dish I ever ate. The seared Polynesian beef appetizer was also special. Actor Owen Wilson is a Mama's regular and sat a few tables away.

Next night we went to world famous Nick's Fish Market in the Fairmount Kealani Hotel. We started with Nick's Sunset, a pina colada with strawberry and mango. We enjoyed the tomato bisque soup, followed by the Hawaiian pink snapper, which is light and full of flavor. We also loved the rack of lamb. All the restaurants we went to had great desserts. At Nick’s we had the strawberry panzini and was not disappointed. Sarento's On The Beach is Nick's sister restaurant and since Maui has the most amazing sunsets, time your dinner at Sarento's. If you want a break

from fish, their veal dishes are wonderful. I also loved the seafood Fra Diavolo, made of spicy tomato pasta with lobster, scallops, crab leg and mussels. To complete the dining experience we had the tiramisu and sorbets. All these restaurants are romantic, but Sarento's at sunset is pure Maui magic.

We finished our trip at Roy's. This Hawaiian fusion restaurant is located throughout the Hawaiian Islands. They have a terrific guava martini. A must is their brazed ribs appetizer. Think best baby

back ribs you ever had. And, the butter fish will just melt in your mouth. You can not go wrong with any of their signature dishes. Llocal catches change daily. I told you Maui was restaurant heaven. It might just be my favorite vacation destination in the entire country.