Hawaii FYI: November 2011

Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono is a 10-room bed and breakfast that is one of Maui's best kept secrets ... but it deserves to be in the limelight.

I spent a night (not nearly long enough) at the historic home recently. The inn has been beautifully restored, but with amenities and modern conveniences that many of today's travelers expect.

According to the website ... http://www.mauiinn.com/ ... the home was built by a wealthy island banker as a wedding gift for his daughter-in-law. The overall theme of the inn and its impeccably landscaped grounds pay tribute to Hawai'i's poet laureate of the 1920's and '30s, Don Blanding. Each of te ten distinctive guest rooms is dedicated to one of the flowers in his "Old Hawaiian Garden". Hawaiian quilts, in the design of each room's flower, set each room apart.

I got the nicely appointed Puakenikeni room, a ground-level unit that is handicap accessible - which meant that my shower was huge! All photos were taken by me except for the room shot below - which is from the website - since my photos don't do it justice.

Staying at Old Wailuku Inn is great. It's near the airport and in close proximity to the towns of Wailuku and Kahului. The Inn offers free Wi-Fi, free on-site parking and no resort fees. It comes with daily breakfast and, they serve a different hearty gourmet breakfast each day. The morning that I was there, we had the Frittata of Garden Vegetables with five cheeses, served with polenta and marinara sauce (see below) ... after the selection of island fruits), juice, coffee and tea.