Ptown Out Of Town | Maui

By Vanshaj Singhania

Hope everyone had a relaxing winter break! This year, after three and a half years of high-school-induced stress, I decided to take a trip to Maui to kick back and enjoy some heat in December. For anyone looking to visit, the top recommendations would include the Road to Hana — a full-day tour through a beautiful, nature-filled part of the island, with various vegetation, fresh fruit stands, waterfalls, and the famous Black Sand Beach.

Yes, that’s real sand. 
I would also strongly recommend staying somewhere near Ka’anapali Beach, which is easily the best beach not only for its available activities but also because you only need to swim a few feet off the shore to put your head underwater and snorkel with schools and schools of fishes. If you’re lucky, you’ll even spot a few turtles — I did, and it was definitely better than looking through an aquarium glass 🙂

Little hard to capture quality photos underwater without a GoPro 
If you’re looking for something to do closer to your hotel, look for a Luau nearby. The traditional feast features a variety of native dance forms and is a pretty nice way to enjoy the evening. Unfortunately, our Luau event got rained out, but that was the only day in our week-long vacation that it rained so you might have better chances! We also went to Lahaina a couple of times to shop, watch the sunset, check out the 200-year-old banyan tree, and eat Hawaii’s famous shave ice. You can’t forget shaved ice and fresh fruits when you’re in Hawaii.

Watermelon, Blue Hawaiian (tasted like cotton candy to me), and Mango 
Lastly, we drove up to the summit of Haleakalā, the only cold place on the entire island (trust me, it’s really cold). The view from up there (on a clear day) is gorgeous, especially if you get there in time for the sunrise or sunset. We didn’t go through a stargazing tour, but I imagine that those would be fun from 10,000 feet!

Spot the Crater! 
And that was my P-Town Out of Town! If you’re looking for a winter vacation destination, I absolutely recommend going to Hawaii. It’s a very nice feeling to be able to enjoy a beach in late December, especially compared to our cold winters 🙂