Hawaii has always been on our travel bucket list, yet until now, has been pushed aside for more exotic, challenging or nearer destinations. Friends and family have travelled to Hawaii and come back with rave reviews. When we could not decide where to travel for our November 2019 trip, Hawaii appeared on our shortlist. All summer I had been nursing a sore knee, waiting for a stress fracture to heal. When we were deciding where to go, I was hesitant to be too adventurous, worried that my sore knee may not be ready. Paul and I have the golf bug, so decided that a golf holiday to Hawaii might be in order and we wanted see what the talk was all about.

The state of Hawaii includes eight main islands- Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island, The Island of Hawai’i. When we decided that this is where we would spend two weeks in November, I reached out to friends and family who had travelled to Hawaii, asking for recommendations. After much research and debate, we decided to visit Wailea on Maui, the Island of Lanai and Kona on The Island of Hawai’i. Recognizing that everyone seeks something different while on a vacation, we hoped we had picked the right locations for us. We headed to Hawaii full of anticipation, with open minds and in search of “My Hawaii”.

The journey to Hawaii from Toronto is long!! We flew 5 ½ hours from Toronto to Los Angeles, had a short layover and then flew another 5 ½ hours to Maui. Hawaii is 3700 km from the Californian coast and is 7400 km from Toronto.  Add the time to check-in and wait in Toronto, the time to collect luggage and pick-up a rental car in Maui and the 30-minute drive to the hotel in Wailea, the total travel time was 17 hours, door to door. We were determined to figure out if this long journey was worth it for a sun and golf holiday.

We checked into the gorgeous Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, and feeling exhausted, we crashed into bed at 9 pm (3 am Toronto time). After nine hours of sleep, we woke up to a brilliant sunrise, ready to start our vacation in paradise. At 6:30 am, the breakfast restaurant was busy, with early risers and other newcomers adjusting to the time change. We arrived just as Toronto was turning the clocks back for daylight savings, however Hawaii does not adjust the time for daylight savings, therefore our time change when we awoke, was just five hours. Immediately following a rejuvenating breakfast, and ready for our morning hike, we headed to the Wailea Beach Path, a 3-km paved trail that passes in front of the oceanfront hotels and condos. The trail was packed with other walkers, so much so that we had to walk in single file and jump out of the way of unwavering runners. The views from this path were spectacular, however the hustle and bustle made us feel like we were in a busy city rather than an island paradise.

Shoving aside any notions of jetlag, we decided that there was no better way to jumpstart our vacation than a round of golf. Our hotel provided a free shuttle to the Wailea Golf Club, a five-minute drive away. We played the Emerald course, reveling in the lush green landscape, the spectacular ocean views, the warm sunshine and the gentle ocean breezes. It was a far cry from the grayness of Toronto’s November and we soaked it all in. During our stay on Maui, we golfed twice at the Wailea Golf Club, enjoying the excellent practice facilities, well-stocked pro-shop and open-air restaurant.  We preferred the picturesque Emerald Course over the more challenging Gold Course.

Back at the resort, we headed to the adults-only serenity pool, doing our best to avoid napping, trying to muscle through the jet-lag and adjust to the time difference. Surprisingly, the pool and deck were packed with millennials, leading us to ask the bartender if all of these people were hotel guests or interlopers. We were assured that this crowd were all guests- must be nice to be able to afford this hotel when you are thirty! The Four Seasons Wailea is a large, luxurious conference hotel. It was a journey from our hotel room on the seventh floor of one of the towers to the lobby and the beach. Wailea is a busy, tight community of hotels and condos, on an overpopulated stretch of beautiful beach and ocean. Coming from a big city, our vacation preference, we discovered, was for less congested, fewer people, a smaller hotel and more remote.

One of the top activities to do on Maui is to see the sunrise on Haleakala, the world’s largest dormant volcano. The peak is 3000 m above sea level and the impressive crater is 34 km across. The Four Seasons concierge booked us to go with Skyline Excursions and we chose to go on our second morning in Maui, before we adjusted to the time change. We set our alarm for 2 am, so that we would be ready for the 2:30 am pick-up. Our knowledgeable bus-driver kept us entertained on the drive to Skyline’s headquarters at the base of the volcano, where we were provided with a light breakfast and winter apparel. It was 25 c when we left the hotel, and we were warm in our pants and long-sleeved tops. We brought along light-down jackets, hats and gloves in anticipation of this outing. I accepted the loan of the winter coat and ski mitts, thinking it couldn’t possibly be that cold and maybe the coats were more for thin-blooded Southerners, not us hearty Canadians.

We arrived at the summit at 5 am and the temperature was below freezing. I thankfully snuggled into my two jackets and even pulled on a tennis skirt over my leggings for additional warmth. Sunrise was still over an hour away, however the tour company wanted us to have front row positions on the viewing platform and this early arrival also allowed us to stargaze. The elevation, clear night and lack of light pollution made this the best stargazing experience of my life. Standing still, we started to feel chilly, thankful for the extra layers. As we waited for the sunrise, we chatted with a young newlywed couple beside us, quickly recognizing their Newfoundland accents (there are a lot of honeymooners in Hawaii). The stunning sunrise, slowly illuminating the crater, was worth the wait. We took lots of pictures as the sun ascended into the sky, and we soon felt its warmth.

Following the sunrise, we met up with two guides from Maui Bikes, were fitted with bikes and helmets and began our 26-mile descent as a group. We quickly shed layers as we made our way down to sea-level, stealthily concentrating on the winding ride while delighting in the panoramic views. We were so pleased that we went on this excursion, despite the early start. The whole experience was breathtakingly memorable.

We spent four nights in Wailea, Maui. Our favourite dinner was at The Four Seasons at Ferraro’s Bar E Ristorante where we relished a delicious meal while sitting outside with a remarkable view of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. We also enjoyed The Restaurant at the Wailea Hotel and Ka’ana Kitchen at the Andaz Hotel. The Four Seasons concierge staff booked our dinners and provided a free shuttle for the short distance to and from the restaurants. It is hard to find better concierge services than at Four Seasons Resorts.

We rented a car, however we soon learned that we did not need it as the hotel provided free shuttles to dinner and golf. We decided not to drive the Road to Hanna and go to the famous Mama’s Fishhouse (booked months in advance), which is why we rented a car. The Road to Hanna is a 45-mile scenic drive that sounded remarkable until I heard that it has 600 hairpin turns (no exaggeration- Google it!) and would take 6 hours, due to bumper to bumper traffic. I get carsick on winding roads and we decided that we did not travel all the way to Hawaii to sit in a car for a day and feel sick. Instead, we made arrangements to go to our next destination, Lanai, a day early, hoping to find the paradise we were seeking.

We dropped our car at the Maui Airport and took a taxi to Lahaina Town for our 45-minute ferry trip to Lanai.   We were heading to the Four Seasons at Manele Bay, one of only three hotels on this small privately-owned island, owned by Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle. Lanai is 21 km by 29 km in size, is the smallest of the Hawaiian Islands and is considered one of the most remote spots on Earth. Lanai was once a pineapple plantation owned by Dole, however now tourism is its main source of revenue. 3200 residents live in Lanai City, in the centre of the island. Many of these residents are of Filipino heritage, most work in the tourism industry and they all appear to love living on this island utopia.

We were relieved to leave the busyness of Wailea behind and hopeful that we would find the Hawaii that we were looking for in Lanai. Enroute, Paul received an email from the concierge at our third and final destination of our trip in Kona, the Four Seasons Hualalai. They were letting us know that the golf course at the resort was under repair and 11 of the holes had temporary greens. We were on a golf holiday, this wasn’t going to cut it so we started brainstorming what to do. As soon as we checked into our oceanfront room on Lanai, we looked at each other and knew that this was where we would like to stay for the duration of our holiday.

We loved everything about this remarkable resort. The Japanese-style buildings are beautiful with magical botanical gardens throughout. Our second-floor room was stunning with a tremendous view of the ocean. We did not close the blinds for privacy once! Our room was so quiet, beautifully decorated and soooooo comfortable. We loved the parrots with their shy “alohas” as we passed their cages on the way to breakfast. We loved the Koi fish in the ponds and the chirping of birds at twilight. I loved walking out to balcony in the middle of the night, seeing the starlit sky, breathing in the ocean air and listening for whales. I felt like I was in paradise! This was “my Hawaii”.

We ate our delicious meals at the resort’s restaurants: One Forty, Nobu, Malibu Farm and The View at the golf club. Every bite was divine. I especially enjoyed the artistic morning lattes, brioche French toast and the “Feel the Beet” juice at breakfast. One night we were fortunate enough to make a reservation at Sensei Nobu at the new Four Seasons Lanai at Koele. What a spectacular spot and a delectable dinner! When we return to Lanai, we will stay a few nights at this wellness Sensei Retreat- wow!!

We golfed five rounds at the Manele Golf Course, where every hole has a stunning view. This Jack Nicklaus course was built on red lava outcroppings with gorges, ravines and oceanside bluffs. The course was quiet and in immaculate condition. In 1994, Bill and Melinda Gates were married on the 12^th green, overlooking the ocean. This par 3 hole is famous for the 200-yard carry over an ocean bluff. To ensure privacy, Bill booked all of the rooms at the hotel and hired all of the region’s helicopters to secure the airspace. The staff at the course took great care of us and put our experience over the top. We were shuttled to and from the resort in one of the resort’s Tesla SUVs. One day, I played my best round ever and invigorated my passion for golf.

There is a lot to do on this quiet island aside from golf. We took a snorkelling excursion and came upon a huge school of dolphins that playfully raced our boat. We went horseback riding and got to see the island’s interior and some of the former pineapple plantation’s land. We swam in the waves when the surf was up and I got levelled by a wave while floating back to the beach. We started our days hiking the picturesque Fisherman’s Trail, that runs along the ocean in front of the hotel completing our loop beyond the golf course and down a quiet road back to the hotel.  We hiked to Sweethearts’ Rock one day to view the sunset and take our daily selfie. Each afternoon we lounged in comfortable chairs overlooking the ocean and read our books. We went to the spa twice and loved the treatments we received. At every turn, the Four Seasons staff was outstanding, taking care of us with a smile and making us feel at home. We picked a great time of year to visit- the resort wasn’t very busy, we did not see a mosquito and the weather was perfect.

The Four Seasons Lanai is one of the nicest resorts that I have ever been to. This sentiment is repeated again and again on Trip Advisor where it has an incredible 5/5 rating.  Lanai is a long journey from home, however if we ever have the opportunity to return, I would travel all of that way in a heartbeat. I look forward to exploring some of the other Hawaiian Islands one day. Mahola Hawaii for two wonderful weeks in paradise. I get it now!