Hawaii, part 4

We flew over to Maui Monday afternoon, to spend a week at the Westin Kaanipali Villas. It was part of a package we purchased when we were here last summer, not really intending to buy another timeshare but thinking the price was pretty good for a week at a luxury hotel. Jan opted for a convertible for the week, and since she was thinking she might want to drive to Hana, we added her as a second driver. It's interesting to me-she has a great love for convertibles, but then with her fair skin, she has to hide from the sun when the top is down. The one irksome thing with the car (Alamo) was that we pre-paid for a full tank of gas. The needle was on full when we picked it up, but the 25-mile drive to Kaanipali left it at 3/4 full. So I'm either getting 6 MPG, or it was a couple gallons short of full. The check-in process also did not leave us happy. Part of the problem was that we had just left our "home" at the Marriott Ko Olina resort, and so every part of the day was compared to what would have happened there. We checked in at the "wrong" lobby, so they checked us in but couldn't issue our keys, which means we had to stand in line again at the "right" lobby. We are in what they call a studio villa, which in timeshare language is a lock-off unit. There are 2 areas where Westins are clearly superior to Marriott. The first is that their lock-off units have a small kitchen, and so far we have been very good about cooking in. Our only meal out was Monday night at the Hard Rock in Lahaina. The second area is that their reward points have greater value than Marriott's do. We are on the 6th floor, with a partial ocean view, so we are very happy with the unit. Negatives are that food prices are roughly 15% higher than Marriott, and the quality isn't close. Also, they charge $10 if you want to rent a beach lounge (pool lounges are free).
Meanwhile, the kid's trip home was safe, but not without incident. Jennifer spent a lot of time shopping on Oahu for a special scented soap that she likes. Unfortunately she had it in her carryon, and since it was larger than 3 ounces, security confiscated it. Jennifer teaches Chemistry and so I'm sure that she had used her knowledge to create a soap bomb to blow up the aircraft--with her on it. Oh, well, at least the security people will smell nice for awhile.

Maui is not our favorite island, but I had forgotten how incredibly clear the ocean water is here at Kaanipali. Went swimming yesterday, and then went to the ABC store today to buy some cheap snorkle gear today. Part of the culture here is that people go out at 9 am and leave their towels on one of the chairs under an umbrella, then go back to their room and come out in the afternoon. Kind of irritating when you are a morning sun person like Jan. Also irritating for her is my penchant for acquiring sand when I go to the beach--I'm sure no one else has that problem. God forbid that I don't get it off at the outside showers and track a few grains into the room.
Yesterday we attended our obligatory timeshare preview. The incentives were very enticing, but Westin prices are a little rich for our blood, especially since we don't really know yet what our cash flow situation will be in these early stages of retirement. There was no pressure, but it amazes me how much the sales force chats you up while they think there's a chance you will buy. Once they have a definite "no" it's a very quick, "Nice talking to you. Bye."

Jeff posted the trip pictures on Facebook today, and I borrowed a picture of Jen and I parasailing and used it as my profile pic. Jen just called with the news that Jeslyn got to ring the "attagirl" bell twice at gymnastics tonight, Jolie's rash is gone, but she had to have a cavity filled for the first time. So while we love being on vacation, we are missing our grandkids and also the FCC Eagles concert this weekend. So going home will be good, too.

Kind of a boring post, wasn't it?