Maui Wedding Planning Trip: Day in Lahaina

Once off the boat, we bounced over to Lahaina Coolers for some breakfast. I looked up breakfast places on-line that were supposed to be good in Lahaina and this was one of the places that came up. Be warned, the menu they have on-line is not the menu they have in the restaurant.

I had macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup and Drew had an omelet. Like always, we split our food with each other. We always eat "family style". What did we think of it? It was alright. Nothing special and not somewhere that we would want to eat, again. If this is one of the best places Lahaina has to offer, it's not saying much.

After breakfast we set off to get some wedding shopping done and see some of the sites around town. We were on a mission to find a few more items for the out of town bags for our guests, plumeira flower clips and lauhala baskets. Lahaina has both ABC store and Hilo Hattie so we made sure to hit both. Between those places we found everything we were looking for. It was great to get all of that checked off the wedding to do list.

It's a little disappointing that Drew isn't wearing an Aloha shirt in this picture.

While shopping we stopped at the Honolulu Cookie Company to try some of their cookies to maybe get some for the wedding. Their cookies are a Hawaiian shortbread and are oh, so tasty.  They had all the cookies out to sample and we tried some of every singe one. Our favorites were the original macadamia nut, pineapple, Kona coffee and chocolate dipped macadamia nut. Make sure to stop by one of their locations when in Hawaii. We didn't pick up any then for the wedding (doesn't mean we won't later), but we did get some to bring home to a couple people back on the mainland.

You could sample every flavor of cookie while you were there.

While walking around we visited the Banyan Tree in the light, checked out the old walls made of coral blocks that use to surround the area, went to the old Lahaina prison, stumbled across a crazy front yard that I loved decorated with coral, sea shells and sculptures and visited the tiki village, Hale Kahiko. All while coming across all kinds of beautiful tropical flowers. It was for sure a fun way to spend the afternoon. However, we both agreed that Lahaina was just that, good for a day trip and not an area we'd want o spend our whole trip.

The Banyan Tree.

Old coral block walls.

Love the double hibiscus.

  

This gives me an idea for a wedding picture...

Outside the old prison where they use to keep unruly sailors who didn't get back on their boats.

Love the kitch of this crazy front yard!

 Red ginger

Hale Kahiko

Red and green ti plants are planted at the four corners to provide protection to one's home.

The "man hut" where woman were not allowed.

Tiara Tahitian gardenia smell so sweet.

 While near the Banyan Tree, we stopped into the Banyan Tree Deli. Another Maui bride from The Knot boards had been looking for an option for cupcakes and I suggested this place to her. Based on my recommendation, she went ahead and ordered them. I felt like I should check them out for her and do a little taste test. They were decorated very simple, but tasted great. We tried both the red velvet and the carrot cake since those were the flavors they were offering for the day. We thought both were great and they would be nice to have for a wedding. All they needed was a little orchid added to each cupcake to give them a little wedding flare. Once back on the mainland, I let the other bride know that the cupcakes were in fact tasty and she would be happy with them. She was very glad to hear this. It's always nice to help out other brides. Especially when having a destination wedding. You learn to rely on each other for many things.

NomNomNom!

One of the best parts about the day was getting Hawaiian shave ice at Ululani's! The cones were massive and they had so many flavors. I of course, got my favorite flavor, Li Hing Mui , as well as mango and pineapple topped with Li Ming Mui powder. Drew got coconut, Tiger's Blood and pina colada. We both loved them! It was the best shave ice I'd ever had. I liked it so much I bought one of their great retro t-shirts and a magnet for our tiki bar back home. Make sure to hit this place up when you are on Maui. Not only do they have more than one location in Lahaina. They also have a location in Kahului. You know, near the airport. So there's really no reason for you not to go there. You will love it!

I love this picture of Drew! He looks so content and laid back.

After our very long day (remember we'd been up since 5am), we headed over to Aloha Mixed Plate for lunch. By this time is was already almost 3pm and we were ready for some food that wasn't sugar, after all the cookie samples, cupcakes and shave ice. We planned on having lunch at this place because this is also where the Old Lahaina Luau takes place. We wanted to try out their food and see where the luau was since we were inviting our wedding guests to join us here after the wedding reception. Hey, what can I say? We made sure not to leave any stones un-turned while planning our wedding, wanted our guests to be happy with our selections and made sure to get as much done for the wedding while on Maui, as possible.

 The food at Aloha Mixed Plate was great! Exactly how plate lunch should be. We started off with a couple drinks, Sassy Wahine and Lava Flow, and a plate of coconut shrimp. The shrimp were butterflied and covered with lots of coconut. Also, like they should be. We shared a large plate of kaluha pork, lomi lomi salmon and lua lua that came with mac salad (Hawaiian style), rice, poi and haupia (Hawaiian coconut pudding). We ordered a garden salad, too to make sure we got enough veggies in our meal. It was all very tasty and we were glad that this would be the kind of food we'd be eating at the luau. We think our guests will really like it. Once we were full on Hawaiian grinds, we walked over to the area where the luau takes place to check it out and then headed back to our timeshare for the rest of the afternoon.

Notice my drink is rimmed with Li Hing Mui powder!

I'll be honest, Lahaina was our least favorite place we went on the island. Like I said before, it was good for a day trip, but we wouldn't want to stay there. We also have no plans to go back there, except for the luau, when we are there in July. There are just so many other great places we loved. But, that's for another post!

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of our wedding planning trip to Maui! After such a busy morning and afternoon, who knows where the rest of the day will take us....


Have you been to Lahaina? What did you think of the town and what it had to offer? Did you have the shave ice at Ululani? You must have the shave ice at Ululani!


All photos are personal photos.

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