Maui~A Day Trip to Lanai

After some rest and relaxation on Wednesday, Thursday was another excursion day. Nick made arrangements to play golf on the neighboring island of Lanai so we caught the 6:45 ferry and headed over.

Goodbye Maui...for a while!

It was so early the sun hadn't even come over the mountain yet! ha!

We had been told to watch for a school of Spinner Dolphins to be playing in the water just as we got to Lanai's harbor! I was so excited when we saw them...and I think Hubby was even the first to spot them! I grabbed my camera and started snapping as fast as I could! I think I got some pretty great shots!

With some of the Lanai cliffs in the background!

Flying through the air...

Flipping around...

Lanai is completely different from Maui. The population is only approximately 2500 people and Four Seasons Resorts basically runs the entire island. We took a shuttle from the dock up to the golf course~The Challenge at Manele and Nick was one of only two groups on the golf course for the entire morning! The golf course was beautiful and again the views didn't disappoint.

View down to the beach area from the clubhouse!

Heading out! It was so much fun, we basically had the entire course to ourselves! I like to think that I'm a great caddy!

And some more beautiful views!

My hubby...with God's stunning creation behind him!

Seriously...look at that view!

We loved the flags...they were windsocks! Hubby collects them from all the courses he plays and of course we had to take one of these home! It is now perfectly displayed in our garage with his huge collection!

After the round, we had of course had to have lunch at the clubhouse! Probably one of my favorite meals of the week...of course the company & the views might have had something to do with that!

All lovey, dovey with a gorgeous view in the background!

After a nice relaxing lunch, we changed into our suits and headed down to the resort where there was access to the beach. For a brief moment we felt like we living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The Four Seasons at Manele is incredible. The service is impeccable and they treat you like you're the only guest there. We walked down to the beach, found a shady spot and then headed into the water for our first snorkeling experience of the trip. I had read that the snorkeling was great in this bay & they were definitely correct. We saw lots of great tropical fish and coral in our short time out in the water. However, snorkeling can wear you out! So...we came in and relaxed a bit before heading back up to catch the shuttle to the ferry dock.

Hulopoe Bay...a great place for snorkeling & swimming on Lanai...

Acting like I belong at the Four Seasons!

We had originally planned to take the first ferry of the day to Lanai and take the last ferry home back to Maui. However, we were already pretty worn out mid-afternoon so we took our chances and headed down to the ferry dock in time for an earlier departure. This was such a good decision, we both took a little nap on the rooftop of the ferry during the 45 minute ride and we still had time to head back to the hotel and get ready for a decent dinner.

The sun beginning to set over Lanai

We were both semi-craving Italian so we found the place that seemd to have the best reviews and made a reservation while on Lanai. If I had to chose a least favorite meal this would be it. The atmosphere was fine and the food was decent, but the waiter decided we weren't worth his time when we decided to split an entree' and we didn't order a bottle of wine. Nick & I both get really annoyed when people treat us this way---maybe I should have worn a sign that said "I'm pregnant and can't drink alcohol!" ha! We were even planning to order dessert, but by that time we were just ready to leave our measly tip and get out of there!

At least we got a good photo out of the deal...

We came back to our hotel and walked around the shops for a bit before calling it a night...this time I think we made it all the way to 9:30!