My Heaven Scented Getaway: Lavender, Chocolate and Maui, Oh My! By CeliaSue Hecht

Remember Oprah and Gayle’s cross-country vacation? Gayle was singing and Oprah was getting cranky. That was one girlfriend’s getaway that went bust. Moral is don’t drive and make time for pampering. Get on an airplane and leave the driving to someone else when you get to your destination.

Last week, I received an unexpected phone call with an invitation to go to Hawaii. Of course, I said yes, especially when I found out that we’d be staying in a multi-million dollar beachfront home, do yoga on the beach, as well as hike to a waterfall. Sun, sand, surf, who could ask for anything more?

The trip consisted of four women writers from various parts of the country. One from Las Vegas, moi, one from Minnesota, another from San Francisco, and the other from New York.

Our hostess, Anne Pawsat Dressler, president of Hawaii Hideaways, Inc. and Conde Nast Villa Rental Specialist founded Hawaii Hideaways in 2004 and offers a portfolio of 115 $2 to 34 million dollar homes. The diversity of the rental homes is amazing. One more beautiful than the next.

In contrast to the level of service provided in hotel chains, Anne’s "spirit of aloha," combined with her Yale education and attention to detail, make her unique in Hawaii. She oversees and customizes each guest’s preferences with the home that will best fit their needs.

For instance, a typical girlfriends getaway on Maui can include private dinners with the Island’s top chefs, surfing and hula lessons, outdoor spa treatments, girls night in massage, private yoga instruction, coastal drives throughout the Island, sunset dinners and evening cocktails at top restaurants and nightspots, shopping at the historical town of Lahaina. Even a pedicurist who makes house calls.

Other fun excursions may include chauffeur-driven limousine tours, private jet charters, private yacht charters, inter-island travel and many other desired excursions such as helicopter tours, snorkeling trips, whale watching, horseback riding, lavender and farm tours and luau performances are easily arranged.

Anne’s business philosophy is anything is possible.

Homeowners next door to the mansion where we stayed told me, “We chose Anne to represent our home because she was the only concierge who knew and understood our home. She’s a real people person. We love our home and built it for our retirement. We
want to share it with other people who can have fun and who will also take care of our property.”

The last evening, driving us to the airport herself, I remarked that I loved the CD music she was playing. She gave it to me, ok. She also gave each of us a goodie basket made up of Lavender spritzers, macadamia nuts, cookies, and yummy soap. That's how she is.

The home where we stayed is called Infinity Bay. It is located on pristine Oneloa Beach in Kapalua, a haven for some of the area’s most exclusive visitors. This beachfront property offers Asian silks, Moroccan fixtures; fine carved woods, velvet, and luxurious stones with the inspired paintings and sculptures of Christian Riese Lassen.

I slept on a bed with a frame that only one other person in the world owns and that person is the pop singer Madonna. The room was comfy with maroon velvet drapes and a silk comforter. I slept soundly to the sound of the ocean and both windows overlooked the garden. My bedroom suite was furnished with paintings of dolphins and my bathroom was all glass and gold. The toilet seat even warmed my derriere.

We had cocktails and dinner with Chef Jana McMahon and brunch with her blonde cutie surfer dude associate, Dan the next day. She cracked us up with many hilarious anecdotes and fed us delicious yet healthy food.

Brunch consisted of local fresh organic strawberry papaya with goat milk yogurt and homemade granola; kaffir lime shrimp cakes (yum-o as Rachael Ray would say) with chili lime green sauce; sushi rice salad with organic island picked avocado, carrots, scallion, pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds and nori; scrambled eggs with Maui onions, organic cilantro and black Molokai sea salt, and last but definitely not least, toasted French bread served with lime ginger marmalade.

At our last supper, in honor of my addiction to chocolate, Chef Jana served us lime basil leaves dipped in chocolate with fresh loquats (a local fruit). Sounds weird but my mouth waters in remembrance of this amazing dessert.

We were drinking red wine from Constant Diamond Mountain vineyards. We went around the table asking each the name of their first pet and first street address. Much laughter ensued when we found out why we were asked. I'll never tell.

We also ate dinner at Chef Beverly Gannon’s Haile Maille General Store. Beverly is one of the 12 original founders of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement. In honor of my chocolate fixation, she had her staff bring me her daughter, Cheech Gannon-Shurilla’s creamy, velvety Chocolate Bread Pudding made with fresh brioche. Another 10 on the chocolate meter. Anne personally thanked me for this luscious delight.

One of my favorite activities, besides eating chocolate and soaking up the sun, was private yoga instruction on the terrace overlooking the ocean, with Alison Miller. She led us through easy stretches and took time outs for watching the whales.

Visiting the Alii Kula Lavender farm, where over 25,000 on lavender plants bloom on 10 acres, was another fun activity. Walking into the gift shop, I spotted some Love Potion and proceeded to put the wonderful smelling lotion on my hands. Later, I found out that this was a type of KY jelly. No wonder my hands were warm and tingly. The gift shop offers many lavender goodies such as lavender brownies, lavender hot fudge sauce, and lavender truffles. Yes, there is a theme here.

Our visit would not have been complete without an eco tour to the West Maui Mountains, breathtaking scenery and a short hike through a tropical forest and past several beautiful waterfalls. A must stop was at Aunt Julie’s Banana Bread Shack, which not only sells the best banana bread in the world but the most delicious dried mango and taro chips I have ever eaten. Free samples. No chocolate goodies but I did survive.

The only regret I have is not having spent time in the Jacuzzi, no massage or spa treatment, and not meeting the wild dolphins with the Pacific Whale Foundation. To do everything on my list, I just may have to move to Maui. Living in paradise will be an adjustment but I’m up to the task.

For more information on planning your own girlfriend getaway, please visit the websites below. Contact Anne at 808-878-8559 and via email at anne@hawaiihideaways.com.

Resources:

http://www.hawaiihideaways.com