Fantasy Tennis Camp in Wailea, Maui

Ed and I welcomed the trip to Maui after a stressful move and knowing the boys were in safe hands. We had 2.5 days of free time, one and a half on the front end and one on the back end, to enjoy the sights of Maui before and after the tennis camp. We arrived mid-day and starving, so grabbed shrimp at a trailer (wait, are we back in Austin?) overlooking the ocean (oh yeah, definitely not). Then it was off to the hotel, which was drop dead gorgeous -- thank you Didit! -- And yes, they do give you lays when you arrive : ) That night, we had reservations at a traditional luau which had a pig that had baked all day in an underground oven as well as a buffet and entertainment.

 

hotel: The Grand Wailea

 

Luau

dinner!

With the time change catching up to us, we were in bed by 9:00 and up by 3:30 to catch the sunrise at the top of Haleakala -- a 2 hour drive and at 10,000 ft elevation. We had known about how cold it would be prior and it had certainly felt strange packing a winter coat to go to Hawaii, but we needed it! I was even wishing I had brought gloves! I have to admit, the sunrise was breathtaking -- a blanket of clouds covering the Pacific and colors changing by the minute. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for a nap before exploring the grounds and then going to the cocktail reception for the camp. There, we met all the pros: Michael Chang, Taylor Dent, Tracy Austin, Edgar Gaffenig, Jamea Jackson and Tom Gullikson. Everyone was very down to earth and enthusiastic. As the week progressed, Ed got to know them a lot better and even got to play rounds with them. Ask him about his winner on Michael Chang : )

There it is!

Welcome Reception for Wailea Tennis Camp

For the next few days, I snorkled with turtles (1 beach away from last week's fatal shark attack, as it turned out, yikes!), went shopping, took walks, did yoga on the beach, read by the pool, took a tennis clinic and just relaxed. Ed would come back from his camp sore but glowing from the high of playing with the pros and learning new tips. They had the campers divided by level and despite having the same rating, Ed moved up twice because of his performance. The experience taught him that we have a good tennis center here in Austin and a lot of the pros even knew of our head pro here.

In the evenings, Ed and I had nice dinners, (one night with the pros), watched the sunset (and rise from our balcony in the mornings since we were getting up so early!), and took a scenic 3.5 mile bike ride to Maui's "Most Beautiful" Makena Beach (and peeked at the next door nudey beach : )

Ed playing with Michael Chang and Tom Gullikson

Jamea Jackson & Ed during a clinic

watching the pro exhibition: Taylor Dent & Tracy Austin vs. Michael Chang & Jamea Jackson

Taylor's 140 mph serve

At the Awards Luncheon

with Taylor Dent

with Michael Chang

with Tracy Austin

sunrise view from our balcony

Makena Beach

view of Makena Beach from the cliff

hidden nudey beach on the other side of the cliff : )

bike ride

sunset at the hotel

On our last free day, we checked out the artsy town of Pa'ia before having a waterfront dinner at Mama's Fish House, an island favorite. Then it was a red eye back to reality but we were ready to see the kids. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this trip possible -- we had a wonderful time and Ed especially had a really great experience. He has already seen a difference in his game in the matches he's played since!

Pa'ia