This year we traded in our winter jackets, snow boots, and frigid temperatures for swimsuits, flip flops, and 80 degree sun. Yes it was a tropical Christmas and luckily the weather stayed nice for us the whole time there. We left December 23 and spend about a week and a half on the beautiful island of Maui. We stayed at the Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa which is at the southern tip of Maui. Our days were filled with going to the beach or pool and soaking up the sun while we relaxed with a good magazine or book (Brandon got good use out of his kindle). My mom and I treated ourselves to a "Spa Day" at the Grand Wailea Resort. We used their fitness room, had a great lunch on the beach and spend 3 hours of pure bliss in their world renown spa. We got to soak in various baths named after each of the Hawaiian islands, took in the sauna and jacuzzi, enjoyed a full body honey mango scrub, and a lovely 1 hour full body massage. We were both in heaven! My mom and sister along with my grandma and I took a lei making class at the resort. It was really fun working with the fresh flowers and orchids are my ultimate favorite flowers. We got to wear our leis and head piece to dinner that night. I felt very Hawaiian!
While there we went on a really cool snorkel trip to a crater called Molokini a crescent-shaped, partially submerged volcanic crater. For years it was used by the navy for target practice but now serves as a bird sanctuary and home to an amazing coral reef preserve. It is one of the top 10 dive spots in the world. We also went snorkeling at "Turtle Town" where we swam with some of Tobias' cousins- only 10x larger! A large percentage of the North Pacific humpback whales migrate to the main Hawaiian islands during the winter months - November through May- each year. The round-trip distance they travel during this annual migration is approximately 4,000 miles, one of the longest migration distances of any animal species. During their stay in Hawaii, they do not feed (there's no plankton), but rely upon stored energy. Near the islands, the whales devote most of their time to mating and giving birth to their calves. This is an ideal place to raise their young because Orca Killer Whales do not live is this part of the world so the young calves are protected.
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At the Infinity Pool
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| Big Beach! |
