QH SENSATIONS
By Lynsey Riach
Home to six islands all with their own distinct personalities and different offerings of adventures and activities, Hawaii is a peaceful and historic land blessed with beautiful nature that will have you longing for longer vacation time…
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like to think that green is the official colour of Hawaii...but then you smell pink and orange flowers, watch lilac sunsets, feel your toes in white sugar beaches and swim in the turquoise ocean and you quickly realize just why Hawaii is synonymous with bliss and a rainbow of colours.
The glisteninggolden mahi mahi
Floating all by itself in the middle of the Pacific, Hawaii proudly maintains its own identity apart from the U.S. mainland. Pretty much everything here feels on ‘island time’ – casual yet genuine aloha and fun. They don’t need to promote this place; it’s bursting with enough boastful beauty. Basing ourselves on magical Maui, where many Americans go to retire, while broke surfers who made it out here but didn’t quite make it back make a buck or two selling fresh coconuts roadside, Maui feels foreign, yet familiar. It’s the perfect balance of safe yet adventurous.
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This place is nature, and, it’s diverse. Oh, and you may spot a migrating 45-foot whale or two if you’re really lucky. Fans of the TV show Lost, will know it was actually filmed on several of the islands due to the varied micro-climates and interesting topography. Some poor locals even panicked and called emergency services when they saw the plane wreckage from the TV set. On Maui, accommodation is plentiful: from beach cottages to five-star resorts. You’ll need to navigate around this place so we hired a Jeep (as does everyone, just try and count them…) since we were keen to tour the winding ‘Road to Hana’ which, at 83kms in length, takes in jawdropping views, heart-stopping cliffs, plunging waterfalls, jungles, hairpin bends and you’ll cross 59 bridges along the way. It can take up to six hours to complete – partially due to the convoy of other Jeeps ahead of you, and also because you’ll stop every ten minutes for the perfect photo. It’s absolutely breathtaking. After a day on the road, stop off at Big Mama’s Fish House for the best mahi mahi dinner in town but you’ll need a reservation as this place is packed. Maui isn’t a small island but it has a small-town feel. Restaurants and shops are cute and quirky but they close early. Real island life exists thanks to the ‘mom and pop’ vendors like the Kihei Café, a tiny gem with a line stretching round the block and a very happy chappy welcomes you inside to take your breakfast-bagel order.