What a wish! In their own words, here is the play by fun play! Thank you so much for a once in a lifetime vacation for all of us! The flights were very doable for the kids by spending the night in San Francisco on the way to and from Hawaii. I can’t imagine trying to fly the whole way there and back in the same day. The resort was amazing! We were in a ground level condo super close to both pools and just a short walk to the beach. We even had an ocean view from our patio. The kids loved the pools because they were so different. One had rocks, fountains, and waterfalls while the other had a deep end that they enjoyed swimming down to the bottom countless times to get sunglasses. We were lucky enough to see a Hawaiian Monk Seal sleeping on the beach and a couple sea turtles and an eel in the ocean at the resort.
On Tuesday, we were greeted by the taxi service. We were the first ones to board the flight. The kids were able to take a sneak peak in the cockpit and they received a wing pin, various stickers, and free snack boxes from the crew. We enjoyed our time in San Francisco. Some of the places we visited were Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Golden Gate Bridge. We saw the painted ladies and the house Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed in, drove down Lombard Street, and stopped at a couple beaches.
On Wednesday, we arrived in Maui. We spent our time exploring the resort and swimming in the pools and the ocean.
On Thursday, we spent the day enjoying the resort. The kids got to snorkel in the ocean for the first time. Landon tried pineapple for the first time and loved it! We were buying a pineapple every day and a half.
On Friday, the kids went parasailing for the first time and we went to the luau. We had the best seats in the house at the luau- front and center! The food was delicious, and the sunset was beautiful. The kids really liked the fire sticks and the hula dancers.
On Saturday, we traveled to North Shore and went to Camp Maui (former secret World War II base) so the kids could go ziplining for the first time.
On Sunday, we rode the Calypso and snorkeled at Molokini and Turtle Town. We could see 100 feet down at Molokini- all the way to the bottom. There were lots of fish! We were able to see a few sea turtles at Turtle Town. The kids’ favorite experience from the trip was snorkeling with sea turtles.
On Monday, we drove the road to Hana. We were not on top of Dramamine giving like we should have. We gave it but a little too late for Addison…We got to see many waterfalls, rainbow eucalyptus trees, bamboo forests, and incredible ocean views along the way. We stopped at a black sand beach (first for all of us). The kids enjoyed the HUGE waves there. We also stopped at a red sand beach (first for all of us).
On Tuesday, we spent the day at the resort. We made a quick trip to Black Rock (a 25 foot rock). Landon, Addison, and Brooklyn were all brave enough to jump off black rock into the ocean. The kids also got temporary tattoos the last night (Landon had a tribal design, Addison had a sea turtle and flowers, Colton had a lizard, and Brooklyn had a dolphin). The tattoos were done with Jagua, which is what the Hawaiians use. Can’t forget that we had our last Hawaiian shaved ice on our last full day in Hawaii. It doesn’t even compare to Kona Ice!
On Wednesday, we said our goodbyes to Maui and the resort and traveled to San Francisco.
On Thursday, we woke up to find out that our flight was cancelled so we had an extra day in San Francisco. We went to the San Francisco Zoo and took a ride in a self-driving car.
On Friday, we made it back home! It was rainy and cloudy for a couple days after we got home. Addison made the comment that “It has been kind of blah since we’ve been home.” She was getting used to and liking the Hawaiian weather of 82 degrees every day and practically no rain.
Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to experience so many firsts in Hawaii with our kids! This would not have been possible without Wishes Can Happen! We will always remember this vacation as it is a favorite for all of us! It was worth the wait!
Randy, Carrie, Landon, Addison, Colton, and Brooklyn