Ask any Seattleite, there is absolutely nothing sexy about winter’s 50 shades of grey. It is straight up depressing. Say hello to darkness at 4:00pm everyone.

The most common remedy for the winter blues is drinking or flying somewhere sunny (or both). This year for Christmas, I choose sunshine.

A 5-hour direct flight unloads a pale version of myself and my extended family on the shores of Maui. We are not alone. Snowbirds from all around the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Western Canada scramble through the airport, all begging to be warm and see the sunshine again…. pleaseeeeee!

Maui does not disappoint. It is warm, sunny and has a laid back I-don’t-need-to-wear-shoes-vibe. It’s no coincidence that the only radio station in the US that plays reggae 24 hours a day is based here. Yeah man.

Still Maui resorts can seem like a lame Club Med for families with $15 lava flows and kitschy Hawaiian shirts. However the island is geographically beautiful with plenty of stuff to do for active travelers like:

Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)

Turns out there is a reason everyone is into stand up paddle boarding these days. It’s freakin’ fun. And perfect for spotting mossy sea turtles and lemon yellow fish in clear, warm tropical water. Fish just hang out and turtles move very, very slowly while sunshine ripples off their backs.

Maui Hikes

There are tons of badass hikes in Maui, two easy ones:

King’s Highway, Hoapili Trail

Over the lava flows and through the deserted beaches you go! Very easy and pleasant hike. More details here.

Ohai Trail

Off the narrow and curvy highway 30 on the north side of the island is an easy peasy 1.2 mile loop trail with amazing views of verdant hills, black rock coasts and rainbows.

But one of favorite things about Maui are the Pacific Ocean sunsets.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Traveling Meg