Thursday, January 30, 2014

Beach, Golf, Food, Drinks

Here are a few pics from Maui. As I mentioned yesterday, it was a trip based on beach and golf, both with food and drink. Oh, I forgot to mention in my food reviews - the hot dogs at Kahili Golf Course were also top notch!

Polo Beach - in front of the Fairmont and Polo Beach Condo's at Wailea







Kahili Golf Course Clubhouse - play here. Great value.
View southwest toward Wailea from Kahili Golf
End of beach day. Not a great pic of me, but whatever.



Makena - Big Beach










I was trying to see if the Nikon could successfully pull off a selfie - only sort of worked.



I didn't take a lot of food pics, but at Mama's I got our salads - yum!

Mai-tai's on the beach on the last day. And yes, we did drink a bottle of Prosecco
too. What? It's vacation! And it was almost over. We were crying.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Maui Reviews – the 2014 version

Well, it’s only been 30 years since my last trip to Maui – and BOY WAS I EXCITED TO GET BACK OVER THERE. I grew up in Anchorage – which means we spent many a Christmas vacation on Maui – like all the other Alaskans. Hawaii may seem far, but it’s actually the closest place to fly from Anchorage for some summer sunshine in the middle of winter.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have so many great memories of Maui – and was really excited to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.

First of all, I remember when the Maui Airport in Kahului was just a one room open air affair – which was awesome. But that’s changed and now in the modern world you can fly to Maui from all over the place, not just Oahu. And also, in the modern world, things have to be fenced off from the creeps and weirdos – so now the airport looks and acts like all other airports – with lines and TSA officials and screeners and all of that. So, that change wasn’t so awesome, but whatever – I’m ok with safety and security and the convenience of flying direct from Seattle to Maui.

Oh, and upon approach over the island, yes, it’s true, whales are just all over the place jumping out of the water to say hi. I remember that there were a lot of whales, but really, there are A LOT OF WHALES. It’s just spectacular. We didn’t take a whale watching cruise because frankly we were more into golf, but it was really great every day to see whales from the beach – FROLICKING! Loved that!

Also on approach it’s possible to spot your first stop shopping destination – COSTCO! Basically, it’s at the first stoplight leaving the airport. We stopped there for beer, wine, bubbles and Maui chips – and basic fixin’s to have at the condo.

Kihei – Wow. Over the past 30 years it’s really gotten junky! Seriously, they need to get their shit together. We did a little drive one day down through Kihei and up to Lahaina and Kaanapali – and I couldn’t get over what a dump Kihei has turned into. We didn’t feel compelled to hang out there at all. It was just strip mall and junky shave ice places and bad food all over the place.

Wailea – seems to have gotten better and better over time. We stayed at Ulua and Ekahi villages in the old days, which are still there and look pretty good after all this time. Back then, there wasn’t much past those condo’s and the tennis center. Now, it’s a long road of resorts and golf and walking paths and they’ve done a great job keeping it low rise and well landscaped and high end. We stayed at the Champions Golf Villas – I think we’d give our place sort of a so-so rating for luxe, but a great rating for location. We had originally thought that we’d get a small place and skip the cost of ocean view and spend the money on golf and eating, but in the end, we still wished we’d had an ocean or beach view for cocktails, and still spend money on golf and on eating. So, my advice, don’t try to save money, just get what you want and deal with the cost later.

Beaches – I’m happy to report that the beaches at Wailea are super clean. And that includes all the resort beaches and the public park beaches. I’m not sure what the zoning or local beach rights are in Hawaii, but it was really nice to see that all the beaches – including the beaches in front of the super high end resorts have shoreline access, parking, showers etc…. and are available for everyone – not just for resort guests. We first went to Polo beach, which is right below the Fairmont Kea Lani resort – and quite lovely. We also checked out the beaches at Makena, Big and Little beach along with the beach at Turtle Town – and a few others. All the beaches were super clean, and mostly uncrowded. We did find crowds at Little Beach at Makena. It’s supposedly the only “nude” beach, but in reality, it’s more or less a “hippie” beach and everyone is there, including the nakeds, clothed, locals, bums, weirdo’s, you name it. We lasted the morning, but it got so crowded we couldn’t stand it so we left and walked down to Big Beach from there and found a much more quiet and private spot. On our last day we checked out a beach over at Paia – because we were trying to follow the sun as a storm was coming. That beach was pretty local – but still nice. The waves were pretty erratic that day, and then it started to rain on us – but we still had a nice time. And as everyone was leaving the beach and we were sitting there drinking mai tai’s, we got to see a turtle hanging out in the surf for a long time – which was fun.

Snorkeling- We brought gear out one day to snorkel, but the word from everyone was that it was too rough and churned up to see anything, so we bagged it. Next time.

Golf – we played 4 rounds of golf, twice at Kahili, once at the Dunes at Maui Lani and once at Elleair. We loved Kahili, Elleair was ok, and the back nine at the Dunes kind of hurt my feelings. Apparently I had 31/2 rounds in me, and ran out of steam at the 10th hole on the back at the Dunes. Boo. Overall, Kahili was by far the nicest course for the money. Dunes next probably, but a planned community and will get filled in with houses all around. It also got pretty windy on the back. Elleair was the least nice in my opinion – with a pretty lame clubhouse area, and not that interesting and near the road, but all of them were fine to play as opposed to the super expensive resort courses in Wailea or Kaanapali. We didn’t even attempt to pay $150 - $200 bucks to play those. Although, right now the course at Makena is under renovation, and it looks like it will be GORGEOUS, and someday I really want to play there. The views from there are pretty spectacular.

Food and booze – we drank and ate like champs. 
Capische at Hotel Wailea. Great food, and tables are arranged in a little private garden area. I think you can request to sit out there, but we were open and just happened to get seated out there and had a great time. We started with a drinky at the bar, which is off the giant open air wood lobby area. I, of course had a mai tai – the first of many last week. I think Kit had a kind of martini – also good. As you can tell by the name, Capische is Italian – perfect first night after travelling all day.


Kai in the Shops at Wailea – yick. I’d looked at reviews and they were both good and bad, so we thought we would try and make our own decision – oh God. Well, actually the food was fine, it was just the ambiance and the wait staff that was horrible. First of all, it was nearly empty and we got seated by a gal (I use the term loosely) in a samurai headscarf kind of thing. She had a really bizarre fake voice that freaked us out a little – but… we kept at it. She turned out to be our waitress too – ugh. Our food came mostly right away, which was fine, but then right before we were done, our last dish came, as if they maybe forgot it before – the whole thing was just strange. We got out of there pretty fast, and both thought it sucked even though the food was ok. Just a goofy vibe and crazy weirdo waitress lady. That was our only bad night. Don’t go there.

Morimoto – Hotel Andaz – maybe our favorite restaurant of the week. This guy was an Iron Chef winner or something like that. We let our waiter help us pick the best of the menu and everything we ate was FANTASTIC! Super good good.

Migrant – Marriott – Also really good. Our waiter from Morimoto told us about this place so we tried it. It is a mix of Hawaiian, Asian, Filipino food – super good also.

Manoli’s – Wailea. Our waiter at Capische suggested this place for watching the Seahawks v. 49er’s game. It’s just a little pizza place but it has an awesome bar that is open air on all sides, so a perfect place to drink beer, eat pizza and rejoice as our Seattle Seahawks beat the 49er’s to get to the Superbowl.

Sarento’s on the Beach – Kihei – My friend recommended this place. We took a long walk along the beach path and on the beach from Wailea to Kihei and stopped here for breakfast at the end. Not super fancy, but right on the beach and the food was good. Also the Mimosa’s and the Bloody Mary’s.

Monkey Pod Kitchen – Wailea – I had seen restaurant reviews before we left home, and this place kept popping up so we tried it. The first attempt, it was super crowded so we made reservations for the next night. It was maybe the only place we couldn’t get in right away. It’s a totally casual place, with burgers, fish taco’s, pizza, etc. I had fish taco’s, they were pretty good. Kit had a pulled Pork sandwich – which he said was good. Drank beers – had a poke appetizer – which was delish! Thumbs up. Probably great for big families and for kids  - seems like a good bar for meeting people if you were looking. We watched some gals trolling…. Funny.

Mama’s Fish House – Paia – Yes, we had to hit a traditional spot. So we drove for this one, but it was worth it. Drinks in the bar, finally got seated after Kit had to remind them – had the Macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi – and it was fantastic, and Kit had another fish – also delish. Expensive, and pretty much what you would expect from an “institution” on the island. Glad we went.

Alan Wong’s Amasia – Grand Wailea – really pretty restaurant and very good food. It was pretty quiet when we were there, but we had a nice Scottish kid as our waiter and he was awesome. Really good food, Kit is still talking about the short ribs.

Kihei Caffe - Kihei - Ok, I said you never need to go to Kihei, but on our last morning we did because we needed to return our rental beach umbrella. Kihei Caffe got all sorts of awesome reviews and it was nearby, so we went for breakfast. In fact, I think it's only open til 2pm, so it's basically just a breakfast place. Only outside seating but it's covered - which was helpful since it was raining the morning we left. Kit ordered the bread pudding french toast and I had Huevo's Ranchero's which were the size of my head. Food - big and very good. Coffee drinks - big and very good. You order your food first through a line, which goes fast so don't freak out. The guy taking orders was also very very friendly and excellent. The coffee lady wasn't as nice, but she was efficient - so that's ok I guess. Outside seating crappy (matching the stylings of Kihei) - but appropriate for the menu. Great last meal before getting on a plane. Definitely enough calories for the entire day in one breakfast.

Tour of resort bars – we checked out the resorts by way of lobby bars. 
Andaz – really awesome lobby or pool bar – with great snacks and lovely seating and live music. In fact, we loved this whole resort, really upscale, new, adults, a bunch of infinity pools, great wood and architecture. We’d stay here for sure, loved it.


Four Seasons – Huge resort, huge lobby bar that happened to have a  “mini luau” going on in the bar – crowded and not that awesome. We went to another bar there closer to the beach. Also not awesome, but ok. Seemed like a hotel for families, we saw a lot of kids. While the Four Seasons usually is an awesome choice, this one seemed a little older and too big for us.

Fairmont Kea Lani – Very pretty and also big. The lobby bar had nice seating, but the service was slow – I guess they were down a waitress. Still, nice drinks and snacks and a pretty place. Pool area was huge and a lot of green space. Nice but again – big.


Grand Wailea – very pretty entry area. Small lobby bar in center – ok, but not as nice for seating like Andaz or the Fairmont. We skipped the drink in the bar this night and went straight to the restaurant.

Next post might include pictures - haven't downloaded anything yet. Just readjusting to Seattle temps. Bleck.

Oh- one last thing about Hawaii in 2014. The people were EXCELLENT. I have a recollection from the 80's that Hawaiian's didn't really like the mainlanders all that well and I felt like it showed back then. Somehow now, 30 years later, it seemed to us that everyone, wait staff to locals, lifeguards to greenskeepers - everyone was super super nice and fun and friendly. It put us in a really great frame of mind - and we want to go back to Maui as soon as possible. Loved it.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Nespresso Love

Do you need a reason to wake up every morning? Are you sick of it SICK OF IT already and it's only January. Well, not that I want to advocate "consumerism" for everything that ails you - cuz you could get your ass up and go to the gym, or change jobs, or volunteer to feel better - but for a quick fix - get yourself a pretty little Nespresso Machine and start livin' the dream!

We are just loving our little orange Nespresso - and this one by the way is the cheapest version, so don't feel like you have to go straight to the top of the line here! Talk about a super awesome little treatsky in the morning. We make lattes and cappuccino's around our house - with soy milk (not because we are trying not to use milk, but because we think soy tastes good). And, every single time - PERFECT! 

Mine!



Foamer/steamer - mandatory!


Now I know what Penelope Cruz is talking about!

You can go straight to the source to get your Nespresso machine - or you can hunt around online for deals - seems like everyone has sales now and then. We got ours through Gilt Groupe in early December and it happened to be when they were on sale and when Gilt was also having a site-wide 20% off. So big savings. Good luck, and happy cappi!

PS- did you catch the heading? - just a little shout out to Dire Straits - Nespresso makes me think of Espresso Love from the old days.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Maui Now....ee!

Last year we thought we were so smart when we booked tickets to Maui for January. And now, here it is, January and guess what. WE ARE SO SMART! No winter blues for us, we are leaving Saturday for sunshine and sand! 

Here are a few of our plans:

This is where we are staying. Wailea Championship Villa's - on the old golf course. We decided to stay up here at the course instead of down by the beach since we plan to play some golf, but also we thought if we stayed at a slightly smaller and less expensive condo, we'd spend the savings on golf all over the island and drinks and dinners and other stuff. And the beach is just a 10 minute walk down the hill - so that seems reasonable. I grew up going to Wailea in the olden days so I have very fond memories of this place and always want to stay on this end of the island - even though it is so much more built up than it used to be. Fine with me. I like amenities - not complaining.
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Here is the beach we will be enjoying. Nice thing about our condo rental - it comes with beach chairs, cooler, all the necessary goodies for hitting the beach. 
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Turtle Town! Just south of our beaches is Makena and just at the end of the beach down there are some reefs - referred to as Turtle Town. The snorkeling there is supposed to be great, and I have every intention of meeting these guys! Can't wait.
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This guy too! I'm meeting him - I already like him, I can tell!
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If the weather is good, we will do a snorkeling/snuba trip out to Molokini. Best when the weather and seas are calm, hopefully we'll find a window that works so we can check it out. Looks beautiful and supposedly there are lots of fish out there to see. And more turtles, and hopefully no sharks.
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I would like to see this little fella!
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One thing I really love and remember about Maui is how great it smells when you get off the plane. The Plumeria trees smell so good and are so pretty. This one is pink, but there are white ones all over the place too. Love them.
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Our first tee time is booked here at Kahili Golf Course. We got an early am tee time to beat the tradewinds. Hopefully we'll have a great day! 


This will come immediately after golf! Or during. Or every second throughout the trip. Good mai-tai's are an important part of the Maui experience.
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And, don't forget Hello Kitty. My childhood history of Christmas vacations in Hawaii has left me with a life long love of Hello Kitty. Hawaii is full of San Rio stores, and Hello Kitty was probably introduced to Hawaii before the rest of the USA found her. I remember combing those stores for every miniature eraser, wallet, sticker - for Christmas. Hello Kitty - I heart you!
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And lastly, if you are unfamiliar with Maui, here it is. Google Maui on the web, find out all the awesome things to do there, and book a trip! And gorge yourself on pineapples!
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Monday, January 13, 2014

Dreaming of Greenhouses

January is for sorting seeds. Right now, while the weather is really crappy, I like to start sorting through my seeds to figure out what I need to order for this year's planting season. It is a fact that seeds get old, and sometimes they won't grow if they are old. This sucks because you don't really know they wont grow until you try and then you are mighty disappointed when nothing comes out of the ground and you find yourself suddenly behind in starting your garden.

This year we are thinking about moving our shabby little cheap-ass greenhouse across the property so that it is closer to the big garden rather than where it is - in the little garden. I've had some success and some MAJOR FAILS with starting seeds in a greenhouse. Most of my problems happen because I'm not at the farm during the week so I can't control temperature and moisture in the greenhouse - and have at times gotten to the farm to find that all my seedlings have been COOKED because of unexpected heat. Other times, waterlogged. Other times, all the tops eaten off by a few bastard slugs.

My other problem is finding the appropriate amount of time to harden the seedlings off before planting them in the ground. What works best is a daily schedule over 5-6 days of gradual introduction into "nature". But, when the weekend is just 2 days, I have had to advance the gradual schedule and that often results in bolting - where the plants think it's suddenly end of season and they race to flowering before you get any of the growth. It's awful when this happens. A lot of cursing happens.

So, the point is, I might move the greenhouse to conditions that are better - more sun, less moisture. Also, I saw that Home Depot is selling a solar fan that will control internal temps in the greenhouse. I've figured out a watering system that seems to work, so if I can get them in a regulated temperature I might be ok. Then I might be able to control the temp into a gradual hardening off setting - we'll see. 

Anyway, it made me start dreaming about greenhouses, and if I could have any kind, what would I like. Check these out!
www.glassgardens.net

www.homedit.com
www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com
http://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary/greenhouses

Friday, January 10, 2014

Do Poinsettia's have feelings?

It's January, and if I have a poinsettia that is still alive at this point - well....frankly it's time to toss it out with the trash. Does that seem harsh? Well, sorry poinsettia, but you are a "seasonal" item, and your season is up. Hey, you don't hear the Christmas tree crying do ya? 

Now pack up your poisonous leaves and beat it! 

Make room for the heart shaped box of chocolates!!! haha.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Trolling Ebay

Ebay can be the best place ever for trolling for house things that you are thinking about. We really need a pair of awesome club chairs for the farm. I would prefer to get some old leather club chairs, but when I find them they are usually listed for $5000+ a pair and I haven't felt like I wanted to pay that much, but in fact, I really really want them. So, I check in with Ebay every few days or weeks and see what's new and if anyone is trying to dump something at a great price. Sometimes I search antique club chairs, sometimes Hollywood Regency Furniture, sometimes Mid century modern....and almost everytime I find things that are FABULOUS! 

Here's what I found today while poking around:
$275 to start for these mid century end tables. I think that is a great starting price
for these really good looking tables.

Awesome card table and chairs from the 60's. I would maybe re-cover the chairs
but I love the shape of the chairs and the table - $1,199 so not cheap, but pretty special I think.

These are GORGEOUS! Bidding was at $1,175 which I think is completely fair. I may check
back in on these because they are spectacular and if the color of the mohair works in your room, you
wouldn't have to change a thing! 

This darling settee is currently at $437 - a steal in a really light blue patterned
upholstery. I love this sofa. If you have a bedroom with room for this, you should
buy it ASAP.

These chairs are so good looking. I cant remember what they were priced at, but
really cool looking statement pieces - and would be great if you had a covered
patio or a sun room to put them in. I would put them against a wall in the
living room too - they are pretty fresh looking I think.