Visiting Maui In The Time Of Coronavirus
When visiting Maui in January of this year this is the scene I was was first met with. A peaceful paradise right before my eyes. I was welcomed to the island by the gentle sound of ocean waves lapping the rocks on this strand of beach. Sea turtles entertained me as they popped their heads above water and then slowly immersed themselves back into the pellucid waters.
In my last post I promised to share info with you about some of my favs from this trip. In the first week visiting Maui I began to get the lay of the land. I scoped out beaches, food establishments – particularly those serving fresh caught fish, searched for the best Mai Tai – I’d heard rumors about where to locate the “best” and of course, I spent time with LuLu, my oldest daughter.
Covid19 has impacted all of us worldwide. The world has been shut down and travel may never be the same. Hawaii has reopened for tourists who follow strict guidelines. I explained the process for entering Hawaii in this post. Wearing masks is required at all times. Once you’ve been seated at a bar or restaurant you are allowed to remove your mask. Standard procedure in these times. At one restaurant in particular we were asked to keep our masks on until water had been brought to the table.
Let’s begin with my favorite low key bar, not fancy but oh so Maui! Masks are required until you’re seated and social distancing is in place. South Shore Tiki Lounge, is an open air bar that serves some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten along with cute, friendly bartenders and live music daily. One can choose to sit outdoors on the lanai or inside the galley style bar area. LuLu and many of her friends claim their spots inside the bar area and have dubbed it “the living room”.
My first night at Tiki I ordered a margarita which was good but not my favorite. I ended up switching to a Dark & Stormy on my next visit and loved it. The super cute bartenders remembered exactly which rum I preferred and served it up with a hug and a smile. When my Bff arrived a week after me, she ordered the Endless Summer cocktail, served tiki style with fresh fruit and a paper umbrella! It too, was a yummy cocktail. Next time I’ll order one because who doesn’t love a true tiki cocktail? Relaxing and fun, I say Tiki should be a must for anyone visiting Maui – especially if you are staying in the Kihei area.
On our first beach day Lulu took me to Charley Young beach. A wide beach with a convenient parking lot, a walkway to the beach and showers to rinse the sand off before getting back into your car. Social distancing on the beach while visiting Maui is easy to do. Families, couples and single beach goers like me were able to spread out and soak up the sun and surf. Lulu was baking daily and I spent many days at the beach solo. Admittedly, I am a beach bum at heart. I made many trips to Charley Young beach for it’s crystal clear water, sandy bottom and amazing views of the humpback whales wintering in the waters around Maui.
On my fourth day visiting Maui we met friends at Monkeypod Kitchen. This is the place with the “best” Mai Tai’s on Maui. I’m talking killer cocktail!! Monkeypod is a tree with a special presence in Hawaii. Known for it’s beautiful broad canopy and release of nitrogen it blesses the ground below with healthy nutrients. The Monkeypod tree thrives in the Hawaiian islands more than any other place.
The Monkeypod Mai Tai is made with kula organic silver and dark rums, lime, house-made macadamia nut orgeat, bols orange curacao, and honey-lilikoi foam. In case you aren’t familiar with lilikoi, it is yellow passion fruit, brought to the Hawaiian islands in the 1920’s from South America. One-half cup of the fruit’s pulp provides 50% of our daily Vitamin C intake. I don’t know about you but I’m all about getting my vitamins with my cocktails! You see that alluring yellow foam on top of my drink? That is delicious honey-lilikoi foam. You know if honey is involved I’m all in! This is an absolute must when visiting Maui.
On this occasion we went for happy hour. In a future post I’ll tell you about the entire dinner my BFF and I ate a week later at Monkeypod. For this happy hour visit my favorite appetizer was Poke Tacos, featuring raw ahi, ginger, shoyu, cabbage, avocado cream sauce, filling crisp wonton shells. Absolutely amazing tacos Hawaiian style.
I speculate by now that you realize visiting Maui in the time of coronavirus didn’t suck. Did I still mask up and wash my hands faithfully? You bet I did. As of today, I have received both Covid vaccines yet I will continue to wear my mask and wash my hands frequently to remain safe and not accidentally spread this mess to someone else. And I will be visiting Maui again soon.
Next up more info about the beautiful beaches, Haleakala, Maui’s volcano and the fabulous views on the drive to Hana. Aloha and Mahalo for stopping by.
