Day 1 in Maui - First Impressions

Sophy and I took a 5 day trip to Maui...my first time there, and actually, my first time in Hawaii. After getting there, turns out my first Maui meal would a pepperoni pizza from Costco. Went there to pick up a case of water which can usually be had for $3.85 but at the Maui Costco, it's $6.98.

Moving on...even though I had spent countless hours reading about Maui, I still didn't quite know what to expect. I got there, saw these open valleys and thought "well, this is nice, but this is it?"

We got to the hotel in Ka'anapali, West Maui, and definitely started to get more of what I expected to be "Hawaii." We actually rented a condo at Ka'anapali Shores through VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) which worked out pretty well. Room was really nice, view was beautiful, and above all, it was a good price. 

See, more Hawaiian right?

 

View from the room

After checking in, we drove for a few minutes to Lahaina, an old whaling village and the only real downtown in Maui.

Looking at Lahaina's "Front Street"

Right next to the ocean, there's plenty of shops and restaurants.
 

In an odd sequence, we went for Shaved Ice right before dinner. 

For dinner, we chose Kimo's which had a nice view and pretty good food, though expensive. I had Opah, a white Hawaiian moon fish, extremely moist. Actual thing looks funny, google it.

View from the restaurant

After dinner, we ventured a little further past Lahaina to Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop. It's a little hard to find, but they had an amazing Chocolate Macadmia Nut Praline Pie.

After the first day, I realized the majority of people in Maui seem really nice, and even the tourists seem to be on their "best behavior" in terms of kindness. Everything is expensive, though tax is only 4.16%! First day in Hawaii was nice, but I think it was only during the 2nd day when I really got to find the sort of Maui I was looking for.

Btw, we flew Hawaiian Airlines, which was decent in terms of snacks and drinks, but the "complimentary meals" they give out are a joke haha.

Coming Next: Day 2 in Maui - Road to Hana