I never realized how peaceful it would be to see a sea turtle up close.
The ocean was calm that morning as I paddled off Wailea Beach on an outrigger canoe, stopping to inspect red pencil and collector urchins, which tickled the palm of my hand like a hedgehog.
The guide said there'd be a chance of a sea-turtle spotting, but to keep expectations low. Yet, as we scanned the horizon, a turtle suddenly popped its head above the water, bobbing and coasting along the canoe for a moment before descending back down. It felt like a small miracle, like when a ladybug lands on you. It was exactly the kind of experience I knew my husband would love.
But my husband wasn't there. Instead, he was back in our hotel room, sitting in total darkness and getting blasted by artificial ocean waves emanating from a sound machine as our 9-month-old takes her morning nap.
We're finally taking our dream babymoon. The only issue is, our baby's here.
I should preface this by saying we were lucky to have no shortage of adventure while we were expecting. We visited my parents in Spain, did a pre-baby couples retreat in Arizona, I even took a "hatchelorette" trip with friends in Mexico. But somehow, we never got around to taking that quintessential babymoon we'd talked about — one where we could fully unplug, relax, and let the day be dictated by buffet hours and spa treatments.
That was quite alright. Again, we'd had plenty of travel, but a few months after welcoming our daughter, a thought crept into my mind one night as I washed and sterilized breast-pump parts for the millionth time. "Fuck. We should've gone to Hawaii." An idea was planted. While we'd never be able to turn back the clock and take that trip as our more carefree pre-parenthood selves, what if we tried?
Many months later, after careful planning and a good deal of panic shopping, that's exactly what we did. We made the nearly six-hour flight from LAX to Kahului Airport and arrived at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea ready for our babymoon, baby in tow.
As we pulled up to the open-air lobby, we were greeted with sweeping views of the Pacific, with Molokini Crater off in the distance. The lobby is pristine, swathed in soft lighting and neutral tones. Viewers of "The White Lotus" will recognize the hotel as the setting for the first season. But as we took in the sights, I realized we had a bit of a problem on her hands: my daughter had a blowout en route, and she needed to be tended to immediately . . . and her onesie also needed to be disposed of. (Off to a great start already, I'm sure you're thinking.)
We settled into our room, which had graciously been set up with all the necessary baby accoutrements: a crib, of course, but also a diaper pail, bath seat, baby toiletries — the works. The hotel has even left alphabet bath sponges shaped spelling out my daughter's name.
Dinner on our first night was at Komo, the on-site sushi restaurant. Sushi is a favorite cuisine for us, but we hadn't yet taken our daughter to a sushi restaurant for obvious reasons. (We've got quite a bit of time before she's able to go to town on some toro.)
Somehow, it still managed to be fun for the whole family. We enjoyed pieces of buttery nigiri, and for the little lady, the chef whipped up a rice bowl with avocado and snow crab.
After a long travel day, however, my daughter started to melt down, and so, I brought her up to the room and put her to bed while my husband finished his food. Then, we switched off: he stayed with the baby as she slept, while I enjoyed dessert and a nightcap in the lobby lounge. I texted my husband about some of the goings-on in the lobby. People-watching is a favorite pasttime of ours, and I wished he was there, but I also really enjoyed the moment to myself.
The next morning, we enjoyed the breakfast buffet before I headed out for my aforementioned outrigger canoe excursion. When I returned, I relaxed at the pool with my daughter, as my husband enjoyed an oceanside massage. When he was done, the four of us spent the rest of the day in the cabana, transporting our daughter back and forth between the family pool and the playpen they had set up for her, complete with beach toys.
At night, we sprung for a babysitter, which was arranged with help from the concierge, so we could have dinner to ourselves at Spago. After nine months of childrearing with minimal breaks, it felt surreal to step out into the resort just us, on a date like old times.
On the walk to Spago, we were struck by the sunset. A couple on their honeymoon stopped to take some photos with the hotel's fountain pool in the background. I had been saying that we needed more photos together throughout the trip, but in that moment, we just held hands and took it all in.
At dinner, we enjoyed a bread basket with various avant-garde butters alongside Hunan glazed eggplant and a New York steak. We reflected on how we've grown since becoming parents, but also the growing that still lies ahead. Occasionally, we just sat and enjoyed the silence we've come to appreciate that much more since having a baby. We only looked at the baby monitor app twice, which felt like a win.
The next day, our final full day, I shuffled over to the concierge to see if they could arrange for my husband to do the same outrigger canoe excursion I had loved so much. Thankfully, there was an open seat that morning. He didn't see a turtle, but when the canoe stopped for a paddling break, he did get out and swim.
Though we couldn't experience it silmultaneously, we were still, in a way, experiencing it together.
After a leisurely last day, and an oceanside massage for me, we ordered our dinner to go from Ferraro's, the on-site Italian restaurant, and enjoyed it from the comforts of our balcony. It was there that our daughter discovered her love of cacio e pepe, and for this foodie, that meant the world.
I won't bore you with all the details, but the flight home would likely be interpreted by most as a disaster. We hadn't packed enough snacks or toys or whatever else, and when the travel exhaustion started hitting our daughter, she fussed and cried for the last half of the journey, only to fall asleep conveniently as we were landing.
I might've normally cried myself — and I came close — but fresh off our Hawaiian reset consisting of days spent lounging, swimming, and dining on delicious meal after delicious meal, I simply looked at my husband and laughed.
Kelsey Garcia (she/her) is the lifestyle director at PS, where she oversees coverage across Balance and Health & Fitness. Kelsey is passionate about travel, wellness trends, and evolving parenting styles. Before joining the PS team as an editorial assistant in 2015, she interned at Elle and Harper's Bazaar, among other publications.
