A Day in Napili

Looking for things to do in Napili? Gain inspiration by reading one of our guest’s itineraries!

I awoke at 4:30 AM hearing the murmur of the surf just beyond the oceanfront lawn of the Hale Napili Resort Condominiums. Dozed until 6ish, (Central Time Zone) got up, grabbed the camera, and went outside to the oceanfront lawn and was greeted by an amazing display of gold, oranges, and pinks in the clouds behind the condos, with the slightest hint of violet/pink (mauve?), just starting on the ever-present clouds across the bay above Molokai Island. As the soft light progressed, illuminating the whole area, the beach began showing some color as well.

Wow... this is the coolest place.

I made some real 100% (Lion brand) Kona Coffee. What a treat to sit on our own lanai, eating fresh banana nut bread made locally, while enjoying the smooth Kona brew. As I watched the color grow on the clouds across the ocean to Molokai Island, it occurred to me this must be why they call this place “paradise.” As the sun continued its slow ascent, my wife joined me, and we shared the soft morning light. A bird showed up and she tossed a nut bread crumb and within 10 minutes we were visited by cardinals, doves, sparrows, red tropical birds, and black birds.

My wife spotted our first Napili Bay rainbow! I quickly grabbed the camera and took a picture. Soon after, there was this gentle tropical shower with the sun full out, it lasted all 45 seconds just slightly more than a drizzle but not a downpour. You would never expect a tropical shower with the sun out, but it happened at Hale Napili.

A quick walk on the beach brought us to the gazebo restaurant where their reputation for macadamia nut pancakes was confirmed by many in attendance. As we ate fresh fruit, part of our enjoyable breakfast, we watched the early surfers and snorkelers. We also enjoyed the last of the morning colors over Lanai Island just across the way.

We walked further west from the restaurant along the beachfront enjoying the tide pools with many little fish, crabs, and some amazing aquatic life temporarily trapped as the tide ebbed. As we rounded the point, we came upon the next bay where a National Turtle Sanctuary has been established and saw our first turtle feeding.

Everywhere we walked around the Hale Napili, we were surrounded by amazing flower blossoms: gardenias, bougainvillea, plumeria, adenium, pink and red ginger, and many more... I just do not know their names.

As we returned to Hale Napili on our beach stroll, there were already sandcastles being built and folks enjoying the warm sun on this beautiful beach which seems groomed but is in fact just the nicest stretch of clean sand we have ever seen (seems smoother than the sand in San Diego or Baja, Mexico).

We grabbed beach chairs from the stack by the barbecues, (after slathering on copious amounts of sunscreen) and planting ourselves on the beach to absorb the glorious warmth and to yet be cooled by the beautiful breeze which seems ever present. Thus, we started our first day of people watching and tanning. We thought we would be the only ones with no tan, but we are the average folks on this beach. As we visited with others around us, we learned we were the lucky ones to stay at Hale Napili. The other condos did not offer the same views or proximity to the ocean and convenience of beach showers (there are three areas for the beach showers).

After some beach time, and now a bit hungry, we retired to our unit at Hale Napili and made a quick lunch. Then I decided to go into Lahaina (10 minutes away) and shop for some memorabilia for the grandkids. We found a nice shopping area. It was clean and all the vendors and shopkeepers were willing to haggle, which is my favorite sport. After picking up tee shirts and such, we investigated parasailing. Wow, you could go up as high as 1,200 feet; but we voted to do that another day, but a must do. We spent the afternoon leisurely checking out the Lahaina area and seeing the shops, we found Lahaina Farms to be the best food market in the area and it had the best prices; as well as a vast selection of natural foods and locally produced food. It is in the Lahaina Gateway Lifestyle Center across the highway from the Safeway.

We went back to the Hale Napili and stepped out of the car and again our noses were assailed by the sweet fragrance of various flowers which surround this area. I took a book and went out to the lawn area and fell asleep reading under an umbrella. Seemed like a short nap but the sun was getting low, and it was time to grab the camera and get some last shots. After capturing a remarkable sunset, with gold and red tones, it was time to test the great-looking barbecues.

Having stopped at Costco* on the way from the airport to Hale Napili, we had some great steaks to test the grill with. The grills were spotless, and we were soon sharing our picnic table dinner, under torchlight, with some other guests and enjoying conversation. After a great meal and a moonlit stroll on the beach, we retired and were soon lulled to sleep by the lovely murmur of the surf. (We had a TV but failed to watch it...go figure!).

That was our first full day at Hale Napili and it was repeated with many variations, including snorkeling, and checking out the rest of the island. Sunrise on top of the volcano should not be missed! The trip was in all ways enjoyable, and we continue to wait with anticipation for the next time we can pull ten days away from business and return to our newly found Hale Napili.