I’ve been meaning to post this for a couple years now. The only reason I remember is because occasionally I’ll find the piece of paper that I wrote it all down on and think “oh, I can’t throw that away, I still want to write about that”.

Today I’m cleaning my desk for real (as opposed to just putting my paints away :P) and decided I’m getting rid of the paper.

I present to you: Craig and Miranda’s Top Picks in Maui and The Big Island (TBI), 2013. 🙂 The name of the place is from the list, but the commentary is from my memory, so we’ll see how accurate this is.

Best Restaurant: Aloha Mixed Plate. I had an amazing kahlua pork here, that made me fall in love with the simple plate. Runner Up: Sam Choy’s. I think it had a fantastic sunset view from the south shore of TBI. Worst: Home Maid Cafe. This was one of our first breakfasts, and it was absolutely awful.

Best Place to Stay: Tracey’s Tropical Treasure. This place was so hilarious, we still talk about it today. She had labels on everything, and if you thought about wanting something long enough, you would eventually find it in the apartment. Runner Up: Dolphin View. This was a pretty rough “group home” style sort of place, but I still remember sitting on the porch listening to the wind chimes and relaxing for the first time in years. That and eating fresh papayas from the owners papaya tree. Sheraton on TBI: These guys really pissed us off, and we still talk about it today.

Best Booked Activity: Fair Wind II Snorkel Cruise. I think this was the first time Miranda happily put her face in the water to look at the ocean below, and I went SNUBAing for the first time, and it was an all around good time. Runner Up: Doors Off Helicopter Tour on TBI. In hindsight, these should be swapped. We still talk about how amazing this helicopter tour was, but I have long since forgotten the cruise. Seeing the volcano like that was phenomenal. Worst: Dinner cruise: (<3 my sweetie). We bought a dinner cruise for Miranda’s birthday, after the stargazing tour fell through. But the food wasn’t all that great, and it was a little boring, but the company was good as was the sunset. 🙂

Best Hike: Mauna Ulu. This was amazing. We hiked along a set trail for an hour, and when we got to the end we saw, about 45 minutes away, a steaming hill and thought “lets go over there”. Another couple joined us, and some time later we’d crawled over old lava trails to the top where a 500ft diameter hole in the ground awaited. Runner Up:  Kileua Crater Iki trail. This was a long hike around the basin of an old volcano, and it was stunning. Worst: Mauna Kea. The worst because I couldn’t breathe after exercising at 10,000 feet and when we got to the top it was entirely socked in. Fuck hiking volcanoes!

Best Non-Booked Activity: Volcanoes Hiking. I’ve always said that the only thing I’d go back to TBI for is to hike the volcanoes more, they were stunning. Runner Up: NW of Maui drive. This was also incredible, but I don’t think I’d do it again. Sean drove while Kerry, Miranda and myself looked. It was a harrowing drive around the northern nub of Maui, and there were moments of not being able to see the road outside the window because the cliff was so steep. Gorgeous scenery though! Worst: Stopping for night photos. Another thing we still talk about. We stopped in the middle of nowhere to take some star photos, and heard a “coughing goat” and we both laugh now about how we panicked and all but threw ourselves in the car. Miranda is pretty certain it was someone dying in a ditch, but I maintain the facade that it was a coughing goat. Terrifying.

Favourite Animal: That first turtle I saw. I’d been wanting to go to Hawaii for a few years, specifically because Sean had told me about the turtles. A few months later Miranda was planning a trip, out of nowhere. I had never done such a thing, and she hadn’t realized that I was dreaming, and BAM now we travel a lot. 🙂 The first bit of water I got into in Maui I found a turtle and followed him around for a while. Runner Up: Humu, the national fish. Worst: The turtles that hid from me. Sad face.

Favourite Cat: All of the cats of A-bay.  I think it’s the linked-to park – the hard part of acronyms. 🙂 There were a ton of cats in this park, with signs all over that they weren’t stray, that they were well taken care of and not to worry. We petted a few, because that’s how we roll. Runner Up: The sheet says none, but I still remember the cat we found under the banyan trees. Worst: None.

Best Drive: Kohala, driving north.  This is that drive I mention above. Runner Up: NW of Maui…I didn’t drive. No idea why it’s both the best and runner up drive, but apparently it was the only notable one! Worst: Puna. I don’t remember why this was the worst, but here we are.

Best Beach: “Turtle Town”, south of Kihei. We drove down that way, and Sean and I went for an epic snorkel. Before that moment I hadn’t realized that you could see such amazing fish and rocks  and coral while snorkeling, I thought it would be all so far away. Runner Up: Kealekeloua Bay. I think we just had a good time swimming and snorkeling here on TBI, don’t remember why this was amazing. Worst: A-bay. Still don’t remember, but maybe the cats were the best part of it. 😛

Best Dollar Spent: Big Blue Book. There’s some controversy over the book, but I’m still in love with it years later. His style of writing really draws me in, and lets me enjoy the trip how I want to enjoy it, and I haven’t found a travel guide for any other place that is quite as amazing. Runner Up: SNUBA. SNUBA was a surprisingly good time – about as much money as one SCUBA dive, but with 70% less hassle. Sure you can only go 15 feet under, but that’s the price you pay. I’d do it again, and have. 🙂 Worst: Dinner cruise. Runner Up Worst: Sheraton. 

It’s funny the things you can remember. That’s the list, 2 years later! That was fun to type out, and now I get to recycle this piece of paper that I’ve been keeping handy for 2 years! 😛