Happy 60th Birthday

Jon’s main birthday wish was to be somewhere warm, not freezing in Minnesota! He got his wish. It’s been in the 70’s – definitely shorts and t-shirt weather. I just wish he would’ve wished for warmth and sunshine. Apparently Maui is in experiencing a surface trough. It’s been raining since we arrived and the sun isn’t expected to come out until Tuesday. There’s a flash flood warning for the entire island. Roads near Kihei have already washed out and swept a firefighter into a storm sewer; he’s in critical condition. Needless to say our plans are ever changing.

But yesterday was Jon’s birthday! And it was a big one!

I had a few surprises up my sleeve…

Maui has very little light pollution making it a great place to stargaze. The Hyatt in Kaanapali has an Astro photography workshop. They will let you take pictures with their big telescopes. Since we are so far south the night sky has constellations we don’t see in Minnesota. Sounded like a perfect birthday present for Jon so I booked it. They only allow 3 people so we were likely to have the telescopes to ourselves. But being the planner that I am, I had read the forecast before leaving home. I knew I needed a backup plan. Plan B… a private glass blowing lesson at Moana Glass. Good no matter the weather or skies. After Jon “opened” his gifts we needed to head up the road about 5 minutes to pick up his cake. I refer to the baker as Maui’s version of the baker who made all of Jason and Erin’s cakes for their wedding. We emailed back and forth to come up with the design and I choose her Hawaiian signature flavor – guava cake with lilikoi frosting. We drove to her house to pick it up. Not only was it beautiful, it was delicious.

Jon wanted a massage on his birthday. He couldn’t decide if he wanted one on the beach or in the spa. Given the weather, luckily he booked one in the spa at the Hyatt. We’ve never been to a true spa before. The facilities were spectacular. They encourage you to arrive 30-60 minutes early to relax in their hot tub, sauna or steam room before your treatment. After the massage they escort you to the relaxation room where you can spend as much time as you want. It’s on the second floor, overlooking the ocean. I loved it! I was finally able to stay relaxed after a massage without having to leave right away. The sound of the crashing waves almost put me to sleep.

Although the forecast was 90% chance of rain we were able to enjoy Kaanapali Beach after our massage. The sun peaked out off and on. When it did rain it was more of a drizzle – the kind that makes rainbows.

Since you only turn 60 once, you need a special dinner to celebrate. We had reservations at the Banyan Tree at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua, about 10 minutes from our condo. The view was specular, even with the rain. I’m sure the sunset would’ve been beautiful. The service was the best we’ve ever had. The food was amazing.

Bonus

Thursday night we went to the Pacific Coastal Trail for sunset hoping for something similar to the one we watched driving from the airport. It was drizzling on and off so we weren’t sure what we’d see but we packed our rain jackets at the last minute so we took a chance.