Ever since we visited Oahu in 2002, Maui has been among the top of my list of place to visit next. Our first "taste" of Hawaii at Oahu was a great experience even though we found it a bit too commercial. I was looking forward to a trip to Maui for its natural beauty and it was finally materialized today. My first impression of Maui was not that great though: the wind was blowing really hard at the airport. And the lady at the Alamo's car rental counter was nothing close to being friendly. (She kept preaching us that if the agent (referring to herself) couldn't find our reservation using my last name, always provide the last name of the other person in the couple, as if this was a rule that we should have followed) After a long wait for Alamo's shuttle, we finally began our Maui journey around noon. First stop was the popular Paia fish market (we followed a Top Maui Restaurant guide that was thoroughly studied by my wife) Paia is a small old-style hip town, which I would visit 4 more times later on during this trip. I had a Obama burger (with Cajun style ono fish fillet and wasabi on top)
The dessert after lunch were shave ice (the lady was rather unfriendly as well) and gelato (from the Maui-only Ono Gelato company)
Next we stocked up some groceries from Kihei's Safeway supermarket. We shopped mainly for breakfast and snacks (Can't eat out all the time because cost of living is
high in Maui) Then we checked into the luxurious Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. A lot of reviews say this hotel looks old but that's why we could afford it. In fact, it was being renovated so it gave out a few discounts and freebies for the inconvenience.
After walking a bit of the trail connecting a few resorts along the Wailea area beaches, we headed back to Kihei for dinner at Cafe O'Lei, a restaurant known for good Hawaiian food without hefty price tags.
