September 2025
Where We Stayed: Kaanapali Alii
This was the most relaxing, do-nothing-except-chill trip I’ve ever taken. We lounged. We went out to eat. We shopped. We drove all over the island. We went to the beach. We had no agenda to our days and it was a delight!
The bittersweet moment of the trip was scattering some of Denny’s cremated remains on the beach. We always took family vacations to Maui when I was young, and I cannot think of Hawaii without thinking of my dad… and all the memories we made. He should still be here with us, and that’s a reality that is still so hard to accept. But we scattered him at sunset on the beach — and Jeanne endured the one thing she hates the most in order to do this: sand. LOL
The big Lahaina fire happened in 2023 and the island has not fully recovered. Lahaina is a shell of its former self and the scars of the fire are far-reaching into the surrounding areas. So many of our favorite spots are now gone. Maui was also going through a severe drought (the PGA golf tournament at Kapalua was canceled because of it). So all in all, Maui wasn’t what we remembered it to be — and I’m not sure that I would recommend that people visit at this point. Our time on Kaanapali Beach was wonderful, but the surrounding areas just aren’t the same.
But my mom and I had a really wonderful time together. Here are the pics!
We stayed at the Kaanapali Alii, which is a condo complex (we’ve stayed there many times before). Our condo was BEAUTIFUL and we have nothing but good things to say about the entire property.
Huge living room.
Jeanne’s bedroom.
My bedroom.
Off to dinner we went!
The view from our condo.
A vacation snacky snack.
Good morning!
We went to Target. And bought more luggage to take home cause we did so much shopping. Whoops.
Kapalua
Grocery store vibes.
Halfway through our time I came down with an awful cold. All I wanted was chicken nuggets (weird what you crave when sick, right?) So I went to the grocery store and made it happen! Dinner of champs!
A little bit of Denny.
Jeanne frantically cleaning sand off her feet.
