Wendy Hartley Digital

Life gone digital: my boys, my work, my world.

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Family travel at the Fairmont Kea Lani


I would call this a Maui blog post except for the fact that like the two previous times we visited Maui, we have barely left the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort. And it’s because of Kea Lani’s fantastic family-oriented amenities that we’ve visited three times in the past five years.

We first travelled here when my children were six and three. Ever since - although my boys have experienced great travels to other parts of North America on vacation- it is Maui they talk about and remember most. And because of this, we save up all of our pennies, for this dream family vacation.


For parents, Kea Lani is one of the easiest and most enjoyable escapes from busy home life. For starters, there are a variety of fun activities within a short walk to your hotel suite: great pools, waterslide, swim up smoothie bar and the beautiful Polo beach where first-time boogie boarders can hit the waves with confidence.


On this particular trip, my mother and grandmother accompanied us as we celebrated a milestone birthday. My 83-year-old grandmother hit the waves and boarded with my boys, not to mention threw the football on the beach and played monkey-in-the-middle in the pool. This resort is an all-ages enjoyable destination.


Like previous visits, we did take one excursion out of the resort -the 45-minute car ride from Wailea to Lahaina for a walk on the boardwalk and lunch at the famous Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Whenever my parents suggest we visit Bubba Gumps I grown but I was pleasantly surprised this visit. The people are genuinely friendly, the food was good (I had the spinach berry salad and coconut shrimp) and my kids loved it even though they have never seen Forrest Gump!


The highlight of the drive though had to be the humpback whale sightings. At this time of year, it is difficult not to spot the spouts of the mighty humpbacks in the area. A whale watching guide told us there are approx. 10,000 whales here at this time of year. Each vehicular scenic point is busy with onlookers oohing and awwwing over the sights of the spouts and the many breach and whale tail sightings. Pretty awesome.


As a Vancouverite and (most appreciative) regular visitor to Sonora Resort in British Columbia, I have come to really appreciate wildlife (particularly sea life as pal Alexandra Gill would agree) and so it was interesting to hear about the humpbacks here in Maui (different from how we view them in BC) from this local Maui guide’s point of view. For more reference on the abundance of humpback whales in Maui at this time of year, please see travel writer and friend Matt Villano’s recent story in Fodor’s here: http://www.fodors.com/news/story_5102.html




Further thoughts on the Fairmont Kea Lani:


#1 for me is the amenities: fantastic pools, private beautiful beach, gorgeous layout and landscaping, waterfall, coy pond. Just Gorgeous.


#2 Super family friendly. There is a kids club but we’ve never used it, never needed to. There is fun for everyone here and there is also an adult pool for those who don’t want to hang with kidlets. Also, and extremely important to note: One of the things my boys remember most about this resort from a very young age is the smoothies kids can order for themselves at the swim up bar. When I told Marty (the 20-year bartender) this, he smiled and told me he has adults who still come and tell him about the smoothies being one of their fondest memories at Kea Lani.


#3 The rooms and food. The rooms are super cozy yet hardy and spacious with a large bathroom with two basins, large tub and shower area. This time we had a room with partial view of the ocean but like we did on a previous visit, I would splurge more next time for a poolside suite or a suite with a full ocean view. If you are coming all this way and already spending money on this dream vacation, might as well spend the extra $200+ a night for the perfect room in this perfect paradise.

The food is good with a few different dining options. One of our faves with good food and to save money from eating in the restaurants or room service is to shop at Café Ciao. Great fresh food and you can take it anywhere – especially Polo Beach for a beautiful sunset dinner.


#4 The service and extra perks. It’s hard for staff to keep up high spirits with having to charm children and adults at the same time but the staff here does it in spades: Leis for parents and turtle necklaces, pails and shovels for kids on arrival; mixing perfect cocktails and turning around making smoothies for high-energy kids at the same time - the staff at Kea Lani make everyone feel welcome and on a dream vacation. Towel service and fresh Hawaiian pineapple regularly make the rounds at the pools and while back on the topic of the pools - $75 gets you a cabana with water and beverage service, and a fruit plate. Well worth it!

Miscellaneous

We brought our snorkel gear but there was high surf for a few days and we didn’t make the trek to Kihei for calmer waters but I hope to next time. As I say, it is really difficult to leave the paradise of Kea Lani, very little reason to leave – with young kids. We also tried to book the luau at the Grand Wailea but it was cancelled due to rain – an odd rainy night. We’ve been to the luau at the Marriot in Wailea in the past, and it is great. The kids love the fire wielding Hawaiian warriors, hulu dancers and tribal stories.


As I write this post on our flight back from Maui I’m glad I’m taking the time now since I will be knee deep in email when I return. Mostly because I did not read a single email while I was away. Total discipline!

I’m thrilled I was able to spend this time undistracted from my boys. And Mom had an absolute blast boarding, feeling young, and enjoying some great time in the pool and SUN! Mahalo, Fairmont Kea Lani! Aloha!



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Photo courtesy of John Biehler. Thanks @JohnBiehler! TEDxVancouver 2011. How about that Octopus?! 24 hours after the TEDxVancouver event. I haven’t been writing posts for a while. Not for lack of inspiration but mostly just time. But if ever there was a reason to write and share, TED is it. After attending last year, I knew what to expect from TEDxVancouver 2011 and so I arrived with eager anticipation. Sometimes when we are attending an event with 800+ strangers one might feel anxious but due to the topics and the purpose of sharing inspirational ideas, TEDx feels intimate, unpretentious, with all of us there to collaborate toward a common goal.   There were many many speakers who blew me away with their personal stories but this post would be pages and pages long if I included a recap on all of them. My highlights:   The event begins with 22-year old Reid Power, from Vancouver Island. His presentation is short but starts the day off perfectly. Today’s theme is “The Frontier.” And Reid’s presentation delivers (scientific) wonder and a message of promise for the world. Exactly what TED aims to do.   The morning at TEDxVancouver and its presenters convey that through technology, the world’s problems can be solved. And they present compelling examples.   At all TEDx events, there are live presentations, and between the live local presentations, videos are shown from TED presentations from around the world. A video presentation from a technical farming wizard in the U.S. shows us the benefits of ‘open source’ ‘do it yourself’ and how he has created his own tools for farming that are sustainable in terms of cost and long-lasting. And through open sourcing/sharing online, he has been able to share and collaborate with engineers and farmers from around the world. Through open sourcing, engineers and farmers now visit his farm to collaborate and build new cost-effective, long lasting equipment that can have a big impact on farming and food benefits for the world. Here is a link to Marcin Jakubowski’s talk: http://www.ted.com/speakers/marcin_jakubowski.html    For me personally, Seth Cooper’s talk touched me to the core. You see, I have two young boys who like to play video games and so when Seth began talking about how gaming and gamers can solve problems and are the future of scientific discovery, well I hung on to his every word. I try to limit the amount of video games my boys play but my six-year-old is already a math and gaming whiz and after hearing Seth speak, I have new hope for my gamer. Often I worry my son is going to be bored all through school but NOW, thanks to Seth, I believe he may actually help change the world one day through video games. NOT KIDDING. If you saw Seth speak yesterday, you know why.   Seth is the Creative Director of the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington. He is co-creator of Foldit, a scientific discovery game that has allowed video gamers to solve difficult scientific problems. Gamers use intuition and special reasoning to solve bio chemistry problems that computers alone can’t do. Gamers bridge the gap with scientists, trying different methods to solve big bio chemistry problems. He used an important AIDS example of how gamers were able to help identify game-changing solutions. Seth says that we should stop looking at games as distractions but scientific problem solving. Here is a link to a story and Q&A with Seth Cooper that appeared in August 2010 in the Economist http://www.economist.com/node/21009649        Next notable for me was one of Canada’s Canadian Armed Forces heroes, Romeo Dallaire, who had many important points for the world’s 18 -25 year olds. His “Inaction is Action” speech was so motivating and I couldn’t help but think of how useful it would be for Romeo’s words to be shared with children as young as 10. As the Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, (the also brilliant) Christopher Gaze commented to me on break, “What a mind!” If ever you have the opportunity to hear Dallaire speak, jump on it.       Next, David Gallo on “Life in the deep oceans.” You WILL be amazed by his TED talk and video. Watch this full screen and watch to the very end: Hello Octopus!!! http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html Following Gallo’s video presentation was a live presentation from Dr. Kate Moran whose presentation was of particular interest to people living on the West Coast with a special interest in the oceans and salmon and fisheries. Dr. Moran is a world-renowned ocean engineer who explained the scientific wonders of the ocean in a very simple to understand and interesting presentation. Did you know that there are two underwater networks ‘Venus’ and ‘Neptune’ off Vancouver Island that connect the Internet to the Ocean?! An underwater observatory system with cameras and technology on the ocean floor? I kept saying to myself, Wow! Wow! I found a presentation online that she did in October 2011 that echoes part of what she presented at TEDx. Check out page 39 for example http://www.unols.org/meetings/2011/201110anu/201110anuap23.pdf Here is Dr. Moran’s and the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks initiative that I will definitely be checking out in more detail: http://www.oceannetworks.ca/ (especially with my eight-year-old son who is a fishing fanatic.) Next impressive for me came designers: Jer Thorp (@blprnt) and Kara Pecknold (@karapecknold). Jer Thorp catered to my current Steve Jobs biography obsession with further insight into the tech/design world - putting data into the human context- making data human and interesting. Kara Pecknold (also sister to the wonderfully talented fashion and travel journo @joypecknold) reinforced the importance of the design process when planning a successful project (or for me in my work) campaign. Reminding us that by using the design process, turn Ideas into Action: Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver. The final part of the afternoon began with Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, whom I mentioned earlier. Talk about a good human. He has this warmth and worldly wisdom about him that you feel when speaking up close with him and a hugely powerful presence on stage. He was a welcome artistic breath at TEDx, following so many speakers that stimulated our minds. Christopher stimulated our senses. The remaining speakers were inspirational and reminded us all to fulfill our passions which luckily, I feel I do most days! People who attend TED want a better world. This TEDx I once again enjoyed the speakers and presentations from a personal and career perspective but this time, I watched most introspectively, as a Mother. I encourage you to subscribe to TED. This is where many of the world’s future leaders and ideas will be born. www.ted.com Be inspired. Be open to new ideas. Thank you TED and TEDxVancouver!     

Photo courtesy of John Biehler. Thanks @JohnBiehler!

TEDxVancouver 2011. How about that Octopus?!

24 hours after the TEDxVancouver event.

I haven’t been writing posts for a while. Not for lack of inspiration but mostly just time. But if ever there was a reason to write and share, TED is it. After attending last year, I knew what to expect from TEDxVancouver 2011 and so I arrived with eager anticipation. Sometimes when we are attending an event with 800+ strangers one might feel anxious but due to the topics and the purpose of sharing inspirational ideas, TEDx feels intimate, unpretentious, with all of us there to collaborate toward a common goal.

 

There were many many speakers who blew me away with their personal stories but this post would be pages and pages long if I included a recap on all of them. My highlights:

 

The event begins with 22-year old Reid Power, from Vancouver Island. His presentation is short but starts the day off perfectly. Today’s theme is “The Frontier.” And Reid’s presentation delivers (scientific) wonder and a message of promise for the world. Exactly what TED aims to do.

 

The morning at TEDxVancouver and its presenters convey that through technology, the world’s problems can be solved. And they present compelling examples.

 

At all TEDx events, there are live presentations, and between the live local presentations, videos are shown from TED presentations from around the world. A video presentation from a technical farming wizard in the U.S. shows us the benefits of ‘open source’ ‘do it yourself’ and how he has created his own tools for farming that are sustainable in terms of cost and long-lasting. And through open sourcing/sharing online, he has been able to share and collaborate with engineers and farmers from around the world. Through open sourcing, engineers and farmers now visit his farm to collaborate and build new cost-effective, long lasting equipment that can have a big impact on farming and food benefits for the world. Here is a link to Marcin Jakubowski’s talk: http://www.ted.com/speakers/marcin_jakubowski.html 

 

For me personally, Seth Cooper’s talk touched me to the core. You see, I have two young boys who like to play video games and so when Seth began talking about how gaming and gamers can solve problems and are the future of scientific discovery, well I hung on to his every word. I try to limit the amount of video games my boys play but my six-year-old is already a math and gaming whiz and after hearing Seth speak, I have new hope for my gamer. Often I worry my son is going to be bored all through school but NOW, thanks to Seth, I believe he may actually help change the world one day through video games. NOT KIDDING. If you saw Seth speak yesterday, you know why.

 

Seth is the Creative Director of the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington. He is co-creator of Foldit, a scientific discovery game that has allowed video gamers to solve difficult scientific problems. Gamers use intuition and special reasoning to solve bio chemistry problems that computers alone can’t do. Gamers bridge the gap with scientists, trying different methods to solve big bio chemistry problems. He used an important AIDS example of how gamers were able to help identify game-changing solutions. Seth says that we should stop looking at games as distractions but scientific problem solving. Here is a link to a story and Q&A with Seth Cooper that appeared in August 2010 in the Economist http://www.economist.com/node/21009649 

 

 

 

Next notable for me was one of Canada’s Canadian Armed Forces heroes, Romeo Dallaire, who had many important points for the world’s 18 -25 year olds. His “Inaction is Action” speech was so motivating and I couldn’t help but think of how useful it would be for Romeo’s words to be shared with children as young as 10. As the Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, (the also brilliant) Christopher Gaze commented to me on break, “What a mind!” If ever you have the opportunity to hear Dallaire speak, jump on it.    

 

Next, David Gallo on “Life in the deep oceans.” You WILL be amazed by his TED talk and video. Watch this full screen and watch to the very end: Hello Octopus!!! http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html

Following Gallo’s video presentation was a live presentation from Dr. Kate Moran whose presentation was of particular interest to people living on the West Coast with a special interest in the oceans and salmon and fisheries. Dr. Moran is a world-renowned ocean engineer who explained the scientific wonders of the ocean in a very simple to understand and interesting presentation. Did you know that there are two underwater networks ‘Venus’ and ‘Neptune’ off Vancouver Island that connect the Internet to the Ocean?! An underwater observatory system with cameras and technology on the ocean floor? I kept saying to myself, Wow! Wow! I found a presentation online that she did in October 2011 that echoes part of what she presented at TEDx. Check out page 39 for example http://www.unols.org/meetings/2011/201110anu/201110anuap23.pdf

Here is Dr. Moran’s and the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks initiative that I will definitely be checking out in more detail: http://www.oceannetworks.ca/ (especially with my eight-year-old son who is a fishing fanatic.)

Next impressive for me came designers: Jer Thorp (@blprnt) and Kara Pecknold (@karapecknold).

Jer Thorp catered to my current Steve Jobs biography obsession with further insight into the tech/design world - putting data into the human context- making data human and interesting. Kara Pecknold (also sister to the wonderfully talented fashion and travel journo @joypecknold) reinforced the importance of the design process when planning a successful project (or for me in my work) campaign. Reminding us that by using the design process, turn Ideas into Action: Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver.

The final part of the afternoon began with Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, whom I mentioned earlier. Talk about a good human. He has this warmth and worldly wisdom about him that you feel when speaking up close with him and a hugely powerful presence on stage. He was a welcome artistic breath at TEDx, following so many speakers that stimulated our minds. Christopher stimulated our senses.

The remaining speakers were inspirational and reminded us all to fulfill our passions which luckily, I feel I do most days!

People who attend TED want a better world. This TEDx I once again enjoyed the speakers and presentations from a personal and career perspective but this time, I watched most introspectively, as a Mother.

I encourage you to subscribe to TED. This is where many of the world’s future leaders and ideas will be born. www.ted.com

Be inspired. Be open to new ideas. Thank you TED and TEDxVancouver!