Our Annual Family Adventure: Unforgettable Moments in Maui

From sunset cruises to snorkeling with sea turtles to tasting delicious Hawaiian cuisine, this year’s family vacation was one for the books.

Our Family Tradition

Every October my family plans a trip together. Some years everyone is there. Others it’s just a few of us. But it’s a tradition we have kept going for nearly a decade with no end in sight. Each year it’s always a mystery where we will go and this year’s trip did not disappoint.

Destination- Maui, HI

For the 2024 family vacation we went to Maui, Hawaii. This is our third time going to Hawaii as a family and this was by FAR my favorite spot we have been to. The beaches were phenomenal, the food was delicious, and the resort we stayed at had the most perfect pool set up.

The beautiful resort we got to stay at!

My favorite part of the whole trip had to be the night we went on a sunset dinner cruise around the island. The whole family (and about 50 other strangers ) jumped aboard a triple decker boat and went out to sea. I chose the ribs for my entree… which is no surprise because ya girl loves some ribs. After the main course I went up to the top deck to take in the beautiful views. What you can’t tell from the picture is how windy it was out there! It was still a very fun adventure, wind and all. After the sunset over the water we sat back down to enjoy some chocolate cake while heading back to the marina. 

The rest of the trip was filled with mornings at the beach and afternoons at the pool. The beaches we visited had amazing reefs for snorkeling and soft sand for lounging. It was also a big bonus that we were there outside of the usual ‘tourist season’ so the beaches weren’t very busy.

On one snorkeling adventure I saw a sea turtle munching on some sea grass for about an hour. We both just floated there and enjoyed the gentle waves and the warm sun. Some of the beaches had tide pools that were very active. Minnows, crabs, shrimp, and to my surprise an eel all swimming around in the shallow waters.

Resting sea turtles

The pools at the resort thankfully didn’t have any marine life. But it did have several water slides that, yes, the whole family went down. We also were able to secure a cabana a few times so we could watch some TV while soaking up the sun.

And of course we had lots of local coffee and pastries!

Headed Home

Of course the worst part of all vacations is when they come to an end. Hawaii is such a beautiful place but WOOF it is far away! Since I live on the east coast my flight back to DC ended up taking me about 16 looooong hours. But- the wonderful new memories I made with my family make the trek around the globe more than worth it. 

Now it’s time to start planning Family Vacation 2025!

Until next time… Shine bright and protect your light!