Maui: Black Sand Beach and Sunset

Today was a day of rest and relaxation! Danny and I did not set an alarm and slept soundly until about 8 this morning. We ate breakfast in the hotel and went out to the beach. The Bristers also came out to the beach after a lazy morning.

morning on our beach

Ukelele lessons provided by the hotel

We met back together in the lobby later in the morning to go out for the day to explore another area of the Island. We ate lunch at Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie shop on the way and it was delicious!! Andy said he and Laurie had driven by the place many times and never once thought to stop. The pie was my favorite part!!

wonderful lunch spot!

Pie at Leoda's. All of them were delicious!

After lunch we drove down the coast to the Makena, Wailea, Kihei area to see where Andy and Laurie had stayed on their first trip to Maui. We were also hoping to find a portion of beach with calmer water to do some snorkeling. The waves have been really strong which we are told is unusual for this time of year. We have been so surprised to see so many whale breaches even just driving down the road. We also saw a whale slapping his tail on the water over and over again. There was a boat nearby the whale that was getting quite a show!

driving along sugar cane fields

Parasurfing

We found a public beach that Andy and Laurie thought was the black sand beach but turned out to just be a regular beach. Andy went exploring to see if he could find calmer water and instead discovered a secluded nude beach! Danny asked a lifeguard where to find the black sand and maybe calmer water. We found the black sand beach and that is where we spent the remainder of our day, our toes in the sand. Danny and Andy tried to snorkel but said the visibility was too bad because the water was still rough. We stayed on the beach to watch the sunset and then left to change our clothes and go to dinner.

coral everywhere on the Black Sand beach

the surf was too rough for snorkeling

enjoying the Black Sand beach

not just black but other colors as well in the sand

i really enjoyed walking around the tide pools

we found sea urchins and hermit crabs living in the tide pools

Danny, Andy and Laurie set off to explore

sunset at the Black Sand beach

Before dinner, my companions indulged me to help me find an artisan chocolate shop, Sweet Paradise Chocolates that was nearby. The chocolates were delicious!! We ate dinner at 808 Bistro in Kihei and either we were really hungry or our dinner was really good because we all cleaned our plates.

Sweet Paradise Chocolates

An assortment for later

Also had to have some to eat right away!

We are back in the hotel now with the sunscreen showered off, listening to the waves pound the beach below and ready to enjoy another good night’s sleep. Rain is expected for tomorrow but we plan to just wake up and see where the weather takes us. Until then…..