Heavenly Treehouse Bliss

A weekend getaway to the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas last month was just divine. We opened the door to our one-bedroom villa and looked out to miles of ocean. Loved the jacuzzi bathtub in our room with shutters that opened up to the bedroom. Wish we had a couple of more nights to really feel at home (the hotel room was bigger than our Honolulu apartment) and start cooking in the full kitchen. My hubby got excited seeing the dishwasher, "Haven't seen one of those in a long time!" But forget cooking on holiday - the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas has a fabulous Nanea restaurant that overlooks a koi pond. I still dream of the asparagus Oscar - grilled asparagus topped with crabmeat, sweet Maui onions and bearnaise sauce. Chef Eddington's Maui Onion soup is also famous in local circles. After sharing the cheesy goodness on the top of the soup, my hubby and I agreed that the underlying broth was flavorful and rich. Other onion soups go unfinished after digging into the cheese, but my hubby and I lapped up the broth and licked the bowl clean.

This was our first time staying at the resort, but our second visit to the new Heavenly Spa by Westin located in the North side of the property. Our stay here was deliberate. We just had to return to the resort to readjust our mind, body and spirit with a little spa therapy. My husband and I had to get another look at the beautiful bamboo floors in the spa (planning to re-do our apartment with the same flooring). We requested the couples "treehouse" treatment suite again...an airy, private oasis to enjoy a couples lomilomi treatment. Our massage therapists were so serene and quiet - I basked in the silence. Their only communication were gentle clicking of tongues at certain points in the massage session. This was my first lomilomi massage - often described as long, rhythmic strokes. I wasn't expecting much - it sounded almost X-rated, but my therapist's forearm rolling down the long side of my neck to my shoulder felt just like heaven.