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Café Mambo and Picnics – Paia, Maui

Café Mambo, once known exclusively as Picnics, located in Paia, Maui, Hawaii, has the best Maui food. We first discovered Picnics 20 years ago when their incredible Paradise Ice Tea grabbed our attention with its mild, incredible fruity taste. Every time we have since returned to the café, we sought it out for the iced tea and its incredible organic chicken sandwich on a ciabatta roll with a mild curry marinade. The tea and the chicken were Picnic staples worth the drive from any point on the island. Years later, our beloved Picnics “seemed” to disappear until we realized they had renamed and remodeled it to Café Mambo and Picnics. Saved from bitter disappointment, we soon discovered that our eatery was merely updated and given a fresh moniker – OK, that wasn’t a problem. They started serving coffee and teas and added breakfast to the menu – even better. After feeding on filling pancakes with powdered sugar and a robust cup of Kona blend, we were ready to take on the Road to Hana, which incidentally Piaia is the gateway to. We recommend you grab a boxed launch offered by Café Mambo and let your feast continue on the black sand beach located near Hana – we promise a satisfying and scenic afternoon.

 

Somewhere Over the Hawaiian Rainbow

 

Maui and Hawaii in general is known as the rainbow state -- and you can see rainbows on its license plates and emblems. While on a recent trip to Maui at just the perfect time of day, not one, not two but five rainbows could be seen. As we literally drove from Paia to Lahaina, our camera captured the numerous colorful displays of light refracting through the water. As you can clearly see, the rainbows were vibrant and stunning. A trip to Maui to see the rainbows is just a precious experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons in Sunscreen

When you have babies or your skin is fair, sunscreen is the magic elixir of summer or beach vacations. With spring break upon us, and the sun sure to creep out for a visit – and wreak red, blistery havoc on your skin – it’s time to remember the sunscreen. Here are some important tips for family vacations and skin protection.

Don’t shy away from the new 100-120 proof sunscreens because you want a tan more than protection. The new sunscreens go all the way up to 120 proof protection. You might have to shop to find these higher numbers, but if you have fair skin, you can’t shop enough. Nothing turns a sunny vacation into a misery faster than either children or parents beet red, in pain and uncomfortable. What 100-proof sunscreen does is allow you to casually spend the entire day in the sun without worry of burn. Lower proofs such as 50 will give you a generous three to four hours of protection but not keep you covered for the entire day. The upper mid range 70-proof works well for a slow, gradual tan without a burn – and it allows up to five solid hours in the sun without little fear of burning.

If in tropical locations, apply sunscreen on your entire body. Families that may not have visited places like Mexico, the Caribbean or Hawaii may not be aware of the intensity of the sun and its sneaking ability to scorch any exposed area in its path. Make sure you liberally apply your sunscreen on every inch of your exposed skin, and do not miss a single patch – especially if you have fair skin. If you scalp could be exposed (wear a hat) then you can purchase the spray sunscreen and spray that area. Your hair might be slightly greasy, but it’s better than it burning and peeling later to look like a bad case of dandruff.

Feet and ears – these two spots often get missed. Don’t forget the tops and bottoms of your feet. Sounds crazy to consider the bottom, but not if you’re laying with your feet up exposed to the sun, the skin is exposed to those harmful rays of the sun. And many people just simply forget to apply it to their ears or even the backs of their necks. So, don’t forget those obscure places where you can still easily burn.

Parents with infants, shop for the sunscreen that will not be toxic to baby. Most sunscreens for babies should be carefully reviewed to see the age allowed to apply it. Most babies under three months of age, can only use a limited (if any) range of products. Parents should consider keeping babies inside or covered and out of the sun when they are under three-months old or younger. 

Favorite Central Coast Beach – Stinson

Have you ever driven to Stinson Beach located roughly 15 miles to the North of San Francisco Bay? Stinson Beach is a small, blink-and-you-missed it coastal village located on Highway 1 and offers a fantastic regional beach for quick visit or a weekend escape. With the weather warming up, you can plan a summer retreat to Stinson, rent a home in the surrounding area, or stay at one of the local inns or bed and breakfasts. The town offers a handful of small cafes so you can go for breakfast or lunch or pack a picnic. Before you walk onto the beach, a grassy park area provides the gateway into the beach. In this grassy area, the village has set up picnic tables for you to eat or even just sit and read. They have volleyball areas as well for a little fun on the court. In spring, kit flying becomes a popular activity as beach breezes give that perfect lift for your colorful kite. It can often get foggy in the mornings with the foggy burning off by early afternoon, but do watch weather reports if you hope to catch some sun on the beach. The beach itself doesn’t offer high waves for surfing, but the waves are good enough for body surfing and swimming. Just remember, the Pacific Ocean isn’t warm in this region, so do expect to completely cool off when you go in.

Commemorate Your Vacation

Souvenir shopping is one of the most delightful diversions you can enjoy on almost any trip. If you really want to make it a game where you commemorate your trip, don’t just purchase inexpensive trinkets that will eventually break or find their way into a yard sale. Really find out what the area your traveling to is famous for. Is it art? Is it a certain kind of jewelry? Is it food? (Although food doesn’t last long.)  Take a little bit of your family money and invest it in that certain something that will last decades and evoke pleasant memories. One thing you can do is invest a little extra in a piece of region-specific art. Areas of the country like Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska are famous for different kinds of art. You can invest in a real painting or sculpture and hang on your wall or set out on display. Whenever you see your beautiful piece of art, it will evoke pleasant memories of relaxed family moments. The same goes for jewelry – or anything else that is lasting.

Never Lost Again – Why GPS is a Traveler’s Best Friend

Do you have a GPS? Do you eschew the investment because you feel Mapquest or a standard map work just fine? Do you find yourself lost while all of your GPS-owning friends arrive smoothly to every destination on time? Nothing ensures your “safe” arrival at the right destination than a GPS. We recommend a portable unit so that when you travel, you can take it with you and put it in a rental car. The wonderful reality of a GPS with you at all times is that you are essentially never lost. The GPS “recalculates” and puts you back on track within seconds. If you are a woman, traveling alone or traveling to meet your family in some unknown location late at night, your GPS should be put in your “survival kit.” Getting lost somewhere strange at midnight is scary, uncomfortable, and most importantly, unnecessary when you own a GPS.  The really good ones by manufacturers like Magellan and Garmond even put traffic alerts on their units, speed limits and warn you when you need to change routes.

Tips for Travel-Size Products

Sometimes hotels cannot be counted on to either supply shampoo AND conditioner and lotion. And if they do, it’s often not high quality and leaves your hair dry and brittle, and your skin less than moisturized. Since you cannot count on your destination to supply acceptable personal products, you have to be creative and plan for it. Also, you have to remember not to bring more than 8 ounces of liquids on the airplane, and if you purchase expensive lotions or makeup that is more than 8 ounces, prepare to have your investment thrown away. So, here are some useful tips to help you pack your cosmetic bag appropriately and avoid problems.

Shampoo and conditioner – some of us cannot go without conditioner no matter what we do. Our hair becomes matted and tangled without it. Low-quality conditioners can dry your hair out, as does low-quality shampoo. You cannot count on a hotel to supply quality hair-care products. So, go to a local salon and ask them if they sell travel-sized shampoo products. If so, invest in it to save your hair. If not, purchase a bigger bottle and head over to Target or Wal-Mart to buy travel-sized bottles to take with you.

Deodorant – while it’s very American to wear deodorant and not go natural, it’s also very American to want to avoid having your deodorant taken from you so you feel uncomfortable with your earthy smell the entire trip. It’s not easy to find a travel-sized deodorant, but they do sell them at Target. They just don’t offer a lot of brand name choices. You cannot bring a full-size deodorant bottle, so do invest if you want to smell “impossibly fresh” the whole trip.

Soaps – if you don’t like hotel soaps, you can go to places like Bath and Body to purchase a travel-sized soap. While you’re there also pick up some lotion and/or body bath. They sell all kinds of assorted travel-goodies for personal hygiene, so shop around and see what you can find.

The Tsunami and Travel

With the recent tsunami passing around the Hawaiian islands and destroying parts of Japan, travelers are wondering if their trips will be canceled. Reports so far suggest air travel to Hawaii wasn’t impacted. Early reports indicated flights were leaving on time. Japan is another story. Travelers can anticipate parts of Japan being inaccessible for now and months to come. When a natural disaster strikes, the best advice is to check with your travel agent, or call your air carrier. Don’t assume your destination is affected unless it is literally in the epicenter of a major earthquake. Check in with your designated contacts before you start unpacking your bags.

 

How to Save for Vacation

With the economy trimming down many people's fun money, it is harder to take a nice vacation. If you're a travel enthusiast whose personal budget has been cut, here are some ways to save for a great summer vacation without going into debt.

Give up the "Bucks" to save real bucks. Cut back on your daily mocha consumption and take that $3 Starbuck's coffee bill and reapply the money toward your vacation. If you add up what that costs per day that is at least $15 a week, which adds up to $780 a year. You could take that $780 and take a nice family vacation camping and stay at some nice camp sites and pay for your gas consumption. Just drink your coffee at home. 

More than a bonus! If you have a bonus coming or a special project that is going to pay a lump sum, use it for your vacation. This trick works well for contractors and entrepreneurs where their income is sometimes uneven. It also works great if your company gives out bonuses. Money not regularly expected and applied to your family's budget can be earmarked for your next vacation. You can go somewhere special depending on the amount. It's really a great technique to avoid dipping into the your family's bill fund. 

Save the environment and get a great vacation. Ride your bike to work or ride the bus and use that gas money to toward a vacation. It takes often up to $50 to $75 to fill one's tank these days. Rather than spend that much money on gas, save the environment, and take alternative transportation to work. Be conscious of how much money it saved, and earmark that savings to toward a really nice vacation. You would be surprised how much you will save and where you can take your family on that trip.

Sonoma Coast State Beach

If you’re a fan of the true “rugged” coast then a favorite spot can be found at Sonoma Coast State Beach. As you can see from the picture, this coastal area is very rugged with many rock formations jutting out of the sea. It makes a very scenic photo opportunity along with a beautiful place to stop and beach comb or stroll the beach. Whale watchers can also find an ideal spot to watch the whales migrate north from March until early May. You can make a picnic lunch and sit on top of the bluff overlooking the beach and sea, take your binoculars, and keep a careful watch for the mammals as they move along. A little further up the road, many rental homes with spectacular views can be procured for the weekend, and you can go no further than the home’s living room or deck to watch the whales pass. Surfers and swimmers are cautioned to enter the water, because of riptides. So, it’s not the ideal swimming hole if that’s your intention, but you can always wade in a little bit and enjoy the beach. Check out some of the tide pools as well.