Review: Maui, Hawaii
Well, we’ve been back for a few days now, so I thought I’d post my recap of my trip to Hawaii, plus some photos! :)
Cost: $750 CDN each ($2,000 – $500 Amex rewards) — this included airfare, condo & rental car for 5 nights
Spending $$$: approx. $700 for the both of us
Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii
We stayed about 10 minutes north of Lahaina, and 45 min. from Kahului Airport. It was absolutely the perfect location, with such a gorgeous drive up the coast. Much less busy than where my friends stayed – they were about a 60 min. drive down the coast in Wailea. Plus, we all agreed that the beaches where we were staying were nicer.
We bought groceries at Safeway (food & booze cost us $175 for 5 days = $35/day), and cooked our own breakfast, lunch & snacks. We also had our friends over for lunch one day. Groceries are A LOT more expensive than I had anticipated. Everyone warned me that Maui was pricey, but I was shocked. $6 for a bag of chips!
The beaches were gorgeous. Warm, turquoise water … and we always found a secluded spot on the beach. It was nice just to relax without anyone else around.
Dining Out
We ate all of our dinners out just for the experience of being on vacation together for the first time (besides our short trip to Vegas last winter). The next time we go to Maui, we will cook all of our meals at the condo in order to save money.
- Pearl’s Korean BBQ (Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, Kahului) $14 – this was in a food court. We had just arrived and were starving. We each ordered a meal & shared a drink. We ended up with so much food that we had enough for dinner too.
- Hula Grill (Lahaina) $80 – BF and I went for dinner with our friends, and we all ate off the Chef’s tasting menu (appetizer, entree, dessert for $25 from 5-6pm). We also ordered drinks, which I immediately regretted because they were not worth it. The restaurant is located right by the ocean, which got a bit busy with foot traffic. The food was pretty good, but BF and I both agreed that it was somewhat overpriced. Even for the tasting menu.
- Pineapple Grill (Kapulua) – the company I work for offered to treat BF and I to a nice dinner out while we were in Maui, as a thank-you for all the hard work I had done over the summer. It was located in Kapalua Resort, and we both thought it was a bit of a weird location, but was still very nice. The menu was pricey, and we wouldn’t have went there if it wasn’t being treated. But the food was delicious. We ordered 2 appetizers to share, I ordered the lamb for dinner, and had their #1 rated pineapple upside down cake for dessert. We also each had a glass of wine. Best lamb I’ve ever had. :)
- Mala Wailea @ the Marriott Resort – this is where we all went for the dinner after the wedding. Beautiful location. The resort is pristine and gorgeous (bride had wedding photos taken on the Resort grounds too), and the private room in the restaurant that we had overlooked a pool and the ocean. There were also a lot of pictures of famous people dining at the restaurant. The food was super expensive. We all shared appetizers & had wine & champagne to drink. BF had the sashimi for his entree, which he claims to be the best sashimi he’s ever had. I had the seafood pasta which I didn’t really like that much.
- Aloha Mixed Plate (Lahaina) $20 – the prices are unbelievably good, and the menu has such a variety of food and they give you so much of it that you wonder how they even make a profit! Most items on the menu were Asian-inspired. We called to order take-out and it was ready in 15 minutes, despite being such a busy restaurant. I had the Thai chow mein, and BF had Asian-style ribs. It was such a good value that we know we’ll definitely eat there again. It seems to be where a lot of locals eat as well, and a really cool place to visit if you’re on a budget but still want to go out somewhere for dinner.
- Sansei Sushi (Kapalua) $60 – we were recommended this restaurant by a friend of mine who owns a condo in Maui. And it definitely didn’t disappoint. The prices were also quite reasonable ($12 for a fancy roll, $6.50 for a normal roll), and our waitress said that after 10pm, everything on the menu is 50% off so we know we’ll definitely go back. The rolls were unique and interesting, and it’s about what we would have paid for a nice sushi dinner here in Vancouver. Also, I would definitely suggest making a reservation, because when we left there were at least 30 people waiting inside and outside of the restaurant.
Maui Kai Condos (found via VRBO.com)
After driving around for 5 days, seeing where our friends were staying, and walking along multiple beaches looking at other hotels/condo units, we can 100% say for sure that when we come back to Maui, we will be staying at Maui Kai. It’s the closest condo/hotel to the ocean (the ocean literally sprayed up over the sea wall, just beyond our balcony), offered friendly staff & condo owners, all the amenities we could ever want, and at a price that just cannot be beat. All of the units are fully oceanfront, and our unit had literally every kitchen gadget available (including a rice cookier – huzzah!), a flat screen TV, king sized bed, and boogie board gear. Half of our stay cost $100/night, and the other half cost $130/night. For that price, you wouldn’t even get a partial ocean view anywhere else! It’s not a fancy building, but it only has 10 floors (less crowded), and lots of free parking. Words cannot express how happy BF and I were with our accommodation. And if you are interested in going to Maui and staying at Maui Kai, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get you in touch with the condo owners of the unit we stayed in.
Fleming Beach
We went here for the day with our friends. It’s just north of Kapulua and is beautiful. Of course, all the beaches on Maui are beautiful, so I guess it doesn’t really matter where you go. :)
35 min. Helicopter ride to Island of Molokai ($94.99 each)
I had never been on a helicopter ride before, but this was completely worth it and without a doubt, the highlight of our trip. We were treated to some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen – gorgeous waterfalls, lush rainforest, coral reefs, cliffs, etc. I highly recommend you go on this tour, and it was only $94.99 each!? That’s cheaper than most other helicopter tours I’ve seen advertised in other places like Vegas or Mexico.
Iao Valley State Park
We really wanted to do the Haleakala Crater http://www.hawaiiweb.com/maui/sites_to_see/HaleakalaCrater.htm hike, but ended up not having enough time. So we settled on the Iao Valley State Park, and the Iao Needle. It was cool, but not much of a hike. I could have worn flip flops. I was looking for something a bit more challenging, and now that we know the area a bit better, the next time we come back we’ll be more prepared do to some serious hiking.
Spa at Wailea Marriott Resort
I got a manicure, pedicure & my hair done for the wedding. It was a small but beautiful spa in a gorgeous resort. The two ladies working there were both really nice and helpful. The prices were quite expensive though, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this place. Especially because you’ll spend a lot of time in the water and in the sand, which ended up ruining my nails anyway. :)
Overall Impression of Maui
LOVED IT. BF and I both agreed that we will 100% for sure come back. Probably not for 2-3 years, but we’ll try for a 2 week trip then. We now know what to expect in terms of cost for everything, and we will be more familiar with the area. We will also come back during the low season because the weather was still fabulous, but everything was nice and we didn’t feel crowded. I can just imagine how busy Maui gets in the winter when everyone is looking for a sun vacation.
The next time we go, we might try camping for a few nights, as we noticed a lot of people just pitching tents on the beach. Not so much to cut costs, but just for the experience. We’ll have to look into it and see if permits are necessary. We’d also like to go to the Big Island for a bit too. Just another trip to look forward to in the future!
18 Responses to “Review: Maui, Hawaii”
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wow…it sounds like you had a pretty amazing time!
My recent post Home Today
wow…it sounds like you had a pretty amazing time!
My recent post Home Today
if/when you go back, and if it's for two weeks (good idea by the way, when i went it was for 2 weeks and allowed for the perfect combo of activity and beach time, and we had time to do EVERYTHING we wanted) drive to Hana. You can camp at the state park (or rent a rustic cabin) and there is a hike that looked pretty good (but my travel companion didn't want to do) above the 'Seven Sacred Pools'
The drive to Hana (and beyond) is AMAZING.
And yes, groceries are beyond expensive. We had to buy all our water too becuase the tap and filtered water upset our stomachs.
if/when you go back, and if it's for two weeks (good idea by the way, when i went it was for 2 weeks and allowed for the perfect combo of activity and beach time, and we had time to do EVERYTHING we wanted) drive to Hana. You can camp at the state park (or rent a rustic cabin) and there is a hike that looked pretty good (but my travel companion didn't want to do) above the 'Seven Sacred Pools'
The drive to Hana (and beyond) is AMAZING.
And yes, groceries are beyond expensive. We had to buy all our water too becuase the tap and filtered water upset our stomachs.
I really enjoyed this post. I'm from Hawaii for it's nice to hear when someone has good things to say about it. Also made me realize how much I should appreciate where I live.
I've lived in Hawaii (granted I'm on the island of Oahu) my whole life and haven't seen the Kaanapali side of Maui. Glad you enjoyed your stay! :)
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You're very lucky to live in a place like Hawaii! :) Hopefully one day we will get to visit Oahu too and I'll be asking for your advice!
I really enjoyed this post. I'm from Hawaii for it's nice to hear when someone has good things to say about it. Also made me realize how much I should appreciate where I live.
I've lived in Hawaii (granted I'm on the island of Oahu) my whole life and haven't seen the Kaanapali side of Maui. Glad you enjoyed your stay! :)
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You're very lucky to live in a place like Hawaii! :) Hopefully one day we will get to visit Oahu too and I'll be asking for your advice!
Sounds like fun! Was your condo walking distance to a beach?
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The ocean's edge was literally 5 feet away from our deck. We were on the 1st floor, so just hopped over the railing and we were in the sand! :)
Sounds like fun! Was your condo walking distance to a beach?
My recent post Your ass is big cuz it’s filled with excuses
The ocean's edge was literally 5 feet away from our deck. We were on the 1st floor, so just hopped over the railing and we were in the sand! :)
I felt as if I was there with you and enjoying the scenery. Beautifully descriptive post, many thanks.
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I felt as if I was there with you and enjoying the scenery. Beautifully descriptive post, many thanks.
My recent post A real quickie
wow… looks like such a great adventure.
wow… looks like such a great adventure.
Haven’t been to Maui yet, but currently living on Oahu and love it as well. A bit more crowded than Maui since there’s almost a million people on this rock! Glad to hear you had a good time there.
Haven’t been to Maui yet, but currently living on Oahu and love it as well. A bit more crowded than Maui since there’s almost a million people on this rock! Glad to hear you had a good time there.