Eateries on Maui and Magic

I got to see a turtle! We were out snorkelling and it was starting to look like this trip would go without me seeing one, but Z with his keen eye spotted one. This turtle was resting under some coral and I'm still not sure how Z spotted it, but there it was. The turtle seemed quite happy just hanging out there, but did look like it was going to go for a swim at one point but changed its mind after seeing us hovering.

Ok now for the actual topic of this post...there are a lot of places to eat on Maui and these are the ones we tried and would recommend. As mentioned in a previous post, we found Cheeseburger in Wailea to be a favourite spot for us. Great happy hour with live entertainment on the weekends. Food here is good and portions are more than enough to satisfy. A couple of my favourite dishes here: beef taco salad and the two burger sliders. We had breakfast at Mala at the Marriott. The breakfast
buffet has plenty of options for everyone ranging from pancakes, waffles, toast, yoghurt, very tasty fresh fruit, and made to order omelettes. Z took a liking to the Hawaiian papaya which is unusual because he usually finds papaya quite stinky. I don't know what he's talking about but it doesn't matter because that means more for me most of the time!

Duke's in Ka'anapali is right on the waterfront and just a short walk from the Westin Villas. We had breakfast here and quite enjoyed the food. Coffee is good as are the banana mac pancakes. Cilantro Mexican Grill in Lahaina is located near the Hilo Hattie store. This place appears to be a little off the beaten track but is worth checking out. The food is fresh, very tasty and reasonably priced. Betty's Beach Cafe was suggested by friends (thanks Mr. M and Ms. W). If you go here for dinner and arrive at the right time you might just get to watch the Luau show which happens on the beach in front of this restaurant as an added bonus. We enjoyed a three course set menu here because unbeknownst to us it was restaurant week on Maui (similar to Dine Out back home). Good food, friendly service, well priced for a set menu, and a free Luau show to boot! Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina is a second floor restaurant across from the Banyan tree. Burgers are served a la carte and you soon find out why. There really is no need to order anything in addition to that burger. Good live entertainment serenaded us during dinner. Great place, has a bit of a 50's theme going on. Pulehu Italian Grill in the Westin is a nice restaurant but is on the pricier side. We got in early and opted for the three course set sunset menu which saves you about $10-15 per person and is a good way to go. This menu is only available between 5:30 - 6:00pm. The Chianti Braised Short Ribs were pretty good, though mine were a little on the too fatty side. I haven't ever been to an Italian restaurant that doesn't offer cappuccinos so be aware that if you want an after dinner coffee, you'll have to be happy with drip. Anthony's in Pa'ia is a little gem. Restaurant is small so it may be hard to get seating. It's a popular spot for people to stop in for breakfast as they start their journey to Hana. Food is good and service was quick. You can also order fresh made sandwiches for a picnic lunch on your journey, but we had already packed snacks so we were good to go after our big portioned breakie. And a must stop along the journey to Hana is the Halfway to Hana stand for some banana bread....best banana bread that I've ever had!! We had also done a little grocery shopping and ended up having breakfast and lunch a couple times in our room. The Westin has two little markets on site (one in each side of the villas), but I don't recommend buying anything there because it's really pricey; $7 for a loaf of bread!

A must do while in Maui is to go see Warren and Annabelle's Magic show. We were blown away! The show is in Lahaina and the theatre is a small intimate setting. You are up close and personal with the magicians. Warren was not performing the night we went, but the two magicians, John and Chris, were fantastic and put on a phenomenal show! There were a lot of "wow", "whhhaat"'s coming from the audience. A lot of extremely impressive tricks with some great comedy as well!! I was actually a participant in a card trick and it still blows my mind how the magician figured out what card I chose. The deck of cards had two elastic bands around it and I flipped through the corner of the cards selecting the 5 of hearts. Two other people did the same thing. Somehow the magician correctly picked out all three of our cards. I don't want to spoil the show so I won't comment on other tricks, but this is definitely worth checking out while on Maui and is a great night out.









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