April 09, 2003

Hi Karin and Lee,

It's been a while since we left Hana Aloha Hale. But we always go back in memories and have looked at our pictures time and again. We had such a wonderful time in Hana! We do hope very strongly that we will come back.

I would like to ask you to read through the lines below and let me know if you think you could use them. Please also let me know if anything both in language or style does not really come across. Since it's not my mother tongue it's sometimes hard to hit the right tune. Please do not hesitate if I could brush things up here and there!

True memories come when you are in harmonic unity with yourself and the world around you. We found that at Hana Aloha Hale and gathered unforgettable moments from a unique harmony of time and nature.

The Hawaiian Islands are doubtless a renowned place of exotic landscape, Maui one of the most attractive amongst those islands - and Heavenly Hana truly deserves its given name. Before we came to Maui we just looked for a nice cabin to stay in a more private atmosphere and to hopefully enjoy the island a bit away from the masses. After having been to Hana there is no other place on Maui to go! That is what we have told a lot of our friends. And in Hana, Hana Aloha Hale was the perfect place for us to stay. Our warm thanks go to Karin and Lee as very sensitive hosts giving you a personal feeling of being welcomed to Maui, providing help when in need (our son lost his glasses to the sea of Maui on the second day and we needed to find an optician ...) and not least having realized that wonderful place.

Hana Aloha Hale is one of the most tasteful houses we have ever seen. Set in the middle of a wide and open tropical garden it offers a magnificent view at the sunrise over the sea in the morning, at the sparkling waves during the day and at the darkening blue of the water in the fading light of the evening. You must have sat at the open windows, having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, reading and feeling the breeze floating through the house to know that there's probably no other place on Maui giving you that deep impression of Hawaii. You feel at home whenever you enter the spacious house, enjoying all the little details the house is decorated with, the wide open living room, the screened lanai, the comfortable bed rooms and the exclusive bath rooms. Where else can you stay with all windows open, listening to the sounds of the sea, waking up with the chirping of the awakening tropical birds in the morning, playing with your kids outside in the house's garden and while walking through the garden's lush vegetation picking up mangos, papayas and coconuts at your leisure and as your treat by nature.

Though tourist books about Maui are thick and provide you with a lot of recommendations about where to go and where to book, we left the Hana area just three times in two weeks. And that in complete unanimity with our two boys! After the time we spent at Hana Aloha Hale we are convinced that the Hana area is Maui at its best. When you want to enjoy the Hawaiian sea - go to Hamoa beach, one of the most esteemed beaches on Maui and the best surf for both kids and grown-ups. When you want to dive - go to the red sand beach, just around the hill behind Hana, share this secluded cove with a handful of people, go snorkeling inside or outside of this old cinder cone and enjoy the colorful submarine water world of Maui without dodging the flippers of a boatload of other people. When you want to hike - go to the Kipahulu valley, hike up along Pipiwai creek, pass through bamboo forests, and rest at the top at the magnificent Waimoku fall. When you want to plunge into freshwater - go and enjoy the pools at Ohe'o gulch, the Venus Pool in walking distance from Hana Aloha Hale or the Blue Pool right at the sea side. When you want to see ... well, we could go on with Piilanu Heiau, Kahanu Gardens, Wai'anapanapa Park, Lindbergh's grave - but better you skim quickly through t