KIPTYN GOES TO HAWAII

Storm clouds don't deter these guests from swimming at the Hotel Hana-Maui. Photo by Sue Frause.

THE BACHELORETTE GOES TO HAWAII

by Sue Frause, http://www.examiner.com/x-537-Seattle-Travel-Examiner~y2009m7d8-The-Bachelorettes-Jillian-Harris-and-three-bachelors-fly-off-to-the-Hawaaian-island-of-Maui

Having been to all Hawaiian Islands except for the Big Island of Hawaii, I'll be watching with interest when ABC's The Bachelorette journeys to Maui for a two-hour episode on July 13, 2009. Canadian Jillian Harris, who has narrowed her suitors down to three (Ed, Kiptyn and Reid), will explore the Magic Isle on her heart-wrenching dates, all leading up to the Rose Ceremony at Maui's Olowalu Plantation House.

Bachelorette Harris and her three bachelors begin their Hawaiian escape on the west side of Maui in Kaanapali, where they will stay in lavish oceanfront suites and enjoy fine dining at the Westin Maui Resort and Spa and the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa. Each of the couples will go on individual dates that include a traditional beach luau, outdoor activities at Kapalua Resort, flying high with Sunshine Helicopters, a snorkel cruise with Trilogy Excursions and a cliff-side picnic at the Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa. It's a lovely hotel, and my husband and I drove the Road to Hana (officially the Hana Highway) to get there several winters ago. The endless trip was a white knuckle drive for me in our rented Mustang convertible and I was the passenger! It's by far the windiest road I've ever been on, and the rain was coming down in sheets. For three days it poured, but the Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa were so wonderful, we really didn't mind. So what if we came home without a tan? It was one of the most relaxing vacatons I've ever had.

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