Rock Climbing in Castle Rock State Park

Since Alex and I love to rock climb, I was excited to purchase the LivingSocial offer for outdoor rock climbing with an instructor at Castle Rock State Park in Santa Cruz Mountains. Castle Rock has a beautiful collection of large sandstone rocks, which are fantastic for rock climbing and bouldering.

I originally planned to go on November 11, but due to the rain, I had to reschedule for two hours of rock climbing on December 8, 2012, at 1:00 pm. The Castle Rock Climbing School has a policy that they cannot climb for three days after the last rain. This was not unexpected since it rains frequently in the winter in Northern California.

It was cold on December 8 (maybe around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit) when we drove to Castle Rock from San Jose. When we arrived, there were a few cars already parked there, and I was not sure whether or not the rock climbing instructor was there. Cell phones do not work there, so I could not call him (or anyone else).

Once I found the rock climbing instructor, we picked up all the climbing gear and walked 20 minutes to the first rock he planned to climb. The instructor set up the ropes, and Alex put on his climbing shoes and harness and started rock climbing.

The first climb was not challenging, but it took Alex some time to get used to climbing outdoors without preset handholds. After Alex reached the top, he lay down, and I went next. It was slow for me initially, but then I got the hang of it and reached the top.

The second climb was much more difficult, as the rocks had few natural holds, and it took Alex a few tries to get to the top. Eventually, Alex found a way to the top. Although it was a tiring climb, Alex succeeded in getting all the way to the top!

Alex got a bit hungry from all the rock climbing, so he ate a few Cliff energy bars.

We had a great time rock climbing at Castle Rock and hope to do so again when it warms up. It was a lot of fun!

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Relaxing at Wailea Marriott, Maui

We decided to relax on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We had stayed at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa many times and really liked the location.

After we landed at Kahului Airport on Wednesday, November 14, we stopped by Da Kitchen for lunch. Da Kitchen features interesting Hawaiian dishes like Loco Moco. I liked my Teriyaki Chicken, and Inna enjoyed her Loco Moco, but Alex did not like his hamburger.

On the way to our hotel, we stopped by the local Costco to pick up beach chairs, snacks, water, and food and then drove to Wailea Beach Marriott. At first, we checked in and relaxed in our room, and then we decided to try out the slides and the nearby beach.

For dinner, we dined at the Mala Restaurant in Marriott. The food there is average (not exceptional) and a bit expensive. Mala is conveniently located at Marriott, but better food can be found elsewhere.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

For breakfast, we decided to eat at Mala Restaurant in Marriott. Although it's overpriced and decidedly average, it's very convenient.

After breakfast, we spent most of the day on the beach, enjoying the ocean and the slides. 

Some of the other beachgoers built beautiful sandcastles for all to enjoy.

I spent the day enjoying the beautiful sandy beach and the ocean.

Alex enjoyed boogie-boarding and playing on Wailea Beach in front of the Grand Wailea Hotel. It's the best beach nearby.

We walked to the nearby Four Seasons Hotel and ate at Ferraro's Bar and Restaurant for lunch. Ferraro's has some of the best lunch entrees in Wailea. It's expensive but so delicious. Whenever we could afford it, we would always eat here for lunch.

Alex selected the kids' pizza and enjoyed it a lot.

We spent the rest of the day on the beautiful beach across from Grand Wailea Resort & Spa.

For dinner, we drove to Kihei and had dinner at the Cafe O'Lei. Cafe O'Lei serves a variety of dishes, including Sushi. We were not very hungry, so we ordered a few Sushi rolls.

The evening sunsets are so spectacular in Maui. There is no other place on earth!

Friday, November 16, 2012

On Friday, we ate our breakfast at the Mala Restaurant in Wailea. Alex selected his usual pancakes with syrup and a touch of blueberries.

After breakfast, we decided to try parasailing on Kaanapali Beach. We chose West Maui Parasailing as the company supplying the boats and parachutes.

After parasailing, we explored the grounds of the nearby Grand Hyatt Kaanapali. Grand Hyatt is located directly on Kaanapali Beach and has a beautiful swim-up bar, caves, and black swans.

There was a beautiful underground swim-up bar in a cave.

Inna and Alex enjoyed themselves, swinging in the hammock.

We looked at the restaurants at the Grand Hyatt but did not like any. Instead, we decided to go to Whaler's Village and eat lunch at the Hula Grill. At Hula Grill, one sits with feet directly on the sand, feeling like eating on the beach. The food and drinks at Hula Grill were also quite delicious.

After lunch, we spent the rest of our time enjoying the beach and the incredible sunset.

Alex boogie-boarded on Ka'anapali Beach.

We experienced another spectacular sunset.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

The next day,  I enrolled Alex in Surfing Lessons with the Royal Hawaiian Surf Academy in Lahaina, Maui. Alex's instructor, "tanned" Dan, would teach Alex to surf for two hours, from 10:00am to 12:00pm.

Alex had a wonderful time learning to surf. Dan was accommodating in teaching Alex how to pop up and stand on the surfboard. In addition, Dan helped push Alex onto a wave. Alex had a great time and thought that surfing was easy.

After surfing, Alex was rather hungry, and we decided to eat in downtown Lahaina at Kimo's Restaurant. The salads were fresh and yummy, and the dessert was incredibly wonderful.

After lunch, we strolled downtown Lahaina and returned to Kaanapali Beach for more water fun. Alex got to do more boogie-boarding on Kaanapali beach, and we got to relax in the sand, listen to the nearby band play, and enjoy the beautiful Maui sunset.

We made reservations at the Pacific'O Restaurant for dinner. The meals at Pacific'O were delicious, and we enjoyed the ocean view. Nearby, a Luau (the Feast at Lele) was going, and we could see the dancers gently swaying to Hawaiian music. We would have liked to see the Feast at Lele in person, but it seemed expensive.

We enjoyed the beautiful infinity pools of the Wailea Marriott and the magnificent sunset in the evening.

Monday, November 19, 2012

The next day, we spent all day on Grand Wailea Beach. Alex boogie-boarded on the beach and built some sandcastles.

After the beach, we enjoyed the beautiful pools of our Marriott hotel. Sunsets on Maui are fantastic!

We played some ping pong, and Inna beat everyone, including Alex and me!

We decided to go to the Ko Restaurant at the Fairmont Kea Lani for dinner. We had our honeymoon at Kea Lani (before Fairmont purchased and renovated the hotel) and wanted to recall our moments there.

Ko Restaurant is very expensive, but its food and presentation were outstanding.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

On  Tuesday, I checked the weather forecast and noted that 15-20 knots of wind were expected on Maui's North Shore. I drove to Hi-Tech Sports Surf Sports Maui and rented windsurfing gear, including a Quatro board and a 5'3" Ezzy Wave sail with a skinny Ezzy mast. I drove to Kanaha Beach, rigged the sail, and went windsurfing.

There were a few people out on windsurfing boards and kites. The wind was very up and down. When I got farther out offshore, the wind picked up a lot! The wind was extremely gusty - one minute, it blew 25 knots, and the other, 5 knots. Ocean swells were not very big; they felt like large bumps (aka bump's jump) rather than waves. Unfortunately, the wind died after an hour, but I had a few good runs and was happy.

Later, I returned to the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa and made reservations at the famous Mama's Fish House on the North Shore. This was definitely one of the highlights of our Maui vacation, as it was the best restaurant in Maui! All of the dishes were exquisitely prepared, and we enjoyed them immensely.

After ordering drinks, we were served a loaf of freshly baked bread with butter. It was fantastic.

Inna and I shared Ono Marinated in Lime and Coconut Milk for an appetizer. It was one of the most delicious appetizers ever!

The Ahi Sashimi Salad was also exquisite and magnificent.

Inna and I shared the Mahi-Mahi stuffed with Lobster and Crab for the main entree.

For dessert, we shared a fantastic slice of Kuau Chocolate Pie.

As our favorite restaurant in Maui and (perhaps in the entire world), we hope to return soon.

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