Kula Lodge, Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm, and a Completely Royal Surprise!
After witnessing the MOST stunning sunrise of our lives, on Mt. Haleakala, it was time to descend the mountain and find some breakfast! At 8:30am, we had already put in a seven-hour travel day. With the eventful sunrise experience completed, we decided to stay in the “upcountry” area and explore some of the lovely countryside. What we didn’t know is that we were in for a completely royal surprise!
But first, breakfast…
We were all very hungry and so we made our way to the Kula Lodge for breakfast. In addition to exceptional food – including a delicious local dish called Loco-Moco consisting of rice, ground beef, brown gravy and fried eggs – we were treated to a stunning rainbow that seemed to literally begin right outside the beautiful picture window that spanned the length of the restaurant.
“Honey, it’s a text from the hotel…”
Afterward, we walked down to the lodge’s lower floor and strolled through the Curtis Wilson Cost Art Gallery and adjacent gardens. All in all, the perfect complement to our morning. While at Kula Lodge, Daddy Starbucks received a text from our resort (the Hyatt Regency Maui) to let us know they had decided to upgrade our room for our last two nights in Hawaii.
An absolute blessing!
The resort staff wanted our family to stay together, rather than in two separate rooms as we had done throughout our trip. When we called, the front desk told us they were giving us the oceanfront Palace Suite at no additional cost. 😱 Our thought was simply, “Hey great, an oceanfront suite will be a nice end to our stay.” We did not know at that moment what a tremendous blessing the resort had offered to us. 🤯
The beautiful Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm
An absolutely beautiful stop along the way
So we set out for one last upcountry stop – the gorgeous Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. We toured for about 90-minutes before making our way back to the resort to browse the pool, shops and craft exhibitors (and to nap) while we waited for the Suite to be readied. When the call finally came for us to tour the Palace Suite, Daddy Starbucks and I took a key to a discreet beachside entrance to a door that had no number, name or designation of any kind. We opened the door and stepped inside, and found ourselves speechless. 🤐
Are you kidding me?
The Palace, the largest of three luxury suites at the resort, had been the private residence of the resort developer during its construction – with 2,500 square feet, three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library and office, four private outdoor seating areas, and a stone terrace complete with outdoor kitchen, gazing pond, private access to Ka’anapali Beach, and a live African Crowned Crane in residence.
“Kids, go see if our accommodations are ‘acceptable'”…
When we returned, we gave the kids the key and directions, and told them to check out our new “room” which we simply described as “acceptable”. 🤭 We told them they could make the decision if we wanted to stay or request a different room. The pictures below tell the rest of the story.
We were so completely overwhelmed by this gigantic blessing from God. All we could do was gather in a circle and thank Him for His Grace, His Mercy, and His Goodness. 🙏 Up to this point, every day that we spent in Hawaii seemed like a miracle and we were so grateful just to be there, together. This abundance was so far beyond anything we have ever experienced. We knew from Whom this blessing came, and we were so thankful. 🙌
How we actually got to Hawaii
We were able to spend two full weeks in Hawaii because of credit card points. You see, everything that we spend in our household gets charged on one of several credit cards. Then we immediately pay that credit card bill in full (sometimes several times per week). We NEVER carry a balance and we are very mindful to never charge more than we can pay off. If you are interested in our step-by-step plan for accumulating points, you can check that out HERE.
Let’s Get to the Point!
Again, if you would like to learn more about how we travel the world for little to no money by using points, feel free to reach out to me HERE, or sign up for my newsletter on the right side of my blog. As well, please follow along on my social media channels, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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What a wonderful way to end your time in Hawaii!
Sabrina, I couldn’t agree more. Every single day that we were there just seemed to get better and better. It was truly a trip of a lifetime!
It’ looks beautiful there! Can’t wait to travel again!
Lisa, me too!! We’re in the process of figuring out where that might be!! Hope for New Zealand! That would be epic!
This looks like an awesome day. That rainbow is gorgeous and I could spend all day at the lavender fields. And that upgrade is amazing!
Thank you Jordan! The lavender farm was a stop along the side of the road that ended up being one of our favorites. When I found a coupon in the travel booklet, and we were so close, we HAD to stop!
What a beautiful room!
Tiffany, it was such a fun adventure indeed. My kids will never be the same!
UHH-MAZING!! Gonna have to put this one on my list!
Emily, I agree. This last portion of our two week Hawaii adventure was indeed UHH-MAZING!!
OMG what an upgrade! WE love Hawaii and plan on returning with our kids once they are older. We are timeshare travelers and there are so many great timeshare resorts in Hawaii
Timeshare is fantastic! I’d be interested in hearing how you get the timeshares in Hawaii. They’re almost NEVER available for us, but we do have a family of six! Thank you, Monica, for your kind words!! Blessings!
I LOVE Hawaii! And what an amazing blessing that suite was. Goodness gracious!
Katherine, we thought the same thing! And we’ll definitely be going back (but have no expectations for such an upgrade!!)
Looks like a great trip. That is amazing how you were able to do it all with points.
Thank you Adrienne! And yes, points have totally changed EVERYTHING!!
What a blessing! Gorgeous island!
Couldn’t agree more Barbara!
What a great surprise! You certainly were blessed!
Charlene, we thought the very same thing! Thank you for your kinds words!
I have been wanting to go to a lavender farm! Now I know where I am going when we can travel again. Thanks for the tips on the hotel!
Myrka, we literally stumbled upon this place out of one of those travel booklets. So very grateful that we did!!
I miss Hawaii! Loco Moco is a definite must-try when you are in Hawaii – you have to get it from a local restaurant!
Carrie, I agree! We totally LOVED the Loco Moco and have figured out how to make it here at home! Somehow it’s just better in Hawaii, when you’re looking out at a beautiful rainbow and stunning scenery!! HA!
Oh my goodness – what a beautiful room. And a rainbow with the sunrise? Amazing.
Pam….amazing, right? We were grateful to see that spectacular sunrise, but that rainbow was just an added blessings!!
This looks like a dream trip! I can’t wait to go to Hawaii when everything re-opens there.
Me too Eva! We’re planning our return trip now. We haven’t been to the Big Island yet, so that’s at the top of our list!
What a great trip. The sunrise on the mountain sounds wonderful and the rainbow is certainly a wonderful addition to your early morning. I would love to go to this lavender farm. I’ve seen the lavender fields in France and they are wonderful.
Leeanne, it was so nice to come upon that lavender farm in the travel booklet. And with a coupon in that book, they let us in at no charge!!
Thats an amazing surprise! I love the face of shock when looking at the room.
Stacy, those are some of my favorite pictures. The Hyatt management asked my husband and I to preview the room, so we really downplayed what the room was going to look like to our children. They’re spoiled for life now!! How can we ever live up to that?
What a cool upgrade you had! So wonderful! I’d love to go to Hawaii one day. It’s on my list!
Stacey, you will definitely LOVE it!!
Oh wow! What an amazing upgrade. That was a nice surprise.
It sure was Sara. Thank you for your kind words!
That would be such a huge blessing! I love when places upgrade!
Lisa, this was the first time that we were upgraded – we were truly grateful and overwhelmed!!
Looks like you had a great time. And that was a lovely surprise!
Thank you Jennifer – we were very thankful!
What a perfect end to a great visit to Hawaii!
Agreed Shirley! It was an amazing trip all the way around!
Wow what an amazing blessing indeed! I’ll bet you enjoyed those last couple of days in that suite. It’s evident, though, that you enjoyed your whole trip regardless of separate rooms. This suite was the icing on the cake.
Cindy, you are exactly right. The entire trip was amazing. The suite was a blessing, but like you said, it was just icing on the cake!
Wow…what a blessing indeed! Beautiful! As is that lavender farm!
We were so happy to come upon that beautiful lavender farm!
Wow, this all looks amazing! My kids would never want to stay anywhere again.
SAME Heather! That’s pretty much the standard now!!
I am truly pleased to read this post. It contains plenty of valuable facts – thanks for providing these beautiful pictures too.