I remembered Lahaina fondly from years ago when Dean and I rented a condo on the beach in Maui for a week or so, and Lahaina then was a loose, carefree, hippie town with beer and seafood restaurants, galleries with local art, a quaint main street, and lots of t-shirt shops. It hasn’t changed too much.
It still has its charm, but we wanted to recapture those old memories during our visit and headed out to Mama’s Fish House, established in 1973, for lunch on the other side of the island. Our friends, John and David, and I had all remembered the place from years ago as a rustic bench-seat fish shack on the beach that featured a casual ambiance and fresh, just-caught fare from the local fishermen. So, with limited time to spare, we took off in a rented car for the 45-minute drive to Maui’s North Shore.
When we arrived, we discovered nothing like we had remembered. Mama’s was all grown up. The place had a large parking lot with valet service, an adjoining inn, fancy exterior and meticulously manicured beachfront entrance. It was packed with diners and filled with fabulous tropical floral arrangements with a portrait of Mama, smiling broadly, at the front desk. I guess so. We perused the menu and wine list and caught our breath. Lunch was delicious, but not noteworthy enough to warrant the $400 tab it cost for four!
We drove back to Lahaina in stunned silence, remembering that memories tend to grow fonder with time. Mama’s had changed, and I only hoped I would someday reminisce about my startling lunch with the softness of years…and remember that sometimes, you just can’t go back.
Your old memories of Lahaina is how I remember it from the mid-late 1980’s – an old hippy town with wonderful seafood restaurants and great scuba diving.
Well written, Kristy! I love the pictures…….
It looks and sounds like you had a fruitful week in Hawaii! NIce pictures and story.
Well those flower arrangements were certainly beautiful !