Looking at us, we have no business going to Maui. We are on one income. We are struggling. The past five years have been financially devastating…but in times of despair, you lean on the only thing you truly have. Each Other. And when you have nothing, and your back is against the wall, you talk and you dream and you tell each other ALLLLLL the things we shoulda, woulda, coulda done back in the days when we were making MONEY. But we didn’t do those things because we didn’t have THIS frame of mind. And this frame of mind sadly only appears when you are at rock bottom. So while we were kicking rocks and occasionally throwing them, we said “Fuck it-we are going to Maui.”  |
| View from the plane |
This was to be our first vacation. Ever. I mean, growing up, our parents took us to Disneyland a couple times and we had 3-day weekend camping trips here and there, but a full-fledged vacation-nope. We wanted to do it right. So, we talked to everyone we possibly could. We asked friends and Facebook. I spent months scanning the Internet for the best deals and now I want to share our findings with you.
How to Save
First, we opened a vacation savings account at a new credit union where we don’t conduct our daily banking and we set up a direct payroll deduction so that we didn’t even miss the funds. We chose $80 per paycheck. What is $80? About ONE meal out. Think about it, usually, I get paid and we go out at least two or three times in between pay periods. So, by banking $160 per month over the course of 24 months, we were able to save $3,840 to pay for the trip. Of course, we also put in additional windfalls (1/2 of my comedy money, any gifted funds, etc.) and at the end of 2 years, we had just under $5,000. It was thoughtless and it added up QUICK.
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| Our first sunset |
So with $5k in the vacation fund, and the Internet at our fingertips, we budgeted for the trip. That money needed to include activities, adventures, incidentals (like when they say the rental car is $260 and it’s really $460) and food for a full seven days. And it can go by FAST.
So, yeah, I totally thought it would be easier to just book a complete package through Expedia. I mean, air, hotel, and rental car is advertised for $750 per person – but once you select the room, there are additional charges for a room that sleeps 3, or a king-size bed or a kitchen. And then they add other costs. The ads are very misleading, and when you’re on a strict budget, there is no room for misleading. After almost booking a package that started out at the advertised price of $758 per person, the ultimate price with taxes was $900 per person. FAIL.
So, we decided to research on our own and we found way better discounts.
Airlines
Budget: $600 per person RT
Actual: $412 per person - WIN!
Tip: Check rates DAILY
Hawaiian Airlines would be the obvious choice to fly, right? Wrong. Although their site is super easy to use and shows an amazing calendar to choose your dates from, including showing the prices so you can make a budget-savvvy decision—none of their flights fly directly into Maui. In fact, ALL of their flights have a small layover in Honolulu and then you take a much smaller plane to the island. Me-Small plane? Pffft….Forget it. I’d rather pay $50 more per person and have no layovers.
Airport
Airport Budget: $40
Actual Cost: $80
Tip: Get a ride to the airport-and borrow Xanax.
Our good friend dropped us off, stayed at our house and picked us up. This saved us about $70 in airport parking and she cleaned my house while I was gone….SCORE! It was a long trip. I hate flying. In fact this was the longest flight I have ever been on. Thankfully, my Xanax was free. I have great friends.
Now, we would have stayed at $40 if the stupid airlines had a movie. And of course, it’s all people told me for two years “Don't worry - it goes by so fast, it’s two movies and then you’re there!” But Alaskan doesn’t show movies on a large screen. They make you rent one of those little portable players for $12. And when mom wants to watch Walk The Line, but the kid wants to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua, well you rack up the costs pretty fast.
Rental Car
Budget: $260 for the week
Actual Cost: $460
Tip: Size Matters
Even though many places advertised about $150-$175 per week—don’t be fooled. I researched every single agency and found that after absurd Hawaii taxes, you’re still going to be stuck at about $265 for the week-not including insurance which you definitely need. And that is where they get you. At $16 per day for insurance, you just added $128 pretax. But, everything I read said that rental cars are prime targets for theft in Hawaii. Ultimately, we ended up with Enterprise because I trust them and have had great experiences in the past. And, they will accept debit cards if you have an itinerary showing your return flight. After all was said and done-we got a tiny Chevy Cobalt and it was perfect for the three of us for the week.
Groceries
Grocery Budget: $100 for the week
Actual Cost: $165-$200
Tip: Only buy what you need-plan meals ahead & stop at the fruit stands
We stopped at Safeway in Lahaina and purchased breakfasts, snacks and lunches and paid $165. Ouch! Then we stopped at a fruit stand and bought the most delicious pineapple, apple bananas, mangos and papayas, and spent like, $10. WIN! We did end up throwing out some food and beverages. And, we needed to make an extra trip to the grocery store for water during the week. You will go through a LOT of water. And momma don’t do tap water.
Costco Cash Card-we were going to do this, and I recommend it for larger families, but for the three of us, we opted for Safeway. However, after spending $7 on a gallon of milk (I exaggerate, it was $6.50) –perhaps next time we will choose Costco. You must be a Costco member to purchase or reload Costco Cash Cards but Members and non-members may use the cash cards to shop in the warehouse or online.
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| Our patio, each day we woke up to this... |
Budget: $125 per night
Actual Cost: $111 per night
Tip: http://www.vrbo.com/
A friend of mine (Sam Bam!) who visits Maui often gave me this link. At first, I was skeptical, but after hours of researching Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotels.com and others, this ended up being a GREAT choice. This is the condo we settled on at Valley Isle Resort and we were THRILLED. It’s a quiet resort in Kahana between Kaanapali and Napili and just minutes from our favorite hang out, Lahania.
Condo: http://www.hailtecmaui.com/
Contact: Judi and Ralph Harvey 254-836-1699 (tell them we sent ya!)
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| Our beautiful daughter |
Gifts/Merch
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| Our Hand Carved Tiki: "Luck, love and protection for the family" |
Budget: $200
Actual: $200+
Tip: Don’t buy for everyone
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| Aloha Mixed Plate |
Dining Out
Budget: $700
Actual Cost: $600-something
TIP: EAT AT ALOHA MIXED PLATE!
Eating out in Maui is FUN. Our plan was simple: Make breakfast, pack lunches and eat dinner out every night BUT only dine at places we couldn’t get at home. This was interesting when it came to my caffeine addiction because Starbucks is prominent there, but our room had a coffee maker and Maui Kona blend was provided so I was ok. We opted for authentic Hawaiian food and were a little bummed when we found the best restaurant ever on the last night we were there. It’s called Aloha Mixed Plate and it’s incredible. My hubby keeps talking about the beef over rice with an egg and drowning in gravy plate that he consumed. The gravy was the best I have ever had. We highly recommend it. Sushi is a family favorite, but not a lot of luck. We went to Napili and ate at Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, but it was just ok. We sure missed Mikuni. We did break our own rule once and took Daisy to The Melting Pot for dessert. It was a special night.
We didn't drink too much because we had the little one with us, but the alcohol can add a lot to the bill. However, a Mai Tai never tasted better.
Big thanks to our friends Heidi and Damien for telling us “You will stand in line for an hour-but it’s worth it.” At first, I was like, Yeah, NO pancakes are worth a one-hour wait. But we did it. And oh yeah, I’d do it again. And so would a lot of others...read reviews here. This place has the BEST PANCAKES EVER. Try the White Chocolate chip, pineapple and the Macadamia nut…and don’t forget that white syrup on the table, it’s coconut! The Gazebo is located on the grounds of Napili Shores resort at 5315 Lower Honoapiilani Rd. You will be happy you waited.
Total Cost
Flight $1220
Airport Costs $80Room $777
Rental Car $460
Snorkel Gear $75
Dining out $650
Entertainment $400
Groceries $200
Gas $30
Gifts $200
Misc $300
Grand Total $4392
What is Misc? Oh, the crap you don't think about. Parking at places, tips, knick knacks, more sunscreen, souvenirs, snacks while out, buying photos and video at the events we were at –totally worth it—and other little incidentals; like when my pedicure was wiped off in the salt water on day 1 and I had to buy and reapply my nail polish….shit like that.
Left Over: $608 which coincidentally was almost exactly what it cost to fix one of our cars that decided to break down the week before we left. That's a Whole. Nutha. Blog.
Grand Total $4392
What is Misc? Oh, the crap you don't think about. Parking at places, tips, knick knacks, more sunscreen, souvenirs, snacks while out, buying photos and video at the events we were at –totally worth it—and other little incidentals; like when my pedicure was wiped off in the salt water on day 1 and I had to buy and reapply my nail polish….shit like that.
Our Favorites
Best weather advice
I used Maui Weather Today religiously and it was on par with the daily happenings in Maui. Don’t use the big new sites or you’ll think it’s raining every day. There are no bad days in Maui.
Best place to book adventures
SO many places offer discounts, but few offer discounts and details that Adventure Maui offers. We booked the Four Winds Tour ($79 for adults, $49 for kids). They called us within a few hours to go over the reservation and to see if we needed anything else. They were so nice that I would definitely use them again!  |
| Glass Bottom of The Four Winds |
Deep Discounts at “Tourist Information Booths”
Now, once we actually got there, we noticed several “tourist information” booths in downtown Lahaina. We went to one to inquire about a fishing adventure for my hubby. Well, come to find out—they are all Time Share ploys. HOWEVER- After talking to the guy for a long time, we decided the discounts would be well worth two hours of our time, so we opted in for a presentation and saved $198 on adventures….we saw the Royal Lahaina Luau for $9 total and my man’s fishing trip was discounted about $20. This was worth it. And, if we would have waited and booked our Molokini crater trip, we would have saved another $75.
Here is how you say NO to time shares…
After you say “no” 64 times…they bring in a closer. I sent my kid for some water, took the salesman’s hand and said “Look, I am sick, and she doesn’t know, so we did this to get the discounts and take her on some amazing adventures-catch my drift?” Then she was back with the water, “Here mommy!” and we were on our way to book a fishing trip for daddy. Am I going to hell? Maybe. But I am certain that I will see every sleazy sales person there too, including time share folks.
The Road to Hana
Yeah, I am glad we saw it, because we now share the I’m-so-frustrated-that-I-spent-one-entire-day-looking-at-some-points-of-interest-when-I-coulda-been-snorkeling-or-parasailing look with others who have traveled the same long ass road. And no, we didn’t turn around, we drove on the cliff, on the side of a volcano and if I wasn’t driving, I think I would have puked and stabbed myelf so that I never had to do it again.….but it was a little fun. We created great memories, but we also spent 10.5 hours on the road.
The Beaches They look so amazing, you just want to stop off and go snorkeling, and we did--and you should too. But a word to the wise (which didn’t include me) don’t park on the sand. We got stuck and in order to get my car out, I got felt up by a nice, but weird old local. Totally worth it.
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| Rent these and keep them in your trunk. |
We did venture up to Kihei and Wailea one day, but the winds kick in early and the waves get to be too big. The other side (where we stayed) is blocked by that wind for the most part and you can enjoy snorkeling from sun up to sun down.
Best Snorkeling Rental Get your snorkel gear ($25 per person for the week at Boss Frogs Dive and Surf, across the parking lot from our condo) and put all the gear plus a few towels in your trunk! You will be stopping to snorkel often! Load up on extra de-fogger though, because you'll go through it quick.
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| Napili Bay |
Our Favorite Snorkeling Spots
Kapula Bay – if you can find it-you will come back for more. It’s the bomb and right up the street from the condo. My favorite place!
Napili Bay – lots of turtles, beautiful beaches with quiet coves.
Black Rock – at the Sheridan. Plus, after you can swim in their pool. Well you aren’t supposed to, but Daisy & I wanted to try out the lazy river, and so we did. Molokini Crater – a boat ride into the middle of the ocean, a volcano awaits with the most amazing blue water and fish who aren’t scared of you. We took the Four Winds boat and we loved it!
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| Richie caught a lot of fish...no crabs! |
Fishing Adventure – just let the guys be guys. He had a blast and caught a bunch of fish and he was so happy. When we went to pick him up, we got to see stingrays come and eat the fish heads (the guys & prep your fish for you).
Packing
I packed for 7 days. I wore a bathing suit and sundress every day. Next time—all I need is 5 suits, 3 sundresses and 1 evening outfit. Save the room in your suitcase for beach towels—you’ll go through them.
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I could go on and on about all of the cool places we found, the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets and the smell of plumeria throughout the entire island....but you have to be there to truly appreciate it all. Before our trip, I would see SUVs on the road with the little turtle stickers, or a hibiscus or Maui sticker and I just thought to myself "Yeah, right. Show offs." But now when we see those stickers, we think "ahhhh, niiiice....can't wait to return."
If we can do it, anyone can. One thing we brought back was the understanding of what it means to “practice Aloha.” We can’t wait to get back to that island.
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